Well, she was going to pass. She’d show him. She’d had people doubting her abilities all her life—men, in truth—and she was going to show all of them.
Chip on her shoulder? It was no chip—it was a two-by-four.
She just had to rearrange things a bit. To that end, she’d gotten herself to work even earlier than normal—which was early—to get some work out of the way. She had that jittery, tired-but-jacked feeling she used to get after an all-nighter prepping for an exam. But she hadn’t slept well the night before, so it stood to reason that she’d feel that way.
She’d had sex dreams.
She shifted in her seat. She’d never had sex dreams before. They starred the bad boy in the hall outside Winners Inc.
He’d beenverygood in them. The dreams were… Vivid, she decided to label them. If he was half as good in real life, the woman he chose would be fortunate, indeed.
Stop.The last thing she needed was to get horny at work. She shook it off and finished the email she’d been writing on her phone before putting it into her bag. Standing to put on her wool coat, she glanced outside her office, looking at her assistant. Moira would wonder where she was going.
She’d hired Moira because the woman was brilliant—she’d graduated from Harvard with a degree in business, with honors—and she made the best coffee Jules had ever tasted. Moira kept everything perfectly organized and anticipated what she needed three steps before she actually needed it. Plus, she was loyal. One of the partners had offered Moira twice her salary to work for him and she’d turned him down in a way that made him back off but also made him respect Jules more.
Moira was very observant. Though Jules trusted her, she didn’t want Moira to know what she was doing. The best way to keep a secret was to tell no one.
And she wasn’t about to explain herself, so she tied the belt of her coat, picked up her bag, and walked out. “I’ll be back in a couple hours,” she said as she strode past.
“Where are you going?” She heard Moira shuffle some papers. “You have an eleven o’clock—”
She forgot about that. “Reschedule it, please,” she called over her shoulder, not waiting to see Moira’s reaction.
On the street, Jules hailed a cab because it was drizzling. There was traffic, and for a second she considered getting out and walking, but she didn’t want to arrive disheveled. If she’d known, she’d have brought work with her to do.
Instead, to occupy herself, she pulled out her cell phone to text Louisa. She hadn’t touched base in a long time. Louisa would call her going to Winners Inc. “inner work.” Louisa was big on personal growth.
Jules
You know how you’ve been encouraging me to go to therapy all these years?
Louisa answered right away, which wasn’t a surprise. She was always on, in case someone needed her.
Louisa
You’ve finally done it???
Jules
In a manner of speaking.
Louisa
What does that mean?
Did you go to Dr. Andrews?
Jules
I went to Jamie MacNiven.
There was a pause, and then Louisa came back on.
Louisa
I googled him, but the only person I came up with is a former soccer player.
Jules