by Harper West
My eyes searched her face. “Can’t say that I do. Why?”
Relief rushed over her features before a smile crossed her face. “Nothing. Just—you look like someone from my past. But, I could be mistaken.”
“You probably are.”
She sighed. “Right, right.”
I can’t wait to watch your face melt into fear when I tell you everything. “Do you have any questions?”
She shook her head. “No, sir.”
“Then, get the hell out of my office and get to work. My secretary out there will show you to yours.”
Even though his secretary-slash-receptionist—whose name I found out was Lexie—led me to my office directly below JoJo’s, I couldn’t pay attention to a word she was saying. I mean, could it really be possible that he had no fucking clue who I was? Elation filled my veins. Hope puffed up my muscles and put a pep in my step as I stood in the middle of my gigantic office. I’d never had an office before, and the second his secretary left me alone behind its closed door I cupped my hands over my mouth.
Holy shit, I did it.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, then. I mean, I had an office directly below the top floor of one of the most prominent tech companies in the world. The man who made my life a living nightmare during high school had no recollection of who I was to him. And now, I had a blank slate of an office that I could decorate and bend to my will while getting a bird’s eye view of the financials of one of the tech giants in this country.
“I made it,” I said breathlessly.
“Knock, knock!” a woman sing-songed.
I whipped around and watched a bouncy, mousey-looking redhead fling open my office door. She wore a beautiful light green sundress with matching flats and the freckles that scattered themselves across her body only added to her bright persona. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug as if we had known each other for years.
Then, she stepped back and stuck her hand out. “Hi! Sorry for the intrusion. I’m Brittney, and I’m the other accountant Mr. Ryker has on staff here at the company.”
I shook her hand as a smile crossed my face. “So, we’ll be working a lot together, then.”
“Mmmm, maybe not as much as you think. I make sure his taxes are all in line while you’ll be doing quarterly calculations for the board and things like that. But don’t worry. I’ll help catch you up and get you filled in so you can have a smooth first day.”
Happiness filled my heart. “It’s really, very nice to meet you, Miss--.”
She dropped my hand before waving hers in the air. “Mr. Ryker uses formalities, but not me. You can just call me Brit.”
I nodded. “Okay, Brit. It’s really nice to meet you. I’m Rebecca, though everyone usually calls me Becca.”
She smiled brightly. “Becca it is, then! So, Becca, do you have any plans for lunch?”
“I don’t, actually.”
“Well, you do now. Me and a couple of the girls from the H.R. department go out to lunch every day. We go to this cute little café where we can sit outside and have some coffee and enjoy the sunshine when it’s out.”
“That sounds wonderful, I’d love to come along.”
She backtracked toward my office door. “Great! I’ll come knock on your door around ten minutes to twelve, then.”
I nodded. “See you then.”
She left my office and closed the door behind her, leaving me alone to digest how absolutely perfect this morning had gone. I walked over to my empty desk and tossed my purse on top of it before standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the back of my office. I gazed out at Los Angeles, a city that was so far removed from my hometown of Peachland, North Carolina. And even though part of my past had followed me here, it seemed as if Los Angeles was determined to give me a fresh start.
Until a knock came at my door.
“Did you leave something behi--?”
“We need to talk,” JoJo said.
The growl of his voice whipped me around and I watched him charge me. Those steel gray eyes came alive with the anger that had haunted me all throughout my young adulthood and I found myself speechless as he planted his hands on either side of my head. With his body pinning me against the windows, I felt my heart stop in my chest.
And I watched as his eye twitched with fury. “Despite the professional relationship we now have, don’t you think for one second that I’ve forgotten what your family did to me. The humiliation they put me through and the broken heart I was left with. And if you think I could ever forget something like that, then you’re really as stupid as you were back in high school.”
Tears crested my eyes. “JoJo, I swear, I had nothing to--.”
He slammed his fist into the glass. “Call me that one more time and see what happens.”
I trembled in my heels as he slowly backed away. His stare slid down my form before he grimaced, as if my very presence disgusted him. And before he turned his back to me, his gaze met my stare one last time.
Before he stormed out of my office and closed the door silently behind him.
Okay, so he does remember me. Fuck.
But did he honestly believe I had anything to do with what happened to him all those years ago?
3
Rebecca
I wasn’t sure how long I sat at my desk staring at my office door. I wasn’t sure how many times I flinched whenever I heard people walking down the hallway. And as I sat there, leaned back in my brand-new leather office chair, I did the only thing I knew to do.
I picked up my cell phone and called my family.
“Hey there, pumpkin!”
Dad’s voice was ecstatic, and it tugged a smile across my cheeks. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Oh, oh, oh! Put her on speaker!” Mom called out.
And after I heard that telltale click, her voice filled my hear.
“Hey there, sweetheart. How’s your first day going?”
I snickered. “Well, things could be better.”
“What’s going on?” Dad asked. “Trouble with the co-workers already?”
Then, my sister’s voice sounded. “That Becks?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hey, Maggie.”
