Page 22 of Quarantined with the Billionaire

Cocking his head in the most adorable way, he narrowed his eyes while focusing on me. “Why is that?”

Aside from not feeling valued by the company, there was another reason. “It just seems like a place for people to congregate and whine about stuff. It doesn’t give me the sense of community it’s meant for. Maybe if someone moderated it…”

“There’s a thought. I might need someone sharp to do that for me.” Was he talking about me? “That is, if we decide to keep it. Why don’t you bring your chair over here?”

I did as he asked, getting closer to him than was good for me. His smell was intoxicating, his presence magnetic, and it was getting harder and harder for me to think of him the way I used to.

When he tilted the screen so I could see it better, he said, “The employees of Essential Solutions are worried about losing their jobs or losing pay due to the pandemic.”

“That’s understandable. We had a meeting in customer service at the beginning of the month, and Dominique said if we were sick, we weren’t allowed to come in. We’d have to use sick or vacation leave and, if we didn’t have enough, we’d have to take leave without pay. So I’m sure everyone’s panicking. It might be easier to work while sick from home, but what if someone has to go to the hospital?” I wasn’t even going to mention people’s kids staying home now—no daycare, virtual schools. It was a nightmare.

“I know I have you working on another project, but I’d like you to draft a memo—an email. Your written tone often sounds kinder than mine, and I need this to sound compassionate and caring. Assure all employees that not only will they have their jobs, but they will continue receiving their pay and benefits throughout this situation. Essential Solutions takes care of its employees. I’ll be in a virtual meeting with my HR staff later today, but we need to talk people off the ledge for now.”

“Okay. Do you want me to email the draft to you?”

“Sure. Thanks, Bailey.”

While I moved the chair back into place, I tried hard to suppress a grin—but he saw the inklings of it.

“What are you thinking?”

I released my lower lip from the grips of my teeth and my smile grew wide. “Can I be honest with you?”

“I think I just told you a moment ago that I’d prefer it.”

“I don’t know if you remember this…but when I was new at Essential, I’d gotten on the elevator one day and you jumped on just as the doors were closing. You nodded at me, but you got right on your phone. I said hello but you didn’t say a word to me. And so…I thought…”

His eyes grew darker and, for some reason, I got the feeling that he was going to chastise me for being an oversensitive child. “You thought what?”

Swallowing, I forced my tongue to move. “I thought you were being rude. Like…too good to mingle with your staff.”

He started laughing then, hearty and robust, but I refused to be hypersensitive about it. His blue eyes softened then. “Bailey, I apologize for giving you the impression that I was intentionally being rude or didn’t care—and I want you to know I value everyone in my company. I literally could not do this work alone. As for that particular day, I have no idea what I was doing or why I didn’t properly acknowledge you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

I gave a slight nod of my head. “Just know that people who work for you care what you think and watch everything you do. And some of us take things personally.”

“Fair enough.”

“A simple hi and maybe even Excuse me, but I have to take this would have made all the difference.”

“Duly noted. I will be more mindful of my employees from this point forward.”

I started walking through the doorway, but his voice stopped me once more.

“For the record, Bailey, I value your work and appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

Hmm. I thanked him before walking through the door, marveling at how quickly Maddox Steel continued losing notches on the asshole scale. And I got the feeling that the email I was helping him with today would make my fellow employees feel the same way.

How could I not view this man in a whole new light?

* * *

On Friday, we planned to begin filming his videos, a series of five. He’d intentionally designed each of them to be less than five minutes, so even short-attention span folks could glean something. His earlier videos a couple of weeks earlier had been too technical and involved, so he wanted to try again. After all, he now had me simplifying the language in his scripts.

“I don’t know, Maddox. Can I be frank with you?”

He cocked his eyebrow in that tempting way of his. “I expect nothing less, but especially when it comes to my business.”

“Well…you intimidate a lot of people. Employees, anyway. I don’t know how your clients feel.” His scowl deepened, but he let me continue voicing my opinion. “You know more about this topic than most people, and so sometimes people are losing the message. And, in this instance, people are more freaked out than usual.”

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