Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 38

“Get in here or you can kiss your paycheck goodbye!” Her voice snapped from the doorway before she disappeared inside, leaving me frozen in place.

I stared at the glossy black doors, my heart sinking. I didn’t own a thing, not even enough for a loan. I felt completely lost. Before I could pull myself together, my phone buzzed. It was her again.

“Do I have to come out there and drag you in? If you want to quit, just say it already.”

Left with no choice, I hurried inside after her.

The meeting that night actually went pretty well—at least until the drinking started. Claire claimed her stomach was acting up and pushed the drinks my way.

“Sorry, Larry. My stomach’s been off lately. This is my new assistant—he’ll drink for me, if that’s okay?” she said, flashing a polite smile.

Larry gave me a look, grinning like he was in on some private joke. “Of course. If you’re not feeling well, I wouldn’t dream of forcing you.”

I knew exactly what Claire was doing, but I had to play along. What I didn’t expect was just how relentless Larry would be. He kept leaning in, pushing one drink after another at me.

“Come on, Lambert, let’s have another…”

The alcohol burned all the way down, twisting my stomach until I broke out in a cold sweat. My head started pounding.

“Sorry, Larry, I really can’t keep up,” I tried, hoping he’d let it go. “Maybe we could call it?”

Larry shot Claire a look. “Your assistant doesn’t seem to know what’s good for him.”

Claire’s eyes went icy. “Larry’s being generous here. Just drink.”

I turned to her, desperate. “But I need to drive you home later.”

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