Page 68 of Gross Misconduct

I thought about that as we spent the whole day doing interviews. No candidate stood out, but any one of them would have been suitable, not that I thought that Clay would settle for that. I asked Clay if I could talk to him as Whitney escorted the last candidate out. While it had been a long day, he spared the time.

“You look exhausted, Ms. Bowman. I think you’ve had a long day?”

“I’ve had a long month, but that’s not what is bothering me.I’d like to talk about Mark Giardello, the current head of marketing for the Kodiaks.”

“Right, Mark.”

I could tell he had no idea who Mark was. That could be good. If he didn’t see him as an asset, then getting rid of him should be easy. “I had a conversation with him a few weeks ago that was unsettling. He seems to think my relationship with Jeremy isn’t sincere. I’m not sure anyone told him, so I think it’s a guess.”

“Does he plan to advertise this?”

As I’d assumed, Clay was already figuring out where this was going. It was what made him the businessman he was.

“Possibly, but there is more. I don’t know a delicate way to say this, so I’ll be to-the-point. He thinks we are having an affair, and I have no doubt he’s going to use that information in an attempt to get favors from me.”

Clay’s face soured as if he’d eaten bad fish. “You’re not serious.”

“About what part?”

“All of it!”

“I have no doubt he will use the information to blackmail me. Possibly you too. I’m not sure. But there is even more. He has a history of doing this. He did it to the last head of PR, John Bartlet. I also know for a fact that he’s terrorizing his own department. He seems to think he’s at the top of the pecking order around here.”

Clay tapped a finger on the boardroom table. “Why am I just finding out about this?”

“In my defense, this just happened a few weeks ago, and I was gathering information to bring to you. I didn’t want to come to you with only my complaint. As for the others, I think they were too scared. And John, well, he wanted to move on, but he still fears Mark. It seems John may have done somefoolish things while he worked with the Kodiaks.” I explained it to Clay who didn’t like it, but didn’t seem overly concerned about what John did either.

“Mark is not going to run the show around here. I’m letting him go.”

Now I was in a bit of a panic. People like Mark sought retribution. “While I think that’s a great idea, I’m fairly certain Mark is going to lash out.”

Clay set his gaze on me and smirked. “He will do no such thing. He signed a confidentiality agreement, and if he thinks he’s going to sully the reputation of anyone around here, I’ll sue him into the next century. Bullies like him rarely have teeth or the money to take on me.”

I, however, was not as confident as he was about Mark. “You’re sure?”

“I’ll make sure he understands. In fact, I’m going to talk to him myself. I have a way of persuading people out of doing foolish things.”

“One more thing,” I said as Clay was about to get up. “We had no standout candidates today, and after talking to all my staff, I think John would be a possibility. I’m not even sure he wants or needs the job, but he knows how the teams work, and he can jump right in.”

“Wouldn’t he see that as a demotion?”

“Possibly, but I think he liked it here before Mark made his life hell.”

“See if he’s interested. I’m on board with taking him back.”

Clay got up, and I thanked him for his time. I headed back to my office to make some notes on the candidates and to call John. He was surprised to hear from me, and when I proposed the job with the Ravens, he didn’t hesitate. It paid less than the job he’d had here, but it paid more than what he was making now.

“And I talked to Clay about your situation. He wasn’t happy about what you did, but he ultimately won’t hold it against you.”

“Crap,” John said. “All that time, I was letting Mark destroy my mental health for nothing.”

“I’m afraid so, but there is a bright side. Mark is going to be fired.”

“I suppose I can celebrate that.”

We were all going to celebrate that.

Whitney stood at my door looking anxious. Clearly, she had something she needed to tell me urgently. Great, what fire did we need to put out now?

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