Step by Step Love: The Complete Collection (3 page)

Episode 2 – A Step Out of Bounds

The telephone had been ringing for nearly a minute. Veronica's feet were on her desk and she was filing her fingernails, ignoring it. One of her coworkers strolled by her desk. Annoyed by Veronica's laziness, the woman stopped and turned around, an irritated look on her face.

“You gonna get that?” the woman asked.

The phone stopped ringing.

“Get what?” Veronica asked.

The woman scowled and walked away, hurriedly. Veronica shrugged and continued filing her nails. However, her happiness was compromised as she watched the Hispanic woman lean over and whisper in a man's ear. He stopped typing and glanced at Veronica with a snigger. Veronica rolled her eyes and sighed, getting to her feet and walking to Ryan's office door.

Several laughs echoed throughout the office and Veronica turned around to give them a warning glare. A handful of her coworkers were staring at her, but they stopped and pretended to be working the second she looked at them. She scowled and knocked on the door, tapping her foot, impatiently.

The door opened and Ryan smiled at her. He touched her shoulder and beckoned her inside of his office. He walked to his desk, adjusting his tie, and sat in his executive chair. Veronica fixed her skirt and seated herself in one of the leather chairs opposite of him.

“What's up, babe?” he asked, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back. “Something wrong?”

Veronica frowned.

“They keep
talking
about me,” she whined.

“Well, they probably think you're getting special treatment since it's your second week and you still haven't even opened a spreadsheet,” he retorted.

“I tried but I couldn't even find a program called Spreadsheet and nobody would show me where it was. Whose fault is that, huh?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout.

He smiled and shook his head as he got up from his chair. He circled the desk and started rubbing her shoulders. She closed her eyes and groaned.

“Don't worry about it. You're my stepsister. You always have a job here,” he replied, coolly. “But you do need to try to at least
pretend
to be doing work. Just to keep them from complaining and getting me in trouble with my investors. Start answering the phones better. Maybe don't wear the twelve hundred dollar designer shoes to work... You know, try to identify with them a bit? Can you do that for me?”

He kept rubbing her shoulders and she sighed.

“I guess I can try,” she murmured. “They're just so
mean
.”

“I know,” he said, pressing his lips to the top of her head and brushing her blonde hair behind her ear. “They're just mad because they could lose their job if they acted like you do at work.”

Veronica stiffened her back and turned around to glare at him.

“What's that supposed to mean?” she asked with a frown.

“Oh, come on, babe,” Ryan replied with a chuckle. “You have to know I go easy on you.”

“What do you mean you go easy on me?” she asked, getting up from her chair and narrowing her eyes.

“If Gretchen acted like you do at work I would've fired her and she was senile with glaucoma,” Ryan admitted. “I had to give Marge half your work load and I do the rest myself.”

“Are you saying I don't do
anything?
” she shrieked.

“No, no, no, that's not what I meant,” Ryan blurted. “You... certainly are...you're...trying?”

“If you just are keeping me around to keep our parents happy, just tell me,” Veronica murmured, wringing her hands.

Ryan closed his eyes and sighed.

“Veronica, look...”

“Look what? You think I'm an idiot and that I can't do anything right. You just won't say it,” she replied, sadly, shaking her head.

“If I fire you but let you keep living with me, it's going to look suspicious,” he said, putting his hands on her upper arms and looking in her eyes. “I just need you to try a little harder, okay? You're not dumb. That's why I expect a little more out of you. Just around here, okay? Just to keep the status quo.”

Veronica sighed and looked away from him, a defeated expression on her face.

“Fine. I guess.”

“Thanks, babe. I appreciate it,” Ryan replied, pressing his lips to hers. “It'll get better.”

“If you say so,” she muttered. “I guess I should go and try and figure one of those spreadsheet things out.”

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the office. Her coworkers' eyes were fixed on her as she sat down at her desk. She gave them all a dirty look and they pretended to be working in return. She sighed and began trying to do her job properly for the first time.

