Page 24 of Executives' Omega
“Umm… where are we going?” I asked, turning back to him.
He gave me a confused look. “To their office.”
“It’s not downtown?”
“No, it’s in Chicago.”
“Chicago?” I echoed. “We’re going to Chicago?”
He blinked at me. “Yes. Is that a problem? We should be back sometime this evening. We’ll reimburse you for any canceled plans.”
I shook my head. “No plans, but…” I swallowed, another knot forming in my middle. “Who made travel arrangements?”
Coordinating with the travel office to make accommodations was part of my job, and it stung that they’d asked somebody else to do it at a critical time.
“Oh…” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry, I didn’t realize that would be an issue. Since I wanted to leave immediately, I made them myself. You’ll submit receipts to the travel office, rather than the normal process.”
I licked my lips. “Ok…” I stared down at the floorboard, wondering what I was doing there. It wasn’t as if I could be of any help in the situation. “Why did you decide to bring me along?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He snorted, as if amused. “I don’t trust this editor, especially after how he’s responded so far. I want an accurate account of our meeting, so I’m bringing somebody I can rely on. I don’t know if I can record the conversation without his permission, and that could lead to a he-said-he-said scenario. With you there, taking notes and being a witness, it’ll be harder for him to refuse, or backtrack later.”
I looked up to see him staring at me, brown eyes studying me under a fall of black hair.
My eyes dropped again.
“Chin up, Ryan,” Zane commanded, icy sternness coming back into his tone. “We’ve got a few hours of flight time, but then it’s game-on. Remember, we’re the wronged party. This editor is going to try to exploit any weakness he sees. Don’t give him an opening. We did everything right, and we can prove it.”
I took a deep breath, nodded, and let it out again, though I didn’t look up at him.
He reached over and rested a hand on top of mine. “Hey, you can do this,” he said, voice softening again. “Remember, you’re there to take an accurate account of the discussion. If he starts asking you questions, defer to me. Look him in the eyes, tell him that you’re my assistant and that I’m the one he’s dealing with. I’ll be right beside you, so show him confidence, and if you don’t feel it, then fake it. Ok?”
“Ok,” I whispered.
His thumb moved from side to side along the back of my hand, causing a shiver to go up my spine.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he murmured. “I left the office angry and didn’t realize how much it would affect you. It was always directed at the situation, not you. I hope you know that.”
I shook my head. “It’s ok… I just don’t know if I’m the best person to be going with you. Wouldn’t somebody in the advertising team… somebody who had placed the ad… be better?”
“No,” he replied. “Not for this. The editor would try to pin blame on them if they were with me. But you’re a neutral party. You were not involved at all, so there’s nothing he can try to stick you with. Besides, he’s forgotten one of the core rules about leading any organization: responsibility always flows up.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, daring a moment to meet his eyes before looking away again.
He hummed. “It means that if there are problems, the people in charge take responsibility. Did an employee who made a mistake have proper direction and training? Had they shown signs of problems before and those issues ignored? That’s on management, not on the employee. Bad managers throw people under the bus, good ones look for their own errors first. Beyond that, managers are supposed to be more knowledgeable and experienced. If they’re not doing their due diligence in regards to their team, then why are they in charge?”
“I… I think I get it.”
“Good.” Another sweep of his thumb across my hand. Then he let out a long sigh. “Too bad this editor forgot that. Editor-in-chief is a pretty prestigious title, especially at a national magazine. But he’s doing everything he can to pass the blame to anybody except himself. At the end of the day though… he’s the one responsible for putting out a quality magazine.”
“Oh.”
His hand moved up to my shoulder, and he gave it a squeeze. “I think, despite the nature of the meeting, this will be good for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“High-stress meetings aren’t the norm, but they aren’t uncommon either. I think seeing how they are, away from home, will help you know how to navigate them when they’re in our offices. People get loud and demanding, but it’s not personal. It’s business.”
“I see.”
