would never ask that. Not in a million years.
But she did want to know whether he was interested in her. He was so nice to her, going above and beyond to help her both professionally and personally. She didn't want to misread the signs or take advantage of his generosity.
Or what if she didn't misread him? What if he did calm all her fears with another passionate kiss in his office? His strong arms wrapped around her, her chest feeling the heat of his body, his lips all over her—
Stop it , she told herself.
She shuffled through the papers on her desk as a way of distracting herself from her thoughts.
"Mia, bonjour ."
Mia looked up. A French woman, about twenty-five with a platinum-blond bob, was standing over her, smiling.
"Bonjour," Mia replied. She recognized the coworker as one of the graphic designers. She'd seen her look at her with curiosity from time to time in passing, but they hadn't had the opportunity to speak.
"I just wanted to say that I heard about the Montaigne campaign and thought your idea was excellent," the woman said in heavily accented English. "I'm Amélie, by the way."
"Thank you," Mia said, smiling back.
"I'm glad it was approved." Amélie paused. "Please excuse my English. It must be terrible."
Amélie looked so stressed that Mia felt a wave of sympathy. "You're joking, right? Your English is way better than my French. Mon francais est horrible ."
Amélie laughed. " Non . It's fine. I can understand what you're saying."
"Even if my accent is as thick as molasses?" Mia gestured to Sarah's empty chair. "Please, sit for a moment. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Amélie said as she eased into the chair.
"I got the feeling that I wasn't exactly well liked in the office. Most of the people here were Arctic ice cold. Is the glacier starting to melt?"
Amélie sighed. "There's definitely some—what would you call it in English—office politics? You know Brigette, in HR? Brigette has been working here the longest. And Lina's practically her sidekick. She's been here almost as long. What they say goes around here."
"So they're like the queen bees here," Mia said. "I feel like I'm in high school again. Their opinions really matter in this professional work environment?"
"Unfortunately, yes. If they form an opinion of you, it takes a while for them to change it. The others like to be on their good side. I should've ignored 'the orders' from the start. I was a bit insecure and barely getting along with them myself, since I only started working here five months ago. I was nervous for my job, but I should've stood up to them."
"It's okay. Thanks for letting me know. I thought it was strange that everyone just decided I was invisible from the start."
"I know. It's terrible. I felt really bad when I saw them treating you this way. It took me too long to talk to you."
"It's really all right," Mia said. "It's hard to get in the middle of office dramas. Hey, I noticed a couple of people actually being friendly this morning."
"A few of us have talked about it, and we're tired of Brigette and Lina's tyrannical behavior. There's no reason not to give you a chance. Now that you've won a campaign that had been a challenge for everyone at LUX, including the bosses, people are starting to see that you are an asset to the company, and that Brigette and Lina are wrong."
"I really don't bite," Mia said. "I think they would like me if they got to know me."
"I know. You seem so friendly, and I regret not talking to you sooner."
"Better late than never. I really appreciate it anyway."
"I guess we'll be working together more, since I'll be working on the Montaigne magazine ads." Amélie stood up. "I better get back."
"Thanks," Mia said. "I'll see you around."
Amélie turned around.
"I know it's petty, but it's not personal. It's jealousy. In fact, I think they're insecure about their jobs, and they feel threatened by anybody who's new."
Amélie went back to the table where the designers worked. Mia
But she did want to know whether he was interested in her. He was so nice to her, going above and beyond to help her both professionally and personally. She didn't want to misread the signs or take advantage of his generosity.
Or what if she didn't misread him? What if he did calm all her fears with another passionate kiss in his office? His strong arms wrapped around her, her chest feeling the heat of his body, his lips all over her—
Stop it , she told herself.
She shuffled through the papers on her desk as a way of distracting herself from her thoughts.
"Mia, bonjour ."
Mia looked up. A French woman, about twenty-five with a platinum-blond bob, was standing over her, smiling.
"Bonjour," Mia replied. She recognized the coworker as one of the graphic designers. She'd seen her look at her with curiosity from time to time in passing, but they hadn't had the opportunity to speak.
"I just wanted to say that I heard about the Montaigne campaign and thought your idea was excellent," the woman said in heavily accented English. "I'm Amélie, by the way."
"Thank you," Mia said, smiling back.
"I'm glad it was approved." Amélie paused. "Please excuse my English. It must be terrible."
Amélie looked so stressed that Mia felt a wave of sympathy. "You're joking, right? Your English is way better than my French. Mon francais est horrible ."
Amélie laughed. " Non . It's fine. I can understand what you're saying."
"Even if my accent is as thick as molasses?" Mia gestured to Sarah's empty chair. "Please, sit for a moment. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Amélie said as she eased into the chair.
"I got the feeling that I wasn't exactly well liked in the office. Most of the people here were Arctic ice cold. Is the glacier starting to melt?"
Amélie sighed. "There's definitely some—what would you call it in English—office politics? You know Brigette, in HR? Brigette has been working here the longest. And Lina's practically her sidekick. She's been here almost as long. What they say goes around here."
"So they're like the queen bees here," Mia said. "I feel like I'm in high school again. Their opinions really matter in this professional work environment?"
"Unfortunately, yes. If they form an opinion of you, it takes a while for them to change it. The others like to be on their good side. I should've ignored 'the orders' from the start. I was a bit insecure and barely getting along with them myself, since I only started working here five months ago. I was nervous for my job, but I should've stood up to them."
"It's okay. Thanks for letting me know. I thought it was strange that everyone just decided I was invisible from the start."
"I know. It's terrible. I felt really bad when I saw them treating you this way. It took me too long to talk to you."
"It's really all right," Mia said. "It's hard to get in the middle of office dramas. Hey, I noticed a couple of people actually being friendly this morning."
"A few of us have talked about it, and we're tired of Brigette and Lina's tyrannical behavior. There's no reason not to give you a chance. Now that you've won a campaign that had been a challenge for everyone at LUX, including the bosses, people are starting to see that you are an asset to the company, and that Brigette and Lina are wrong."
"I really don't bite," Mia said. "I think they would like me if they got to know me."
"I know. You seem so friendly, and I regret not talking to you sooner."
"Better late than never. I really appreciate it anyway."
"I guess we'll be working together more, since I'll be working on the Montaigne magazine ads." Amélie stood up. "I better get back."
"Thanks," Mia said. "I'll see you around."
Amélie turned around.
"I know it's petty, but it's not personal. It's jealousy. In fact, I think they're insecure about their jobs, and they feel threatened by anybody who's new."
Amélie went back to the table where the designers worked. Mia
Similar Books
![Tallusian Nights [Xihirian Shifters 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)](https://fs.ageofbook.com/588337/thumbs/152x264/tallusian-nights-xihirian-shifters-2-siren-publishing-classic.png)
