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NIT PICKER
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HER BULLY'S REGRET EMOTIONS
I want to groan. This is not what I signed up for when I took this job. I wanted to keep my head down while I saved money and made the connections I’ll need to start my own graphic design business in a year or two.Once I’m working for myself, no one will be able to fire me. No one will be able to make me feel small. No one will be able to make me start over, over and over again.But before I can get to that Someday,I have to choose sides in a corporate power play.I look at the clock. My body tenses at the thought of facing down Nathan again. Even if, this time, we’re going to be on the same team.I check to make sure no one’s paying attention to me, and head to his office.No sense putting off the inevitable.“Come in,”Nathan growls when I open the door.I guess the growling isn’t personal since he has no way of knowing it’s me. Yet.He’s just a grumbly sort of person.And maybe, after the stuff I’ve read about his dad, I understand it a little bit. Imagine having to run a company w
HER BULLY'S REGRET PUBLIC PRESENTATION
I squash the thought and bite my own tongue to re-establish my boundaries. Which means keeping her in the dark as much as possible.“I never said this presentation was for internal use,” I say, misdirecting.Nicole stiffens. “Are you saying this is for a public presentation?”I drink my coffee, impassive.“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asks, her stress rising exponentially.Her vehemence catches me off guard. Setting aside her occasional flirtation with serial killer fantasies, it seems out of character for her.“It doesn’t change anything,” I hedge.“Of course it changes things,”Nocole says, frustrated. I notice the dark half-moon shadows under her eyes. “If you’re sharing this publicly, it could end up on the internet forever. It could end up with your competition. That shifts us from offense design to defense design, especially if you’re going up against your dad and his cronies.”She half moves to bury her hands in her hair, but she stops and smooths them flat on the table.Wh
HER BULLY'S REGRET APPRECIATING HER HUSTLE
Ten minutes later, all her food is gone, and she’s drunk two cups of coffee.“Ok,” Nicole admits. “It’s possible I was a little hangry.”I’m on the verge of telling her she needs to take care of herself when I stop myself. She’s not my family, she’s not even a friend. She’s an employee I’ll hardly ever interact with directly once this presentation is finished.So instead I drawl, “How generous of you to allow the possibility that I’m right.”Nicole raises one shoulder in a cheeky shrug. “So, about the presentation—”“The bachelorette party’s a non-issue,” I say.“Why are we still talking about this?”“Because we need to dispense with the distractions so you can focus on what’s important,” I say. “When’s your party?”“Next Friday,” she sighs.Good. Plenty of time. “You’ll have it at the queens city Club,” I decide. “The owner owes me a favor.”She laughs. Then notices my face. “Oh. You’re serious.”I feel weirdly off balance. I thought the Queens city club was a good idea. I can’t reme
HER BULLY'S REGRET COME ALONG WITH YOUR PARTNER
“You’re going to have to make a third version,” I decide. “I want half of each.”Her fingers fly across the keyboard as she makes notes to herself.This time there’s not an eye roll in sight.The lunch hour goes faster than I want it to. I’m surprised to realize I like working with Nicole. On the outside she’s all wild hair, fluttering dresses, and an inappropriately expressive face that couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it.But when it comes to her work, she’s sharp, fast, and effective. I almost want her to stick around at coleman Marketing, instead of launching out on her own whenever she’s saved up enough. Except I’m pretty sure that if Nicole stays at Coleman too long, she’ll lose some of her spark.And while her spark is strictly speaking annoying as fuck, I don’t want to be the grumpy asshole that squashes it.On the other hand, the realities of running a business might douse that spark even faster. I learned the hard way you can’t gamble on a wish. You need to be
HER BULLY'S REGRET THE PERFECT MATCH
She’s doing just that when my office door bursts open. It’s Nicole, dressed to kill in this strappy black minidress with retro beads that shimmer and sparkle when she moves.She’s practically vibrating with excitement.There’s something gold and shimmering that makes her eyes even more captivating, and her legs in those heels...A smarter man would tell her to leave, because after weeks of secretly passing notes, striding into my office is the polar opposite of discreet. Even if it is after 7:00 p.m. on a Friday night.But apparently, I’m not a smarter man. Because I hear myself saying, “Mom, I need to go.”I hang up and cross my arms. “What?”“So, I was in the bathroom...No, wait.” Nicole turns around and closes the door behind her so no one will overhear. Then she says, “Arnold Jackman is a board member, right?”“Yes,” I say impatiently. “Although I have no idea how that can possibly relate to you using the bathroom.”“Not using. Changing.” Nicole gestures to her outfit. “Anyway, no
HER BULLY'S REGRET What is he doing here?
And I know exactly where to find her.NICOLE“Oh my God, this place is AMAZING,” eLLIE screams in my ear as she plops happily onto a velvet couch. She read justs her Bride tiara and waves at a waiter for more champagne. “I can’t believe your new boss got us the queen city.”“Me neither.” The Queen city is a glittering three story club filled with chandeliers, mirrors, disco balls, and frosted glass. Floors two and three both feature a balcony that looks down at the dance floor.Nathan got us the whole top floor, which means our group can lounge, drink, and have fun without being bothered. And when we feel like a little more adventure, we can wander down to the first floor to bust some moves and enjoy the admiring glances of strangers.I kick off my heels and join Ellie on the couch, happy. Ellie’s one of those women who has off-the-charts charisma and a million great ideas. In the eight years I’ve known her, she’s been a nanny, an actress, a bartender, a barista, a tutor, a plus-size
HER BULLY'S REGRET MARRY ME
“I need you,” Nathan says, and I know he’s talking about work, it’s obvious he’s talking about work, but his voice mixes with the alcohol in my blood. My body thinks he’s talking about something else.“You need me for graphic design,” I clarify.“I need you for marriage,” he says, and I’m so shocked I drop my drink. My glass shatters on the ground between us.“What?” I ask, heart thudding. “It’s too loud. I thought you said...” I shake my head, unwilling to embarrass myself by saying it out loud.Nathan’s hand moves to the small of my back, and my pulse leaps as he guides us around the broken glass. Then he leans in, so close I can feel his heat near my neck.His lips move close to my ear and he says, “If I marry, my wife gets a seat on the board. If certain board members think I’m about to get married, they’ll switch over to the winning side. So I need a fake fiancée.”He says it slowly. Carefully. Unmistakably.“You’d be perfect,” Nathan says, his voice soft and low in my ear, and s
HER BULLY'S REGRET FAKE ENGAGEMENT
“Nooooo,” she protests, drawing it out. “Not exactly. More like, offer an alternative option for the clients who are too small for you to bother with.” “Fair,” I acknowledge. It’s not a bad angle. Companies reach out to us all the time who then realize they can’t afford our services. Normally when that happens, I recommend they reach out to one of the smaller firms I know. The smaller marketing firms appreciate the favor, and the client will feel good about us if they end up needing a bigger marketing firm in the future. “Tell you what,” I say. “I will give your business my personal recommendation and offer an introduction to anyone you want.” Nicole leans in. “How much is that recommendation worth after we ‘break up’ though? They’ll think you’re recommending me out of pity because you dumped me.” “They’ll think you’re so good, I’m recommending youeven afteryou broke my heart.” She snorts. “No one’s going to believe I broke your heart.” “I have a heart,” I say, indignant. I love
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