All Chapters of HER BULLY'S REGRET: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Nathan studies me, so I study him right back. I feel like I’m out on a ledge. I’venevertold a boss no.Much less a boss like Nathan. His eyes might be the most intense thing I’ve ever seen. Which is weird. They’re just eyes, right?I’m about to blink when he leans back, crossing his arms.“Fine. We’ll limit it toonefavor. Most of this project will happen in the next week. But I may request small additions over the next two months.”That means he’s preparing this secret project for something that will happen in two months. I know I should nod and keep my mouth closed. Maybe I could, with someone else. But I’m weirdly curious about this man. “What happens in two months?”“None of your business,” Nathan says.Fine. If he doesn’t want to tell me, I’ll just ask the other graphic designers.I stand up to go. I need to think. And I can’t seem to think clearly in his presence.“I didn’t say you could go,” Nathan says, and myGodthe man is arrogant.I turn back to him and raise my chin. “You kn

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

“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

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

“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