Lockout (The Alpha Group 2)

Unable to stand another second in her presence, I spun and fled back to my office. Slamming the door behind me, I sat down and let out a long breath. Calm blue ocean, Sophia.

As much as Jennifer's antics angered me, I didn't know what I could do about them. The hierarchy was everything in our office, and despite how little she deserved it, she outranked me. That made her basically untouchable. Sure, I could try going to the higher ups, but it was career suicide to go behind a superior's back unless the problem was really serious. Once you had a reputation as a backstabber, nobody wanted to work with you. All I could really do was hunker down and try to roll with the punches.

I considered just giving in and doing the work she'd assigned, but try as I might, I couldn't make myself start it. Either way she was going to win. At least by refusing I kept some shred of dignity. I doubted she'd actually be petty enough to take it up the ladder, and if she did, well, it would probably only be a slap on the wrist.

So, gritting my teeth, I opened the Wrights files and began to work.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Despite my best efforts to stay positive, Jennifer's meddling sent my mood plummeting. Even though she hadn't actually stopped me from working on Wrights, she'd soured the experience for me. Suddenly it felt like the wrong thing to do. I hated her for that.

To make matters worse, I kept running into her around the office. At first I thought it was just chance, but soon I realised she was doing it on purpose. She never said anything about our altercation, but the smarmy little smiles she shot me told me all I needed to know. She'd enjoyed her little prank immensely.

After two days of feeling like shit, I found myself reaching for the phone. I wasn't sure if emotional support fell under the terms of my relationship with Sebastian, but he was the first person I thought to call. There was something about his presence that made me feel comfortable and protected, and right now that was exactly what I needed.

He answered after five or six rings. "Sophia."

"Hey," I replied, trying my best to sound less morose than I felt. It didn't work.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

I sighed. "Not really. Having a pretty rough few days actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Work stuff?"

"Yeah. Any chance you're free tonight? I could use some cheering up."

He hesitated. "I don't know, I've got a lot to do here."

"Just for a little while? I'd really like to see you. I'll even come to you."

There was another pause. "I guess I can spare an hour or two. Is ten okay?"

"Totally fine. I'll see you then."

Knowing I was seeing him later made the day a little more bearable.

He greeted me at the door when I arrived, looking as fresh as if he'd just woken up. Despite the late hour, he was still wearing a suit, although the tie was missing. Perhaps that was as far as 'casual' went for him.

"Hey," he said softly, pulling me in for a hug.

I stood there for a few moments enjoying the feel of his arms. "Hey," I replied eventually.

He led me inside.

"Thanks for making time," I said, once we were seated in the lounge room. "I know you're busy. I just really needed a friendly face."

He gave a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it. I didn't like the way you sounded on the phone. So what's wrong?"

I sighed. Now that I actually had to explain it, it all felt a little petty, but there was no backing out now. I told him about what had happened.

He listened patiently, compassion evident on his face. He seemed genuinely troubled that I was upset.

"You think Jennifer is the reason you've been having so much trouble lately?" he asked, when I was done.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt it. I mean, she's just a senior associate, not a partner. She doesn't have that kind of authority. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it doesn't help and she probably takes every opportunity to talk me down when she can — in the sweetest way possible of course — but at the moment she seems content to just fuck with me instead."

"And you can't take it up the ladder at all? Surely that's office harassment or something."

"It wouldn't do any good. She's kissed the ass of every bigger paycheck in the company. All I'd do is make more trouble for myself."

He frowned. "So what are you going to do?"

I exhaled sharply. "I don't know. Either way I lose. I basically have to make a choice; the work I want to do, or the work I should do. It's so unfair." Those last words came out as a kind of high pitched squeal, and I suddenly realised how I was coming across. "God, I've turned into a whiny high-school girl. I'm sorry."

He smiled and reached out to stroke my knee. "It's okay. Seems to me it might be justified. Why does this woman dislike you so much?"

"I don't know. She seems to dislike most other women around the office. You'd think she'd want to stick together, but I get the sense she'd be happier if she were the only one. Plus, I think it pissed her off the way tasks got distributed when we both first started. Despite her position, she's just not really that good at her job, and it showed in her work. She got stuck doing the things I'm doing now, while I was working on the good stuff. It was only once she got her claws into the higher ups that she managed to drag herself out."

"Well, she sounds like a petty bitch."

Those words brought a smile to my face. I hadn't expected to hear Sebastian say something so catty. "That's a fairly accurate assessment." I shook my head. "I don't know, maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of it. Sometimes it just kind of feels like the whole place is conspiring against me, you know? I have no idea how long this Wrights work from Ernest is going to last. I suspect he had to fight pretty hard to get me assigned."

"Well, at least you've got someone on your side."

"That's true."

"You deserve better than this, Sophia."

"Thanks."

He slid closer on the couch and looped his arm around me. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"You've done plenty by just listening. I wasn't expecting any solutions, just someone to vent to."

He nodded but didn't reply.

We sat like that for a few minutes. It felt good to be snuggled against him. I hadn't been sure what to expect from this encounter, but he'd been incredibly kind and understanding. He'd even joined me in a little therapeutic spitefulness.

I leaned up and kissed him. It was meant to be just a short tender gesture, a thank you for being there for me, but whatever explosive chemistry our bodies shared seemed oblivious to any sort of context. In a matter of moments, our kiss deepened, his tongue entwining with mine while his hands found my neck. I felt something stirring inside my stomach, the first pleasant thing I'd felt since my encounter with Jennifer.