Page 36 of Enemy Boss

“Does the name Bill Bryson mean anything to you?” Cullen asks.

I think for a moment and then I shake my head. If he thinks I’m cheating on him with this Bill Bryson guy, then he is very much mistaken. I don’t even know who Bill fucking Bryson is.

“What about Cyber Safe?” Cullen asks. “Have you heard of them?”

I nod my head.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Cullen says. “Who are they?”

“One of the firm’s competitors,” I say.

“Correct,” Cullen says. “In fact, they are the company’s biggest competitor, and the McPherson Financial Solutions contract was going to ensure that we stayed heads and shoulders above them. And it still will, no thanks to you.”

He is jumping from topic to topic, and I still have no idea what I am meant to have done. Cullen sighs and rolls his eyes.

“Ok, I get it. You want to know how much I know so you know how much to admit to. Well, I know all of it, but I’ll play along,” Cullen says. “Bill Bryson is the head of new customer acquisitions at Cyber Safe. Do you know what his job is?”

“No, because I don’t know him,” I say. Cullen doesn’t say anything else, and I realize he is waiting for me to say more. I think for a second and try to answer his question. “But if I had to guess, going off the job title, I would say he is in charge of getting new clients for his firm.”

“Ring a ding ding,” Cullen says.

I’m starting to get annoyed with Cullen’s attitude now. He has no right to speak to me like this as either my boyfriend or my boss. I’m close to snapping at him, but I know I have done nothing wrong and that gives me the moral high ground so I’m going to try and keep myself from saying anything rude at this point so that I can keep that advantage.

“Imagine my horror when I get a call today from Bill Bryson. Because we might be rivals, but Bill is like me – old school, and he likes to play fair. He told me that he got an email from you with the full proposal I put forward for Mr McPherson,” I say. “Care to explain that?”

“I can’t explain someone else’s actions, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say he is doing it to put you on the back foot and make you question who you can trust. That gives him the opportunity to sweep in and take all of the McPherson Financial Solutions business for himself while you flounder around wondering what happened,” I say.

It’s a bit close to the line of what I should be able to say to my boss and what not to, but he asked for my opinion, and he got it.

“Wow. You are brazen,” Cullen says, shaking his head. “In a grudging way, I almost admire the sheer balls it takes to sit there and not only lie to my face, but to then have the sheer audacity to look angry at me.”

“I still don’t know what the hell you are getting at here Cullen so instead of sulking and making half accusations, can you please just tell me what the hell it is that you think I’ve done?” I say.

I have definitely crossed a line now, but I don’t really care at this point. He has just called me a liar to my face, and he can go and fuck himself if he really thinks I would do what he seems to be accusing me of doing.

“Bill didn’t lie about getting an email. He knew every detail of the proposal down to the price I was charging and why I was offering such a big discount. And he told me the email was sent from you,” Cullen says.

“And you just believed him?” I say, shocked at that.

“Of course not,” Cullen says. “I gave you the benefit of the doubt and told him to prove it. He forwarded the email to me and then I couldn’t tell myself he was lying anymore after that. I don’t get it Max. What did I ever do to you that would make you want to destroy me like that? I gave you a job when no one else would, and you sell me out like that. What did he offer you? Extra money? A company car? Better annual leave? What? And you know what? I couldn’t have forgiven you, but I could have shrugged it off as it being business and some people can’t be trusted. But you would have gotten inside information like that about the company without you worming your way into my bed as well as my office.”

“Are you fucking kidding me Cullen? It’s bad enough that you think I would leak company information to anyone, but for you to actually think I would seduce you just to play with you. What sort of a person do you think I am?” I say.

I keep my voice low, but Cullen must be able to hear the anger simmering below the surface because I can’t control the shaky quality that it brings to my voice.

“I don’t know anymore. I thought I knew you, but obviously I didn’t know you at all. You know, you shouldn’t be wasting your time working for me or Bill Bryson. You should be an actress because by God, you are good,” Cullen says.

“It’s easy to act innocent when you are innocent,” I say.

“You know what? I’m done. You’re not going to have the balls to admit to my face what you’ve done, so whatever, go and slither off and find someone who employs snakes, because you’ve shot yourself in the foot at Cyber Safe, they don’t work like that. And you’ve certainly shot yourself in the foot with me. You’re fired Max. Get your stuff and leave immediately. And get your stuff out of my house before I finish here today because anything of yours left behind will be getting thrown into the trash,” Cullen says.

The anger fizzles out of me as Cullen’s words register with me. I have lost my job and my boyfriend within the space of a minute, and I haven’t done a thing to deserve either of those things. I try to swallow past the lump that’s forming in my throat, but I can’t, and when the tears leak from my eyes, I make no move to stop them. Cullen sees me crying and rolls his eyes.

“Save the water works for someone who hasn’t seen through your bullshit,” he snaps.

I have had enough. I am not going to sit here and be abused for another minute. I stand up, trying to muster together what little dignity I have left. I look down on Cullen as he remains seated, and I put my hands on the edge of his desk.

“One day you will find out the truth of what happened with this,” I say. “And you will learn that I did nothing wrong. When that happens, and you see what you’ve thrown away, I hope it hurts you even half as much as it’s hurt me.”

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