The Intern: A Sweet Lesbian Romance Read online

"You keep talking to me like that, young lady, and you won't be working for the company anymore!"

  I fixed my eyes to his. "Do it then.”

  He blinked. His mustache bristled for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

  I shrugged. "Do it. Fire me from my internship. Find someone else to take over the company. Write me out of your will, if you want to. If you're going to keep acting like this then I don't want any of those strings tied to me anyways!"

  "Now Erica, you don't have to…"

  "No! You don't have to," I snapped. I jabbed a finger at him. "What I do on my own personal time is my business, and my business alone!"

  "And when what you're doing on your personal time is directly related to my business? To the company? Do you have any idea what sort of a scandal it would create if it got out that…"

  I rolled my eyes and let out a disgusted sound. "What? Please don't tell me you're going to get upset that I was out on a date with a girl. I thought we got over all that five years ago. Are you really going to come back and play that card now?"

  He stopped for a moment. His mouth worked and then his face softened.

  "Erica, you know that I support your life decisions."

  "As long as that life decision is to come and work for you and inherit the company."

  Dad continued right on, ignoring that last muttered remark. We were very good at ignoring what we muttered around one another.

  "You know what I'm really worried about is the impropriety of it all. If you were seen having a dalliance with someone from the company… Breaking company policy and maybe expecting some sort of favoritism…"

  "You mean like the favoritism your secretaries always get? I don't know many secretaries who get a brand-new Porsche every year as a part of their compensation package. Is that on or off the books, as far as the IRS is concerned?"

  His eyes narrowed. "What I do with my secretaries is none of your business."

  I leaned forward. "It seems like it's very much my business if you're going to start sticking your nose into my business and telling me what I can and can't do with my own love life."

  He stood and tugged on his suit jacket. "It isn't your love life. Not while you're still working for me. Do I make myself clear?"

  I sighed. "You've made yourself clear, but it doesn't mean I'm going to do what you ask."

  The hint of a smile came to his face. His mustache bristled once more. "I wouldn't expect you to do any less my dear."

  He paused at the door just before stepping out. Morgan moved to follow him. Though I was sure he had some sort of security keeping tabs on the place. I'd seen the same car tailing me once in a while, and I knew it had to be people working for him. There wasn't a chance in hell it was actual kidnappers coming for me. At least if it was kidnappers, they'd been driving the same car and hadn't made a move in the last three years.

  "Do keep one thing in mind, Erica," he said.

  "What's that?"

  "You might enjoy a certain degree of protection where your job is concerned regarding the policy about fraternizing with a supervisor, but do remember that your new friend doesn't have any such protection."

  And with that final parting shot the door clicked shut behind him. I was left sitting alone, staring at the wall. Damn it. Damn him. Of course he’d go find the perfect way to get at me. He couldn't touch me, just as sure as he probably knew I was bluffing when I told him to cut me off, so he’d go after Nicole instead.

  There were times I got angry enough that I thought it almost might be worth it to allow myself to be cut off just so I wouldn't have to deal with his overbearing craziness anymore. This was one of those times.

  To threaten Nicole? Well that was downright despicable. If she lost her job, even if it wasn't a job she particularly cared for, there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Not if the order came from on high. The question was, would he really go through with giving that order?

  Probably. And Christine would probably enjoy carrying out that order, from everything I'd seen from her.

  Damn it. And things had been going so damn well. I wanted to scream, but I didn't. No, instead I laid back on the couch and tried to think of a way to get out of this.

  Nothing had occurred to me by the time I dozed off.

  10: The Next Day

  I'd come to a realization the night before. It was simple, but at the same time it was profound. I was into girls. I was into one girl in particular.

  And I was okay with that.

  I was surprised at how not earth shattering that revelation was. I figured something like a complete shift in my sexuality, or at least how I thought about my sexuality, should feel bigger. That I should be terrified of what I was. That angels should come down from the heavens and sing over my head now that I'd had this come to Jesus moment. Or maybe angels wouldn't come down and dance around my head, if what the churchy types were always saying about God's feelings on the whole same-sex thing were accurate.

  Great. There was a whole new group of idiots I was going to have to worry about. Not that it bothered me that much.

  The point is I thought it would be a far more profound revelation than what it was. This just felt like another day, only it was another day where I was very much looking forward to going into work to see my intern.

  Now there was a weird feeling. For the first time since I'd started this job and realized what Christine's true colors were I was looking forward to going to work. Mostly because I was looking forward to seeing Erica’s smiling face and not because the job had miraculously gotten better overnight, but I’d take a win no matter what the reasons.

  I was kicking myself about last night. About pulling away from that kiss. About allowing myself to get so blasted that I completely lost control. The latter parts of the evening were a series of sensory flashes more than anything else. Quick shots of things almost remembered. Like getting into a car that seemed way too fancy for a cab, but that had to be the alcohol haze doing the talking.

