Office Grump An Enemies to Lovers Romance - Nicole Snow Page 0,40

weird. Everyone at work talks about this terrible scandal from a long time ago, but no one wants to dish what happened. Do you see anything like that?” I ask.

Paige frowns and spends the next few minutes pushing her Google-Fu to its limits before she says, “Nope. Not finding anything besides his dumb PR stunts.”

“Not like it matters, anyway. I don’t have another high-paying job lined up.”

My phone pings, but I’m too tired to look.

“Can you see who’s sending me what?” I ask.

She takes my phone.

“It’s probably just my articles, don’t you wo—oh.” Her mouth pulls into a thin line. “Speak of the devil. You’ve got mail from Mr. Maggot.”

“God,” I moan, sitting up. I snatch the phone from her and open the email with my head already throbbing.

To: Sabrina Bristol

From: Magnus Heron

Priority: HIGH

Subject: LA Excursion

Miss Bristol,

This is your notice that I’m pitching a large fashion design client in L.A. this weekend and it requires your immediate assistance. I regret the short notice, however, that’s the way this outfit rolls.

So pack your personal effects and be ready for an early flight. Armstrong will be waiting on you at four o’clock sharp. L.A. is considerably warmer than Chicago this time of the year, so you’d do yourself a favor to travel in layers.

Now for the good news: we’ll be back in time for work Monday morning. See you at the airport.

Magnus Heron

CEO of HeronComm Inc.

Kill me.

And that last line makes me want to gag. Because the world might end if I wasn’t back in time to fetch his flipping coffee.

“What. The. Crap.” It’s all I can babble out.

Poor Paige looks at me like I’ve just snapped, and honestly?

Maybe I have.

I hit respond and start typing out my resignation.

“What is it? What are you doing? Brina?” Her voice cracks with worry.

“He...he wants me to pack my shit and be ready to go to the airport at four in the freaking morning on my day off—tomorrow! Probably so I can be his gofer all weekend.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t jinx you—I swear!” She holds up her hands with a defensive smile, claiming innocence.

“Relax. I’m not blaming you.”

I may be superstitious, but I’m not a huge bitch about it.

“I’m so sorry, but wait! What are you doing?”

“What else?” I don’t look up from the screen. “I’m giving him a two-word resignation. Guess what the first word is? It starts with a big fat ‘F.’”

“Brina, no! Don’t do it.” Paige lunges over the couch and body-slams me, wrestling the phone away. “Wait an hour. If you still want to do it, fine. But you can’t just throw away two hundred thousand dollars a year without thinking it through, lady. Yes, he’s a jackass, a tyrant, and a stuck-up suit, but if you can make it even six months working for him...you’ll probably have a gold key to any job in the city.”

Why, why, why does she have to be the voice of reason?

“You’re right,” I grind out, taking a deep breath. “Six months is roughly a hundred and eighty days. I’ve got five down. I can do this...I think.”

I pause, imagining those days stretched out before me, longer than a Kardashian’s eyelashes. Paige looks like she wants to give me a big hug, and that’s when I crack.

“Oh, what the hell am I saying? I can’t do it! I just...” I reach for my fork, considering a good place to stab myself and end this torment.

“You can, girl, and you will. Think about it. Think about the money. When you get your first paycheck, it has to get easier. I promise.”

Her big green eyes catch my gaze, and for a second we share this almost sisterly mind-meld where I try to steal a little of the knock ’em out energy Paige offers.

A slow sigh slips past my lips. I’m talked down from the ledge. For now.

She’s right. Grabbing my phone, I head for my room.

“Hey, where are you going?” Paige asks.

“To pack my stuff for this circus,” I say. “You won me over.”

8

Lucky Penny (Magnus)

I don’t relish the idea of parking my Tesla at the airport, but I sent Armstrong to fetch Sabrina and the rest of my team. There’s no time for too many stops.

I’m also not having anyone climbing into a cab alone with a driver neither of us knows at four a.m. with a high-stakes meeting on the line.

I leave the house at three thirty because I’m driving across town to make a single pit stop before O’Hare International. Sabrina Bristol has no