Playing with Power - Book 3: New Adult Office Romance Read Free

still shocking how quickly his tone had changed. She couldn’t detect an ounce of familiarity or feeling when they spoke. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to be like when they met again.
    “Alright, I’m gonna get to it. Enjoy your dinner,” she said jumping from the counter. Lauren yawned loudly as she sat at her desk and checked her phone.
    Good day, you? Miss your face.
    With a soft smile she glanced at the time. 7:58 p.m. Her eyes darted to a blue sticky note hanging from the lamp base, her fingers naturally gravitating to touch it.
    don’t blow this opportunity
    Taking a gulp of her energy drink, the cold liquid sliding down her throat, Lauren got to work.

2.
    “I feel like Carrie Bradshaw,” Ali said, adjusting the brim of her broad sun hat. “This is how I imagined New York would be before I moved here. Cocktails, lunching, amazing views.”
    “Really? I just imagined I’d be homeless within a month,” Lauren laughed.
    The two best friends sat under the shade of a huge umbrella in a swanky rooftop bar enjoying lunch. The views of the city around them were incredible and the drink prices matched the soaring buildings. It was the first time they’d been together alone since their trip to California over a month before and Lauren was thankful for the girl time. Ali always helped her decompress and recharge. They’d hung out at the Pony a few times but with Nick around, they hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk. With as much as she had on her plate, Lauren knew she had to treasure down time whenever it came.
    “So how’s work?” Ali asked.
    “No! That’s the absolute last thing I want to talk about. I want to hear about you. What have you been up to you busy little actress?”
    “Well, I can’t lie. I am pretty awesome now. So, I have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to get to the set every day and then sit in makeup for an hour. This heat has been an absolute killer. It’s a period piece so every person, like every extra, horse, cat, you name it, is all decked out in these crazy costumes. Some poor girl fainted from the heat the other day.”
    “Was it you?”
    Ali’s eyebrow arched. “I’m made of tougher stuff than that, my dear. Luckily, because I’m playing a whore, my costume shows a lot more skin than the others. Basically, from here up I’m completely naked.” She said pointing to the top of her cleavage. “Other than that, it’s a lot of standing around.”
    “You poor thing! I bet sometimes the caterer forgets the caviar too, huh?” Lauren smirked.
    “First-world problems, I know. It just feels great to actually be progressing, you know? I know I’m not a lead or anything but I have lines, actual freaking lines that are important to the plot. Now I just have to hope I don’t get cut during editing.”
    “Holy hell, woman. You finally land a paying gig, with lines, and you still find something negative to focus on. I’m impressed.”
    “I can’t help that I’m a naturally negative person! If you must know, I’m thinking about joining an actor’s union. How adult is that? If I’m feeling super responsible, I might even go to the dentist. Dane says it’ll never happen, but I’ll prove him wrong. I’ll prove you all wrong!”
    “You spoke to Dane? Wait, aren’t you still seeing Pete?” Lauren could feel the lump already rising in her throat. She resisted the urge to ask if he’d said anything about Landon.
    “Yes and yes,” she replied with a smug smile.
    “Well then, hush my mouth. Good for you.”
    “What about you?” Ali asked hesitantly, her eyes on the table. “Have you talked to Landon?”
    This was the moment she’d been dreading and she’d managed to bring it upon herself by asking about Dane. She hadn’t told anyone, not even Nick, about My Best Friend’s Closet. Taking a slow sip of the pink cocktail, she shook her head.
    “Nope, nothing.”
    “Nothing?”
    “No, why?”
    Ali squinted at her as if trying to weasel out