A Deal with the Bossy Devil by Kyra Parsi

5

The plan was simple:intercept Adrien on his way out of the office and convince him to give Alba her job back. I was going to be polite and ask him nicely and everything.

It seemed foolproof until I got to the underground garage and realized I had no idea what car he drove. And I couldn’t just linger around the swanky sports cars like a weirdo, hoping I’d run into him. Not with that one pesky security guard doing constant rounds down here. Thus began Mission Sneak Into The Building And Up to Adrien’s Office Without Getting Caught.

My other option was to find out where he lived and wait for him there, but that was stalker-type behavior and he’d already made it clear he wasn’t into that, so trespassing it was.

I recognized that this was one of the stupidest ideas I’d ever had, but it was also brilliant and… surprisingly easy.

The majority of the office workers had already cleared out by the time I made it into the lobby, and the guys at the concierge desk were too busy discussing their weekend plans to notice me slipping past them. And then I just used Alba’s all-access pass to scan my way up to the twentieth floor, because no one had bothered to take it back (or deactivate it, apparently).

All in all, I usually had a harder time getting my Sims to stop playing computer games when their surroundings were on literal fire. The security here was lax. If I actually wasa stalker, Adrien wouldn’t have stood a chance.

I made a mental note to tell him that.

The elevator doors opened with a ding that immediately jumpstarted my nerves. I wiped my palms against my jeans before stepping out, trying to convince myself that everything was going to be okay. I could do this.

There was a good chance Adrien was going to call security (or the cops) before I could make my argument, but that was okay. I just needed to squeeze my main points in before I was cuffed and dragged out of his office.

It was almost 7 p.m. on a Friday, so the floor was empty except for one room.

I sucked in a deep, somewhat unsteady breath, and started to make my way to Adrien’s office. The door was halfway open, and he was sitting at his desk, concentrated gaze glued to his monitor. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I began to internally rehearse my speech again. I only had one real shot at this before being dragged out of the building kicking and screaming, so—

“Are you just going to stand there and stare, or are you going to come in?”

I started, taking a full step back like I hadn’t already been caught.

“Um, I wasn’t staring,” I lied, feeling a tinge of heat creep up to my nose and cheeks. He hadn’t so much as glanced away from his computer, and probably didn’t actually know it was me. It explained why he wasn’t already yelling or calling the cops.

I took a few tentative steps inside, rubbing my palms against my jeans again. “Do you maybe have a few minutes? To talk.”

Adrien finally turned in his chair, dark gaze pinning me to a halt midstep. And then he… smiled? He was smiling at me.

It was a cold, harsh thing that didn’t touch his eyes, but it was there.

“It’s… Ria Sanchez,” I reminded him awkwardly, just in case he didn’t recognize me without the glitter or something.

He gestured to one of the chairs facing his desk. “Sit down, Miss Sanchez.”

A feeling of unease spider-crawled up my spine as I slowly lowered myself onto the leather seat. If Adrien was at all surprised by my impromptu visit, he didn’t show it. Instead, he studied me for a few moments with a mixture of amusement and distaste, then held out a broad hand. “You can give the pass back to me now.”

That’s when the penny dropped. This was a setup. The card had been left active and in my possession on purpose. He’d been expecting me to show up.

I fished the card out of my pocket and placed it in his open palm, trying not to show how much more nervous I suddenly was.

Adrien tossed the pass into his drawer and leaned back in his chair, his head tilting slightly to one side. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask why I was here or what I wanted. He just sat there and watched me with those vicious green eyes, waiting expectantly.

Run.

That was what the voice in the back of my head was saying. It was telling me to bolt the fuck out of his office and never, ever look back.

I stupidly didn’t listen.

“I’m here to ask you to give Alba her job back,” I said. “Please.”

He didn’t even pretend to think about it. “No.”

I shifted in my chair, my fingers fiddling on my lap. “She didn’t know about the pass. I took it out of her purse without telling her.”

“She already confessed to it.”

“She lied to protect me,” I said simply.