Her voice became more prominent on the phone. “Already tanking the new job.”
“Can it,” Mom said flatly.
Maggie giggled. “Sorry, sorry. Just got a lot on my mind. How’s it going, though? Los Angeles treating you well?”
I snickered. “Well, it would be if my boss wasn’t JoJo.”
Everyone fell silent before Maggie cleared her throat. “Say what?”
I giggled bitterly. “Yep. You heard me right. JoJo from high school owns and operates the company I was just hired at.”
“Is he still giving you grief?” Dad asked.
“You have an H.R. department for a reason if he does,” Mom said.
But Maggie quickly reminded me of just how emotionless she really was. “Ah, suck it up.”
“Maggie!” Mom exclaimed.
“You know I’m right, Mom,” she said. “You know Becks has always been too emotionally involved with things. Girl, if he starts to give you a hard time, report his ass and tell him to suck it the fuck up. We’re all adults. High school was ages ago. He needs to let shit go and stop ruining lives because he feels like he’s entitled to it.”
If you had just left him alone… “You know it’s not that easy, Maggie. Not for me, anyway.”
“Becks, I love you. You’re my sister. But it’s not that big of a deal. If you make it a big deal, so will he.”
I sighed heavily. “You know that’s not how he works.”
“Back in high school, sure! But we’re all grown with big boy and big girl jobs and big person panties. Sounds like he’s still got a personal problem, so if all else fails just work your ass off and get promoted to another part of the company.”
I blinked. “There isn’t another part of the company.”
She groaned,
as if I were bothering her. “Then, work there long enough to get a good recommendation or two and then interview for another company. Come on, you aren’t helpless anymore.”
“That’s enough,” Dad hissed.
“Whatever,” Maggie said, “this is why she’ll never grow up. Yes, she’s the baby of the family, but she’s a damn adult now.”
“Language!” Mom called out.
And as Maggie walked away from the conversation, I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“You still there, princess?” Dad asked.
I swallowed back my tears. “Yeah, I’m still here.”
Mom put on her comforting voice. “You know how your sister is. She’s just cut from a different cloth.”
I shook my head. “I envy that sometimes.”
“Envy what?” Dad asked.
I groaned. “I don’t know, Dad. Her ability to emotionally remove herself, for starters. This would be so much easier if I simply didn’t give a shit, you know?”
Mom scoffed. “Since when did my daughters start having such potty mouths?”
Dad chuckled. “Since they grew into adults, sweetheart.”
While Mom and Dad went back and forth on their positions with cursing, I filled my mind with thoughts of Maggie. If I was more like her, then things wouldn’t affect me as much. Maybe then, I’d have the guts to tell JoJo to suck it the hell up or fire me. I’d be much happier that way. I wouldn’t have so many nightmares that plagued me whenever I closed my eyes. Hell, maybe I’d actually feel comfortable going out into the world and experiencing it instead of working my life away for a measly, moldy apartment that costs way more than it should.
“You still there, princess?” Dad asked.
I wiped at my silent tears and cleared my throat. “Yeah, Daddy, I’m still here.”
Mom sighed. “Just give it a week, and if he really is the same bully that made high school so rough then we can help you out in finding another job.”
It was the only thing that brought me any sort of comfort. “Thanks, you guys.”
“Anytime,” Mom said.
I heard Dad’s smile through the phone. “Of course, Becca. Of course.”
I peeked over at my computer that I had yet to start up. “Well, I better get at it. These numbers aren’t going to crunch themselves.”
“Well, keep your head up, princess.”
Mom interjected quickly. “And don’t forget to stop and eat lunch! You’re always so bad at that.”
I giggled. “Actually, some of my co-workers already invited me out to lunch.”
“See?” Dad asked. “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”
And there was yet another trait I didn’t inherit from my family. Sometimes, I simply didn’t have the ability to see anything other than the worst-case scenario.
“Thanks for letting me call,” I said.
“You can call anytime,” Dad said.
Mom started rummaging around on the other end of the line. “We love you, honey!”
“Kisses,” Dad said.
I blew them a few kisses before I hung up the phone, then I turned my attention to all of the technology on my desk. I had a laptop underneath my purse that had yet to be unboxed. I had a work cell phone sitting to the right of my computer’s keyboard that I had yet to log into. So, I plucked the typed instructions off the front of the company’s desktop and started setting everything up.
And while the call to my family didn’t really reassure me of anything, it did fill me with a sense of determination.
No matter what, I’m going to make this work.
Tucking tail and running was the cowardly thing to do, and while I was many things—overweight, reclusive, and introverted, to name a few—I also had strengths. Like, my ability to persevere under the most difficult of circumstances. I mean, despite the drama of my sister and JoJo, I graduated valedictorian of my class. Despite my crippling fear of big crowds, I fell into the top ten percent of my graduating class. I had a lot to be proud of, and I knew I brought a great deal of comprehension and skill to the job I had been hired to take on. Plus, I’d be dealing with the board, which meant I’d answer to them more than JoJo anyway.
