Chapter One
DIRTY LITTLE BITCHES
Kenzie
Eatinga banana shouldnotturn me on. Except, it’s been months since I’ve been on a date with a man worthy of taking home, and my battery-operated boyfriends can only do so much and for so long. So, here I am, at my desk, surrounded by mostly nerdy computer dudes and feeling needy as fuck with no prospects in sight.
“McKenzie?” a soft but sure voice calls from around my cubical wall.
I turn my head, mentally shaking away my inappropriate thoughts, and find my boss’s assistant Clara standing there in her blue plaid skirt, matching blazer, and black Mary Jane shoes.
“How can I help you?” I ask, trying to keep the trepidation out of my voice. I don’t like it when Joslin wants to see me or needs something from me. She’s harder on me than on the rest of my co-workers for reasons she’s never outright said, but I have my assumptions.
“Mrs. Croft would like to speak with you,” Clara says with a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, making my nerves worse.
I give her a terse nod. “I’ll be there just as soon as this program loads that I’m working on.”
Clara bites the inside of her cheek and shakes her head. “Mrs. Croft insisted you come right away.”
A heavy sigh exits from between my lips. “Of course.”
I glance over at Glen who is nearest to me. “Will you make sure this finishes?” Then, I point to my computer.
He pushes his glasses further up his nose and rubs a hand over his shaved, balding head while looking at my screen. “Is that the new project we just launched last week? Shouldn’t you already have access to that?”
Sometimes I wonder how some of these guys still have a job. “No, it’s the updates we’ll be doing in two weeks. I’m testing them today and need this beta version to download first. Just keep an eye on it and don’t touch anything unless the computer starts making noises it shouldn’t.”
His eyes never leave my screen. “Sure thing, Mac.”
I grit my teeth. I hate when they call me that, and every employee within our little cubical city knows it. Kenzie is the only shortened version of my name that I prefer, but I don’t bother to remind Glen of that. At least not now when Joslin is waiting on me.
Getting up, I see that the assistant is gone, and I make my way toward the boss’s office on my own. I never thought I’d find myself working in tech, but after taking a coding class in college just for fun, I found myself enthralled with the problem-solving aspects. It was like taking a Rubik’s cube of letters and numbers and finding a way for them to form something useful.
Yes, I realize that sounds incredibly nerdy and boring, but it’s a high for me unlike anything else. Well, other than orgasmic sex.
And there I go again, thinking about getting laid when that’s the last thing I need to have going through my brain while at work. There isn’t a single soul in Global Tech’s building that I would date. I don’t need that kind of drama in my life. Especially not when most men can’t handle a woman who speaks whatever is on her mind.
I like to blame Ella for my recent rise in standards. My best friend had to go and land herself the perfect man that she just got engaged to a couple weeks ago. Now, more often than not, I find my dates boring or inappropriate in all the worst ways.
I give my head a solid shake when I arrive at Joslin’s corner of the fourth floor. Clara quickly smiles at me before going back to shuffling papers on her desk.
My knuckles rap on the door and it pops open. “Mrs. Croft?”
“Come in, McKenzie.” Her tone is flat, and when I enter, she’s typing furiously on her computer with a glower on her oval face.
Her blonde hair is twisted up into a perfect bun, and she’s wearing a sleek gray pantsuit with a crisp white blouse beneath the jacket. Her back is ramrod straight as she types without looking at the keyboard, and I’m in awe with how in control she seems even when she looks pissed.
Oh, shit. Did I screw something up? Did I forget to update a program for one of her projects? If I’m about to get fired, I’m going to… I don’t know, but something, because I’ve been working my ass off these last few months for Global Tech.
“Sit, McKenzie,” she says while still typing and without looking at me.
I do as she commands, keeping my ankles crossed as I tug at my green sweater, then wipe my palms over my whitewash jeans. I don’t dress up for work. I don’t “people” much around here, and there isn’t a fancy dress code for my position, so I don’t see the point, but I’m suddenly feeling out of place and underdressed sitting at Joslin’s desk.
Another minute passes as I switch between twisting my fingers together and crossing and uncrossing my ankles.
Joslin finally gives me her full attention, her honey eyes peering at me while her thin lips create a flat line. She makes an odd humming noise and then slides a piece of paper across the glass desktop toward me.
Her finger taps on the list of projects that are typed out. “You’ve worked on all of these, yes?”