Page 17 of Mailroom Delight
Chapter 5
Paige
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Iwas only agreeing to this meeting because I felt so bad about Bernice.
As usual I went to see her before coming up here, and she wasn’t herself. I’d brought her usual hot chocolate with hazelnut syrup from Starbucks, but I didn’t even think she wanted it.
It was a small attempt to salvage my worries over her.
She told me she enjoyed herself with her handsome stranger, but when it was all over that was it. It ended as quickly and as abruptly as it began. All with haste.
She didn’t have feelings for him, but she said she didn’t think she’d ever do such a thing again. It was okay for some people who could disconnect their emotions from sex, but she couldn’t.
Bernice didn’t blame me for my advice, it was more the case of her wanting to save the way she’d allowed herself to be with Mr. Handsome for someone she actually cared about.
When she asked me if I did things like that, as in took my own advice, I was so embarrassed. I told her my business life took over my social one. There was no way I could tell her the truth and say even I wouldn’t take my own advice.
What I told her to do, even if I was drunk, was something I wouldn’t do for myself.
I didn’t know she would actually take my advice, but it got me thinking the advice I gave in my column worked exactly like that.
I thought I was also mistaken by what my popularity signified.
Maybe it wasn’t because I gave good advice.
Maybe it was because my words were so shocking, so out of context, and profusely raw.
I looked at Jason, hating he had any power over me, hating he had any effect on me whatsoever, but I had to admit that there was some element of truth to what he’d said.
I just wished I didn’t write that stupid letter.
He held that over me like an axe, ready to drop it on my neck.
Also, I never swore at anyone. Let alone my boss. I had guts, and I could stand up for myself, but I hated being so abrasive.
I didn’t think I’d ever told anyone to go fuck themselves, but he took me from being mildly annoyed to enraged and that was the only thing that came from my brain to say.
This man was bringing out the worst in me, twisting my brain into knots and sending my emotions into overdrive.
He pointed back to my chair, so I moved back to it to sit. I expected him to move but he didn’t. When I got up to him he stood there and looked down at me with those eyes.
My pulse quickened, and those knots got tighter in my stomach.
“Are you going to stand over me while we talk?” I was still trying to hold on to my firm composure, but it faltered the more he looked at me.
He made a show of moving slowly around me, but stopped again as we were about to pass each other.
Now we were close, really close. Inches away, and I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t feel that spark of energy shoot straight through me.
“We’re going to have to do something about this. You know that right?” He smiled down at me.
“What are you talking about?” I knew what he meant, and could have kicked myself for the damn feeling, but I would pretend until it killed me that I didn’t feel anything.
To my horror, he lowered. Moving closer, and I stood there in my determination to be firm.
“This. I know you feel it.” The smile that filled his handsome face actually made me feel faint. It was hypnotizing, the kind that would melt you.
