Page 28 of Rival Desires

Sacramento was the absolute pits.

Fresh out of UCLA with my shiny new degree in finance and economics, I landed a job at a money management company in Sacramento Town. It was smooth sailing at first - I was killing it day by day, and not a soul could find fault with my work. But after a couple of years, things went south with a new client.

This guy was a total creep from the get-go. Just sleazy comments and weird stares that made my skin crawl. Part of me wanted to say something, but another part kept thinking I should suck it up. That whole “this is how it is for women in business” shtick, like maybe if I couldn’t handle the harassment, I didn’t deserve to be there. It was like my dad’s voice in my head.

I tolerated the jerk’s remarks for a year, then, about eight months back, he went too far. I was alone with him in my office, and when I walked past him to get a file, he straight up grabbed my ass. I whipped around to give him hell, and the creep actually tried to shove his nasty hand up my skirt. Unbelievable.

I booted that asshole out of my office faster than you can say “harassment lawsuit,” and then hightailed it to my boss’s office to spill the beans. But, plot twist - the creep had the audacity to follow me and spin some yarn about me flirting with him. My boss promised he’d handle it, but what happened next was a real punch to the gut. The company wanted to act all concerned about harassment on the outside, but they didn’t want to lose a big-time client. So, they basically strong-armed me into keeping quiet with an offer. Ultimately, the only viable option I had was to snatch a hefty severance check and skedaddle – so that’s exactly what I did.

When my dad caught wind of this, he hit the roof. But not at the client – atme. I should’ve expected it from someone who still thinks “Mad Men” is a how-to guide for life. Anyway, my dad went off on a rant, telling me I was blowing things out of proportion, making mountains out of molehills, or whatever other cliché he could think of. He even had the audacity to tell me that the money management scene was a huge old boys’ club, and I shouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them to change their tune just because the times were a-changin’.

That brutal wake-up call hit me like a bomb. Making it big in this game wasn’t just about being a rockstar at your job or grinding day and night. Oh no, it meant growing a spine of steel and the guts to stand up for yourself, no matter what surprises life threw your way. My pops had always been a tough old bird, but now I realized he’d been training me in his messed-up way for the shark-infested waters of finance.

As the cab dropped me off and I handed over the cash, a sneaky little doubt tiptoed into my brain. Was I really calling the shots here or just running away from the ghosts of my past? Bennett’soffer and snarky remarks had hit a nerve, and Cory’s accusations had twisted the knife even deeper.

I shook off the doubts and stepped out into the crisp night air. Nope, I’m not going to second-guess myself- not now, not ever. Bennett was just another speed bump in this crazy journey, a tiny glitch in the grand cosmic plan. And Cory? He was a curveball I hadn’t seen coming, but something I could totally handle.

Yet, deep down, a teensy voice whispered doubts, planting seeds of uncertainty. Had I really come as far as I thought, or was I still that same young woman, unsure and searching for her spot in a world that sometimes felt too rough and ruthless?

SEVENTEEN

Cory

As I headed back to the party, I was filled with a turmoil of feelings swirling around. That spontaneous lip-lock with Rylee had me in a twist. How was I constantly letting my guard down, especially around her? She was the rival, the one using every sly move in the book to one-up us in the dog-eat-dog business world.

Rylee’s pull on me was like gravity - I could not resist. Those stolen moments must have zapped me with electrifying mojo, frying my senses in the process.

I stumbled back to Fury and Nadine, but my face was basically a billboard for the chaos happening inside my head. My tie felt like it was strangling me with each frantic heartbeat, forever reminding me of that kiss with Rylee.

Fury sized me up with a single glance, and I swear, the dude’s got some kind of superpower when it comes to reading me. His eyes zeroed in on my disarray as if I’d been pushed through a hedge backward.

“Are you alright, man?” Fury’s voice dropped to a whisper, his gaze scanning me. This was not the moment for a deep dive into my Rylee predicament.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” I mumbled, trying to channel a chilled-out Zen master. “I just need a blast of fresh air.”

Fury responded with a slight nod, as if he knew there was more to the story but was willing to let it slide. “Alright, why don’t you head on home, Cory? I’ll keep Nadine entertained.”

Thankful for the escape plan, I bobbed my head in agreement and shot Nadine a quick “catch you later” spiel.

“No problem, Mr. McCrae,” she replied, her smile polite and genuine. “You have a good night.”

Heading for the exit, a massive wave of “what the heck” smacked me right in the face. Seriously, what was I thinking, planting one on Rylee like that? Talk about a major brain fart. In the high-stakes world of finance, every move was like a chess match, and I’d just made a rookie mistake. I couldn’t let my hormones play chess master and mess with my game plan. Scoring Nadine’s account was a must, and I couldn’t afford any more slip-ups. Time to get my head back in the game before I totally tanked this thing.

The crisp night air welcomed me as I stumbled out, but it barely put a dent in the wildfire of feelings raging inside me. Had I just gift-wrapped Rylee a victory? Ugh, I was such a loser. I kept my fingers crossed that Fury could swoop in and save the day.

By the timeI got home, I was so over it all. I stepped in the elevator, hoping to dodge Becky this time around. But no such luck. The second I pressed the button, I heard her calling my name, asking me to hold the doors. There was no way I could ignore her without looking like a total jerk, so I grudgingly obliged.

As we rode up in the elevator, I tried my best to tune out Becky’s chatter. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t annoying or anything; it’s just that after the whole Rylee debacle, her bubbly talk was like white noise to my frazzled brain. I was about to slip into a coma when I noticed she hadn’t bailed on her floor.

Well, this was weird. I gave Becky a polite smile. “Looks like you missed your floor back there.”

“Nah,” she said, her voice taking in an unfamiliar tone. “I actually wanted to talk with you about something,”

Before I could even utter another word, she pressed the STOP button on the elevator panel. My heart skipped a beat, but not in a good way. I had a bad feeling about this.

She whirled around, her eyes sparkling with a newfound boldness. “So, your buddy Fury let slip something interesting the other day,” she said, hands on her hips. “Like you’re a bit clueless when it comes to catching on.”

“Catching on?” I echoed, utterly confused.

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