Page 45 of Not Safe For Work

Liv looks down at her coffee again and starts to fidget, while I think back to Ian’s behavior on those trips. He might have gotten away with feeding her a bullshit line, but I know what he and Vaughn get up to. He probably just wanted an excuse to play single in Mexico.

“What a dipshit,” I reply. “You can’t even qualify to go until you’re a sales executive. It’s not like anyone else in your position would be there.” I knew Ian was a dick, but what kind of asshole does that to his own girlfriend? “You deserve to go just as much as anyone, probably more so.”

“Still, I shouldn’t go. Just say I got sick or something.” Her voice, her entire demeanor is deflated. It’s the opposite of how she was Saturday night. “I don’t want to piss anyone off by being there when I didn’t qualify. That’s how the rules work.”

“Fuck the rules, Liv.” She bites her cheek, trying to hide the grin. I think she likes the idea of being a little reckless. “Screw anyone who thinks you shouldn’t be there. Come to Mexico with me.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OLIVIA

23 months ago

“You better getin the shower if you want time to do all your primping. Town car picks us up in an hour.” Ian rolls back on top of me in his bed, laying kisses across my neck.

“How am I supposed to get up when you’re doing that?”

“Fine. I release you.” He kneels on the bed and I roll off before things get heated again.

“Are you gonna tell me where we’re going yet?” I ask, before I slip into the bathroom.

“Not a chance. You know how I love to surprise my girl.”

My girl. He’s been calling me that for weeks now. We haven’t had any real talk about defining our relationship, but Ian made it clear that I’m his girlfriend after only a few dates. He’s been bringing me to client dinners and work events ever since our first, and he always introduces me as “his.”My lovely girlfriend, my Olivia, my beauty queen. I could really do without the last one, but I still feel giddy every time he claims me ashis.

I’ve never felt like I belonged to someone before.

After I shower, I ask Ian how I should wear my hair. He usually tells me to wear it back in a bun so it’s not so wild, but sometimes on the weekends he likes it down.

“Down is fine, just not too big,” he replies. “And I laid out an outfit for you on the bed.”

He’s pulled a crisp white sundress with a sweetheart neckline and a black stripe around the waist. After our first shopping trip, he started buying me clothes on his own. I have an entire wardrobe in his closet now, with new surprises every week. I haven’t been to my own apartment in days.

The dress fits perfectly, even if it’s kind of boring. I pull half my hair back in a clip to tame it a bit, and swipe on some simple makeup.

“Car’s here,” Ian calls out. I grab a pair of sandals and we speed out the door.

We’rein the car for over an hour and the ride is almost silent. Ian spends half the time talking to some client in Dubai and the other half firing off a million emails.

I don’t say anything because I know how important his job is, I just get so frustrated when this happens on our dates. It happens all the time.

Instead of being bored, I figure I should check my email too. No responses from prospects today, but I do have an email from Gavin Scott. He’s been especially cold lately, ever since the holidays. I’m almost nervous to read it.

To: Olivia Diamond

From: Gavin Scott

Subject: Nice Work

Olivia,

The first call with FoodRush went well. Thanks for setting up the meeting. Since they’re local, they want to come into our office for the demo next week, Wednesday at 10. You can join if you want to see how a demo meeting goes.

-G

I try to school my features as I respond.

To: Gavin Scott

---