Hatefully Yours

by Callahan, Kelli

  I really hope she doesn’t mess up my shoes…

  Hannah’s interruption, coupled with the number of times I had to move out of her way, made me a few minutes later than normal. I could always tell whether or not I was early when I pulled into the parking lot and saw how close I could park. On a good day, I could get one of the spots on the first row, but it was already full. There were a couple of people ahead of me, but they were too far away for me to ask them to hold the elevator. I hit the button for the next one and waited—then I realized someone was walking up behind me and turned to see Fulton.

  “Good morning.” He smiled. “How are things going with Xavier Wholesale?”

  “Morning.” I gave him a polite smile in return. “They’re going great. I think we’ll have something ready to present in a couple of weeks.”

  “Awesome, I know Mr. Remington will be happy to hear that.” He nodded. “How are things going with your boss? I don’t get to hear much now that you two are reporting directly to the CEO.”

  “As good as they can, I suppose…” I shrugged. “I haven’t missed any more deadlines if that’s what you were wondering.”

  I’m still pretty annoyed by that, even if I’ve forgiven Trent for being an asshole.

  “Nah, I thought that was pretty crazy anyway.” He chuckled under his breath. “I would have probably let you slide for that.”

  “You could have said something when it happened.” I raised an eyebrow. “He reported to you at the time…”

  “I try to let my people have their freedom, even if I don’t agree with their decisions.” He shrugged. “I support them in public and discuss my concerns in private.”

  “You were pretty quick to suggest that someone else should handle the assignment.” I raised a brow. “Or was that just part the whole support thing.”

  “It was.” He sighed. “Mentally, I was on your side.”

  “Interesting.” I gave him a side-eyed glance as the elevator doors opened.

  It didn’t feel that way.

  “Hey, so—thought.” Fulton stepped into the elevator and hit the buttons that would take us to our floors. “Your team doesn’t report to me anymore, so that means I can ask you out.”

  “Uh…” My head snapped back. “Are you asking me or just stating a fact?”

  “I’m asking.” He smiled. “How about tonight?”

  I haven’t really interacted with him much. He’s attractive—he seems nice enough.

  “Yeah, okay.” I nodded. “Let me give you my number.”

  “I can get it from your file.” He motioned to the doors as they opened. “Being so high up in this building comes with a few privileges.”

  “Okay.” I stepped out of the elevator. “I guess I’ll see you tonight…”

  “You might see a lot of me tonight.” He winked as the doors closed.

  Wow, now I regret letting Hannah borrow my best heels…

  Fulton wasn’t exactly what I would have called my dream guy by any means. The few interactions I had gave me the impression that he was a little rough around the edges. Still, I was single and didn’t have anyone else interested in changing my status. At least Fulton had never slept with my roommate—I hoped. I didn’t have to be in love with him to go on a date, and magic could happen in unexpected ways. He wasn’t my boss, and that was the only kind of relationship that the company had a policy against. I could date anyone in the company except for Trent—and he was the last one I would even consider. Not that there was any chance of that happening. Leaving the past where it needed to be had opened the door for a mild friendship at best.

  “You seem—smiley.” Trent narrowed his eyes as I walked into the conference room.

  “It’s Friday. Am I not allowed to be happy?” I put down my laptop and pulled out my chair.

  “I’m glad it’s Friday too, but we have a lot of work to do before we get to go home.” He smirked.

  “Fine, if you must know…” I leaned closer. “Someone just asked me out on a date.”

  “Really?” Trent’s eyebrows shot up. “Do I know them?”

  “You do.” My smile got wider. “Fulton.”

  “What?” Trent’s expression shifted from nonchalant to concerned in an instant. “No, come on—that’s a bad idea.”

  “Why? He’s not our boss anymore.” I shrugged and opened my laptop. “There’s nothing that says we can’t go out.”

  “He’s…” Trent sighed. “No, Brooke. You don’t want to get involved with him. Trust me.”

  Trust you? I’m trying, but I don’t think I’m ready to put much faith in your words quite yet.

  “You don’t really get to tell me what to do.” I gave him a look that resembled a smile and a grimace at the same time.

  “He’s a fucking asshole.” Trent scoffed. “Seriously, I’ve worked with him for a while—he might seem a little charming, but he’s really not.”

  “Maybe assholes are my type.” I shrugged and turned my attention to my laptop.

  “Ouch…” Trent muttered under his breath.

  You deserved that.

  Trent and I had managed to work together in a fairly jovial atmosphere for the entire week, but it was clear that I started things with the wrong announcement first thing in the morning. He was brooding again—short with me—and one step away from going into full-blown asshole mode. I decided to ignore him when I could and just stayed focused on my work. He didn’t get to decide who I dated. He gave up that right the night he put his hands—and lips—on Keely. Repairing our relationship to the point where we had a mild friendship wasn’t good enough to restore his ability to tell me what he thought about who I dated. If I wanted to date Fulton, I could. If he was an asshole, then it would be a short date. I still wanted to see it through.

  “Time for lunch.” Trent closed his laptop and pushed his chair back from the table.

