Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
But… I have to admit. It’s been a lonely couple of years.
Sure, my officemates and bosses celebrated with me at work, but I always came home to a quiet, empty home, not even Fifi to keep me company.
Parker was right. I spend most of my weekends cooped up in my apartment—reading, watching movies, binging TV shows. If I have the energy to go out, I attend festivals and food bazaars alone. Always alone.
It crossed my mind more than once that perhaps something was wrong with me, and maybe I’d been a bitch to others. I mean, Parker is proof of that.
In hindsight, I don’t even know why I found him annoying. He’s only ever been nice and kind. It’s just that Parker had the audacity to be consistent no matter how many times I tried to be antagonistic toward him.
Speaking of Parker…
He makes me laugh, calls me out on my bullshit, and challenges me. I like it. I like it way too much. But more than that, I can let my guard down around him. I don’t have to be anyone else but myself, even if it’s someone who’s so far from being perfect.
“Piper? Hi. Listen, I’m sorry about what happened last Friday. I was drunk and stupid.” Brent stands in front of my desk in the office, hands buried in his pockets, looking anywhere but me.
I don’t have time for this. I have so much work to do, it’s already late, and the last thing I want is this asshole interrupting me. He’s already gotten on my last nerve.
With my fingers steepled in front of me and resting on my desk, I glare at him. “What do you want me to say, Brent?”
He shifts on his feet, throws his head back, and swallows hard. He’s a slime through and through. It’s oozing out of his pores. “I need you to withdraw your complaint from HR.”
Ah, so that’s why he’s here. It’s not to apologize for his behavior but because he doesn’t want to suffer the consequences of his actions. I should’ve expected it. “Why should I? I didn’t lie. It happened, didn’t it?”
“I know, which is why I came to apologize. Listen, I can’t lose this job. I have bills to pay, and my brother lives with me. I’m paying for his college.”
I don’t take my eyes off him as I lean back and cross my legs, fingers tapping on my desk, double-checking that my phone is within reach. “Should’ve thought of that before you harassed me.”
He cornered me last Friday and put me in a position where I didn’t have a fighting chance. Today is different.
I wait for him to flick his eyes to the walls in my office before I swipe to one particular contact on my phone—the security office downstairs. If Brent tries anything funny, he’ll have more problems than just an HR complaint. Besides, there’s a CCTV directly above my door, so that should’ve caught him entering.
“Piper, you can’t be this mean. I mean everyone thinks you’re a stuck-up, cold-hearted bitch, but I thought—”
That makes fury uncoil within me, and I jab a finger in his direction. “I’m mean and a bitch? Damn, Brent. Look at you. Throwing the blame at me instead of accepting responsibility like a real man. Like a real grown, mature man. Then again, a real man would never ever force themselves on anyone.”
He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “No, you listen because apparently you have some hearing problems when someone says no. The HR complaint stays. Now you either get your shit together and stay away from anyone who doesn’t want to be near you or wait until the complaints pile up and you spend the rest of your life in jail. With the way you’re behaving, I won’t be surprised if I’m not your only victim.”
Common sense dictates I should stop provoking him, but dammit, I can’t. I’m drawing strength from the fact that I have Parker now and I know he’ll always have my back, that I can count on him, that I’m no longer alone. It gives me the guts to confront this asshole once and for all.
Besides, guys like Brent rely on the fact that most women will cower in front of them. I did… once. Never again.
I do a quick visual sweep of my desk and check what I can grab to defend myself—a fountain pen, paperweight, picture frame with a sharp edge, my ergonomic mouse, and maybe even the hefty keyboard.
My muscles are tense, and I psyche myself up for what I need to do if push comes to shove.
Brent’s left eye twitches, his lips forming a tight line, his jaw clenching. The heat of his fury radiates to me and thickens the air between us.
A dense cloud of unease begins to settle on me. Blood roars in my ears as I wait for him to make the next move. With my right hand covered by the picture frame, I press CALL. I try to mask the ringing sound by saying, “Leave. Get out of my office.”