Page 21 of The Boss’s Obsession
“No, it’s ok. She called a few minutes ago, wondering if she could take a personal day for the rest of today. She has an interview, I heard.”
“An interview?” I repeated numbly. An interview with another company? Sure, I’d already decided that Sienna couldn’t be my assistant, but I’d thought she’d move to a department inside Turner Tech, so we could still see each other every day. “Where?”
“Erm, I think it’s at a gallery downtown, her friend set it up,” Lucy, the HR rep trailed off, clearly worried she’d annoyed me.
Sienna was trying to leave me again, which after last night, felt like the ultimate slap in the face. Resolve hardened in my heart as I stared at the blank camera feed of her desk. “Which friend?”
* * *
I made it across town in record time. The thought of Sienna interviewing for another boss filled me with a completely irrational, possessive rage that made my hands shake. Sienna was mine, and no one would take her away from me. In the logical, rational part of my brain, I knew I was being insane, and yet, I couldn’t stop myself.
Jumping out of the car in the quiet, leafy street where the gallery stood, I strode toward the doors. Inside, quiet music was playing, and the walls were covered in art, lit to its best advantage, and a few people were wandering around, viewing the pieces. I immediately recognized the man loitering at the entrance as Sienna’s friend, Robbie.
I narrowed my eyes at him, as he squeaked. I approached in a rush of barely constrained energy.
‘Where is she?” I demanded.
“She’s interviewing with Heath. In the back office,” Robbie said, pointing over my shoulder.
Whirling around, I headed in the direction he had pointed in. There weren’t many rooms to the back of the gallery before I hit a door with a keypad I couldn’t access. Luckily, just as I started to pace in front of it, a soft buzz sounded, and Sienna appeared. She was laughing at something the older man with her had said. Her face was lit up and stunning. She looked happy. I paused, a knot forming in my throat so huge it stoppered all the words rushing about inside me.
She looked up and saw me, pausing mid-step. “Ronan?”
“Ah, is this the infamous Mr. Turner? I’m Heath Sinclair, owner of the gallery,” the man stuck his hand out to shake mine, but I didn’t respond. My entire laser-like focus was fixed on Sienna.
She tilted her head to the side, seeing far more about me than anyone else ever did.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Sinclair, I’m afraid we have to get back to the office,” she said smoothing over my awkwardness like she always did. She maneuvered me around and propelled me out to the street.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, at the same time I did.
“You first,” I prompted.
She rolled her eyes. “Interviewing for a new job, obviously.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? You’re starting your assistant interviews, I’m clearly leaving… I need to work so-,”
“If you're upset about that email, just tell me. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was trying to support you,” I pointed out, fumbling with my words.
Her eyes flashed. “Support me by suddenly accepting my resignation, after fighting me for weeks, right after we’ve slept together. Yeah, that makes sense.”
Anger at myself crashed against me. “I didn’t see it like that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted you to understand that I get it now. I understand why you can’t be my assistant anymore, but I never thought you’d leave the company. What would it take to change your mind? What do I have to do to keep you at Turner Tech?”
Sienna groaned. “Don’t tell me you're going to ask me what I want to do with my life, like everyone else today. The short answer is that I don’t know.”
I considered those words. I couldn’t imagine not knowing what I wanted to do. I’d been born knowing.
“Well, what position were you interviewing for?” I tried another tactic. What had caught her fancy?
“Marketing assistant, and before you make any rude comments, I know it’s an entry position, and the pay sucks.”
“The pay doesn’t matter. You don’t need the money,” I said absently, reaching for a hanging lock of her hair, and tucking it behind her ear. “Come and work in marketing at Turner Tech then, if that’s what you like.”
“Great, and be the assistant who slept with her boss to get a position? I don’t have any experience. I’d never fairly get a job at Turner Tech and we both know it.”
“Start as an assistant then.”
