s a git; better she figured it out before she married him.
At the end of the file I find the login information for the sole website she was on. Within seconds I am perusing it. It might be the only site she is on, it is more than enough to finally get a complete picture of Christina Connolly.
***
Christina
I’m barely settled at my desk before the phone is ringing. It’s Simon. I ignore it. Once it stops only seconds pass before it rings again. It’s him. I send it to voice mail.
I don’t even hear the door to my office open before Anna is in front of me. “You’re traveling with Ivan. You’re traveling with the big bad boss. Holy mother fucking crap. I told you so!”
“I know, I can’t believe it. Even though Ivan has picked a bunch of my proposals I wrote for Simon, Simon never traveled with him.”
“Martin has all of twice. He is seething. The bastard is convinced it’s only because Ivan wants to fuck you.”
My eyes go wide; it clicks now. Oh my god, he wants to fuck me. That’s what the weird tension was all about.
A smack on my arm yanks me out of my thoughts. “Ignore him, he’s a bitter bitch. It’s such bullshit, the only reason a woman could ever go far is because someone wants to fuck her, not because she’s worked for it.”
“Close the door,” I urge her. I have the oddest feeling someone is outside in the hallway even though I can’t see anyone.
Once she does she’s back, sitting on my desk.
“He figured out I’m the one who wrote Simon’s proposals.”
“Told you so. Do you get Simon’s job now? That would be the best thing ever.”
“I have no idea. He didn’t say. I’m a horrible person for hoping he fires Simon, right?” I sigh.
“Whatever, you’re a human being. Simon deserves it. He’s been a complete fucker to you for far too long. There’s this thing called karma and it’s pronounced ‘haha, fuck you.’”
We both laugh.
We’re planning what I should pack when there’s a knock on the door. We trade glances. “Come in.”
It’s Denise, the head of human resources with a security guy. Fear shoots through me. “Christina, if you could help me clear out Simon’s office. I would appreciate it. Do you have his passwords?”
Anna melts away. I nod then lead the way into Simon’s office on shaky legs.
***
Christina
Once the door is closed behind Denise and the security guy, I collapse into my chair in a shocked stupor. It was one thing to hope, wish, and pray Simon got fired; it was something else entirely to be the cause. No, don’t feel guilty. It was Simon’s fault, not mine. Ivan was simply rectifying a long overdue wrong. It didn’t have anything to do with the whole he-wants-to-fuck-me thing...right?
It’s hard to believe. If Anna hadn’t repeated Martin’s thoughts, I would never have thought it myself. Ivan wants me. A shiver shoots through me, my nipples tighten in aching need. And I want him. I want him so freaking bad I don’t recognize myself.
This doesn’t make any sense. Two years, two years and four months I was with Brandon. Although we didn’t make love for the first year. For too long I heard my Abuelo’s command of no sex until marriage. Not until a man valued me enough to give me a ring. While I wanted to honor Abuelo’s command, I also never experienced a single time when sex appealed to me.
Abuela stepped in and told me I needed to know if we were compatible enough to make a marriage. If I loved him and believed he loved me, then there was no sin in making love. With Brandon making it clear marriage was where we were heading, I gave in to his wishes with a clear conscious, courtesy of Abuela.
At first it was awful, full of pain, discomfort, and embarrassment. Gradually, after the fourth or fifth time it was...pleasant, nice to have a deeper level of connection. Yet in all that time, not once did I ever feel this way about him. I believed I loved him deeply. When he proposed it was my every wish come true. When he broke up with me, the idea of letting another man touch me made my skin crawl.
Now I’m sitting here desperately wanting to have Ivan’s hands all over me and inside me and...what in the fuck is going on right now?
My cell phone goes off with a text. It’s Anna telling me to meet her in the bathroom. Huh? Why didn’t she come talk to me or even text me? I set the phones to the voice mail, then leave the office in time to see her enter the bathroom. The sound of Martin yelling though the door to his office stops me in my tracks. What’s that about?
I enter the bathroom expecting to see Anna at the faucets. It’s a six-toilet-stall-large room with all the necessary women’s products. The minute I’m in she pushes me away from the door then leans against it.