Never Trust a Bad Boy Read Free Page B

enlightening discussion, Ms. Miller. Make sure you stop at Annabel’s desk and set an appointment for our Monday meeting.”
    I step out of his office, and I’m about to say something smart when he closes the office door. I take a deep breath and try to stop the embarrassment from taking over. Annabel is smiling at me, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks like she wants to kill me right now.
    “Can we have lunch today, Zoe? I need to talk to you.” Annabel says in a calm tone that doesn’t with fit the murderous look in her eyes.
    Whatever she wants to talk to me about must be important. Maybe it’s something I need to know about Josh. Maybe it’s something that can help me out of this predicament. If I don’t figure out a way to deal with him, and my feelings for him, I’m going to have to quit. I should just quit right now, but instead I agree to have lunch with Annabel.
    “Let me get my purse, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.” I tell her and head for my office.
    “Sounds good Zoe. See you in five.” She says to my back as I walk away.
    I close the door to my office and pull my panties out of my purse. I’m an idiot, and I’m doing this to myself. I hope that whatever Annabel has to say makes this whole thing go away. A girl can dream, right?
    We go to lunch at a little pizza place around the corner from work. You can get pizza by the slice, and it is delicious. Annabel fills me in on some of the office gossip, and I listen and nod. I want to tell her that I don’t care, but I’m trying to avoid making enemies at work.
    “The juiciest rumor is about you and Mr. Allen.” She wads up her napkin and puts it on her half eaten slice of pizza.
    “I wouldn’t listen to anything you hear about him and me.” I take another bite of my pizza. It’s good and I intend to eat the whole slice even though Annabel looks a little horrified that I’m eating more than half.
    “People say you guys were a thing in high school and that he’s still into you.” She’s not even trying to hide how much this particular piece of information interests her.
    “We went to high school together, but we were never a thing. And, we’re certainly not a thing now. One of the other partners hired me for the position, and Josh barely remembers who I am.”
    I’m lying so much right now, but I don’t need this shit. If I’m going to quit, I want it to be on my terms. If I end up staying, I don’t want to be involved in any office drama. I have to find a way to extract myself from Josh’s emotional and physical grasp. What Annabel tells me next is exactly what I need to hear.
    “Oh, that’s so good to hear.” She lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “I wanted us to be able to be friends, but that wasn’t going to happen if you were putting the moves on my boyfriend.” There is that smile that doesn’t reach her eyes again. It’s pretty creepy.
    “Boyfriend?”
    “Yes, Josh and I have to keep it under wraps at work. But, after a just few months of being his secretary, we’ve fallen in love. I should find another job, but I can’t stand the thought of being away from him now that I’m used to being so close every day at work.”
    “Oh, well. Okay then. That’s great for you.” I fake a smile. “I have to get back. I have my first client meetings starting tomorrow, and I’ve got to get ready.”
    Once I’m back in my office, I shut the door and smolder for at least an hour. That slimy motherfucker. I knew he was a bad boy , but it turns out he’s just a lying, degenerate asshole. I should have known better. He fucked me over once, and of course, he was going to do it again.
    If I didn’t have client meetings for the rest of the week and a professional reputation to protect, I’d walk out now. Since, I’m trapped here, I’ll just make the best of it. No more meetings with Mr. Dick. I mean, Mr. Allen. He can fire me for not being his toy anymore, but I’m not putting up with this crap for one