The Companion Project
Chapters (89)
- Dedication
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ONE
- HENRY
- TWO
- EMMA
- THREE
- HENRY
- FOUR
- EMMA
- FIVE
- EMMA
- SIX
- SEVEN
- HENRY
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- HENRY
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- EMMA
- THIRTEEN
- HENRY
- FOURTEEN
- HENRY
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- EMMA
- SEVENTEEN
- HENRY
- EIGHTEEN
- HENRY
- NINETEEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-TWO
- EMMA
- TWENTY-THREE
- HENRY
- TWENTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- TWENTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SIX
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- EMMA
- TWENTY-NINE
- HENRY
- THIRTY
- HENRY
- THIRTY-ONE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-TWO
- EMMA
- THIRTY-THREE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- THIRTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- THIRTY-SIX
- HENRY
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- EMMA
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- HENRY
- THIRTY-NINE
- HENRY
- FORTY
- EMMA
- FORTY-ONE
- HENRY
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- EMMA
- FORTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- FORTY-FIVE
- HENRY
- EPILOGUE
- ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dedication
To the women determined to upend the patriarchy.
And the men who stand by their side and hand them the match, happy to watch it burn.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
While there are no specific trigger warnings associated with this novel (besides being an explicit, open-door romance book with some vulgarities), there is a brief scene where a male colleague speaks inappropriately about Emma, the female main character. I went back and forth about including it, as it contains language I don’t use in my daily life, but it felt pertinent to keep, especially in the climate of today’s world.
As women, we’re often told we need to be quiet. We need to stop dreaming such lofty dreams. We do too much or too little. We can’t make everyone happy. We’re supposed to act a specific way inside and outside the workplace.
There’s an obvious double standard when it comes to how men and women are perceived in certain industries. And in life.
When women kick ass or advance in their roles, people ask who we must know to have that position. Who we slept with. What we did to be ranked above other people. No one bats an eye when a man does the same thing.
And honestly, that’s kind of bullshit, isn’t it? We’re just as capable—if not more so—of accomplishing things in our professional and personal lives as men. We shouldn’t have to clamp down on our dreams and ambitions just because someone else thinks they’re too big or too grand. We shouldn’t silence ourselves because we’re afraid of overstepping or offending someone with our achievements. We should be LOUD and PROUD about all our successes, surrounding ourselves with like-minded people.
Don’t stop chasing those glass ceilings, ladies. The sky is the freaking limit.
ONE
HENRY
I have a one-way ticket to hell.
Satan and Hades will shake their heads in disgust when I descend the steps into the fiery Underworld, flames and heat licking my skin, marking my transgressions with permanent, well-deserved burns. They might as well push me headfirst into the waiting pit of lava. I deserve it for what I’m about to do.
“Henry? Did you hear me? You aren’t avoiding my question, are you? Kathleen’s daughter is so excited you’re going to be at the party. We’ve been trying for years to coordinate you two spending time together.”
“That won’t be necessary, Mom. I have a date,” I say through gritted teeth, pacing the carpeted floor in my large office, wishing the ground would swallow me up and teleport me far away.
The second the words leave my mouth, I regret saying them. The lie I’ve told my poor, unsuspecting mother slips out too easily, leaving behind a bitter residue. Her relieved sigh dances into my ear, a weight lifting off her aging and generously patient shoulders.