The PlayLion Billionaire: A Paranormal Billionaire Romance Read Free

heating up with a blush at the tone of Brooke’s voice; though he hadn’t said it, the emphasis told her that he assumed that she had hooked up with the people who had hired her—that he thought she got ahead by sleeping around.
    “Industry events are a great way of meeting people in a professional setting,” Olivia said, maintaining her composure with an effort. “I enjoy talking shop and comparing strategy. But most of my opportunities have come from typical shovel-and-spade research.”
    As the interview dragged on—seeming much longer than the forty-five minutes that Olivia later saw it had taken—Brooke’s questions became more barbed, more obvious in their intention; she knew that he had never even entertained the thought of hiring her.
    He thought that her resume was faked—and then when he saw that it wasn’t, that she had references to back up her history—he assumed that she had achieved her standing and her history on her back.
    “I’m not sure that you’ll fit in with our corporate culture,” Brooke said as the interminable conversation was finally beginning to wind down. “We tend to be less than sensitive to background here; certainly I can understand if you’d prefer an environment more flexible to your needs.”
    “I believe that Lowe Freight is very flexible. I read up on the benefits package offered to your employees, and I think it’s very noble that corporate policy allows for such latitude in vacation time.”
    One of the main draws of the position she had applied for, in fact, was that Lowe Freight had such a flexible policy about vacation time. They offered twelve weeks out of the year. There were longer periods of paid maternity and paternity leave, an additional week’s worth of sick time, accruing but not accessible during the first ninety days of employment.
    “Are you applying to any other positions? I’d have pegged you for the non-profit sector; abuse shelters, women’s rights campaigns…” Olivia felt her composure beginning to slip and clenched her teeth as unobtrusively as possible, counting to ten slowly in her mind.
    “I have no interest in the non-profit sector at this time,” Olivia said once she had regained the ability to speak civilly. “I have a lot of respect for what the women and men in those positions do, but I applied to Lowe Freight because the job itself appeals to me and I think that I would make an excellent addition to the team here.”
    Finally—finally—Brooke ended the interview, shaking her hand once more, harshly, as he led her to the door of the lobby. “I would suggest that you put your efforts into the other places you’ve applied,” he said, giving her a smirk. “I have a lot of candidates to choose from for this position; I’m sure you understand.”
    Olivia felt her sense of justice rising up inside of her at the self-satisfied dismissal from the man. When he turned back into the office, abandoning her with the scantest goodbye she had ever received from any professional, Olivia stood for a long moment in silence.
    “I’m sorry,” the receptionist said, glancing at the closed door and cringing slightly.
    “I need to talk to someone in your HR department right now,” Olivia said without even acknowledging the apology. She was incredibly calm—the kind of stillness within that she had come to regard as a warning sign. Everything in the lobby, from the arrangement of ferns on a low table, to the gleam of polish on the leather chairs was incredibly sharp.
    “I—I understand that he was—inappropriate,” the receptionist said, stammering slightly. Olivia thought wryly that she probably had caught wind of her anger.
    “Someone in your HR department. I need to file a complaint. Are you going to assist me in that, or am I going to have to raise a real fuss to talk to someone with some clout?” Olivia looked at the receptionist, holding her gaze.
    “No, I’ll get you someone.” The receptionist picked up her phone and dialed