Chapter 278

Tessa’s POV

My office was a bit smaller than the others, but I really didn’t need much space. It had a window that overlooked the city as well and it was a beautiful view. Like the other desks, mine was glass and it had a bulky computer set up already. There were a couple of filing cabinets that were completely empty and a couple of plain-looking chairs.

Besides that, though, it wasn’t really fancy. But it was perfect. I could already imagine all the ways I could make this office mine. I was definitely going to bring my laptop and mostly work from that.

The receptionist who gave me attitude when I first got here, Ashley, stood at the doorway with her arms folded across her busty chest and her red lips turned downward in a frown. I knew she was intimidated by me, but I wasn’t really sure why.

“Just so you know, we already have exceptional writers, so don’t come in here thinking you can replace any of them,” she muttered, glaring at me like I had killed her firstborn.

I turned to face her, unsure of what she was talking about.

“It’s from my understanding that demand has been high and she’s looking for more writers, not to replace them,” I told her, my brows furrowed together. “I’m not looking to take anyone’s job. I just want to do mine.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she said through her teeth. “Just mind your place and there won’t be any issues.”

On that note, she turned on her heel and walked out of the office, leaving me staring after her in shock.

What I wouldn’t give to call Ruby and tell her the news; I also wanted to tell her about this bitch so she can make me feel better about it and we can chuckle. But alas, I couldn’t. Ruby was at the vampire academy, and I had no idea when I’d be able to speak to her next.

I missed her terribly.

My heart ached at the thought of it but I brushed it out of my mind and took another look around my new office. I had an actual desk with a phone. There wasn’t anything inside the drawers, so I would have to go to the store and pick up some office supplies.

Excitement rolled off me.

Ashley walked into the office again and she didn’t look any happier as she handed me a folder with my name on it.

“Megan wanted me to give this to you. It’s a work contract, payment forms, some basic information, and your work schedule. She's giving you the rest of the week off so she can get your onboarding started and give you some time to adjust to the city. But you are expected to be here at 8 am on Monday.”

Without another word, she turned and left the office.

I smiled down at the folder.

I didn’t waste any time in getting the paperwork filled out. I grabbed a pen from my purse and sat at my new desk, I filled in the paperwork with all my information, including the tax forms and payment documents. Once everything was filled out and signed, I stood and left the office, going to Ashley’s desk.

“Everything is all set,” I told her, setting the paperwork in front of her. She eyed it carefully with her lip curled as she made sure everything was filled.

“I’ll make sure she gets this,” she muttered.

For some reason, I didn’t trust her.

“Actually, maybe I’ll give it to her myself,” I told her, snatching the papers off her desk and walking down the hallway until I reached Megan’s office. I knocked and when she saw that it was me, she motioned for me to enter.

“Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to give you the paperwork,” I said, placing it on her desk.

She nodded.

“Perfect. I’ll see you Monday,” she said, waving me away.

“Thank you again for this opportunity. You won’t regret this,” I assured her before walking toward the door.

I heard her muttering, “I better not,” before I shut the door behind me.

……

Joseph was waiting in the car when I left the building. When I slid into the passenger seat, he was eyeing me carefully. I tried to keep a poker face so I could sike him out, but he could see the pure excitement radiating off my body and a smile spread across his face, making me break easily.

“You got the job?” He asked.

I nodded and before he could say anything, he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly, kissing the side of my face.

“I’m so proud of you, Tess,” he whispered, not letting me go. I didn’t want him to let me go. I wanted to get back home so we could truly celebrate together.

The celebration I had in mind didn’t include any clothes either.

“Let’s go out to dinner so we can celebrate,” he said, as he put the car in drive and started to drive away from the building.

I pouted because that was not how I wanted to celebrate. However, the growling of my stomach proved that it was probably a good idea.

Joseph took me to a really nice restaurant in the heart of the city. We talked for a while about my new job and about that bitch Ashley who was trying to intimidate me.

“Want me to make a phone call?” He asked. “I can make her step into line.”

I bit back a smile.

“Not necessary. This is my battle,” I assured him. “I can handle a mean girl. I’m not worried about it.”