I swear he was looking at me like he’d predicted this entire thing, down to what shoes I’d be wearing for the occasion.

I felt weirdly exposed, like I’d walked in here expecting to play tennis and had been tricked into a rigged game of poker instead. He knew exactly how shitty my dealt hand was, and somehow, I needed to get him to fold anyway.

“That’s worse,” Adrien said.

It was?“Why?”

“According to the security footage, you’ve been using that card to get into the hotel gym for well over two months. If she didn’t realize the card had been missing for that long… Well, that’s rather irresponsible and negligent, wouldn’t you say?” He ticked his brows. “Not necessarily qualities I want in my PA. I almost rather she gave it to you willingly. At least then she’d have known where it was.”

The one corner of his mouth twitched in response to whatever expression had just flitted across my face, and before I could shove my big foot any further into my idiot mouth, he said, “Fortunately I worked with Alba long enough to know that she was neither of those things. So, you wanna try again?”

Not really, no. I’d never felt so underprepared for anything in my life.

I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat, but Adrien interjected again. “Oh, and if you try to lie to me one more time, this conversation will be over, and you’ll be escorted out of the building.”

I shut my mouth and ground my teeth. It earned me another amused smirk.

At least one of us was having a good time.

“You know, I have to say I’m a little disappointed,” Adrien mused when I stayed silent for a few beats too long. “I thought you’d march in here a hell of a lot more prepared than this. I expected more from someone with your… record.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Adrien leaned forward and interlocked his fingers on his desk. “It means that a 178 on the LSAT is incredibly impressive, Miss Sanchez. Especially for someone who didn’t pursue a postsecondary education. That score could grant you admission to any law school in North America.”

I swear I could feel the blood drain right out of my veins.

“Those scores aren’t publicly available.” No one even knew I’d taken the test.

He flashed me a perfectly straight, dimpled grin, his green eyes glittering with amusement. “No. They’re not.”

I licked my rapidly drying lips and tried to calm the fuck back down. My heart was beating inside my throat now, filling my ribcage with dread. “What do you want?”

His head tilted again, mocking. “Whatever do you mean?”

I couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to barge in here without a better plan. And I really couldn’t believe how much I’d underestimated him.

“That card wasn’t left active or in my possession by accident. Not when you’re worried about stalkers.” How hadn’t that occurred to me right away? Why hadn’t I taken him seriously from the get-go?

“Correct,” he said. “Keep going.”

“You wanted me to show up here because of the deal you struck with Alba. You won’t press charges or get your lawyers involved, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make me pay in other ways.” I knew it had been too easy. There was no way he was going to let me just walk away. That would be extremely off-brand for him. “You fired her after she cashed in her favor, right? Because you needed something to reel me in with and keep me hooked.”

She probably wouldn’t have lost her job if she’d just kept quiet. He didn’t care about the stupid pass.

“And?” he pushed. Because this was also part of his game.

“And by now you’ve had five days to think about your revenge, which means you probably know exactly what you want.” And it wasn’t going to be pretty or easy. Not for me at least. “It doesn’t matter what I say or do, this conversation will lead to whatever punishment you already have in mind. Hence my question, what do you want?”

Adrien leaned back again and flashed me another patronizing smile. “Very good, Miss Sanchez. You’re not nearly as daft as you like to pretend to be, are you?”

Fuck you.

It took everything I had in me not to hurl the insult right at him.

“Are you going to tell me what you want or not?” I asked.

Adrien tsked at me like I was a naughty cat pawing at a shiny Christmas ornament I knew I shouldn’t be touching. “I’m not sure you want to be taking that tone with me.”

Fuck.

You.

“I think the real question is, what are you willing to do?” he mused.

“We both know the answer to that.”

He’d known exactly what he was doing firing Alba before she went on maternity leave. How much pressure that would put on her and her family. What corner he was forcing me into. How much leverage it gave him.

Evil prick.

Real, genuine hatred sparked in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d let someone blindside me like this. Or make me feel so… stupid.

Adrien tapped a finger against his armrest. “I’d like to hear you say it.”

