Page 9 of Masters of the Game: Colton
“School is going well, thanks to a very supportive husband. Life for me is wonderful, and I want the same for you.”
“And it will be, but on my timetable.”
“You know the mistakes I made, Kelly. I’m glad I realized them before it was too late. With the right man, you can have it all. By the way, my godmother, Sharon, ran into Mr. Perkins ata firemen’s charity ball event last weekend, and he asked how he could get in contact with us.”
“Us?” Kelly asked surprised.
“Yes, me, you, Pratt, and Hansen.”
“I wonder why?”
“He didn’t tell her the reason, just that he wanted to get in touch with us.”
“Well, I have no reason to talk to him,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes.
“Me neither. And I know Hansen and Pratt feel the same way.”
The sisters talked on the phone for a few more minutes. But before ending their call, Monica wished her a safe trip and told her to keep an open mind about Colton. And if things went the way Monica thought they might, her sister wanted to hear details.
**
“Would you explain to me why my company didn’t get that contract, Sherelle? You promised me that I would,” Eric Venters said tersely.
Sherelle Telfair nervously nibbled on her bottom lip, not sure what to say. She hadn’t promised him anything. She’d only told him that she’d put a good word in for him, if the name of his consulting agency came up. And she had done that. However, that obviously wasn’t enough to suit Eric. Lately, nothing she did was enough to please him, which made her wonder why she was still involved with a man who was such an ingrate at times. She’d known how much he had wanted to get that Masters Unlimited location contract for his agency. But still, that was no reason for him to take his frustration out on her.
Instead of giving him an honest response, she chose the coward’s way out by stroking his ego. “I honestly don’t knowwhy you didn’t get the contract, Eric. Your agency was definitely more qualified than the one they chose.”
“What company won the contract?”
“The KP Agency out of Atlanta. It’s owned by a woman named Kelly Perkins.”
“She strikes again,” he snapped. “This isn’t the first time her agency was awarded a contract over mine. She’s only been in business for a couple of years.”
There was no way Sherelle would tell Eric that that was one of the things that had most impressed Lake Masters. The KP Agency had been able to perform wonders in a very short period of time. “If it makes you feel better, I think Mr. Masters made a mistake by not bringing you on board,” she said, hoping her words would soothe his ire.
“You probably didn’t push hard enough for me.”
“I did,” she countered. The last thing she needed was to have his anger directed at her again. She was still using cover-up to hide the evidence of the last time she’d made him irate. “In fact, I’m sure your agency was at the top of Mr. Masters’ list when he left for Boston a few days ago,” she said, lying through her teeth. “I can only assume he allowed his second-in-command, Colton Masters, to sway the final decision.” That was another lie, but Eric didn’t have to know that. She had known that Lake Masters had made the final decision without Colton Masters’ input, since Colton had been out of the country.
“Is Colton Masters the same guy who took the job you were hoping to get? That COO position?”
“Yes, but I was a fool to think Mr. Masters would select me over a family member.”
“Your boss should have done the right thing, Sherelle. You deserved that promotion. Not some lazy relative.”
She knew Eric believed Colton Masters was lazy because that was another lie she’d told him when she hadn’t gotten the COOposition. In all honesty, regardless of being the boss’s relative, Colton had earned that promotion. Although she had worked for Masters Unlimited a few years longer than he had, none of the other junior executives--herself included--had accomplished as much as he had, in as little time. During Colton’s five years with the company, he had nabbed three major accounts, as well as saved the one she’d almost lost--the Dempsey account.
“Both of us have a reason to get back at your company, Sherelle.”
His words reclaimed her attention. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. Colton Masters took a job that rightly belonged to you. Then he talked your boss into giving a contract that should have been mine to someone else. We need to teach Masters Unlimited a lesson.”
A knot formed in her throat. “What sort of a lesson?”
“One that will make Lake Masters realize his mistake in promoting a relative instead of the most qualified person--you. And for hiring another agency when mine deserved the job. It’s obvious that Lake Masters isn’t a fair person.”
She drew in a deep breath. Eric was wrong about that. Lake Masterswasa fair person. The fact that she was still a junior executive after botching up the Dempsey account proved that. And as for Eric’s agency not being selected, the KP Agency’s resume clearly outshone his. However, she didn’t dare tell him that. “I don’t think doing anything vindictive is a good idea. It could cost me my job.”
