Page 12 of A Good Girl's Guide to Dominance
“I’m sure you're all wondering what kind of person you’ll be working for after being employed by Larry, who was … well, he was indicted for using this company to launder money, but I’d like to assume he was a good boss to you all despite that.”
Finally, there is movement in the room as people fidget after hearing Mr. Thomas being disparaged. Sure, he got caught up in something illegal, and we certainly disliked his sons, but he wasn't a bad guy.
“I have a feeling that Larry and I are quite different,” Mr. Giovanni goes on. “I’m very direct and straightforward. It’s not a leadership style, it’s just who I am as a person. I’m demanding, and when I want something done, I expect it to be. I’ll never tell you I’m going to do something and then not follow through, and I expect the same from you all. I want us to be able to communicate with each other without fear, shame, or embarrassment. Open communication is the most important aspect of my life. We will talk constantly and honestly about what we expect from one another, and that absolutely includes what you expect from me. While I am experienced in this business, I am not an experienced business owner, so I’ll be relying on your honesty to help me be better. We’re counting on each other to make Sandcastle grow and fly higher than it ever has.
“Which leads me to my next point. I’ll spend the rest of today learning the ins and outs of the company. I’ll comb through the current contracts and finances, and evaluate our business practices with Miss Martinez, and I'll strategize how we can make Sandcastle the best ad agency on the east coast. I’m a very competitive man, and I don't want companies like Bell Liberty outdoing us. We will be the best at what we do because I want to be the best at whatIdo. While I am strict, admittedly, I’m not a hypocrite. I intend to lead by example and be open about my desires and plans for our future, and I won't waste any time doing it.
“First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll have a meeting with the department heads. I want to be brought up to speed about every client we presently have, and who we’re pitching to in the future. I know the company has taken a hit with the indictment. Some clients have already jumped ship, and more are threatening to do the same, but now that I’m here and leadership has been solidified, we’re going to change all of that. Those who have leftus will regret it, I can promise you that. Tomorrow, we look to the future. I appreciate you all coming, and I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. Thank you very much.”
With a subtle nod of his head, Mr. Giovanni gets up from his seat, re-dons his jacket, and walks out of the room. There are no corny jokes or words of motivation we all have come to expect from Mr. Thomas. He leaves coldly and doesn't look back once he’s at the door. It happens so quickly that people look around at each other, wondering if it’s really all over. It’s not until Sierra gets up that anybody else begins to do the same.
I’m not sure how to feel now that it has come and gone so quickly. On one hand, he’s so goddamn attractive I can barely focus on anything else. On the other hand, he took a shot at Mr. Thomas and admitted that he’s strict, competitive, and highly ambitious. In my experience, people who make a point to explain how straightforward they are tend to be the biggest assholes, using their “straightforwardness” as an excuse.I’m not mean, I’m just direct. I hate people like that, and now I’m working for one. He’s gorgeous, but … fuck.
As my fellow employees filter out of the room and I try to regain my bearings from our first meeting, I place my hands on the arms of my chair and lift myself up to leave. Jeremiah does the same and shakes his head.
“Well, I don't know what I was expecting, but I’m not sure it was that.”
I push my chair in and meet him at the door. “Me either. He’s … intense.”
“Something like that. While I can get behind some of the stuff he said, there were parts that made my face scrunch up. There’s a chance we could be working for a prick.”
“I desperately want that to not be true,” I reply. “He wants a meeting with the department heads tomorrow, which means I’llget to see what he’s really like first thing in the morning. I’ll be anxious the rest of the night thinking about it. I have to admit I’m a bit disappointed.”
“Me, too,” Jeremiah agrees as we exit the conference room.
As we step out, I feel a tiny vibration in my pocket and hear a familiar chime from my phone. We keep walking as I pull it out and tap the notification, but the words halt my steps. Jeremiah sees me and turns around.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
I keep my eyes on the phone, still reading. “Nothing.”
“Then why are you looking like that? Family emergency?”
“No.”
“Thenwhat?”
“I got a message on Tinder,” I answer, finally looking up. “It’s Marcus. He wants to take me out for drinks tonight.”
Eight
“Ican't even explain to you how fine this man is. When he walked in, it was like everything in the room went silent. All breathing stopped. The AC shut off. Lint stopped floating in the air—all to stand still and watch this man enter the building. I was stunned, Jaz.Stunned.”
The gasp my best friend lets out is loud enough to echo in my room even though she’s on the phone, and I nod as if she can see me. I’m glad I described him well enough for her to understand, because Rome Giovanni’s beauty needs to be appreciated. Asshole vibes aside, Jaz wanted to know about the new boss once he finally arrived at Sandcastle, so it was my responsibility to call her the second I got home to give her all of the tea.
“This isnotwhat I expected,” she says over the speaker. “I held out hope that he was at least a nice guy. I wouldn't have thought he’d be a thirty-five-year-old business owner with a gorgeous smolder. So, what was his personality like?”
I finish slipping into my leggings as I answer. “Commanding. When I say this man knows how to own a room, I meanthis man knows how to own a room. When he gave his speech at the endof the day, you could hear a pin drop between each sentence. Everybody was locked in while he was speaking. He may have said a few things that made us sit up a little straighter and arch an eyebrow, but he didn't shy away from it.”
“Uh-oh,” Jaz says. “Made you arch a brow? What did he say?”
“He sort of shitted on Mr. Thomas,” I answer truthfully. “Instead of giving him credit for building Sandcastle, he mentioned the indictment and how we've lost a few clients since it happened. People weren’t really feeling that. He also said that he’s demanding. That’s the sort of thing people should learn from working with you, but I guess I can appreciate the warning.”
“A gorgeous, commanding man who owns the room the moment he walks in. Hell, if he’s into BDSM you may want to think about marrying him.”
I scoff before laughing. “There is no way that man is into BDSM. I could only imagine him …”
As the words come tumbling out of my mouth, a thought hits me. I realize as I’m saying it that Mr. Giovanni’s personality is exactly the type I would expect from someone who is a lifestyle Dominant. Not that all Doms are built the same. They certainly have different characteristics that should mesh with their particular version of being a Dom, but if we’re talking stereotypical traits, Mr. Giovanni fits a very specific mold. If I was writing a checklist in my diary, it would include everything I saw him do when he walked into the building. Add on the way he carried himself into the conference room and took control of it with nothing more than self-confidence and body language, and my list would be thorough and complete. But … there’s no way.
