Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Well,” I said. “Dominic wants to talk after Gregor’s little motivational speech. Any guesses on what he’s going to say?”
“So we’re involved in your girl gossip now?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I couldn’t talk about it before because I didn’t want to get Dominic in trouble. But his dad already knows, so that cat is out of the bag.”
“So we can talk about it to anyone we want?” Elizabeth asked.
“No,” I said. “It’s just… less risky now. And I feel bad about keeping it from you guys for so long. I’m sorry, okay? I was just trying to do what I thought was right.”
“Fine,” Elizabeth crossed her arms. “I forgive you. And now I’ll grace you with my infinite wisdom. He’s going to fuck your brains out.”
“Or maybe he actually wants to talk,” Farhad said. “If his dad knows about you two, he may have some idea about what’s coming next.”
“Can’t it be both?” Polly asked. She grinned sheepishly when we all turned to her. “Fucking and talking?”
We all laughed, but I couldn’t shake the cold sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. What I really wanted was to know if I wanted any of this. Lately, everything felt like it was spinning and I couldn’t be sure where I was headed or where I wanted to head. My instinct was to cling to the thing I’d been reaching for before Dominic and all his mess. I wanted to prove I was a good writer. I wanted to make a name for myself at The Squawker and show my dad that my dream was worthwhile, too.
All I could do was wait, though. Tonight, I’d go up to Dominic’s room and maybe I’d actually get something like an understanding on where we stood.
31
DOMINIC
I was a fucking ball of nerves. My dad had given his dumb speech to the employees and made them stay after for group sessions. But I knew they were finally being let out, which meant Darcy should be arriving at my room any minute now.
I paced in front of the bed. My dad had put me, Marcus, and Tristan in executive suites on the top floor. I knew he was playing a delicate game. On one hand, he wanted me to know the offer still stood, in a sense. I could be his right hand man so long as I never tried to surpass him. In that world, I’d have to let him force Darcy out of my life. I wasn’t sure how I knew that to be completely true, but I felt it in my bones.
My father was a narcissistic, power-tripping asshole. He’d want to punish me for daring to believe I could grow the company in my own way. Taking Darcy from me would be the penance he imposed.
On the other hand, he wanted to remind me that he was still technically in charge of everything I’d started to think of as mine. He could drag my employees to his idiotic conference halfway across the country. He could put us in hotels and dictate our schedules. It was all his, and he wanted me to remember he could take it away with a snap of his fingers.
I ran a hand through my hair, still pacing.
I heard a sound outside the door. Someone was sliding a key in the reader. The lock gave a mechanical whine and there was a clicking noise. The handle turned and Darcy stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She wore a simple white top tucked into a black skirt that showed off her long legs and toned arms. Her short hair was pinned back over one ear and it made her look adorable and sexy all at the same time.
“Darcy,” I breathed.
“Hey,” she said.
I wasn’t sure how it would go when we saw each other tonight, but I found myself going to her and wrapping my arms around her small frame. It felt good to hold her again. I wasn’t sure how long we simply stood like that wrapped in each other ’s arms, but when we finally broke away, I could see her eyes were troubled.
“What now?” she asked.
“He knows about us,” I said. I moved to sit on the couch at the edge of my room and Darcy took the love seat across from me.
She crossed her legs and folded her arms, frowning. “Yeah, that was pretty obvious after he called me in your office. What do you think he’ll do about it?”
“He wants to send me a message. He’s going to try to get rid of you.”
“Can he do that if I stay in line?”
I considered. “Yes. He caught the wrong kind of national attention for wrongfully terminating employees en masse already, but I think he could slip one unjustified firing under the rug pretty easily.”