Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Good.” He nods his head, confused by why my voice is so high. He smiles and walks into Caine’s office. I grab the cup of coffee as I go through the emails, making sure I answer those that need to be answered, as well as make notes about a couple I need to ask Caine about.
The phone rings non-stop today, asking for meetings. I take all the information down, and when Vinny leaves his office, instead of pushing back and grabbing my notes and going to him, I pull up the team’s message board, clicking his name with the green light beside it.
Me: There are things in the email that need your attention. Also, I’ve had five calls requesting meetings with you. I’ve vetted them and think three would be a good fit.
Caine: Why are you texting me?
Me: I’m still hungover, so I wasn’t sure I could walk without tripping.
I press send, and two seconds later, I hear him bark my name. “Grace, come in here.”
I roll my eyes, ignoring the way my pulse has started to speed up. It’s fine, I tell myself. It is what it is. I also make a mental note, in case I do get fired, to ask my family to have him completely wiped off the grid. I mean, I don’t think they would do it, but I could ask. Pushing back, I grab my notes and head into his office. Even though he summoned me, he is looking down at whatever is in front of him. So instead of walking in, I knock on his doorjamb, watching him look up. It’s such a shame he’s an asshole. But considering he’s so good-looking, it should be no surprise. “You rang?”
“Yes.” He leans back in his chair and puts one of his hands on the handle of the chair, making his arm bulge more. “I think I should apologize.”
I stand here in front of his desk with my hands in front of me, holding my notepad. “You think?”
“Okay, fine. I’m sorry for jumping the gun,” he finally says, and I’m pretty sure the words taste like acid in his mouth.
“So, you’re sorry for thinking I was hungover instead of wondering if I was dead on the side of the road?” I ask, knowing it’s a bit extreme, but this is what he gets from me.
Even he rolls his eyes at the last part. “Yes,” he confirms, “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“Well, you know what they say when you assume things.” I cock my hip to the side. “You make an ass out of you and you.”
“Isn’t it, you make an ass out of you and me?”
“Usually, but in this case, you are the only one who’s an ass,” I state. “It had nothing to do with me, and it was all you.” I raise my hand and do a circle in front of me toward him. “Now, I accept your apology this time, but just so you know, and we are up front, I’m not going to forget you said it, and I may probably, most likely, throw it in your face in the future.”
He smirks. “So, you forgive but you don’t forget?”
“I was raised in the South. You’re lucky I forgive,” I inform him, and he stares at me.
“You were raised in the South?” I gawk at him. Did he even look at my résumé?
“Born and raised,” I tell him, taking a deep inhale and wanting to get over it before he starts asking about my family, and I have to either lie about it or skim over them. “Anyway, here are the clients I messaged you about.” I rip the top of the notepad off and put it on his desk. “You have ten minutes until the Zoom call.”
“Let’s go,” he says, getting up and grabbing the paper. “We can talk in the conference room.”
“I don’t know why I have to be there,” I finally respond when he rounds his desk and stands beside me. Even with five-inch heels on, I still reach him at his chin, so I have to look up at him.
“You have to be there to take notes and to make sure I’m not forgetting to ask any important questions.”
“How would I know?” I ask.
“Because you’re a woman, so you ask all the important information, unlike me, a man, who couldn’t care less,” he huffs, and it’s my turn to roll my eyes at him.
“Fine,” I relent, following him into the conference room. He pulls out the chair he always sits in, and I sit beside him.
“I’ll set up the computer and stuff, then we can go down the list of potential clients.” He opens the laptop in the room, which is attached to a projector, filling the empty wall in front of him. We go down the list, and he agrees to take meetings with them, so I make a note to schedule them for him.