  I was also pretty sure I'd been pretty strongly intimating that Erica should come up to my apartment, and that made me blush! As much from thoughts of what might have happened as from the embarrassment of throwing myself at her and getting turned down.

  Though I suppose her turning me down really was the right thing to do, even if it felt so wrong in the moment.

  I even felt a tingle running through me as I stepped onto the elevator. It reminded me of stepping onto the elevator a couple of weeks ago after seeing Erica for the first time. That delicious moment when I’d been stricken by how hot she was. That moment when I couldn't have had any idea what was in store for me.

  I was in such a good mood that I wasn't even bothered when I stepped off the elevator and Christine was waiting by my cubicle. I had no idea what the hell she could possibly want with me. It's not like I'd done anything like showing up late this time around. Besides, I felt so good that I wasn't going to let her bring me down.

  "How can I help you this morning Christine?" I asked in my sweetest voice. A voice I didn't usually use with her, but I could make an exception. I was feeling pretty good this morning, after all.

  The smile that came across her face wasn't even enough to bring me down, though I did start to worry. Just a little. I glanced into my cubicle and saw that Erica wasn't there yet. Sure it was early enough that she could still arrive with about five minutes to spare and be there early enough to satisfy Christine's ridiculous requirements, but I wondered if that's what this was about. Maybe now that Erica wasn't here to exert whatever the hell mysterious power it was she had over Christine my boss decided to take the opportunity to take a crack at me.

  Well she could go ahead and do her worst. I wasn't in a mood for dealing with her right now. After the realization I’d had last night I felt invincible. Dealing with a bitchy boss was nothing compared to completely redefining how I thought of myself.

  "My office, now."

  I sighed and even rolled my eyes. That earned me a wide-eyed s
tare, but I didn't care. That invincible feeling kept right up. Still, I followed her in. No point in poking the bear too much.

  "You can go ahead and close the door," she said.

  "I'm not sure I want to do that Christine," I said.

  Damn. I was being all sorts of daring today. I'd never talked to her like that before, but it felt good. Damn good.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You heard me. I don't want to close the door. Whatever you have to say, you can say it for everyone out there to hear. You are planning on yelling, right?"

  A not insignificant part of me was panicking. Was I really talking to her like this? And yet there was another part of me that felt bullet proof. Part of it was because of the way Christine had so completely and utterly folded for whatever reason when talking to Erica. I wondered if maybe it wasn't Erica's supreme confidence. The old adage about standing up to a bully had been running through my head, and I was standing up in one hell of a major way right now.

  But by far the biggest part of why I was suddenly acting like this was that freedom I felt. Admitting something major like that I was into girls made me not give a fuck about other parts of my life. Including this job that, if I was perfectly honest with myself, I could take or leave. Mostly I could leave it if Christine kept treating me the way she had been. I was getting really sick and fucking tired of her bullshit, and I was past the point of caring about getting fired from a job I didn't particularly care for anyways.

  Besides, if I got myself fired then that would definitely mean I could see Erica with a clear conscience.

  "I don't know what's come over you, but don't think you're going to get the same consideration that your intern does," she said.

  "You know what Christine, do whatever you're going to do."

  Christine smiled a thin smile then reached under her desk and pulled out a picture. Slid it across the desk. And I felt ice settling in the pit of my stomach as that supreme confidence wavered. It was a picture of Erica and me together last night, our lips locked together sucking face. The kiss that left me so enchanted the night before. The kiss I'd stopped entirely too soon because I was afraid of the consequences.

  It looked like some of those consequences were coming around to bite me in the ass a lot sooner than I’d anticipated. How the hell did she get that picture?

  "You were spying on me?" I asked, my voice rising.

  I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw people popping up from their cubicles, but I didn't care. I figured if ever there was a time for making a scene then this was it.

  "How dare you! Spying on me? What the hell?"

  "How I came across this picture is no matter. What is the problem here is that you're obviously and flagrantly violating company policy and…"

  "What the hell is going on here?" A voice said from the door.

  I turned and saw Erica looking absolutely furious. More furious than I think I'd ever seen anyone looking. Ever. I felt a sliver of hope, though at the same time I had no idea what she could possibly do to help us out of this.

  We'd been caught violating company policy. All that cutesy flirtatious stuff I'd said yesterday about not caring what the company policy was felt like ash in my mouth. Christine staring at me with that triumphant smile as though she knew she was about to get rid of me was enough to make that seem less flirtatious and more stupid.

  "You don't talk to me like that young lady," Christine started. She didn't get a chance to go much farther.

  "You're mistaken there Christine," Erica said, her voice filled with quiet menace. "You're the one who doesn't talk to me like that. Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

  Well then. I very much wanted to know who the hell Christine thought she was talking to. There was some mystery surrounding Erica, and it was driving me crazy not knowing whatever it was Christine knew. Who was this girl that she was able to talk to our boss like this without worrying about the consequences? Did she really have something, or was she just crazy?

  I was given to understand that crazy and hot went together more often than not.

