Darkest Ecstasy Read Online Free

by her new client not so long ago.
    He smoothed his tie. His features were taut, mouth drawn into a line. “The Quadtex contract has been cancelled.”
    Oh God, it was true. This wasn’t just a big problem for her. It was a catastrophe. An epic one. “What happened?”
    â€œIt seems you made a commitment that you couldn’t keep. Did you tell Robb Lara that you could guarantee a five-star review from IndigoTech magazine?”
    Her heart jumped. Tom thought it was her fault? “No, of course not.”
    â€œThat’s what he’s claiming.”
    â€œI’m sure he misunderstood—”
    â€œWhat did you say that led him to believe you could?”
    â€œNothing that I recall. I swear.”
    Tom opened a folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. He slid it across the desktop, toward her. “Did you send this e-mail?”
    Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the paper to read it. First thing she checked was the header, to make sure it had her name on it. It did. And the correct e-mail address. Then she read the message.
    Oh God, did she really write that?
    â€œYes. I did,” she confessed. Had the oxygen been sucked out of the room? She couldn’t breathe. “What I meant—”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter what you meant. What matters is what you said.” He poked an index finger at the paper. “This is a problem.”
    Her heart started pounding so hard it hurt. Her hands. They were trembling. “I wasn’t intentionally trying to deceive him.”
    â€œPerhaps not, but it was taken that way.”
    â€œI don’t know what to say. I was just trying to show him how hungry I was for his business, and how hard I would work for him.”
    Tom smoothed his hands over his thinning gray hair. “There’s nothing wrong with being enthusiastic. But you went too far.”
    â€œI’m sorry.” That was an understatement. But what else could she say?
    â€œYes, well, so am I.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve lost the account. They’re going to the Mattex Agency.”
    She felt like absolute crap. Just a few words had cost her an account worth over a million dollars. There was nothing she could do, other than to say, “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
    â€œIt can’t happen again.”
    No mistaking the tone of that statement. She nodded.
    â€œThat’s all for now.”
    She hurried out of her boss’s office. What a freaking mess! All because of one little sentence in one little e-mail. Who would’ve ever guessed something so insignificant would lead to such a huge blowup?
    At her desk, she flopped into her chair and let her head fall into her hands. How would she fix this? How?
    She couldn’t. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
    Tears burned her eyes, and she sniffled. Someone tapped on her shoulder.
    â€œAre you okay?” that someone asked.
    She knew that voice. Jessica.
    â€œI screwed up,” she said into her hands. “Big-time. I put something in an e-mail I shouldn’t have.” At the sound of a door slamming, she jerked her head up and checked Tom’s office. He was standing in front of his door, staring at her. “Oh crap. Tom is looking this way. I’d better get to work,” she muttered.
    â€œOkay. You can tell me at lunch. What do you think? Antonio’s ? I’m in the mood for Italian.”
    â€œItalian sounds great, but I should probably work through lunch today. And tomorrow. And all week. Maybe all month.” After giving Jessica a little wave, she dug into her work, letting her angry boss see there was good reason not to show her the door.
    Â 
    Because Michelle had stayed busy all day, time passed quickly. By seven-thirty, she was so hungry her stomach was trying to digest itself and her feet were hating her for wearing her most expensive, but most painful, pointy-toed pumps. She’d been at work for over eleven hours.