Page 24 (1/2)

"Uh, that’s a good question I would have to look at the budget to see e can approve but I think we're definitely looking at having you spend considerable work tiers, and video bloggers, and ser authors and sether to talk about so deals"

She stood and smoothed her sweater over the swell of her hips, and where her hands were – all he wanted to do was replace them with his When she sed, he wanted his lips on the pulse at her neck and when she sht now

"Thank you," she said Her body leaned forward and then she halted herself, as if she were going to touch him "Thank you I appreciate the confidence" Eyes narrowed as if she had a question she was about to ask, but then thought better of it Instead, she added, "Can I e out the specifics?"

That’s not what I want to bang out, he thought "Absolutely," he said, hisheart, and with hands that were a little too untaht now "Absolutely We’ll talk" The words canitive and emotional dissonance that made it difficult to continue and so he didn’t, instead cutting the conversation off inaway to find a stairwell to pound this out

"I don’t know," Lydia hissed into her phone, curled up in the supply closet This was the last place that she wanted to be but it was the only quiet, dark little cubbyhole that she could find anywhere Her office was tee with too many people and the bathrooossip central If so into her phone they’d assu cheated on or had some sort of a disease

So, supply closet it was The problem was that the room seemed infused with Matt’s scent The darkness was re her, and the roo to envelop her and take her over even as Krysta screeched, "What do you think is happening, Lyd? Do you think he’s trying to screw you over?"

I think he’s trying to screw ht, then took a deep, careful breath before answering with her actual mouth "UmmI don’t know The idealist in ood idea, that he respects ence, and that he wants her ups to sign off on it, and this isa director"

"And the pessimist in you," Krysta answered for her, "says that he just wants to get into your pants, steal your idea, take credit, and run away"

"Pretty much," Lydia said

And then Krysta said the words that no one really wanted to hear, including Krysta "Just like Dave did"

Ouch What Matt didn’t knoas that Dave had coo as a fresh- faced, just as unctuous and oily, upstart In a position that was then called Coot renamed and reclassified to Director of Co when he had first started at Bounrhaone out a few times, always to quiet, dark little places that were twenty blocks away from work, that he just had to share with her – these little ge eyes

It wasn’t until she had co herself to him, not so much emotionally but physically, that she had found out he was married

That had ended it i on their spouse, and even though she wasn’t in a committed relationship that didn’t mean that he was not He see his vows When she’d called hiernails, paused, bought himself a little bit of time and then said, "You’re really notunder his thuet a transfer out of there The roone, though, she had h, e Suddenly Matt’s scent flew out fro a great, cold, white light abyss and all traces of intie and shame

Shame driven only by her own naivete How she had let herself fall for so many different lines and for such a jerk like Dave was so that she just couldn’t understand and really couldn’t forgive herself for But, she wasn’t going to focus on that right now and Krysta wasn’t going to ot another opportunity"

"But Lyd, Matt has your job"

"Yeah, but you knohat? I bet Matt is gunning for Dave’s job and then I can have Matt’s job"

"Matt’s been here a week Lydia – a week You’ve been here for over two years Why can’t you have Dave’s job?"

She went silent How could she have – and then slowly Lydia began to bang her head against thein front of her Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could she have irl-like, giddy at scraps And Matt Jones had been soht," she told Krysta

"I know"