  "You might be following the old man's orders right now," Erica said, her voice still carrying that quiet menace. “But I want you to remember that it's not going to be like that forever. And I have a long memory. Understand?"

  Christine swallowed. "I'm going to…"

  Erica waved a dismissive hand. "Tell him. I don't care. This is between him and me, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Nicole here."

  I looked between the two of them. Still as confused as ever. What the hell was going on here? I had a strong feeling that I'd inadvertently stumbled into the middle of something big, but I still had no idea what the hell that big something was.

  "Come on Nicole," Erica said. "We're getting the hell out of here. And you're going to get a free day off, isn't that right Christine?"

  I felt like I might potentially be making a mistake as I made my way out of the office. That had to be the single shortest day I'd ever had in the office.

  "Do you care to tell me what the hell is going on?" I asked Erica as we stepped not out to the street, but instead went towards the parking garage attached to the building.

  “All in good time, Nicole.”

  Okay then. Erica still wasn't telling me anything, but that was fine. I figured all mysteries would be answered eventually. We kept walking until we reached a car that looked surprisingly familiar. A car that appeared in flashes of drunken memory, and I was gob smacked.

  "Is that the cab you called last night?"

  Erica blushed and looked away. "So what if it is?"

  "That's not a cab," I said. "That's a limo!"

  "Well not exactly," she said. "More like a town car, but still…"

  "The point is, it's a hell of a lot nicer than a cab. And what's it doing waiting here?"

  "Well this is kind of my personal car. And that's my driver Jake over there.”

  I glanced over and realized there was a guy leaning against the driver’s side of the car. He grinned and waved, and I had another flash of memory that caused me to blush. I'd been making out with Erica in the back seat of this car the night before, and this guy had been in front watching the whole thing. I suddenly wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

  "No worries ma'am," Jake said as though he was reading my mind. "I'm the soul of discretion. Isn't that right Erica?"

  "Yeah, Jake is the soul of discretion. He keeps his mouth shut to everyone else, but that doesn't mean he won't open his big mouth around you and tell you exactly what he thinks about whatever you’re doing. He’s like the world’s lamest conscience."

  “I aim to please,” Jake said with a grin.

  My head was spinning. “What does this all mean Erica?”

  "I have more explaining to do. We have to get out of here, though. There's a lot going on, and I needed to talk to you in private. Away from Christine. Away from this stupid fucking building."

  I paused. Did I really want to get into that car? Did I really want to get in the middle of whatever the hell was going on here? Obviously Erica had been less than truthful about herself to me. Did I really want to continue associating with someone who'd been living one hell of a lie of omission?

  At the same time, in counterpoint to all those potential lies there was the way she stood there staring at me. Looking so hopeful. Looking so scared. No doubt she had an inkling of what was running through my mind. I'm sure the doubt was plain on my face.

  Finally I smiled. Reached out and took her hand.

  "You have a lot of explaining to do Erica," I said. "But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. For now."

  After all, this was the beautiful woman who'd opened my eyes to a whole new world over the past couple of weeks. She was so beautiful, so smart, I figured I had to give her a chance. Sure if this was some stupid romantic comedy or something this would be the part where I completely misunderstood what was going on and ran off, but the plain truth was that I wanted
to be around Erica.

  Even if she hadn't been entirely truthful, I was at least willing to hear her out.

  Erica smiled in relief and gave my hand a squeeze. "Come on then. Let's go. I have a lot to tell you!"

  11: Good Bad Decisions

  I sat across from Nicole in the car and couldn't think of anything to say. I opened my mouth to try and start explaining myself, but I didn’t know where to start. I closed my mouth and looked out the window. Not that there was anything particularly interesting going by out there. Just concrete support pylons from the parking garage.

  We emerged into the relative light of early morning, though the tall buildings around us and the angle of the sun kept too much light from streaming down on us. I blinked, nonetheless.

  I turned back to Nicole. She looked at me expectantly, but she didn't say anything. Apparently she'd been completely truthful about giving me the benefit of the doubt. For the moment. I was running on borrowed time, and I needed to get everything out in the open while she was still giving me that benefit.

  "I don't even know where to start," I said.

  "Maybe at the beginning?" Nicole prompted.

  The trouble was I really and truly didn't know where to start. Did I start by telling her that her job was potentially on the line now because my dad didn't approve of me dipping my pen in the company ink? Never mind that I didn't have a pen to go dipping, but that was how the phrase worked. Never mind that the old man dipped his pen wherever the hell he pleased.

  Double standards were one of the many things about our relationship that drove me nuts.

  Maybe I could start with how crazy I felt about her. How I was head over heels. How I had a stronger girl crush on her than I'd probably had on any woman I'd ever known.

  There were so many places to start. And for the first time in my life I actually found myself tongue-tied. That wasn’t something that ever happened to me, and yet here we were.

  I jumped as a hand touched my knee. I looked down and over to Nicole. She was smiling uncertainly. Her smile was so gorgeous. She was so gorgeous. Her touch was so exhilarating.