  “I thought we discussed having something delivered…” I glanced at him. “You said we could work straight through lunch and not have to worry about this over the weekend.”

  “I need some fresh air.” He walked to the door. “We’ll just work harder this afternoon.”

  Blah, why does he have to make this into a thing? It’s not like we’re ever going to be more than co-workers.

  * * *

  Trent brooded and made random comments that rubbed me the wrong way for the rest of the afternoon, but I did my best to ignore them. I got a text message from Fulton shortly before I got off work, and we agreed to meet at a restaurant downtown. I was kind of shocked he didn’t offer to pick me up, but it didn’t matter—it might actually be better if I had my own car just so I didn’t have to find a ride home if the date went off the rails. I definitely wished I had my best pair of heels. They were fairly comfortable for heels—that wasn’t saying much, but at least my feet weren’t killing me like they were when I finally made it to the restaurant.

  My first real date since moving to New York. At least I don’t have to worry about Fulton calling me a prostitute or being dragged out by a bouncer.

  “Wow!” Fulton stood up when I approached the table. “You look ravishing—good enough to nibble on.”

  “Uh, thanks.” I blinked a couple of times in surprise but managed to hide the astonishment that registered inside me.

  Not how I expected to begin my evening…

  “God, I knew you were hot.” He shook his head as he sat down without offering to help me with my chair. “I didn’t know you’d get me hard at the dinner table.”

  Oh wow, yeah this isn’t going to go well at all.

  If I wasn’t already rethinking my decision to go on a date with Fulton after the first two things he said to me, a comment about my breasts followed by one about sinking his teeth into my ass like it was a peach had me ready to make a break for the door. I instantly understood why he was single—and why Trent thought it was a terrible idea to go on a date with him. I did my best to absorb his comments out of respect for the office he had on the top floor.
I had finally managed to turn Trent from enemy to ally—the last thing I needed to do was generate hostility with someone that had more influence than he did.

  “Dessert?” Fulton tilted his head inquisitively after the server took our dinner plates away. “Or are you going to be sweet enough to skip the sugar?”

  “You know, I think dessert is probably a good idea.” I reached for the menu.

  Dear god, I need an out. There’s no way I’m going back to his place—or letting him near mine.

  “Maybe we can get it to go?” He peeked at the menu. “I have a condo with a view of the entire city, and it’s the best place to eat dessert in the whole world.”

  “I really like to take things a lot slower than that…” I felt the wind get sucked out of my lungs.

  “I don’t” He shook his head back and forth. “I’d like to move so fast that your head will still be spinning when you hunt down your bra tomorrow morning.”

  “My bra is going to be in the laundry basket at my place.” I gave him a smile that practically took a miracle to plaster on my lips.

  “Come on, what’s wrong with you?” He cocked his head to the side. “You knew what I wanted when I asked you out.”

  “Actually, I thought you were kind of attractive—and you seemed nice.” I sighed. “I think we may have both had the wrong idea here.”

  “Then spread those long, gorgeous legs for your future.” He shrugged. “I don’t give a fuck. Getting to the top floor is hard enough without friends—I could be a very good friend.”

  “I don’t even know if I want an office on the top floor.” I shook my head quickly. “I’m just happy where I’m at. If I get a promotion, it’ll be one that I earn.”

  “It’s hard to walk in a man’s world.” He chuckled under his breath. “You’ll get a lot further on your knees or your back.”

  “Well, right now.” I closed the menu. “I’m going to walk in the real world—to my fucking car.”

  I’m about one comment away from slapping the taste out of his mouth.

  I dealt with my fair share of jerks in college. Sometimes I liked a guy that didn’t fit the mold of what a great guy was supposed to be. Flaws made them unique. Fulton was certainly unique, but not in a good way. Any woman that fell for his brand of seduction deserved the humiliation that came with it—going home with him was a mistake that I wouldn’t have made on my drunkest night. I was glad that he didn’t follow me out of the restaurant. I might have rethought the slap and given him a swift kick in the balls instead. My first date in New York was an abysmal failure. I wasn’t even in the mood to dig my vibrator out of the box it was in. My clit had tapped out and didn’t want to be touched at all.

  I wish I could report him to human resources for being a failure to his entire fucking gender.

  I went home alone and watched television with a glass of whiskey in my hand. I needed something stiff that wasn’t attached to a man. Jessica came home and made me a drink that was strong and went down a little easier. I told her about my date with Fulton, and she laughed so hard she almost fell off the couch. She said that she was going to add that to her list of great stories, and it might even top the one about Hannah—but she would be kind enough not to attach my name to it. After I had some time, and a few drinks, to settle down, I did laugh about the date. There were bad dates, and then there was Fulton—he was on a whole new level of awfulness. I wasn’t even sure how he got up in the morning without tripping over his own ego.

