five, Helene comes out of Mr. Bexleyâs office and arrives at my desk in an irritated state. âJosh,â she tosses over her shoulder, her voice colored with dislike.
âMs. Pascal, how are you?â A halo floats above his head.
She ignores him. âDarling, Iâm sorry. I lost the coin toss. Weâve gone with Joshâs idea for team building. What is the thing called? Paintballs?â
Sweet baby Jesus, no. âThat wasnât the recommendation. I should know; I wrote it.â
Joshua nearly smiles. It shimmers like a holograph over his face. It vibrates out of him in waves. âI took the liberty of providing an alternative to Mr. Bexley. Paintballing. Itâs been shown to be an effective team-building activity. Fresh air, physical activity . . .â
âInjuries and insurance claims,â Helene counters. âCost.â
âPeople will pay twenty dollars of their own money to shoottheir colleagues with paintballs,â he assures her, staring at me. âIt wonât cost the company a cent. Theyâll sign waivers. Weâll split into teams.â
âDarling, how does it help team building to separate people and give them paint guns?â
While they argue in fake-polite voices, I seethe. Heâs hijacked my corporate initiative and taken it down to a juvenile, base level. Such a Bexley thing to do.
âPerhaps weâll see some unlikely alliances form,â he tells Helene.
âIn that case, I want to see you two paired together,â Helene says archly and I could hug her. He canât paintball his own teammate.
âLike I said, unlikely alliances. Anyway, letâs not fluster Lucinda before her hot date .â
âOh, really, Lucy?â Helene taps my desk. âA date. I expect a full report in the morning, darling. And come in late if you wish. You work too much. Live a little.â
Chapter 6
A t six thirty P.M. my knee begins jiggling.
âWill you be late?â
âNone of your business.â Goddamn it, will Joshua ever leave? Heâs worked an eleven-hour day and still looks as fresh as a daisy. I want to lie facedown on my bed.
âDidnât you say seven? How are you getting there?â
âCab.â
âIâm headed there too. Iâll give you a ride. I insist.â Joshuaâs face has been the picture of amusement throughout this little exchange. Heâs waiting for me to fess up about lying. It feels good to know I have Danny as the ace up my sleeve.
âFine. Whatever.â My fury over the team-building hijack has burned away, leaving a husk. Everything is spiraling slowly out of control.
I head to the ladies room, makeup bag in hand. My footsteps echo in the empty corridor. I havenât had a date in a long time. Iâm too busy. Between work, hating Joshua Templeman, and sleeping, I have no time for anything else.
Joshua cannot believe anyone would want to spend time in my company. To him Iâm a repugnant little shrew. I carefully draw my eyeliner into a tiny catâs-eye. I wipe off my lipstick until onlythe stain is left. I put a spray of perfume into my bra and give myself a little wink and a pep talk.
I have a dangly pair of earrings in the side pocket of my makeup bag and I hook them on. Office to evening, like those magazine articles. Iâm tugging up my bra when I bump squarely into Joshua outside the bathroom. He is holding my coat and bag in hand. The shock of making contact with his body clashes through me.
He looks at me strangely. âWhyâd you do all that?â
âGee, thanks.â I hold my hand out and he hooks my bag onto it. He holds on to my coat and pushes the elevator button.
âSo I get to see your car.â I try to break the silence. That thought is more nerve-racking than seeing Danny. Itâs such an enclosed space. Have Joshua and I ever even sat next to each other before? I doubt it.
âIâve been imagining
Xara X. Piper;Xanakas Vaughn