Page 56 of The Worst Guy Ever
“You’re not writing.” I stare back until she picks up her pen and I clear my throat. “Lawrence Desmond was brought in to‘support’my work, without request or consultation, and in the subsequent weeks all of my work has been re-allocated to him, again without request or consultation. You’ve now pulled me into a‘quarterly review’which is actually a meeting to discuss my future at the company, and are offering me mid-tier accounts which sounds a lot like a demotion to me.”
You can’t bullshit me. I’ve seen it all here.
“So with all gratitude, Bob,” I say, turning to face him, “you can take your mid-tier accounts and shove them. I have a great relationship with Spirited. Brent and I—”
“Brent is no longer with Spirited,” Andrew interjects.
“I know that, and his replacement hasn’t even had the decency to contact me for an introduction. It’s like I don’t exist to him. It’s incredibly unprofessional, and frankly rude. If this relationship went the opposite way I’d be terminating our contract.”
“Are you finished, Hattie?” Bob says, wearily, and I slide my pout from side to side while I think about it.
“Yes, I am.”
“This is not a demotion. This is an opportunity. There’ll be a promotion available later in the year and—”
I snap my head towards Andrew. “You’re leaving?”
He shakes his head quickly, and Bob continues. “We’d like to see you spend some time with other clients to strengthen your experience. Two or three of these should be easy for someone of your caliber and talent.”
Oh Bob, flattery will get you everywhere.
My brain is rattling and I bite back my smile. I thought I was about to have to throw a chair through a window and now it turns out they want to nurture me for a promotion. Why didn’t Andrew tell me this months ago? Promotion opportunities get less and less frequent the higher you move up in this industry, and there hasn’t been one for a long time.
“Fucking hell,” I put my head in my hands and roll my chair away from the desk until my forehead is resting on it. “Why can’t anyone in this company just speak candidly? It’s all fucking mind games. Don’t write that, Michelle.”
I sit up, wipe my hands over my face and take a second to compose myself. Operation Promotion begins right now, in this room. I’ll do whatever it takes.
“Thank you, Bob. I’m extremely keen to progress in the company, as Andrew knows, and I welcome the opportunity to expand my client base.” God the ass-kissing rolls so elegantly off my tongue. I wasn’t paying proper attention when Bob ran through his presentation on new clients, but I know the brands listed on his screen and any of them would suit me.
“Are there any clients you’re particularly keen to see me lead on?”Gold star, Hattie, throw it back on them.
“You can take your pick. Why don’t I send you a briefing on each, and you can take the rest of the week to immerse yourself before you make a decision.”
“That would be great. Budgets and top line objectives too?”
“You’ve got it. We’ll reconvene on Monday.”
Rob’s ringtone blares from the depths of my bag while I’m leaving the gym. My arms and legs are buzzing after unleashing my anger through kickboxing, and I dig it out, then throw the bag into the boot as I answer.
“What do you want?” I grunt, hiding the smile spread across my face.
“Hello, Hattie.” Why does he have to have such a sexy voice. He can’t even say hello without it sounding dirty. “I’m just calling to give you a heads up.”
“About?”
“I’m not going to come between now and Friday.”
“Excuse me?” I laugh. I squeeze in between the car and the wall, open the door and slide into my seat. “Why not?”
“I’m gonna save it up for you.”
“That’s… a weird thing to do.”
“I don’t think you should come either.”
Jesus Christ.Even just talking about this with him makes me want to get off right this second. “Well luckily for me, you don’t get to make decisions about my body, so you can piss off.”
“Hattie,” his voice drops to that growly, teasing tone I’ve come to love so much. I bite my lip, tilt my head back against the headrest and close my eyes. “I mean it. You don’t touch yourself until Friday. The next time you come it’s going to be in my hand.”
