Office Grump An Enemies to Lovers Romance - Nicole Snow Page 0,133
up all night?”
“Okay, take a nap. But then get up and do something. Go to Sweeter Grind. Hit the job sites. Adopt a puppy. I don’t care, but you can’t just lie here feeling miserable all day.”
I roll my eyes. “Paige, I’ll be okay. Go have fun.”
She stares at me for a long second, then finally nods. “I know, you’re too big of a badass to let this take you down. But seriously, Maggot and his dumb rich ass isn’t worth it. If I ever see the guy again, I’m kicking him in the balls.”
I burst out laughing, imagining Paige making good on her promise.
“Thanks for reminding me why we’re best friends. Go see your mom. If I don’t sleep, I’m going to barf.”
“Try to have a good day.” She leaves my room, pulling the door shut behind her.
I tug the blanket over my head, and somehow, I must nod off, because seconds later, I’m on a plateau in Arizona. A beautiful man with sandy-brown hair and sparkling blue eyes kisses me like it’s all he was ever made to do.
Then he throws his hands in the air and says, “I needed to calm you down.”
Dream Brina is no pushover. She picks up a desert rock and pings it off his head. He bursts into a thousand sea-blue butterflies.
I run down the mountain in stiletto heels and cute shorts, jump into a red convertible, and drive away, laughing maniacally.
Hugo and Angie can eat their hearts out at the images my brain comes up with.
Then, somehow, I end up in Mag’s bed. We’re naked, breathing ragged, bodies tangled, his hands pushing me down into the mattress. He pulls me up while we’re still entangled and presses me to his chest. He holds me like I’m the only thing that’s ever made sense.
I’m back in the cute shorts and heels, free-falling through clouds spun with warm sun. I land on my feet in a room where light pours in through a wall of windows.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I don’t need your help, Miss Bristol.” he says coldly. “You’ve worn out your welcome.”
A pool appears. I pick up a foam noodle and whack him into the water. He turns into a blue dolphin and swims away from me.
Um, weird.
Then I’m back in my red convertible, driving through a dark tunnel.
No, not just any tunnel, a barely lit hospital hallway.
Mag stands between me and the elevator.
“Sabrina. Go,” he snarls, two fatal words I’ll never forget.
My heel breaks when I try to launch toward him. I stumble, catching myself in a crouch on the ground. When I look up, he’s replaced by a stalking lion, which looks like it wants to tear me to pieces.
“No!” I scream, jerking up.
I breathe slowly, deeply, fitfully.
Seriously.
Screw dreaming.
But I don’t need a date with a dream interpreter to make sense of that mess. The pattern is clear.
Mag oversteps, overreaches, hurts me, and then he runs away.
This isn’t the first warning from the universe, either. The same day Paige warned me, a black cat stared me down in front of the office. It wasn’t bad luck.
It was an omen, and I ignored it.
“Please be wrong,” I pray, grabbing my phone.
No calls. No voicemails. No texts. No emails.
He just doesn’t care. Or else he’s walled in, beating himself up over Jordan, or maybe assembling a crack team of lawyers and former SEALs to rescue the poor boy.
Still. Not even a single freaking text?
A dark voice in the back of my head says, you’re out, and he’s not letting you back in. How long are you going to wait around?
But I’m not this time. I can’t.
I don’t even care if I get a termination notice. I can’t deal with that man again.
I need an exit plan.
Sighing, I retrieve my laptop and check my bank account. In roughly six months at HeronComm, I’ve banked almost forty thousand dollars after taxes and living expenses.
So maybe I can keep myself and my parents afloat for a while.
On a whim, I check Mag’s email and snort.
It’s overflowing rapidly. He’ll never be able to sort it all. Then I open my company email and begin typing.
To: Ruby Hunting, HR Director.
From: Sabrina Bristol
Subject: Down and Out
Hi Ruby,
Due to unforeseeable changes in my situation, I need to use my vacation days. All of them.
If you’re unable to fulfill this request, then I’ll put in my notice immediately and expect to be paid out for all remaining vacation days per the employee handbook.