Page 19 of Forty and Fighting Dirty
“I bet he does,” I grumbled, wishing my eyeballs were equipped with laser beams so I could shoot them through our shared wall. I took a step into the so-called office and inhaled the smell of dank, closed-in spaces. I spun slowly, taking in the mortar bulging out of the gaps between the concrete blocks, the inch-thick dust on the metal shelves, the bare bulb, and the outlet with char marks staining its front.
When I met her gaze, Mila gave me an apologetic smile. She wrung her hands. “I’ll help you clean it up. We’ll get you a new desk and a lamp. You can put up some photos on the walls—whatever you want. It’ll be good as new.”
“I’m not sure it was good even when it was new,” I replied,and arched a brow. “In fact, I’m pretty sure it was a supply closet.” I rattled the metal shelf, and a loose screw tumbled to the floor. I pursed my lips, then squared my shoulders and looked at Mila again. A broad smile painted itself on my lips, and Mila blinked, startled.
She was too nice to be working for a man like Rhett Baldwin. She saw the best in people, and right now, I could tell her brain was trying to come up with some explanation as to why a good man like Rhett would try to stick me in a dark closet to do my work.
But I wasn’t so naive. I was divorced, which meant I’d already been swindled by a man like Rhett once, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I wasn’t going to roll over and let him make me feel small. I wasn’t going to let him bully me into doing what he wanted.
I was living life on my terms.
“It’s perfect,” I declared, and this time my smile felt a little more genuine. “I’ll have to thank Rhett for being so thoughtful.”
“Um,” Mila said. “Yeah!”
“Is there a desk that will fit in here? The ones on the floor seem like they’d be too wide.”
Mila bit her lip. “Good point. I can talk to Rhett?—”
“Don’t bother. My contract had a clause about expense reimbursement. I’ll review the terms and then order what I need.”
“Oh.” Mila blinked. “Right. Gosh, you’re on top of things.”
“In the meantime, I’ll get that paperwork done. Mind if I use one of the tables out there?” I nodded my head toward the main office.
“Ofcourse!”
“Thank you, Mila.”
I sat myself down at the big coworking table and read through all the boring documents that outlined company culture, safety, and other necessary onboarding topics. I knew the moment Rhett’s office door opened, and felt his gaze on my skin like a physical touch. I knew the moment he decided to walk toward me, and I braced myself for the impact of his presence.
“Darling. Not a fan of your new office?”
Looking up at him, I gave him the kind of bland, polite smile that I’d adopted for Jacob’s coworkers and bosses. It was unassuming, and I knew it did a good job of hiding my inner thoughts.
Maybe Rhett wasn’t the only one who was used to wearing a mask.
“I love it,” I told him. “Thank you so much for thinking to give me my own space. I’ll be able to work much more effectively without distraction.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, those full lips pursing. “Good,” he said, sounding like it pained him to say that single word.
I smiled wider. “I can just tell it’s going to be wonderful to work here. You’ve done a great job putting together the team. I’m so honored to be part of it. I look forward to a long, productive working relationship between us.”
Suspicion flitted through his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Me?” He was the one being hostile.
He leaned forward, pressing his knuckles into the whitedesktop beside me. I could smell the scent of his spicy cologne and feel the heat of his skin. “You’re up to something.”
“I’m doing my onboarding paperwork, sir.”
“Don’t ‘sir’ me, Darling.”
“Fine. I’m doing my onboarding paperwork, Rhett.” My vapid smile was still in place. “How’s the cat? His paw okay?”
“No idea. I gave it away,” he bit off, and a flash of triumph passed across his face when I couldn’t quite hide my shock. “Don’t hang around here too long. I gave you that office for a reason.”
“Once it’s got a desk and a chair that fit in the space, I’ll be right in there,” I confirmed, trying my best to maintain the polite, pleasant persona.