Whispers began around the office once more and she noticed everyone looking at her from the corner of her eye. She let out a sad sigh and kept trying to ignore them and do her work, but she really was unsure how to open a spreadsheet. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.

“Does...does anyone know how to open a spreadsheet?” she asked, awkwardly.

Laughter echoed throughout the office.

“Why don't you go have a private meeting with Mr. Horowitz so he can teach you?” the Hispanic woman from a few moments earlier asked.

Several of them cackled with laughter and Veronica looked down, blushing.

“I just asked a simple question,” she murmured. “I just wanted help to try to do my job right.”

“Just lean back and file your nails. That's all you're good at, anyway,” another woman with red hair replied, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. “Must be easy being the boss's sister, huh?”

Veronica frowned.

“What are you gonna do? Go cry to him?” the redhead asked. “Go ahead. Go get someone that actually works fired just because you can't handle a little criticism.”

“I'm not trying to get anyone fired,” Veronica replied in a frustrated tone. “I just want to know how to open a fucking spreadsheet! Is that so goddamn hard?”

The other woman shook her head, a disappointed expression on her face.

“Rule number one in the office. No cussing,” the woman said. “I don't want to teach anything to anyone that cusses at me. What about you, Marge?”

The redheaded woman shook her head and replied, “I don't like cussin'. It's against my religion. You're on your own, Blondie.”

Suddenly, Ryan's office door opened and he peered outside, looking around the room.

“What's going on in here? Why are you all being so loud?” he asked.

“Nothing, Mr. Horowitz,” the other woman replied. “We were just talking about how lucky we are to get to work with the boss's sister.”

She pursed her lips and eyed Veronica.

“Well, she's my step-sister,” Ryan corrected. “Anyway, get back to work, alright?”

“Yes, Mr. Horowitz,” Marge replied.

The two women sat down at their desks. Veronica continued trying to look for a spreadsheet program, but noticed Marge lean towards the other woman's desk.

“They're probably sleeping together, sick fucks,” she hissed.

The other woman nodded.

“I hear that isn't so uncommon with these rich people. They like to keep the money in the family,” the woman whispered back.

Veronica scowled. She was just beginning to think that her day could not get much worse.

***

Ryan wrung his hands, nervously, trying to prepare to tell Veronica the news that he had for her. The negativity in the office had made him feel like he needed to get out of the building for a while. After Veronica had informed him that some of the staff were spreading rumors about their relationship, he felt like he needed to get out of town for a while to let all of the gossip subside. He had a feeling that Veronica would not take the news well.

The front door of the house opened and Veronica walked inside. He smiled at her, and held out his arms to hug her, until he noticed that Jacquelyn, his stepmother, was behind her. Jacquelyn assumed that the hug was for her, and she reached out to embrace him. He glared at Veronica from over Jacquelyn's shoulder and Veronica offered him an apologetic look.

“H-hi, Jacquelyn. How are you doing?” he asked with a nervous smile.

“Oh dear, how many times have I told you to call me step mother?” Jacquelyn asked, setting her purse on the dining room table and pulling out a chair. She sat down and looked up at him.

“Sorry, step mother,” he replied, giving Veronica an anxious look

“Veronica says she's been doing a really great job at work,” Jacquelyn said, lacing her hands together and placing them on the table. “Is that true, Ryan?”

Ryan began to sweat and looked from his stepsister to his stepmother. He cleared his throat and pulled his collar in order to let his neck get some air. Veronica gave him an expectant glance and he began to stammer.

“Y-yes! She's...she's one of a kind!” he lied. “In fact she's so good, I'm about to leave her in charge of my affairs while I'm in London.”

Veronica turned and leered at him, anger evident in her expression. He chewed on his lip, but he knew that she could not yell at him in front of her mother. It would give away their secret. He knew that he had to discuss it with Veronica, but he thought it was easier to use his stepmother as a buffer in order to keep her calm.

