Page 62 of Foreplay with the Boss

He stood and gripped my shoulders. “I know how hard it is to get an in. I’ve been pushing you to be bolder so that when you go in for a job interview and say you’re the best candidate, they’ll believe it and so will you.”

“You don’t believe in me, so why should I?”

“But I do believe in you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have pushed you so hard.”

I wanted to storm out, but then I thought of all the people in the Hartford office, the people I’d worked with, most of whom I’d grown up around. “Then give me a chance to implement what I’ve learned. Just a couple of months, and if we manage to?—”

“It won’t be enough. You’re amazing at narrowing down the right target audience and knowing just how to reach them—better than anyone else I’ve worked with, honestly—but that’s not enough to fill in all the missing pieces at your branch. It’s not enough to just specialize in one thing anymore, and the Hartford office isn’t even good at that one thing anymore. Your father is good at face-to-face meetings and in-person marketing, but this business doesn’t work like that anymore. It’s an outdated model. One he’s refused to change.”

His voice softened. “This is the best decision for Craze, and because of how much Taylor-Made helped us grow when we first merged, we’re offering severance packages. Your father and his employees will get notice next week, after the board’s decision is finalized, and that’ll give them some money and time to find new jobs. It’s a fair deal for everyone.”

I shook my head. “You’re making it sound like you’re riding in on a white horse, but you’re the guy on the black one, getting ready to plunder the village and leave the people homeless.”

He tilted his head. “Kat.”

I tilted mine right back. “Jameson.”

The muscles along his jaw tightened. “Why don’t you go home and process, and we can talk about this tomorrow?”

“No, screw that. I’m not going to come into the office tomorrow. There’s no point.” I stepped back, out of his reach. “Besides, I’d probably just kick my asshole boss in the balls, and then there would go my gleaming letter of recommendation. I sure hope you’ll include how submissive and easy I was—I’m sure that’ll land me a great position. Please tell them that I prefer it from behind.”

Jameson shot forward, his eyes flashing. “Damn it, Kat,” he growled. “It doesn’t have to be like this. This past month with you has been amazing, and believe it or not I care about you and what happens to you. I know you’re mad, but try to see it from my side.”

“You’re not always right, you know.”

He took another step, looming over me, every inch the steely businessman he was when I first stepped into his life. “When it comes to business, sweetheart, I am. And it’s because I run it with my head, not my emotions.”

“Well, congrats on being a robot. Me and my emotions are going to go cry, but then we’ll find a better solution that doesn’t involve fifty plus people who have families counting on them losing their jobs.” I wanted to have changed him somehow, the way I felt changed after being with him, and now I could see how foolish I was to think that I could. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I didn’t bother wiping it away. “Oh, and it’s really too bad that you didn’t have me sign that NDA before, because suddenly I feel like disclosing a whole lot to the people at my branch and to the board. Guess you should’ve kept your piece of ass on a tighter leash.”

I thought he would threaten me, or try to talk me into not saying anything, but he just pinched the bridge of his nose, like oh, poor him, he was going to have a headache later because I was so difficult.

What was really difficult—more difficult than it should be considering what I’d just discovered—was leaving him behind with everything all wrong between us, no idea if I’d ever even see him again.

And a stupid part of me wanted to have one last time with him, so at least I could mentally and physically prepare myself for the fact that it was the last time.

Instead, I just got to leave with a broken heart and the knowledge that the job I’d been training my whole life for no longer existed.

CHAPTER 36

Jameson

“Just tell me what the fucking numbers are so we can get on with it,” I snapped Thursday morning, my patience worn not just thin, but long gone.

David shoved a document across my desk and rattled off the information I’d asked for. Saying this week had been the worst, shittiest week would still fall short of describing how awful it’d been.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Debra hovering near my door. “What is it?”

David took that as his opening and fled, which was probably for the best.

“You have a phone call…”

My lungs froze, not sure whether to inflate or deflate. I’d called Kat at least a dozen times and left several messages. I’d even swung by her house and pounded on her door, but she didn’t answer. It was starting to be pathetic, but with each phone call, each person who came into the office to see me, I hoped it’d be her.

“It’s Stu Taylor,” Debra said, and my lungs chose to deflate now that they knew it wasn’t Kat. “He wanted to confirm your dinner appointment, and it wasn’t in your calendar, so I thought I’d double check.”

Dinner with Stu Taylor was the last thing I wanted to do, but it needed to be done. By now it might be more damage control than a heads up, but it didn’t change the need to get it over with. “You can confirm,” I said, but when she didn’t turn to go and do so, I raised my eyebrows. “Is there something else?”

“He asked about Katrina.” Her eyebrows knit together. “He asked to be transferred to her extension. Evidentially he thinks she’s still working here, and I wasn’t sure how to proceed.”

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