Bad Girl by Goode, Ella (chrysanthemum read aloud .txt) 📕

the exterior office door hard and watch with grim satisfaction as she jumps and looks my way. I remain in the men’s room until I get an impatient text from Christina:

I’m here. Your office is empty, and the new girl is looking like she’s going to stab me with a stapler.

I hurry out because Christina has long nails and might hurt my temp.

“Hey, good looking,” she says mockingly when I stride through the door. Leila is again ignoring me, dammit.

“Come on.” I grab Christina’s arm and drag her into my office. I shut the door, shutter the blinds, and then turn to my friend with my hands on my hips.

“What do you think?”

“She’s very nice looking?”

“Very nice? She’s fucking gorgeous.”

“Yes.”

“Say it,” I demand.

“Say what?”

“That she’s gorgeous. A dream. A goddess recreated on this hell hole we call earth.”

“Darling, what has gotten into you?”

Nothing. That’s my problem. “Say. It.”

“She’s gorgeous. A dream. Spring incarnate weeps at the sight of her which is why it is always rainy in April.”

“Okay. Nicely done.” I’m appeased.

“Thank you.” Christina takes a deep curtsy. “On a more serious note, why are we spying on your new temp employee? Why not go over and tell her to go on a date with you? And I did use the word ‘tell’ purposefully since you never ask and always demand.”

“I can’t. I’m building an empire here. I don’t have time for women.” I peek through the blinds again because it’s been at least fifty seconds since I’ve last laid eyes on her.

“You can carve out enough time to take a woman to dinner. Even you, War, have to eat.”

“I eat at my desk.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be ‘drowning’”—she makes quote signs with her fingers—“if you spent more time outside of your office. Being a hermit has eroded all your social skills. You’re literally the person in the saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

“I’m plenty entertaining,” I grouch but inside a kernel of anxiety pings to life. Am I dull? Would Leila find me boring?

“If you say so, but you still haven’t answered the real question. Why am I here? Do you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend? Oh, War. Yes. War. Yes!” she cries.

I fly across the room and slap a hand over her mouth. “What the hell?”

My friend laughs and pushes me away. “Didn’t you ask me here to make her jealous so that she’s spurred into action? When she attacks me, do I pretend like I’m scared away? Or do you want me to play the rich bitch?”

“I just needed a distraction,” I say, returning to the glass wall. “I can’t afford to become embroiled in an affair with an employee.” I pull out a stack of cards and throw them down on coffee table. “I’ll let you win in poker.”

Christina pulls herself away from the blinds and settles into the sofa. “I still think it makes more sense for you to just talk to the girl. Maybe she doesn’t like you and rejects your advances? Then you can just move on.”

“That’s what I don’t want.”

Chapter Five Leila

My stomach tightens when I hear the beautiful woman that walked into Warren’s office moan. At least I think that’s what I’m hearing. What the hell? I can’t believe he’s getting it on while making me work late. This is such bullshit.

This guy is a bigger prick than I even realized. I don’t even know why I care. I’m only here for one thing: to get my revenge. I need to remember that. That nothing else matters. The end game is what I need to focus on. I’ll have the last laugh in the end.

I decide to steal a moment to hop onto Kelly’s computer. Her desk is closest to mine. I hit the mouse to wake it up, and the password screen appears. I close my eyes for a moment and recall the keys I saw her entering earlier. I stood a few feet behind her, watching as she entered her password.

She’s not dumb in the least. I have to admit her password is actually pretty complex compared to others I’ve seen here. It’s a mixture of both numbers and letters. There are no actual words, but that doesn't matter to me. I can recall every keystroke she made today. If Warren is going to make me stay late, I might as well make it worth it. His own asshole behavior will be part of his downfall.

I’m not sure what I should be looking for. I plug in a USB and just start loading everything that I can to it quickly. I clench my jaw when I hear bubbles of laughter coming from his office again. The woman looked so familiar, but I can’t place her.

I pull out the USB once I’ve gathered a fair amount of info. I drop it into my bag, not wanting to push my luck before I take the contracts to all be copied. I print off an extra one for myself. My uncle is going to be so pleased with how much I’ve gotten in such a short time.

It takes me over an hour to get everything printed off, and Warren’s office door is still closed. I stack it all nicely on my desk before grabbing my bag to head out. Irritation still gnaws at me as I get in the elevator.

I want to make his day as much of a pain in the ass as he made mine. When I exit the building, I head toward the bus stop. I stop short when I notice the parking lot and Warren’s car parked off to the side.

I glance around, making sure no one sees me as I head over to it. I reach in my purse, pulling out my switchblade and thrusting it into each tire. With each strike I feel a moment of relief. Some of my anger and hurt releases from within me. I smile, knowing what a big inconvenience this will