“Oh bloody really?” Veronica snapped in her thick, English accent. “What am I supposed to do when—” He kicked her under the table and she looked up at her mother. She sighed and chose her words carefully. “—when I need a ride to work?”

“Oh, I don't know? Drive yourself?” Jacquelyn interjected. “This is part of being an adult, Veronica. You need to learn these things.”

Veronica scowled and Ryan turned to his stepmother and smiled, lacing his hands together on top of the table.

“Thank you, Jacquelyn,” he replied, anxiously. “You're from London. Which hotel would you recommend?”

“A hotel? You're absolutely mad if you think I'll let my stepson stay in some seedy London hostel. Don't be silly, Ryan. You'll stay at my vacation home right outside the city. It isn't too far too travel,” Jacquelyn said, putting one of her hands on Ryan's. He looked down at it and gulped, looking at her wedding ring. “What the hell? Maybe I'll come with you and show you around! I wouldn't mind some London shopping anyway. American clothing just doesn't have the same quality. While you're passing the time, I'll be like your tour guide. Doesn't that sound like fun?”

Veronica stifled a laugh. She was pleased that Ryan's plan had backfired.

“Y-yeah...lots of, er—fun,” he lied. He cleared his throat and added, “I-I don't know if you have a whole w-week to spare, though. I-I'm leaving tomorrow. That's probably too short of notice, right?”

Jacquelyn chuckled and waved at him as though he had just told the most hilarious joke that she had ever heard. His face fell and he laughed, nervously.

“No, it's not too short of notice, is it, Mum?” Veronica asked, sniggering. “Tell him all about Ted being gone and how bored you are for the next three weeks. Go on, then.”

“Ah yes! Your father might not have told you,” Jacquelyn said, patting his shoulder, playfully. “He has went off to the Amazon to hunt some massive fish or something. It's absolutely hilarious, I know, but some business friend of his just wouldn't take no for an answer. Apparently the damn thing lasts for three weeks so I'm just stuck at home bored and on my own. Going to London would certainly pass the time for a bit.”

“I guess I can drive myself for a week,” Veronica said, suppressing another laugh. “You two have a great time in London.”

Ryan gave her a dark look, but Jacquelyn was positively beaming.

“Oh, splendid! I can't wait!” Jacquelyn enthused.

“Me either,” Ryan murmured.

***

It had been three days since Ryan and Jacquelyn had departed for London. Veronica was bored in the office and still found herself to be targeted by her coworkers. She was truly attempting to do her job properly, but nobody had seemed to notice nor care that she was putting forth any effort. In fact, they had used Ryan's absence as an opportunity to belittle her even more than usual. Without her stepbrother to protect her, she had become even more vulnerable.

Marge and the other woman, who she found out was named Carla, had scooted their desks close together and kept glaring at Veronica from afar. She sighed and did her best to ignore them. She had already spoken to two of Ryan's business partners on the floor about their office conduct, but they apparently did not care. The two women received no repercussions, which only seemed to fuel their egos. Other office staff found their rumors amusing, and they encouraged the behavior to continue.

Veronica had finally figured out how to use a spreadsheet and she had committed to answering the telephone whenever it rang. However, her progress went unnoticed. To them, she would never be anything more than the boss's spoiled stepsister.

Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to turn off her cell phone and it rang rather loudly. Embarrassed, she ignored it and hoped that nobody would realize that it was hers. To her dismay, her plan did not work.

“You better get that, princess,” Carla quipped in a condescending tone.

She took a sip of her coffee and exchanged glances with Marge. They both snickered as Veronica's face flushed and she turned off the ringer.

“S-sorry,” she murmured, pressing the volume button. “Won't happen again!”

“Whatever you say, Blondie,” Marge retorted.

Veronica sighed and tried to focus on her work. It was going to be a long week.

***