Page 30 of Brassy Bigwig

Oh. Fuck.

I start to hyperventilate, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

Trey is Mr. Andino. Mr. Andino is Trey.

The only reason I take a seat at his request is because I feel like I’ll faint if I don’t. This is why Dex was acting weird when I saw him. This is why Dex couldn’t—didn’t—tell me how he knows Mr. Andino. He knew… he knows… oh god. Trey—I mean Mr. Andino—knows how I feel about him.

Oh my god, I called him a dick.

“Okay, let’s get started,” he says.

He’s going to fire me and kick me out of his life at the same time.

“I’ll start out by asking you some questions. After that, I’ll tell you the things I’ve observed, and then you’ll have a chance to make any statements you feel necessary.”

He doesn’t look at me until the last sentence. I really feel like I’m going to lose my lunch at any moment.

“First question. Did you know who I was when we met in Greece?”

This question shocks me. One, because no I had no idea who he was. Two, what does this have to do with my job?

“No,” I clear my throat as I struggle to speak. “No, I had no idea who you were.”

He studies me carefully, looking like he’s not sure I’m telling him the truth. I want to know where he’s going with this. My unease begins to morph into anger.

“Why did you take a position with Okeanós?”

I furrow my brow with confusion at his question.

“Because I needed a job, and they offered me one. Tr—Mr. Andino, what is this about? With all due respect, which frankly I’m not sure you deserve anymore, what’s with this line of questioning?”

His nostrils flare as I speak.

“I told you, Ms. Gainesworth, you will have a chance to make a statement at the conclusion of the review.”

With that, my unease is gone. I can feel my blood pressure rise as he puts me in my place.

“Did you take this position with the intention of seducing and blackmailing me?”

What? The fuck?

I shake my head in disbelief. This is exactly why I don’t give random people my name and why I don’t have meaningless sex with strangers.Because I never know when one of them is a closeted psychopath.

It sure didn’t feel meaningless, though.

I guess that feeling wasn’t mutual.

“This is unbelievable. I’ve never been so insulted in my entire life.”

I stand up, furious, shaking-mad, and storm off. But then I realize I have more to say. A lot more.

“You know what?” I rear back around. “Fuck you.

I point my finger at him as though it’s a knife I want to slice through his heart. He doesn’t move, and he doesn’t try to stop me in order to continue his ridiculous questioning.

“I thought the biggest mistake I made was leaving your bed without saying goodbye. I thought I ruined any chance at happiness and you were out of my life forever. And you know what? It fucking killed me inside. I’ve done nothing but lie around, bitching, moaning, and complaining that I’ll never find someone as… as… spectacular as you!”

I didn’t want to admit that last fact, but fuck it.

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