Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
He tipped his mug up toward me and smiled. “Until next time.”
I cleared my throat and nodded. Yeah, until next time, I supposed.
I opened the front door and left, closing it softly behind me and leaning against it for a second. God, what was wrong with me that all I wanted to do was go back inside there and get to know him better?
I shook my head, pushed away from the door, and started making my way down the ornately decorated hallway. God, what was this, an apartment building or a hotel?
One of the doors down his hallway opened and an older woman wearing a plush red robe and her hair pinned up in rollers peeked her head out the door and was about to bend down to pick up her paper, when she saw me.
My face felt like it was on fire and I ducked my head and let the fall of my hair hide my face from her view. I stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the down button over and over again, cursing the damn machine for taking its sweet-ass time. And once the double doors opened and I stepped inside, I leaned against the wall and breathed out.
Well, that’s one way to do the walk of shame.
CHAPTER NINE
Olive
Ihad the mother of all hangovers, but I had to put on the fakest smile imaginable and act like there wasn’t a sledgehammer in my forehead right now.
As the elevator ascended, I closed my eyes and listened to the God-awful elevator music play softly in the tight, confined metal box. Maybe it was meant to relax you, but all it accomplished was making me even more nauseous.
I had my hands resting behind me on the railing, and all mirrors surrounding me kept showing the reflection of a girl who was one hell of a hot mess. I’d tried to make myself look more alive, but I could still see the dark circles around my eyes.
I was starting to feel claustrophobic, and that wasn’t helping my head or the pain behind my eyes. Finally, the elevator stopped, and a second later, the doors slid open. The office in front of me was classy and professional in appearance, with white marble flooring, chrome accents, and a massive black matte desk directly across from the elevator.
I stepped off, my feet already aching from these damn heels. There was a waiting area to my right, and a glass wall with double doors to my left. I could see cubicles and offices through those glass doors, and immediately I felt intimidated by this place.
It was by far the nicest office I’d ever been in, and that included the two companies I’d been interviewed at just days ago. It was even nicer and screamed money more than Brookwood Financial Holdings.
And that made me nervous, because if it was this put together, this professional, surely the staff was uptight. Or maybe I just now had a bad taste in my mouth after all the stuff that had gone down.
My heels clicked against the marble flooring as I made my way up to the front desk. There was a gorgeous woman sitting behind it, her shoulder-length, sleek black hair hanging loosely around her face, her bangs straight and kind of severe in appearance. She had a phone pressed to her ear as she typed on the computer. I overheard her conversation, her voice tight but pleasant.
“Yes, I have you down for nine on the fifth. We’ll see you then, Mr. Ford.” She put the phone back on the receiver and glanced up at me, giving me this extremely fake smile she probably had for everyone.
“Welcome to Dexter and Calvin. How may I help you?” Her voice was sickly sweet, thick like the red lipstick she wore.
“Yes, I’m Olive Morris and I’m here for an interview.”
She focused on her computer and started typing. “I’ve got you down. If you go ahead and have a seat, Mr. Shelby will be with you momentarily.”
I was dismissed just like that. I nodded once, even though she wasn’t looking at me, and walked over toward the waiting area. I took a seat on one of the leather chairs, the material cold but warming the longer I sat there. I didn’t reach for a magazine as I waited, not wanting to seem like I was impatient.
Despite my discomfort, my headache, the nausea, and the very thought of food turning my stomach sour, I couldn’t get Pope out of my head. I’d had an incredible time with him, despite the fact that I’d let myself drink too much.
God, I wished I could remember how it had been last night in his bed, in his arms. I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly, trying to picture it. No doubt, he had been unbelievable in bed, but I didn’t feel sore between my thighs. I certainly would have been, seeing as I hadn’t been with a man in longer than I cared to admit.