Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“Ruby!” Mr. Brooks barks my name this time. I jump from my seat and scurry after him. He holds the door to his office open for me, closing it the second I cross over the threshold. “How is ‘The Dog Whisperer’ campaign going?” He motions for me to take one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I sent you over the final drafts last night. If Mr. Barks and you are happy with the changes I made at his request, then we should be good to go.”
I am so ready to be done with this campaign. It’s actually the first one I’ve done all on my own. It’s more challenging for me than some of the others I’ve worked on since I’ve been at Marcel Marketing. I’m not really a dog person. They can be cute and all, but nothing beats kittens, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
“Right. Everything is great.” He leans up against his desk in front of me, stretching his legs all the way out until they are brushing against mine. I pull my legs back, tucking my ankles together.
He smiles. “The holiday party. I was thinking we should go together. You’re going, right?”
I stare at him, thinking I heard him wrong, but I know I haven’t. He’s been low-key flirting with me for awhile now. At least I think he has been. I’m not the only one he’s been doing it to either. A few of the other women in the office have mentioned his come-ons and inappropriate comments. They didn’t mince words when talking about it.
“I’ll be going. Isn't everyone?”
I actually hadn’t planned on going at all. The truth is, I don’t care much for anyone here. Coming from a small town, I thought everyone would be the same way they are back home: warm and welcoming. Yes, it’s silly. No, city people aren’t like that at all. It’s a completely different vibe—one I’ve had trouble adjusting to even though I’ve doggedly refused to call it quits. I wanted the big city, and now I have it. I shouldn’t be daydreaming about what life is like back in my sleepy old hometown.
I was supposed to move away and have all these experiences. I thought I would have a different life, but at each turn, everything falls flat and has me missing home. The city is bright and has some great parts to it, but I don’t like how cutthroat people can be. Even when you try to be friendly with someone, they’re skeptical and think you are trying to steal one of their ideas or something.
I thought everyone was crazy and way too paranoid at first. We all work for the same company. I thought we were all on a team. That was until I’d gotten a handful of my own ideas stolen right out from under me. Even Mr. Brooks had the audacity to steal one and presented it as his own.
I wasn't super pissed about it. I was more annoyed that we all couldn’t just be a freaking team. That we couldn’t brainstorm together and share ideas. But I quickly realized that was never going to be the case.
“You’ll be my date,” he continues, not really asking anymore. “You mentioned that you’re not going home for the holidays, so you’ll spend them with me.”
I can’t tell if I’m having an aneurysm or if he really just said he wants me to spend my free time with him. Of all people. This guy. Gross. I open my mouth, but no words come out.
“We’re going to make a few changes though. I’m not a fan of your suits. Do you wear them to cover the extra weight?”
“What?” I squeak out.
I’ve always been on the curvy side. My grandma owns a freaking bakery that I was pretty much raised inside of. If anything, I’d lost a bit of weight when I left for college. Not that I was trying to. It was the lack of my grandma's home cooking and her sweet treats that did it. But Mr. Brooks is right about one thing. I do wear suits to hide my body to a point. I thought by wearing them I’d be taken seriously, but here I am with my boss hitting on me.
“You have nice curves. You shouldn’t hide them.” He openly runs his gaze over my body. I want to fall into a hole, and then he goes and licks his crusty lips.
“You’re my boss.”
“It’s fine. You’ll just need to sign some papers for HR first so there won’t be any issues.”
I shake my head. Maybe he’s the one with the aneurysm if he thinks I’m signing anything from HR.
“As you pointed out, Ruby, I'm your boss. You don’t get to tell me no.” He stares down at me. “Understood?”
“Yes,” I agree because I’m the world's worst person when it comes to confrontation. I should be telling him to drop dead or something. Instead, all I can think about is saying whatever I need to to get out of his office as quickly as I can.