Page 96 of The Unplanned Wedding

"That's not fair." One of the younger members of the team jumps to her feet. "He gave it everything. You have to realize he has a?—"

"Sit down." My Vice President jerks his chin in her direction.

The woman firms her lip, then sinks down with a hateful look in my direction.

Great, now I’ve alienated the very team whose support I need to hit the numbers I’ve committed to Arthur.He confirmed me as the CEO of the Media Arm of the Davenport group—my reward for getting married. All the more reason for me to deliver on my forecasts.Five percent is a margin of error too much. Five percent, either way, makes a difference in whether a bullet is lethal or not. I cannot not make the leader of this team pay for not having hit his estimates. It would set a precedent for my being weak. Only, this is not a life and death situation, is it?I push the thought from my mind, fold my arms across my chest.

My Vice President nods in the direction of his team. "It’s been a pleasure and an honor leading all of you." He turns to leave. That’s when the door to the conference room bursts open.

My wife walks in. All eyes turn in her direction.

She reaches the head of the table, keeping enough distance between us that I can’t touch her. My fingers tingle. I haven’t seen her all morning, and now, I eat up her big brown eyes, her hair which she’s piled on top of her head to show off the curve of her neck—which bears a mark.

My mark. Fuck.I have a recollection of biting down on the skin there when I took her for the third time that night in Paris. Satisfaction coils in my chest. Pride squeezes my ribcage.Damn, I want to proclaim to the world that she’s mine. Only, I’m not worthy of her.

She glances around the team, then at my Vice President who’s looking at her with bemusement.

"What happened?" she asks in a breathless tone.

The same team member who spoke up earlier nods in my VP’s direction. "Mr. Davenport fired him because we missed the sales forecast by five percent."

"What?" She turns on me. "You can’t do that."

I freeze. "Care to repeat that?" I ask slowly.

She blinks, then swallows hard. "You... You can’t fire him."

"Are you telling me what I can and can’t do with my team?" I lower my voice to a hush. The dominance in my tone is unmistakable. She winces, then nods slowly.

The rest of the team falls silent. They’re following the exchange with great interest. The silence stretches. She swallows, and the sound is audible.

"You… You’ll regret it if you let him go," she murmurs.

"And why is that?"

"He had a baby three months ago, yet he didn’t take a day off. Instead of spending any time with his wife and newborn, he did his best to deliver on the numbers. Also, his child was unwell last night, and he and his wife spent the night in the emergency room. After which, he turned up for this meeting today." She tips up her chin. "He did try his best, and he and this team missed their goals by a very small percentage."

"Which is not the same as actually delivering," I remind her. "And a small percentage does not translate into a small amount of revenue."

"I’m sure they’ll make up for it in the next quarter,” she pleads.

There are nods around the table. I’m aware of the team looking at me with hope in their eyes. Even my Vice President is watching me carefully.

As for my wife? Her chin is set at that stubborn angle that tells me she’s not going to give in on this. And I admit, I admire the fact that she held her own against me.

I scowl at my Vice President. "Is what she says true?"

He nods.

"Is your child, okay?"

He seems surprised, then nods again. "It was a virus, but you know kids," He half smiles. "The fever shot up and wasn’t coming down at all. We took her to the hospital, and she’s better now."

"I’m glad." I shift my weight to my right foot. "You may leave the room." I glance at the team gathered around the table. "You may all leave. On one condition."

They look at me with expectant expressions. "You need to deliver five percentabovethe projected numbers for next quarter."

"We will." My VP nods.

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