I chewed on my cheek. I thought I’d buried my emotions, but Lucas sensed them all better than I ever could. Sometimes good friends knew the limits of your heart better than you knew it yourself.
4
Izzy
Isped off, wanting to get away from it all. Wanting to stop the thoughts. Wanting Gerald and Cade to get out of my head. I weaved through dancers and around tables and got back to the elevator quickly. I hit my floor so I could go back to my desk and decompress. Working was my happy place, even if I had to do it dressed as Harley Quinn.
The lights on our floor should have been off, but the corner office—the one that was never occupied—was brightly lit. My white Harley Quinn boots took me straight to it. I stood in the doorway, waiting for him to look up.
“What the fuck are you doing back here?” Cade grumbled, flicking his gaze up momentarily before focusing on one of the four computer screens in front of him.
“Party’s in full swing out there.” I motioned behind me, ignoring his attitude.
“Then go enjoy it. I’ve got work to do,” he grumbled as he typed away at something.
Instead of obeying, I pushed off the doorframe and came toward him to see what he was working on. When I rounded his desk, I felt a zing of exhilaration. You didn’t go look over a hacker’s shoulder or stand behind them unless there was full trust.
He didn’t fight me, but I saw his muscles bunch up. I’d gotten a reaction out of him, whether he wanted to give me one or not.
“The party’s for you and us. You came with a mask and everything, then disappeared. Sort of missing the point of being on a team.”
He turned to give me a stare so cold, it could rival Antarctica. “And what about you? You come back here to tell me that because you want to celebrate with me too?”
“I wanted... I needed a second away.”
“Because your ex broke your little heart?” He turned back to his screens.
“Or maybe because my boss groped me in an elevator on the way to the party.”
“Hardly groping when you unbuttoned your shorts and rode my hand, baby doll,” he murmured, clicking away on the computer.
“Harley Quinn’s nickname was alwaysdollface, notbaby doll.”
“Well, you’re acting like a baby, so either suits you,” he pointed out.
I rolled my eyes at him and decided to not engage. Instead, I changed the subject. “What are you working on?”
“Nothing of importance to you.”
“I could maybe help,” I tried.
He shut my offer down immediately. “I don’t need help. I assign you all the work that I deem feasible for you.”
I tried to peer over his shoulder, but he straightened to block my view.
I crossed my arms in front of me. “You don’t need help with anything, but we all help you, don’t we? You give Juda work for all of us from some remote location year-round.”
“I do that for most teams under my authority.”
“Must be isolating to never get to know your employees.” I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to see if he cared even the least bit.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes before he continued. “Izzy, I don’t want to deal with your shit right now. This is classified information, and I can’t have just anyone looking at it.”
I nodded and tried to ignore the sting in his words. It was a small dart thrown my way, but I was hyperaware of anyone’s potential distrust in me because of my past.
“Okay.” I dragged out the word. “If honesty helps prove to you that I’m not here to sling around my shit, I’ll try that. I’m not celebratory after being dumped, so I’m not enjoying the festivities. I’m tired, and I want to work, not party. Quite frankly, I probably shouldn’t be partaking in something like this anyway.”
He straightened and turned to face me. “What do you mean?”