Stepbrother Untouchable(13)

CHAPTER SEVEN





“I'm so happy there's another girl working here!” Constance says, swiveling around on her desk chair. She's my new cubicle mate, and one of only a handful of other interns at Thornhill and Co.

“Ah, there. My Outlook is finally working,” I announce, opening the email system on my desktop.

“So they'll want you to sign an NDA and stuff, but after, want to go to lunch?” she asks.

“What's an NDA?” I turn to face her.

“Non-disclosure agreement. There are a ton of Senators and big business types who come in here, and you can't tell anyone. Very important,” she says in hushed tones. She seems very pleased that she's snagged this coveted internship, which is probably why I haven't told her that I'm the boss's stepdaughter. I've never benefited from nepotism before, and it feels strange and uncomfortable to me now.

“Oh. Well I'd love to get lunch later this week, but I'm having lunch with my friend Allison today. We go to UVA together, and she's got an internship at this urban planning place in Georgetown, so I'm going to meet up with her.”

“Cool. Georgetown has really good shopping. I'd love to go with you sometime. Fashion is like, my side hobby, and you have a stylist's dream body.”

“I don't think I—” I begin my canned response to a shopping invitation before I realize that maybe I can afford it. And Constance looks so perfectly chic in her patterned cardigan and statement necklace. “You know, that would be wonderful. I really don't know what to buy.”

“Oh, I can help you with that. But careful not to wear anything too tight around Mr. Thornhill,” she adds, rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean?” I ask with a frown.

“Oh my god, who is that?” Constance asks, breaking away from our conversation to stand and peer over our cubicle wall. I join her to see Nate and Pierce walking down the hallway together toward the elevator bank. They must be having lunch together.

“That's his son,” I reply, immediately sitting down again.

“He looks like a Polo model!” Constance exclaims, sitting back down.

“Um, what were you saying about Pierce—Mr. Thornhill—just then?”

“Well, I've never had an issue, but maybe he's just not into Asian girls,” she says, throwing her black hair over her shoulder carelessly. “From what I've heard, though, he has a certain reputation.”

“Oh, no,” I reply, worriedly tugging on my hair. Shit. Shit. I knew he was too good to be true.

“Don't worry. From what I've heard, he's pretty harmless, he's just from a different generation when it comes to women around the office—especially young women,” she adds.

“Mmhm,” I reply, my mind already spiraling into crisis mode.

“You OK, Brynn?”

“Maybe he's changed, though. I mean, he's married now,” I say, clinging to a speck of hope.

“Yeah, I heard he got married.” She shrugs. “Could be. I don't think it's something that's been really recent or anything.”

I nod, feeling slightly mollified. We both spin back to our computers as we hear footsteps approaching our cubicle. I glance up to see Pierce and Nate appear in the opening.

“Brynn, this is going to sound awful,” Pierce begins, and I brace myself. “But Nate and I had plans to go to lunch, and we got down to the lobby before I realized how rude it was not to invite you along.”

Phew. For a second I thought he overheard our conversation. “Oh, that's so nice, but I actually have lunch plans with my best friend from school, anyway.”

“Oh I see…well, enjoy! There are some great restaurants around here. We just wanted to let you know you were invited,” Pierce says kindly, though from Nate's frown I'm guessing that it was more his idea than his son's. “Constance, right?” he says, turning to her.

“Yes, that's right,” she squeaks.

“Alright, well, we better get going or we'll be late for our reservation. See you at home!” Pierce says with a wave, and walks off with Nate in tow. Huh. I notice that Nate didn't say a single word to me. I guess he doesn't like being the one left wanting for once.

“Why will Mr. Thornhill see you at home?” Constance says, slowly turning her desk chair to face me, a weird expression on her face.

“Um, well, I'm his stepdaughter. He just married my mom.”

Constance gasps and buries her face in her hands. “Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so fired. I'm fired, right?”

“What? No! I don't have that kind of authority, I'm just an intern, like you.”

“You're the boss's daughter, and I was just gossiping about him!”

“Step-daughter, and I get it. If I'd heard rumors like that, I might want to warn other women I work with, too.”