Page 4 of Merrick

Am I clear?” His tone brooked no argument and had Maurice rising and straightening his jacket. He had a management position and a big office, half the size of his brother’s office ofcourse, but everyone in the company knew that he lacked the necessary authority and his brother’s word was law.

He was getting tired of playing second fiddle to the man.

“Of course.” He forced a smile. “Whatever you say.”

“That is right. And I will be reiterating that aspect of it at the meeting,” he waved a dismissive hand. “I have a conference meeting in two minutes.”

Maurice slipped from the office and gave a cordial nod to the dragon of an assistant who guarded his brother’s office with such fierceness, no one would deign to just walk in, not even family. The woman looked like a dried-up old prune and behaved as if she was royalty.

“Thanks for fitting me in,” he tried to butter up the old hag but got a cool nod for his effort.

“Mr. Merrick is a terribly busy man, and you just took up his valuable time. I suggest you think of that when you consider just dropping by unannounced.”

The tone, the brittle professional lofty voice had anger coursing through his veins, and he wanted to tell the woman to go to hell and remind her that his name was Pendergast. But Olive Manners was more respected than anyone in the company and earned a goddamn executive salary.

She was also totally ‘unfireable’. His brother had once told him that she was more loyal than anyone he knew, and he had no idea what the hell he would do without her.

The woman wielded power and she damn well knew it. No wonder she behaved as if the place belonged to her. Without saying another word, he turned on his heels and left the office that was bigger than his. Another thing to contend with.

“Cancel my 2.00 pm.” He said without looking up from the contract he was perusing. “I have decided to take Jackson up on his offer to take a look at the gallery.

And call Mendez and let him know that the work on the Inns Wood apartments is lackluster at best. I need something different.” He continued to reel off more instructions in his own precise and rapid-fire manner, knowing that she would have everything done in the way he preferred..

Making a notation in the corner of the legal document, he finally put it aside and concentrated on the woman seated on one of the cushioned chairs with her knees demurely pressed together and her ever present iPad in her hands.

Olive Manners was in her sixties, with her snowy white hair combed back from her head in a perfect and neat bun, with not a hair out of place. Her glasses were perched on the bridge of her nose, and she looked exactly as she was – completely efficient and a professional in every bone of her body. And she was infallibly faithful and loyal.

She had been with him for the last thirty years and even when she lost her husband ten years ago, still managed to come in and see to it that things were running smoothly. Merrick had no idea what the hell he would have done without her. It was sad to note that she was more valuable to him than his own brother. And more loyal and committed.

Her salary was considerable, but he could not buy that kind of loyalty and could only repay it by any means he could. She kept odd hours because he did, and never once complained about her workload. He could leave everything in her more than capable hands with the assurance that it would get done.

He did not have to worry about hurting her feelings. He never celebrated birthdays and had been precise about that. She never delved into his personal life and most of all, she had never looked at him with the idea or thought of landing in his bed.

A few support staff had tried that and received strong reprimands. He was not into hunting in his own pool. Besides, after what happened in his past, he was not looking for anything permanent. He had a sort of arrangement with a woman who understood that there was nothing going on but the physical and he was fine with that.

“I would like a meeting with Calvin.”

She made a few notations on her device. “You have an opening in a very tight schedule for end of business day.”

He nodded. “That’s fine with me.” Picking up a gold tipped pen, he slid it between his fingers. “Jason has become a problem.” He knew he could say that to her without fear of his views leaving the room. And he valued her opinion. She also had the uncanny ability to know what’s going on in the entire building.

“He is a lazy young man and an entitled one. His father makes excuses for him which makes it even worse.”

She was not being judgmental but simply stating a fact. He respected honesty.

And because he did, he nodded. “I intend to straighten him out. Once and for all. No more excuses.”

Olive nodded and jotted down a few more notes. “He needs to have an eye kept on him!”

“Precisely. Now back to the contract.”

Chapter 2

He had arrived before her and already placed the order. He knew her enough to anticipate her needs. She would need red meat, bloody and disgusting by his estimation and icy cold beer.

He also knew that she would appreciate the booth at the back and closest to the window. Margo Sullivan was a cop through and through and preferred facing the room.

Even though it was a ‘cop shop’, with other cops milling around, shooting the breeze after clocking out or eating whatever the menu had to offer and drinking beer, she would not be comfortable sitting in the middle or up front.

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