Page 8 of The Refiner

Only his mama would think he should be named anything less than Fucker.

“I hope it holds up, kid.” The asshole has the audacity to laugh. Belittling my promotion was a given. I knew McGee and his Dong Squad wouldn’t handle me being their equal for long. I knew they would be jealous—hate me even more.

But guess what?

I do not give one single, solitary damn.

I achieved this promotion, fair and square. I didn’t fondle the boss’s balls or give him the dong-wash of his dreams. I worked hard, and no one, not even Ass Face, will take that away. “Get Archer on the phone now!” I have far more significant issues than Ass Face or my promotion.

“Aww. Don’t go gettin’ all emotional. I’m sure Archer will let you keep the title if you’re a good little girl.”

A tear slips down my cheek as my voice lowers to a deadly tone. I may not have time to turn around and slaughter McGee, but that doesn’t mean I won’t put it on my to-do list. “McGee, if you don’t transfer me to Archer right now, I will post all of the dick pics you sent me when I first started at the company. Trust me when I say, we’ll both be traumatized reliving that glitch of time when you thought me being nice to you equated to me wanting to see your junk.” I am so done with today. So freaking done.

McGee clears his throat; all the laughter is gone from his voice instantly. “You always gotta go too far, Keys. I was just having a little fun. You women never know how to take a joke.”

If I weren’t so mad, I would laugh. “We women” know how to take a joke just fine. If we didn’t, every time men like McGee pulled their dick out, we’d sob instead of laugh.

“Get Archer.” I have nothing left for this man. Not today.

“Sure.”

There are two things I like about Archer. One, he gave me a chance to work atGameTalesas a game writer fresh out of college. That chance means a lot when you’re twenty-two years old with no real work experience. And two, he gave me a promotion.

But that’s where my fondness of Archer ends.

“Keys, you better be calling to tell me the reason you’re late is that you stopped to get me a coffee.”

Did I mention I worked with a bunch of assholes? “No, sir. I’m calling to tell you that my sister in South Texas slipped into a coma last night, and I’m on my way to the hospital.”

I owe this man gratitude for a job, not my soul. I’m not asking for permission to be with my sister. I’m giving him a heads-up that I’ll only be reachable by phone. “I don’t know how much time off I’ll need, but I will work remotely on the Skyward project if possible.”

Archer doesn’t speak for a moment, and I imagine him choosing his next words carefully. Finally, he sighs. “Take a week with your sister.”

A week? That sounds like she’s going through a mid-life crisis and needs a girl’s trip to clear her head.

“We’ll touch base next week and go from there.”

If my heart weren’t already on the verge of shattering, his tone—the one he uses when letting me know I didn’t get the other six promotions—would have broken me. But I can’t afford to break right now. I can’t be the younger sister and act recklessly. Piper needs me, and I need this job, especially if I need to take care of her long-term.

“I understand, sir. But just know, no matter what, I can handle the Skyward account and run the team from my sister’s house.” Because there is no way she isn’t waking up from this coma. If I need to guilt her into opening her eyes, I will. No behavior is beneath me when it comes to Piper McKellan.

“I know you can, kid.” He says the words more resigned than encouraging.

He’s already planning to remove me from the account and possibly withdraw my promotion; I can feel it. I’ve played right into the stereotype—an emotional female who will put her family before her job.

You know what? Fuck him. FuckGameTales. I won’t let him take this promotion away from me. I am not a stereotype. I am a woman who will put her family first and still crush the shit out of her job. I don’t need a man’s approval to feel valued, but I won’t mind shoving my success down his throat and watching him choke on his apologies when I earn it.

My sister is all I have.

She’s everything that matters to me.

And nothing, not even a vague underlying threat, will scare me into not getting to her. “We’ll talk soon, sir.”

There’s no way he’s taking away that promotion.

And there’s no way Piper won’t be okay.

Keagan

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