Page 26 of Zach
“That bad, huh?”
My eyes fly open to rest on the woman standing in the doorway. She’s tall but also wearing death-
defying stilettos that put her head near the top of the doorframe. Her lush mouth is painted a deep red.
Her white lace top is low cut, tucked into her leather skirt. She looks like sex. Everything about her is
a mixture of soft curves and steel.
She’s like a full-figured Barbie come to life.
“Ah, bad?”
“Yeah. You look like you’ve gone a few rounds, and it’s not even lunch.” Her eyes are dancing
with humor. She’s intimidating but doesn’t seem mean.
“I think I met a hundred people today, and I can’t remember anyone’s names. And the lights are
humming.” I mutter the last part, but she catches it away. Her blonde mane falls off her shoulder as
she tilts her head.
“Well fuck me, you’re right. They are humming. Is that new, or did I just never notice?”
“It’s not new,” I say flatly. I asked about the lighting in my interview, but I knew I’d have to deal
with some obstacles. But this is a big one. “Fluorescent lights provide poor task light, and can trigger
headaches.”Like the one brewing right now.
Her eyes are piercing. “They a problem for you?” Zach steps out of his office, across the hall, and
a couple of doors from mine. He’s close enough to hear, I’m sure.
“Sometimes I get headaches. They’re not my favorite. And the noise always makes me feel like
there’s a swarm of bees working next to me.”
She scowls, crossing her arms over her chest. “That sounds like a pretty big problem.”
I shrug, but what can I say? “I’ll survive.” Zach turns and retreats into his office.
She hums, still studying me, then nods to herself. “You should come over for dinner tonight.”
I stare at her, wondering why on earth this bright butterfly is even talking to a moth like me.
That’s not a put-down.
I know exactly who I am, and I’m definitely more of a dark, blend into the background moth. This
woman is not. “Who are you?”
She laughs. It’s low and throaty, and I could totally picture her narrating a smutty book. “Cara. I’m
Ransom’s executive assistant. And your neighbor.”
I peer over through my glass walls, searching for her office. She laughs again and points to the