And no one had control of me unless I allowed them to have it.
“No one has control unless I give them control. No one has control unless I give them control. No one has control unless I--.”
I finally got logged into the desktop computer and an idea struck me. I pulled up Google Chrome and searched for an image that had the same sort of quote on it that I had been chanting to myself. I found a beautiful picture of a fall day, where the leaves had turned all sorts of colors and the babbling brook looked good enough to drink.
And after setting it as the background image on my computer screen, I sent it to my email so I could make it the background on my laptop as well as my work phone.
Every day, I’d make sure to remind myself that JoJo didn’t have control over me unless I allowed him to have it.
At least, I hope so.
“Knock, knock!”
A soft rapping sound echoed toward me before my office door slipped open. My newfound friend, Brit, stuck her head in and flashed a pearly white smile at me as I continued to type away, trying to set everything up. I had to sync my schedule with JoJo’s, which seemed a bit odd for an accountant. But, when I realized that he had all of the board meetings on his schedule that immediately transferred to mine, I understood why that was an item on the list to get done.
“What’s up?” I asked as I finally pulled my eyes away from the screen.
Maggie showed me her watch. “It’s time for lunch.”
My eyes bulged. “Wait, seriously?”
I checked the time at the corner of the desktop screen and sure enough, the morning had already flown by.
Which cued my stomach to start growling like some rabid monster that had gotten lost in the woods.
“Come on! We’re going to be late,” Brit said.
I turned off my desktop screen and fetched my purse. “Lead the way, beautiful!”
And as we made our way toward the elevator, I couldn’t help but breathe in a sense of accomplishment.
Because getting through each part of the day without JoJo making me crumble was something to celebrate.
4
Rebecca
“I mean, can you believe that man?” Brit said as she sipped her coffee. “The man is a fucking windstorm, and every time he comes down to our level my heart seizes in my chest.”
Angelica, one of the women from H.R., nodded her head in agreement. “Trust me, Becca, you’re not the only one that dreads Mr. Ryker’s existence. He keeps everyone on pins and needles whenever he’s around.”
I sighed. “I mean, part of me is a bit relieved that I’m not the only one, but why work for him if he makes everything so miserable?”
Kayla, the other woman from H.R., scoffed. “Have you seen what he pays us? It’s at least forty percent more than the market standard.”
Angelica cackled. “Yeah, probably to justify how he treats us so we won’t leave.”
I furrowed my brow. “Does he really fear people quitting on him like that?”
“Nah,” a male voice said as it approached us, “he just doesn’t want people that do their job well leaving and shitting on his name when they get a new job.”
“Tommy!” Angelica exclaimed.
The three girls stood to embrace him before he turned to me. “You must be the new girl everyone’s talking about.”
I stuck my hand out. “Rebecca Loren.”
He shook my hand. “Thomas Lancaster.”
Brit leaned into my ear. “But we all call him Tommy.”
I nodded as I released his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Come on,” Kayla said as she scooted closer to me, “pull up a seat and come eat with us!”
Tommy’s gaze slid down my figure. “Don’t mind if I do.”
The girls wiggled their eyebr
ows as he went to fetch his food and I sipped on my iced coffee. The more I got to know the people I’d be working with, the more it filled me with strength. I could do this if I had this kind of team by my side. I mean, if they all struggled with JoJo like this, then maybe it was nothing more than par for the course. Maybe JoJo was a miserable man outside of everything that happened back home, and there wasn’t anything I’d be able to do to change that.
Tommy sitting down at the table ripped me from my train of thought and I found him smiling at me, which I returned in kind.
“So, how are you liking your job so far?” he asked.
“I can see you’re already focused on someone,” Brit said with a giggle.
I felt my cheeks blushing. “It’s going okay. I’m getting my computers and things set up right now, but I’m hoping to at least take a peek at the financials before I head home for the day.”
Tommy nodded his head before he took a bite of his pasta. “Sounds about right. It’ll take all day to set that shit up, anyway, so don’t push yourself. And if you have any questions, you’re more than welcome to call down to me.”
Angelica giggled. “Funny, I didn’t think you worked in I.T.”
Tommy rolled his eyes. “I’m not technologically deficient just because I work in P.R.”
I grinned. “Pretty sure you can’t be while working in P.R.”
He pointed at me with his fork. “I like her. You guys should be more like her.”
We all fell apart in laughter and the more I got to know Tommy, the more refreshing he became. Hell, the more refreshing they all became. But every time he looked my way he seemed to smile a bit more than he did at the other girls. His blue eyes sparkled, and his white smile seemed to twinkle like on those toothpaste commercials. And after we were all done eating, it didn’t shock me one bit when he pulled me off to the side.
“My apologies if I was staring too much,” he said as we stood in the parking lot.
I smiled. “It’s really not a problem.”
He slid his hands into his pockets. “I know this might be a little too quick, and it might overwhelm you, but I’d be honored if you’d let me take you out for drinks sometime this week.”