I swallowed back the resistance blocking my throat. My pride went right down with it. “Anything. I’d be willing to do pretty much anything.”

“Pretty much,” he repeated, the end of the words curling into a semi-question.

“Nothing illegal,” I clarified. “Or sexual, obviously.”

His grin widened, the lopsided dimples on either side deepening. “Don’t flatter yourself, Sanchez. I wouldn’t touch you with a level A hazmat suit on.”

“Likewise,” I bit back without hesitation.

He ignored my jab. “I assure you everything will be kept perfectly legal. I’m not the one with the criminal record.”

I was pretty sure the anger made my nostrils flare because his gaze flickered right down to them, his mouth quivering.

Chill the fuck out. You’re giving him way too much of what he wants.

“Is running a background check on someone without their consent legal?” I pushed through my teeth.

He waved a hand. “There are ways around it.”

“Great,” I managed to grind out. “Can you tell me what you want now?”

He considered me briefly, almost like he was savoring the moment. Then he said, “Beg.”

I blinked, my brain stammering. “Excuse me?”

“Beg, Miss Sanchez,” he repeated, the right side of his mouth curving into an extremely punchable little smirk. “Ask me nicely.”

He was trying to humiliate me because I’d humiliated him. That was all this was. And the more I reacted, the more enjoyment he’d get out of the experience.

Exactly. So just swallow back your pride and get it over with.

I rolled my lips and clasped my clammy hands in front of me, ignoring the flash of glee that sparked in Adrien’s eyes at the sight. He looked infuriatingly pleased with himself, but that was okay, because I wasn’t here anymore.

I was in the hotel lobby, cane in hand, with Adrien curled on the floor in front of me. There was soft piano music playing in the background, complemented by the sweet sounds of Adrien’s misery and seven hundred million dollars disappearing into thin air. My new happy place.

With that image in mind, I cleared my throat, and said, “Adrien Cloutier, please, please, please give my sister her job back.”

He laughed.

The fucker cackled like I’d just told a joke. “No, Miss Sanchez. You’re going to be asking for the opportunity to earn Alba her job back.”

This was it, wasn’t it? The tenth circle of hell.

I almost got up and grabbed one of the potted plants on his desk so I could throw it at his stupid face. The temptation made my fingers tremble, begging to reach for the closest cactus.

“I don’t know what that means,” I said. “How do you expect me to earn her job back?”

He shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

Alba was never allowed to tell me I didn’t care about anything ever again. I wouldn’t have done this for anyone else. Myself included.

“Okay, fine. Then please, please, please give me the opportunity to earn Alba her job back,” I said quickly, my tone flat.

“You’re really bad at this.”

“Bad at what?”

“Asking nicely.”

“I said ‘please’ three times. What else am I supposed to do?”

I could feel the heat trickle to my cheeks as Adrien watched me with a mix of arrogant amusement and… something I couldn’t exactly decipher. And it really pissed me off. So, I gave him my sweetest smile and said, “You know, you could always just show me how you’d like it done. I’ve always been more of a visual learner anyway.”

He cocked his head with a dimpled smirk, almost like I amused him.

“Tell you what,” he said. “Since you’re so terrible at this, I’ll let you make it up with something else.”

That didn’t sound suspicious at all. “Like what?”

“Be here at seven on Monday morning. I’ll tell you then.”

I pressed my lips together. This whole thing was so unbelievably frustrating. “Could you tell me what it is now?”

“No.”

Of course not. He wanted me to agonize over it the whole weekend.

“Fine, whatever,” I said. At this point, I just wanted to get out of here and drink this whole experience away. “I’ll see you then.”

Or maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe I’d walk out of here, buy a bunch of lottery tickets and win. Just one—I just needed to win one so I could replace Alba’s annual salary.

What if I go and buy thirty of them? Or fifty? Or even—

“Oh, and Sanchez?” Adrien called just as I stepped out of his office. “I expect you to bring your own tweezers on Monday.”

Okay. But, like, what the fuck did that mean?