Page 75 of Empowered
He didn’t saylike what happened last time,but Sarah knew that’s what he intended. Russell Monroe hadn’t been charming, per se, but he was certainly suave when it came to getting the help into bed.He didn’t make me think he was in love with me, but he made me think I was attractive.Lucas, though? He made her feel beautiful.
“That’s my concern,” she finally said. “I want to trust my instincts, but my instincts are fucked.”
“He seems to genuinely like you, for what’s it worth. I can’t think of many other men like that who would sit down to have pizza with us.”
“What do you really think?”
“I think you should be careful, Sarah. But that doesn’t mean you should push him away if you think it’s genuine.”
“Yeah. It’s me. It’s my problem. It’s my experiences making me feel like shit.”
“Hey.” Nigel put a firm hand on her knee. “Don’t tear yourself down like that. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should’ve…” Sarah choked back a sudden sob. “I should’ve known better than to have gotten involved with him. I should’ve known what a sociopath he was…”
“Who are you talking about?”
Funny that Nigel thought he had to ask. Didn’t he know?
***
“Let me buy you lunch today,”a text from Lucas said early Monday morning.“I have it on good authority that Damon’s meeting was canceled.”How did he know? Damnit, did that mean he was already chatting with Sarah’s boss? That gave her butterflies in her stomach.
“Have you talked to him yet?”
“Waiting until we get to his office so we have some privacy. I talked him into coming in early. Bought him a pretzel. Did you know that he loves those hot pretzels they sell down on the corner?”
“Yes. Who do you think buys them for him once a week?”Mr. Monroe didn’t have to ask anymore. Sarah always had one waiting for him on his desk every Wednesday afternoon. Easy enough to pick up during her break.
“Let me know when you’re off for lunch. We can talk about how it went with your boss. Anyway, I have to go now. Something’s up.”
Sarah went about getting ready for work. It was the only way to take her mind off the inevitable.
Monday mornings weren’t easy at Monroe Industries. She was already making calls on her boss’s behalf while waiting for lights to change. It was a brisk ten-minute walk to work from where she lived. With the surge of early morning commuters and buses roaring by every five minutes, Sarah had developed listening skills that rivaled anyone else’s.
It also meant she didn’t pay much attention to what went on around her. Oh, she paid enough attention to know when to cross the street and whennotto bump into someone, but she couldn’t tell anyone what the billboards now advertised or who went out in public wearing the latest Gucci looks. That was for the tabloids to keep track of – and she read the social papers religiously, not because she enjoyed them, but because her boss needed to know when he was mentioned and his PR agent hadn’t gotten around to telling him yet.
She didn’t have time to check out the latest headlines, though. By the time she reached the office, she was finishing up a conversation with a hotel in Macau.
“…Thank you, yes, that should be satisfactory. I’ll let you know.” She hung up before entering the elevator that would inevitably drop her connection. Sarah rode up with a man she didn’t recognize. Probably an employee of one of the advertising agencies that rented office space in Monroe Tower.
He kept staring at her.
Sarah checked her appearance in the mirror. Had she smeared her makeup? Had the morning wind disheveled her hair? Had she spilled cream cheese on her lapel?
When she glanced at the man, he looked away. The elevator doors opened. He stepped out, and Sarah was alone.
She reached the top floor with an ill feeling in her stomach.
The office was quiet. While it didn’t bother Sarah most mornings, today she noted how many people were in the office… and suddenly quiet the moment she walked in.
What did you do, Luke?Had word traveled that quickly already? Shit, why would they care?Whywould they give a fuck to the point of…
“Sarah?” Alisha stood up from their desks. “You’re… here?”
“Yes.” Sarah put her bag down in her chair and tossed her phone down. “Contrary to the vibe in this place, I haven’t quit. What’s going on?”
“You… you are…”