He nodded and we continued to eat. After dinner, we walked around the city to take in the nightlife. It was so beautiful; my breath was taken away. I knew I was going to like it here before we even officially moved. I held onto Joseph’s hand while we walked, and we basked in the cool air as I smiled up at the lit-up city. The streets were fairly busy; I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was.

We went into a few stores, and I was able to get a few new outfits for work along with some office supplies. Joseph ordered furniture for our new house, and I was able to order some new chairs and decorations for my new office.

We scheduled the delivery of all of our stuff for the weekend, that way we could return home and pack our lives up before we had to deal with the deliveries of all our items.

By the time we returned to the hotel for the night, I was utterly exhausted.

Joseph wrapped me in his arms and kissed me sweetly.

“I’m going to take a shower before bed,” I told him, kissing him again. “Want to join me?”

His eyes darkened and I could see the lust in his eyes. I thought he was going to lift me and bring me into the bathroom like he normally would, but I was surprised to see that he was having an inner battle with himself.

I frowned as I looked up at him, seeing that he was struggling.

“What is it?” I then asked when he didn’t answer me right away.

He sighed and shook his head, kissing my forehead gently.

“I have to make a few phone calls,” he told me, offering me a small smile. “But once you are done, we can spend quality time together.”

From the playful grin he was giving me, I knew exactly what he meant. I couldn’t hide the slight disappointment I felt, but I understood. I kissed him again and went into the bathroom to shower. I let the water soak throughout my entire body for a long while.

It felt good to feel the hot water on my cold skin, relaxing my muscles and massaging every ounce of me. I smiled as the water hit my face and I closed my eyes, allowing it to relax me. I soaped myself up and lathered shampoo in my hair.

Once my hair was rinsed out, I did the same with the conditioner. I stood under the water for a while longer and once I was done, I turned it off and stepped out of the tub. I grabbed a warm towel that was hanging up and wrapped it around my body.

I hadn’t bothered to grab pajamas because I knew I would just take them off anyway. My cheeks flushed at the very thought of it.

I brushed out my wet hair and tied it into a messy bun at the top of my head before I left the bathroom.

Joseph was on the phone when returned; he was sitting on the bed and when he looked at me, his smile widened. His eyes traced my body and I saw the lust and desires he had for me within his gaze, it made me smile to know that I had this effect on him.

“She’s here now. I’ll let you talk to her now,” Joseph said, much to my surprise. “Just give me a minute.”

My brows furrowed together as he pressed the mute button on his cell phone and lowered his phone to his lap.

“Who’s that?” I asked, approaching him slowly.

“I know today has been a big day for you; I mean, we signed the contract for our new house, you got a new job, you had to deal with a mean girl, etc.,” he started to say. I nodded along with him. “I knew you probably could use someone to talk to, other than me. As much as I love talking to you, I know I can’t be a replacement for your best friend.”

I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I nodded along anyway.

“I made a phone call to the vampire academy to check in on Ruby and make sure she was okay there. Her advisor told me she’s doing better than most of her students,” he continued. My brows shot upward.

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

He nodded, thoughtfully.

“Yes, apparently she’s even helping others adapt to their new life while she’s adapting,” Joseph said, shaking his head at the thought. “That’s never happened before. They find her very promising. So much so that they are giving her a little bit more freedom. Starting with basic being able to accept phone calls.”

I raised my brows even higher; pretty sure they were now disappearing in my hairline.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, typically, they don’t let new vampires have outside connections because it could disrupt their self-control. The best way for new vampires to learn is isolation from the rest of the world before they actually adapt. But they don’t think Ruby needs that level of isolation.”

“The vampire academy is like a prison,” I whispered, shaking my head at the thought.

Joseph nodded.

“In a way, yes,” he confessed. “But the accommodations are a lot better. They have actual bedrooms and really good food. It’s a boarding school without access to the outside world,” he explained.

“Why are you telling me this?” I finally asked, confused by this entire conversation.

Joseph lifted his phone toward me.

“Because I called them and asked if we could speak with Ruby and they said yes,” he told me; my mouth dropped open. “And she’s on the phone right now, waiting for you.”