“Hanna, it’s bad form to talk back to your boss,” Jim said snidely. “Now go. Get that coffee.” His voice was loud and arrogant and I flushed angrily as I reached for my coat and bag. It seemed like everyone in the office had heard Jim as I made my way through the desks and cubicles. I kept my face down, buried in the thick faux-fur collar of my puffer jacket as I left the office.
The elevator was filled with the other girls from the office, all clutching their designer bags. They didn’t even make an effort to smile at me as I stepped inside, and I sighed as I squeezed in right as the doors closed. They lowered their voices, but I could hear them chatting about one of the neighborhood’s hottest new restaurants, a Brazilian steakhouse that had just opened a few blocks from the office.
Forcing myself to smile, I turned and faced them. “Hey,” I said. “My roommate loves that place – she’s already been twice. I hear it’s really good.”
The ringleader of the office girls, a brunette named Samantha, frowned.
“I don’t believe we asked your opinion,” she said in a cold voice. “Did we, girls?”
The other girls echoed their agreement.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I was just trying to be friendly.”
“Yeah, well, we don’t really want to talk to you,” Samantha said. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re the new girl. And besides, you’re just a secretary.”
My cheeks were burning as the elevator doors dinged open and the stream of bitches pushed past me. What is it with people in this stupid office, I thought as I watched Samantha and her awful tribe striding away in their stiletto heels. Despite the ice on the ground, not a single one of them slipped or fell.
Outside, the sun was shining overhead but it somehow felt even colder than it had in the morning. I hustled across the street to the local coffee shop, where I gave Jim’s order and waited impatiently for his stupid cappuccino to land in my grip. It was ridiculous – I probably went on five or six coffee runs per week for Jim, and he’d never paid me back. I was keeping a secret total of his coffees back at my desk, and I wasn’t sure when I should confront him about it.
Being a working girl wasn’t exactly living up to my expectations.
When I got back to the office, I handed Jim his coffee. He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Hanna, you were gone for over twenty minutes. You know the policy – no running personal errands on company time. I’ll be subtracting those twenty minutes from your accrued vacation time.”
My jaw dropped. “I swear, I didn’t do anything else, Jim. All I did was go get your coffee.”
“It doesn’t take a reasonable person twenty minutes to fetch coffee,” Jim said arrogantly. “I should know. I used to go myself, you know.”
I could feel the anger building inside of me, hot and unreasonable, like a dragon about to blow flames and scorch the earth.
“You can go back to your desk now, Hanna,” Jim said in a snide voice. “I’ll need that report you were working on.”
The anger kept rising and rising in my throat. I swallowed.
“Jim, you asked me to leave immediately and get your cappuccino,” I said in what I hoped was a calm voice. “I haven’t finished the report yet – you told me to finish it when I got back.”
Jim narrowed his eyes. He took a sip of his cappuccino. “I don’t believe I would have given you such terrible advice,” he replied. “And while we’re talking, I want to mention something.”
By now, my ears were burning with rage. I wanted to grab the nearest heavy object and throw it right into Jim’s stupid, fat face. But I knew I couldn’t – I knew I had to be an adult, even if that meant getting yelled at by my boss.
“Yes?” I asked. “What is it?”
“The way you dress,” Jim said. He stepped closer and a wave of revulsion shot through my body. “It’s not exactly…office-appropriate, even if some of your looks are very attractive.”
I narrowed my eyes. Jim’s gaze slid down my body, lingering on my breasts, and I shuddered again.
“It’s rude to stare,” I said in a low voice.
Jim blinked. “I wasn’t staring,” he lied. He licked his lips as he continued staring at my breasts. “But I think you need to start dressing a little more appropriately. You’re not in college, anymore, Hanna. This is a real job – in the real world – and you’re going to have to learn to be an adult.”
I felt sick. First, this asshole was angry with me for taking too long to get his coffee, and now this? I couldn’t believe it – either I was crazy, or he was the most sadistic boss in Boston.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m well aware of that.”
“And furthermore, I hate to tell you this, but if you commit any more infraction, I’m afraid I won’t have a choice but to fire you,” Jim said. He leaned in close, staring at my breasts again. “And you know I’d be so sorry to do that.”
Something inside of me snapped and I stood straight and tall. “That won’t be necessary,” I said. Adrenaline began to pump through my veins and I smiled at Jim.
“Oh?” Jim nodded. “I’m glad you get the picture. I have a feeling that with a little assistance, you could become a valued employee.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” I said. “Because I quit.”
Jim’s mouth flew open. “What?”
“You heard me,” I said. I stepped closer, letting the rage bubble out of my body like toxic gas. “I’m sick of being abused and demeaned and leered at on a daily basis, and I quit. Find someone else to get your stupid fucking lattes – I’m out of here!”
“Now, wait just one second,” Jim yelled. His chipmunk cheeks were turning bright pink with anger and a feeling of satisfaction began to settle over me.
“Don’t bother,” I said. “Save it for someone who cares.”
Before Jim could reply, I walked back to my desk and grabbed my coat and purse. The office was silent as I walked out, holding my head high. Fuck them all, I thought as I waited for an elevator in the lobby. They’re all sadistic assholes, anyway.
But as soon as I was outside, my confidence began to falter. What if I’d done the wrong thing? What if, somehow, Jim and everyone else in that stupid fucking office managed to keep me from getting another job in Boston?
What would I do? It wasn’t like I could live off Danielle’s charity forever, and I knew she wouldn’t be thrilled with me when I told her what I’d done…but on the other hand, I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t stand to stay in that office, with Jim smirking and leering at me all day – it was disgusting!
By the time I got home, I was seriously depressed. It was only three in the afternoon, but the sun was already starting to set low in the Boston sky and I shuddered. I hated winter, I hated the cold, I hated almost everything about this city. I kicked off my shoes and curled up on the couch, closing my eyes and dreaming of a tropical, warm place where the chill and frost couldn’t touch me.
That was when his face flashed across my mind. The most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen, with tanned skin and unruly cowlicks of dark hair, and intense dark eyes that made my heart flutter and skip in my chest.
Jack.