The Boss of Her by Julie Cannon

Author:Julie Cannon [Cannon, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635551464
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

Part III: Riley and Dana

Chapter Eleven

The rest of the afternoon crawled by, and it didn’t help that Riley canceled several meetings. She was wound up and couldn’t focus, and the last thing she needed was to get caught daydreaming.

She was always completely focused when she was at the office. Hell, she was always completely in tune with everything she did, including what she did for fun. The exception to that had been at her weekly basketball game last night. She’d been totally off her game and only sank the ball in the net twice instead of her usual ten or twelve times. She dribbled the ball off her foot and had it stolen from her twice. She was so worthless, she almost benched herself. She’d been thinking about seeing Dana later.

Suddenly too jittery to sit still, she needed to get out of her office. A wave of panic rolled through her and it felt like a million ants crawling over her skin.

“I’m going out,” Riley said to Tina, her assistant, on her way past.

“Everything okay? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine,” Riley lied. “Just going to get some fresh air.” She barreled past Tina and her no-nonsense efficiency.

Riley didn’t bother with the elevator. She wouldn’t have been able to stand there and wait for it. She certainly wouldn’t be able to stand still in the small box. She hit the exit door to the stairs.

After the first two flights, she caught her rhythm. After the next eight, her calves started to tingle. By the time she hit the ground floor, six floors later, her legs were shaking. Cautiously, Riley opened the exit door and stepped into the cool lobby of her building. A few steps later, she was on the sidewalk and turning the corner.

The midday crowds were thick and Riley slowed her pace. She was still jittery but not nearly as much as a few minutes earlier. She’d read that panic, or anxiety attacks, released a surge of adrenaline into your body. Fight or flight. Obviously, she’d chosen the latter.

The traffic light in front of her was red and she veered to her left and dashed across the street, dodging a lady pushing a dog stroller. She didn’t stop to look at the high-pitched barking coming from inside as she passed. She passed two Starbucks, one Quick Copy, and any number of small restaurants and hotel entrances before she slowed down. Riley knew she must’ve looked a sight in her heels and skirt walking as fast as she was. She probably ran a few blocks as well.

Out of breath and out of energy, Riley collapsed on a metal bench conveniently placed under a large maple tree. Her mouth was dry and her throat ached from her harsh breathing. Her heart slowed to its normal beat and she looked at her watch. She’d been gone eighteen minutes. It seemed like only a few.

Riley looked around. She didn’t recognize anything. She was on a neighborhood street with cars lining each side. She could see the street sign, but the name was unfamiliar.

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