  I’d actually consider going on a date with Trent before I’d give Fulton a second one—that’s something I never thought I’d say.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Trent

  I spilled all of my secrets to Brooke, admitted my mistakes, and offered a genuine apology. I was an asshole, and there was no way to sugarcoat the things I had done. I never thought I would actually show her the letter that I kept in my wallet, but the moment felt right. In a way, it seemed to ease the tension that the moment created. She was past my barrier and into my soul. I was raw, flayed, and fully exposed. There was no way to go backwards from that—it was either forwards or an abrupt halt. We chose to take a step, followed by another one, and then we settled into a routine. Everything was going great until she told me that Fulton asked her out on a date—and even worse—she accepted.

  I wanted to scream when I realized that she wasn’t going to listen to my warning, but I was forced to stay calm on the outside while I died on the inside. Brooke and I were never going to have a relationship again after what I had done to her, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to make a horrible decision like dating my former boss. I was an asshole. Fulton was the king of all assholes with a special spot reserved in hell where he would wear a crown of sin that put the devil’s to shame. The biggest mistake I made after putting my hands on Keely was listening to him when he explained how easy it would be to get rid of Brooke.

  A real boss would have put me in my place instead of jumping on my runaway train to ride shotgun.

  I spent the evening at home, drowning my concerns with whiskey, while Brooke went on a date with the devil’s favorite sinner. We hadn’t even exchanged numbers since our lives collided for the second time. I couldn’t say for sure if I would have actually sent her a message, but after a couple of glasses, I wanted to. I even typed out a message to Fulton, but I managed to throw my phone across the room before I hit send. He might not have been my boss anymore, but he still had an office on the top floor. I just had to hope that Brooke was smart enough to see through his bullshit.

  I don’t even know why I car.? Maybe I’ve been holding onto more than this letter all of these years. Fuck—that’s going to make things even worse.

  * * *

  I was anxious the entire weekend, and when I got to work on Monday morning, I couldn’t focus on anything while I waited for Brooke to arrive. I didn’t know how I would react if she told me that she had a wonderful time with Fulton. He was probably capable of putting on a show and hiding his asshole tendencies, but they would come out eventually if they didn’t shine through his tan during their date. I couldn’t imagine him being able to keep them hidden for long. He managed to hide them long enough to lure quite a few women into bed over the years, and that part worried me. Brooke deserved better. Even with all of my faults and flaws, I thought I was at least one step above Fulton—and I was a million steps away from being worthy of her.

  There she is. She isn’t smiling. Maybe that’s a good sign?

  “Good morning.” I stepped out of my office and waved to Brooke.

  “Is it?” She looked at me and sat down at her desk.

  “I guess it went as well as I expected…” I walked down the aisle and grabbed a chair.

  “You were right.” She sighed. “He was a fucking asshole.”

  “I wasn’t giving you bad advice.” I sat down. “I was trying to keep you from making a mistake.”

  You deserve so much better…

  “I managed to do that on my own.” She shook her head. “I was ready for the date to end before we got our first drink—and ten of them wouldn’t have gotten me drunk enough to want to spend more time with him.”

  “How did the rest of your weekend go?” I asked inquisitively.

  “It wasn’t bad.” She shrugged. “My roommate went to her sister’s wedding and sent a million text messages to see if I was checking Facebook for updates.”

  “She couldn’t message you the updates?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s what I said…” She laughed. “Oh, I need your number. I really wanted to text you after my date with Fulton, but I didn’t have it.”

  “Yeah, we need to fix that.” I nodded. “Just in case something comes up with work…”

  “Is that the only reason you would text me?” She held up her phone, so I could type her number into mine, and then I sent her a message so she would have my number.

  “I can’t really think of another reason.” I looked away from her phone, and our
eyes met. “Can you?”

  I ruined every one of those reasons a long time ago.

  “I don’t guess so.” She put the phone down on her desk. “Ready to get started with the account?”

  “Not yet. I have a couple of meetings, and then we can compare notes. I might have some news about the budget updates later.” I leaned forward and started to stand.

  “Sounds good.” Brooke nodded and turned her attention to her computer.

  My meetings ran long, but I got a lot accomplished. The budget for Xavier Wholesale finally had a number that we could work with instead of a lot of ideas about how much they were planning to invest. We also had a firm date for the presentation, so there was a time clock attached to all of the progress we were making. There was no need to put together a final product before we presented our ideas, but we needed something that would dazzle them. I was on the way to the elevator so I could fill Brooke in when I saw Fulton come around the corner.

  “Hey…” He gave me an apprehensive glance. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine.” I shrugged and continued walking to the elevator. “I had a few meetings.”

  “I thought they were inviting Brook to all the meetings?” He looked over his shoulder as if he was expecting to see her behind us.

  “She came to the first few, but now I’m handling them while she works on the campaign.” I hit the button to call the elevator.

  “Ah…” He nodded.

  “Are you not going to mention the fact that you went out with her?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “I wasn’t sure if the two of you were discussing that sort of thing.” He laughed under his breath. “You must have given up on firing her.”

  “I don’t have much choice now.” I shrugged. “How did the date go?”

  “It was fine. She has higher standards than the interns, so I’ll keep dating the desperate girls.” He looked towards the elevator when it opened. “Talk to you later.”

  “Yep.” I nodded and stepped into the elevator.