The Flaked Life Of Lotanna

9

══✿══╡°˖✧LOTANNA✧˖°╞══✿══

Davis and I had resolved our issues, but I couldn't help but have a lingering feeling that something wasn't right. But right now, work was my focus — the only escape I had from my relationship with Davis. The waves of nausea hitting me lately added to my misery.

"I appreciate this. He keeps asking for these files, and I've been making excuses until you got here." My colleague said with a frightened look on her face.

Everyone was terrified of the boss, but I was the only one he couldn't intimidate. "It's okay, Mel. I'll take them to him. I was bringing him his coffee, anyway."

"Lotanna! Where are the contracts?" My boss' loud bellow carried through his office door.

Mel wrung her hands as I took the folder she'd been holding in a death grip. "Okay. I'll, ah, wait out here."

After a sketchy knock on my boss's door, I pushed it open with my hip. "Here's your coffee and those contracts you've been waiting on." I set the folder on the edge of his desk and coffee to the right of the report he was currently reading. He barely glanced up, just answered with a muffled grunt. I held in a sigh. Grunting was better than growling. He was in a decent mood today. That was something.

As soon as I left the office, Mel appeared at my elbow. "Did you give it to him?"

"I did. Now that he has the contracts, he shouldn't need anything else for a while."

Mel visibly relaxed. "Thank you so much. I almost cried this morning when you weren't here. You're the only one he likes."

"He doesn't like me. He yells at me, too. I don't listen," I replied as I settled into her desk chair.

"Anyway, I thought we should do happy hour tonight. Or maybe a movie? I need to get away from my boyfriend. He's driving me crazy."

I'd heard all the ins and outs of the saga of Mel and her boyfriend. The two had enough drama to fuel a reality show. But I couldn't deal with that tonight because I had my drama to deal with. "I can't. I have a family dinner tonight. Plus, I want to stick close to home, anyway. Davis has been traveling a lot lately."

Mel smiled knowingly. "Say no more. I get it. You need a little quality time with your man. Take care of business at home." She winked and walked back to the elevator to go back to her floor.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, my practiced smile fell. If only it were just a night of passionate sex waiting for me. Lately, Davis had been so distant and too tired to do much after work. He was also traveling more than ever. Except, he was strangely close-mouthed about the projects he was working on or what he was doing when he was gone. I just had the sense something was off.

He was lying to me.

"If you're done talking to yourself," a deep voice interrupted my thoughts. I was so startled that I jumped and knocked over my coffee cup. The dark liquid quickly spread across my desk, snaking under my keyboard and soaking the pad of sticky notes next to my phone.

"Damn it." I hopped up, unsurprised to see a dark stain on the front of her skirt. I inched the material up her legs, holding it away from her body. "This is just great. There's no way this stain is coming out."

When I looked up, my boss stood as still as a statue. A muscle in his jaw ticked.

Stunned by the uncontrolled look in his eye, I immediately dropped her skirt. "You startled me, sir."

Typically, he would have had some cutting remark to make or chastise me for stating the obvious and wasting his billable hours. Instead, he just blinked at me. Then said in a deceptively soft voice, "These contracts don't contain any of my requested changes. Find out why."