Vanessa didn’t jump onto the bandwagon with the rest of his female fans. It wasn’t because she didn’t think Quinn was hot as hell. He was out of her league. She was also practical. There was no point in coveting something she couldn’t win.
She’d always been the prim, proper, and level-headed one in her family. While her sisters partied through high school and college, she had always been known to have her nose in books, studying and getting good grades. She learned her limitations at a very early age.
While her two older sisters were blessed with their mother’s good genes: tall, willowy and beautiful, Vanessa unfortunately inherited her father’s traits: chubby, plain and socially awkward. Their mother was a B-movie actress in her golden days and their father was a math professor at Princeton.
After she graduated from college and got her dream job as a game designer, Vanessa maintained her Spartan lifestyle. At first, she did it because she wanted to excel at her work. By the time she realized she wanted more from life than just being good at what she did, it was too late. A geek could never shed her shell as a social butterfly.
But that night changed everything.
The damn New Year’s Eve office party.
What the hell was she thinking? She was a lightweight when it came to booze. She had one too many and impulsively agreed to a dare. All because she wanted to prove Stephen wrong. He was the team leader of her department. Since she was transferred under him, Stephen had thrown some digs at her that she wasn’t team player material.
Vanessa was academically brilliant and also an efficient worker. Efficient workers led to more productivity. She didn’t appreciate the bullshit that middle management liked to pull on her. Stupid meetings to discuss stupid stuff, when time was better spent on the actual work itself. When she insisted on doing her projects her way, she was branded difficult to work with. Too rigid. Uptight.
In her tipsy haze, she’d been irritated that Stephen nitpicked her personality over her capability to work. She challenged him with the idea she was capable of doing something unexpected. Something on a whim.
And that was when Ivy Bishop half-jokingly suggested Vanessa might as well walk up to Quinn and steal a kiss if she wanted to prove she wasn’t as strait-laced as everybody thought.
Quinn Alexander was dubbed Lord Demon for a reason. He was a perfectionist and workaholic to the core, and expected his employees to work as hard as he did. His smile was as rare as a two dollar bill. A broody hen was more cheerful than he was.
To think she would take Ivy’s bait and kissed Quinn so rashly…
Oh God, if Vanessa could take everything back, she’d gladly sell her soul to the Devil.
She really liked her job at Animatrica. What have I done?
Now she was going to have to start looking for a new job at second-rate companies.
Vanessa shooed Ivy and the fangirls from her cubicle. “Nothing to see here. I need to do work.”
They dispersed as they continued their chatter.
Swallowing a bitter gulp, Vanessa scrolled through her work emails. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when her mail box contained a few “R U Crazy?” messages. She didn’t need to be reminded how shitty her situation was. She’d planned to go to Quinn’s office and apologize for her behavior.
Somebody plodded up behind her. Vanessa lifted her head from the screen. Her supervisor, Stephen Morris, stopped at her cubicle. He wore a dark expression on his face.
“Quinn wants you. His office. Now,” Stephen announced without pleasantries.
Vanessa groaned. “It’s too early to fire his staff, don’t you think?”
Now Stephen looked uncomfortable. “Maybe I should have a talk with him too. Things got out of hand on our part. It was my stupid bet that started all of this.”
“Save it. I’ll go see him now.” Vanessa sighed. “I’ll pack my things afterward.”
“I don’t think he’ll go that far. You’re one of the best designers we’ve ever had. Quinn never fired anyone for personal problems. The party wasn’t work related.”
Vanessa forced a smile. “We’re talking about Lord Demon here. Let’s hope that EA or Pixar has a job opening that suits my talents. Otherwise, I have to move in with my folks.” She shuddered. What would her mother say to her? Or her busybody sisters? In her family, her only pride was her stable life, academic achievement, and her career. Getting fired from work was the worst humiliation that she could suffer.
Avoiding the pitying stares of Stephen and others, Vanessa squared her shoulders and marched to Quinn’s office on the top floor, like a brave soldier. She avoided the elevator. Instead, she used the stairwell to make her walk to the gallows seem longer. Man, she was going to miss this place.