Playing with Power - Book 5: New Adult Office Romance Read Free Page A

this before and she’s stayed with him throughout...
    “Good morning, sweetie. Did you have a good weekend?” Faith said almost roughly guiding her away from the main room.
    “Um, I guess. Can I just get a cup of—” she said as they passed the kitchen.
    “No, sorry. Parker insisted I take you straight to his office the second you get in.” Lauren’s stomach dropped. He’s got something planned.
    “But really, can’t I just set my bag down—”
    “Nope! In a minute.” Lauren could hear the tension in Faith’s voice. She glanced at her friend and could tell the smile was painted on. Taking a deep breath, Lauren accepted her fate and walked to Parker’s office.
    “Knock, knock!” Faith said in a chipper tone as she pushed the office door open. “I have the delivery you asked for.” She winked at Lauren as Parker looked up from his desk.
    “Great, thank you Faith. You can go.”
    The door slowly closed, but Lauren remained standing rigidly just inside the office. She was gripping the straps of her backpack so tightly her knuckles turned white. Apparently, my bravery is a bit weaker in the morning, she thought bitterly.
    “Please, take a seat,” Parker gestured. Lauren tentatively put her bag down and slipped into the chair. “Did you have a good weekend? Weather was great, wasn’t it?”
    The whole scene was unnerving. Parker sat opposite grinning, trying his very best to seem friendly, affable. Did he seriously just ask me how my weekend was? Has that ever happened in the history of...ever? Everything was in such stark contrast to the last time she’d been in his office, Lauren felt a bizarre sense she’d stepped into a dream.
    Parker waited a moment for her response but continued. “Mine was great but let’s get straight to business. Lauren, I want you to know how much I value your contribution to StyleSpur. This company wouldn’t be half of what it is without your hard work and dedication.” He paused again as if waiting for her to thank him. Lauren could only swallow the bile in her mouth. It was like waiting for a wild animal to charge. “So with that in mind, I’m happy to offer you the position of chief technical officer.”
    Lauren blinked several times, not believing the words that just came out of his mouth. A tiny smile crept across her face as she slowly accepted the reality of the situation.
    “You value my contribution to the company so that’s why you’re making me CTO of StyleSpur?”
    The tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings, but he quickly recovered. “Of course, Lauren. What other reason could there be? We would be so lucky to have you join the management team.”
    Heart thumping in her chest, Lauren struggled to keep her emotions in check. After so many years of abuse, she was finally getting the upper hand on Parker Jarvis and it felt so good. She tried to remain magnanimous but couldn’t resist rubbing his nose in it just a little.
    “See? Was that so difficult? I have to say, I’m glad you were able to fight against all your natural instincts and finally make a decent decision for once.”
    His expression faltered and Lauren saw a flash of anger in his green eyes. The muscles in his jaw clenched and he was just about to speak when Faith poked her head in the door.
    “So...”
    Parker quickly recovered, the salesman smile returning swiftly to his smarmy face. “I believe Lauren was just accepting my offer, weren’t you?”
    Lauren hesitated for just a moment. Some intuition was telling her there must be a trap but where? She was the one who asked for this. “Yes, I accept your offer.”
    “That’s so great!” Faith exclaimed, hugging Lauren from behind. “In that case, we have a big surprise for you. Just give me one minute before you come out.” Faith left, taking all her happy effervescence with her. A heavy cloud hung over the office as she and Parker regarded one another.
    “I hope we can find a way to work together,”