Page 69 of Fractured (Not Quite a Billionaire)
“Hello.” I set my laptop down on the counter and washed my hands, taking my time. Soap, and scrubbing, and rinsing. They weren’t chasing me out.
“Ah…” Victoria said. “We were just messing around, you know. Joke.”
Maggie didn’t say anything, just looked like she wanted to slap me, but Cherise said, still cool, “You have to admit, you screwed us all over in that meeting. You have no idea how many hours I spent on that presentation. Just letting off steam, that’s all.”
I looked at them wide-eyed like the innocent, who-me little Mary Sue I was, grabbed for a paper towel, and asked, “Sorry? When was that?”
“Nice job showing your class, ladies,” Gabrielle said. “An apology might work better, you know? And what they’re trying to say,” she told me, “is that they’re not happy about all of them except you betting wrong today.”
“Speak for yourself,” Maggie snapped, clearly too rattled and much too angry for prudence. “Good job sucking up, though, Gabrielle. Way to go. And may I just add that the wayIwas raised, you announce your presence if other people are having a private conversation. It’s called eavesdropping.”
“Oh?” I asked. “Were you having a private conversation? Sorry, I wasn’t listening.” Then I dropped my paper towel in the trash and hit the door.
I was still shaky, and I still felt a little sick, but at least I didn’t feel unprofessional anymore.
It was all in the comparison.
I didn’t stop at my cube. I went straight to Henry’s office. Even though it felt like an hour, barely ten minutes had passed since the meeting had ended, and I wanted him to know that I was downstairs, and that I’dbeendownstairs for a while.
I tapped at his door and told him, when he looked up, “I’m doing those minutes for you, assuming you still want them after the shift in priorities.”
His gaze was blue steel. “I still want them.”
I hesitated a moment, then said, “I realize you told me I shouldn’t talk, and that I did.”
He sighed and said, “Come in.” When I did, he said, “Sit,” and when I didthat,he said, “The only thing that matters is the right result. That’s why you have debate. That’s why you have meetings, contrary to popular belief. They’re not just to waste everybody’s time. They’re about putting the information and the opinions out there so the person in charge—the one with the best judgment, you hope—can make a decision. Do I wish Hemi hadn’t chosen this year to take a vacation, and that we’d had that debate a month ago? Of course I do. I wish I still had all my hair, too. But we’ve had it now. It’s done.”
“That’s great,” I felt emboldened to say, “except when youdon’tthink it’s the right result.”
He didn’t smile. He said, “The right result is the one that makes the most money, and Hemi has a nose for money like nobody in this business. Why do you think I’m still in this job? It’s not for the relaxed atmosphere.”
“Well, not today, anyway.”
“Get used to it,” he said. “It’s not going to change. And starting on Monday, you’re going to work for Cherise Clairmont. She’s going to need more help if she’s going to be starting from scratch.”
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” I said over thethudthat was my heart sinking to the bottom of my chest. “She doesn’t exactly love me. Maybe I could work with Gabrielle instead.”
“News flash,” he said. “I don’t care about your feelings. Nobody loves me except my grandkids, and only because they’re too young to realize what an SOB I am. I do my job anyway. I expect you to do yours, or go find another one. I don’t babysit. Cherise needs help, and that’s where you’re going, or you can stay with Simon and quit whining about what he gives you to do. Maybe you’ll be good enough to think it over and tell me which you’d prefer. For now, get out of here and type up those minutes. I sent you a couple more things I need done after that, and time’s a-wasting. You want to work? Then go get busy.”
Rock, meet hard place.
Hope
I thought about canceling with Nathan, but I didn’t.
To begin with, I’d told Hemi about it the evening before, he’d worked hard to be reasonable, and especially after the events of today, I didn’t want to give up that ground.
I’d cheated a little, of course. I’d brought it up while I’d had my hand on his bare chest and my legs tangled with his, during those peaceful few minutes before sleep. In the wee hours of the night, to be exact, after he’d finally slid into bed beside me after another late-night session in his home office. When I’d woken and turned to him, and he’d made such slow, tender love to me that he’d nearly brought tears to my eyes. When he’d loved me like I was his glass of warm milk, his sweet treat before bedtime.
When we’d finished and were quiet, resting together, I said into the dark, “I’m going to have a drink with Nathan after work tomorrow. So you know.”
“Are you, now. And Karen will be off making popcorn, eh. Reckon I’d better take you out to dinner afterwards, then, or I’ll be all alone, and wouldn’t that be a pity.” His voice was a deep, slow rumble, his hand stroking down my back, finding the sensitive spot at the base of my spine and drawing slow circles there. That could nearly bring me to orgasm all by itself once I was all the way wound up, and he knew it. Right now, as satisfied as I was, it just felt delicious, like licking rich dark-chocolate ice cream off the cone and feeling it melt on your tongue, all sweet, sensual pleasure.
“Mm,” I said, letting myself feel every bone-melting shiver. “You’d better do that, I guess. If you think you have time for me.”
“I’ll make time.” He moved on down to stroke my bottom, my upper thighs, his hand so sure on me. “Seven o’clock do you? Where will you be?”
“O’Doul’s.” I pressed my lips to his chest, warm skin over hard muscle. “Thank you, sweetheart. I love you.”
