Page 28 of Punish Me

“Why does my opinion suddenly count now, Ambrose, when it hasn’t in all this time?”

Clenching my jaw, I stand behind my desk and walk around to face her.

“When are you going to stop questioning my leadership, Bryn?”

“When you stop playing games!”

“I needed your vote. The only way to veto the board’s decision not to move forward with the project is to have two board members and two executive staff backing me. Terrence Quarterman and Beryl Jones were my two supporting board members.”

“And Noble James was the only exec on your side.”

“Exactly.”

“Damnit, Ambrose! Why didn’t you just say so in the beginning?”

“Because I don’t owe you answers, Bryn. I simply urged you to speak up in the meeting and to place your vote honestly.”

“Yes, but when Lora said that I wasn’t required to vote since this was my first meeting, you overrode that. Never gave me the option but pushed me where you wanted me to be. You didn’t respect my right to choose for myself, Ambrose.”

“I only did what I knew was best for us all. Besides, it’s what you believed, and this is what you wanted, right?”

“I want the staff to be safe.”

“This is a means to that end. Besides, the DeLucas and the Blacks added a stipulation to the contract.”

“What stipulation?”

“We have to retain all staff on record at the time of their contract submission. In other words, there can be no layoffs or terminations. That clause was just added yesterday and sent over to me.”

“Does the board know?”

“Of course they do.”

“I didn’t hear anyone discussing it in the meeting.”

“It was discussed before you arrived. As I recall, you were fifteen minutes late.”

“That’s because you gave me a task to complete for the meeting at the last minute.”

Shrugging, I reply, “Sounds like it took you fifteen minutes too long.”

“You’re impossible,” she says, turning her back on me and heading to the door.

“This tension between us isn’t about that. Admit it.”

“Then what do you think it’s about, huh?” she hisses, turning to me.

“It’s about what happened at Bleu Curve.”

I’d called a car to pick us up and drop her off at her home before I returned home. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to discuss what happened. Instead, she damn near snapped my head off and told me not to speak to her. When I sent a car to get her the next morning since hers had been left at the office overnight, she didn’t even thank me but ignored me when she arrived. That was four days ago.

“What?”

“You heard me. You’ve been pissed at me since. Trying to avoid me and disregarding strict orders. I should have your ass written up for insubordination!” I hiss.

“Try it,” she says, crossing her arms and calling my bluff. “I haven’t defied your authority, nor have I refused to obey any orders you’ve given me.”

“Yes, you did.”

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