Page 39 of Famous Last Words
Me: Do I need to report you to HR… again?
Tadd: Go ahead. They didn’t do anything about it last time.
Ugh, he’s such a smug asshole.
Tadd: You can do so much better than some washed-up hockey player.
I almost laugh out loud. Washed-up? From what I’ve seen on social media, Robbie Mason has single-handedly pushed the New York Thunder to the top of the Eastern conference leaderboard with four straight wins. In their game against Detroit last night, he scored two goals and three assists. The media is having a field day, calling him the comeback kid.Hardly washed-up, but go off, Tadd.
Tadd: It’s not a good look for you, sweetie.
Okay, that’s enough fuckery for one morning.
I shake my head and switch my Teams status toDo Not Disturbbecause I just don’t have it in me to deal with his shit any more today; it’s been non-stop all week and I’ve officially reached my dickhead tolerance.
As if my computer can hear me, a meeting request suddenly pops up and I click the invitation, my heart jumping into the back of my throat at the sight of Tony Carlton’s name.Fuck.
He’s called a meeting with me in his office in five minutes.Double fuck.
My eyes narrow when I see who else is invited. Tadd Jennings.Are you fucking serious?
Slamming my laptop shut, I push up from my seat so fast, the chair goes rolling back and straight into my cubicle wall with a loud thud that causes a few of the other agents to stand, glancing in my direction to see what the commotion is.
I offer my colleagues a tight-lipped smile, smooth down the front of my dress and, with a resigned sigh, I start the trek to Tony’s office, mentally preparing myself for whatever this bullshit is all about.
By the time I make it upstairs, Tony’s office door is open, and I can see him standing by the wall of glass, looking out over the view, hands tucked into his trouser pockets. I knock, and he turns, his brows rising as he waves me in.
I glance sideways, finding Tadd perched on the sofa by the far wall, long legs spread, arm draped casually over the back of the couch, menacing smirk playing on his lips. Ignoring him, I make my way to one of the chairs across from Tony’s desk, but before I can take a seat, Tony stops me.
“Come sit, Fran,” he says, waving me with him.
He closes his office door before moving to the armchair and taking a seat, and I’m left with no other choice than to sit on the couch next to Tadd. With a muttered curse, I take a seat on the very end, as far from him as I can possibly get, but his hand resting on the back is so close that I feel his fingertip graze my shoulder. I’ll give him one, because I’m hoping for his sake it was an accident. But if he tries it again, I will not hesitate to slap him. I don’t care that our boss is sitting less than a few feet away.
Tony smiles from me to Tadd and back again, crossing one of his legs over the other, and I don’t like this one bit.
“How are you, Fran?” Tony asks, and it’s not lost on me that this is literally the first time he’s ever asked me that question.
My brows dips, but I manage somewhat of a smile. “Fine, thanks.”
“Escrow going smoothly with Allora?”
I nod, lifting my chin a little higher because if there’s one thing that I’m confident of, it’s that Allora will close without issue. “Yes.”
Tony nods, his gaze flitting to Tadd, and I feel like there’s some silent conversation occurring between them that immediately has me on edge. Do they know? Has Tadd done some digging and put two and two together?
“Well, come Monday, you’ll have one on the board,” Tony finally says. “And this is where you can really gain some momentum.” Again, he looks at Tadd.
Beside me, I feel Tadd shift, facing me, and I do all I can to keep a straight face, forcing myself to look at him like I don’t want to break his nose.
“Fran, I secured the listing I was telling you about,” Tadd begins, all smooth and charming, like he hasn’t been harassing me all week about my love life. “Columbus Circle.”
I nod but remain silent because I now know exactly what’s happening here.
Tadd’s gaze flits to Tony before meeting mine again, a self-assured grin claiming his face. “Tony and I have been talking, and we really think it’s in your best interest if you come on the listing with me.”
I open my mouth to object, but before I can speak, he continues.
“I know this is a high-profile listing, very out ofyourleague.” He chuckles condescendingly. “But I’ll help you. We can work together.”
