Smokin' & Spinnin' Read Online Free Page B

had an audience
.
    I gawk and roll my eyes dead at him.
What do I owe this honor?
With my best mocking voice, I say, “Are you speaking to me?” I point to him, then back to myself for added flourish. My sweet southern sarcasm takes him by surprise. He smugly rolls his eyes in return and is gone.
    After our initial encounter, I have seen Ryan only a handful of times aside from today. During those times, I have mostly been ignored, which is fine with me because he isn’t worth the time of day either. His arrogance is a tough pill to swallow. Plus, he usually has Annalise nipping at his heels while he is in the office. Annalise is Ryan’s public relations manager, although I assume her job description goes further than the office. I can tell by the way she looks at him, not to mention the fact that she is tall, buxom, and blonde. According to Brooke’s information and the gossip magazines, this is how he likes his women. Not that I care.
    I am sifting through the weekend mail when Jerri approaches my desk with a handful of tasks. Over the past few weeks, she has been liberally adding duties to my job description, which hopefully means she is happy with my work thus far. I love it. It keeps me busy.
    There is an early meeting this morning with Ryan’s management team, but I have no idea what it is about. Since I am the lowly receptionist, I am not privy to certain details. The phones are quiet for the moment, so I fetch myself a cup of coffee from the break room. On my way back, I stop to chat with my new office friends, Natalie and Josh. Both recent college graduates, Natalie is an intern in the marketing department, while Josh is working his way up through logistics.
    We are catching up on the weekend, the race results, and general gossip, when I hear a commotion coming from the boardroom. I quickly retreat back to my desk, taking in some cautious looks from the other employees as I go. I hurriedly take a seat at my desk and watch my computer monitor as if I am working.
    I hear the boardroom door open and slam into the opposing wall.
Oh damn!
    Annalise exclaims, “You son of a bitch!”
    Oh no!
This can’t be good. I turn back from my desk to peer down the hall in time to witness Annalise stride purposefully from the boardroom toward me. Quickly, I turn back around and face my computer to avoid making eye contact with her, because frankly, this is just embarrassing for everyone.
    As she makes her way down the hallway toward me, I hear her shout back at the boardroom, “I quit!”
    Oh Lord!
I know now what Gail meant when she said, “three-ring circus.” One mystery is solved.
    Annalise stops when she approaches my desk. I know she is standing behind me because she is breathing like a dragon on my back. I warily turn to face her. She is glaring at me like she is about to foam at the mouth.
Damn!
Where is a shotgun when you need one? Our eyes meet, which is shocking because she has always been too busy looking down her nose at me to even act like I exist.
Bitch!
    Briefly, I wonder why she’s so mad. It must be a lover’s snit! I cock my head to the side as my thoughts ramble. Come to think of it, I am not sure why she and Ryan are having issues. They should be a perfect fit for one another. They have an excellent combination of “bitch” and“bastard,” which should make an award-winning team. Accidentally, I laugh out loud at my thoughts. Then I automatically put my hand up to my mouth to stifle my giggle.
Too late!
    “What’s so damn funny?” Annalise snaps, radiating anger.
    Oops! That’s twice today
. I shake my head and stutter, “I…I’m sorry.”
    She holds up a thick leather-bound agenda, which I believe she is about to throw at my head. Instead, she takes the book and slams it down hard on my desk. It hits the counter with a loud bang that causes me to jump instinctively.
    She eyes me with complete and utter contempt.
What the hell have I done to her!
But then she changes tact with a blink of her