Crossing Hathaway Read Online Free PDF Page A

against his pouty lips. “Mother Mary of God. You scared the jeepers out of me.” He huffed and patted his chest. For a moment, the amount of gold adorning his fingers made me think he wore brass knuckles. “A little warning next time.”
    I swallowed a snicker and held my face still so my internal laughing fit wouldn’t show. “Sorry. Mr. Hathaway’s in a hurry this morning. I just wanted to tell you I’m going in now.”
    Brent came around his desk and stood in front of me, squinting as he looked me up and down. “I didn’t catch your name.”
    “Evangeline Ross.”
    He nodded as if he approved. “Frankly, I’m shocked he let you in at all.” He cupped a hand over his mouth and leaned closer. “He doesn’t usually allow … you know … women into his office.”
    “Oh, really.” A steady stream of curses rolled through my thoughts. Thankfully they didn’t escape my lips. So Hathaway wasn’t just an egotistical prick. He was a sexist, misogynistic, egotistical prick.
    “Seriously, you’re taking your life in your hands if you go in there today.” Brent shivered. “He’s on the warpath.”
    My hackles bristled more out of fear that time than anger if I was being honest with myself. “Are you telling me he’s worse than he was yesterday? Is that even possible?” I didn’t think you could fit another ounce of “jerk” into that man.
    Brent tossed his hands up in a dramatic fashion. “Girl, he didn’t scream at me once yesterday. Today, I can’t do anything right and the day has barely started. It’ll only get worse. Look, he wants these letters, like, yesterday so knock yourself out.” He went back to his desk and took a drink from a cup identical to the one in my hand.
    Heart sinking, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is that coffee from Grindhouse?”
    He nodded, still sipping.
    My muscles coiled down, ready to launch if Brent confirmed my suspicion. “And you got it this morning?”
    “Yeah, it’s the weirdest thing. Mr. Hathaway texted me last night and told me not to bother with his this morning. Strange, right?”
    My blood turned to lava, spilling through my veins in hot squirts. My voice jacked up a few decibels. “Are you telling me I waited in line for forty-five minutes to get this and he knew you were going, anyway?”
    Brent’s shoulders raised in a dainty shrug. “It looks as if you’re on his shit list this week, honeycakes.” He offered a weak smile. “Sucks to be you.”
    “But … he was expecting Cameron. He said so, right in his texts.”
    “Uh, yeah, FYI. Nothing in this company slips by Mr. Hathaway. He knows everyone, where they live, who their parents are, when they’re taking vacation. For all I know, he has our bathroom schedules marked on a calendar somewhere. If he said something like that, then he’s messing with you.” He giggled, a silly peal of a sound like Sunday morning church bells. “I’m just happy it isn’t me for once.”
    “Fantastic.” I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders, pulled open the door, and stepped inside.
    I expected another grilling from Mr. Asshat, but instead, I found the far door leading into his office already open. My shoulders slumped. Was I supposed to go in? Did he have his office booby-trapped and I’d end up falling into a pit full of spikes? Or lions? Or worse, him? I eyed the door behind me, even tried to push on it, but it wouldn’t budge.
    I would not be afraid of him. He was just another man who thought he was all that and a lollypop.
    Chin up, Eva. My mom’s usual encouragement flitted through my thoughts.
    After a cleansing breath, I entered his office, gripping the bag of cookies and holding the coffee away from my body. I didn’t want it to slosh and spill on his carpet or something equally fatal.
    The projector in the ceiling cast a giant document onto the wall, something legal, judging by the bit of jargon at the top. Unsure if it was top secret-type stuff, I didn’t dare look at it too closely