Page 68 of A Good Girl's Guide to Dominance
Rome’s voice booms into the room like a jet engine, and it is not the same soothing voice I just heard when we were kissing a few minutes ago. This version of Rome’s voice is filled with hot coals and spewing fire with each word. At the sound of it, Sierra takes a step back like she might actually flee the scene.
“Umm, I'm not … I saw you two kissing in there,” she says after clearing her throat.
I manage to look up from the floor and witness the moment Sierra pulls her shoulders back and straightens her spine, preparing for a war with Rome.
He takes a step forward, letting the breakroom door close behind him, and stares at Sierra with a look that would certainly make her heart stop if looks could kill.
“So that means you can use your position as VP to belittle a subordinate?” he asks in a quiet roar.
“Well … no, but this is unacceptable from her … and you,” Sierra says.
Audible gasps spread through the bullpen from the front to the back as Rome’s eyebrows raise. I've never seen him angry before. None of us have, and I have a feeling that we never will again after today because the look on his face right now will be avoided at all costs.
“Unacceptable,” Rome says, repeating Sierra’s word. “I find that awfully ironic coming from you, Sierra. You have the nerve to stand here berating Nia when she wasn't the first person in this office to show interest in me. You were.”
Another round of gasps turns our office into the audience of the Jerry Springer show, and my eyes enlarge so wide I think they’ll pop out of my head. What did he just say? Clearly he is speaking facts, because Sierra takes another step back, hoping distance will protect her from the truth.
“If there is one thing that annoys me more than a superior abusing their power,” Rome goes on, “it’s a hypocrite. On only my second day in the office, you asked me out to drinks, and I told you I wasn’t interested. That’s when you put your hand on top of mine and told me that I’d be interested if I got to know you better. I snatched my hand away, and your mood soured permanently. Everyone in this office knows you haven't been the same since I arrived, even Nia herself questioned what changed in you. But no one knew that you came onto me because I did you the favor of keeping that little situation private out of respect and professionalism. Now, you refuse to provide that courtesy to Nia because I didn't turnherdown. You've been broadcastingyour frustration for the entire company to see, talking down to Nia every chance you get … out of jealousy.”
As my tears dry up, Sierra’s eyes dampen like we’ve traded places. I don't even know what to say as I watch her swallow hard and look around the room, suddenly very concerned with the prying eyes around us. Just like me, she doesn't know what to say. She clearly thought that time would protect her from what she had done, and the fact that Rome didn't fire her or spread rumors gave her confidence that this would never come out. She should have been thanking Rome for keeping her secret, but instead she was angered by the fact that I was into him, and that anger was doused in gasoline when he began to show interest in me, too.
When the tables turn, theyfucking turn.
As Sierra stands there silently, her eyes misting over, Rome faces the onlooking bullpen with a stern expression. He looks like a father who is disappointed in his children for their behavior, and no one moves a muscle as he begins to address us all.
“Everybody listen to me right now,” he starts, his eyes darting from person to person. “Thisis not what we will become. Sandcastle will not descend into a rumor mill of jealousy, hypocrisy, nosiness, and disrespect. Admittedly, I've tried to keep my relationship with Nia a secret from you all, specifically for this reason. It’s not any of your business what she or I do in our private time or in our personal lives. All that matters to you all is that our relationship doesn't hinder the progress and business of this office. None of you can say that you've witnessed Nia getting special treatment from me, and if you're assuming she got the Golden Diamond account out of favoritism, you'd be dead wrong. Nia and I were not dating at the time of the pitch wars. She simply outdid everyone else with a pitch that was so good that she acquired the client. If the pitch wasn't good, wewould have never been chosen to represent Nix Malone and his casino. So, you can be mad and make an incorrect assumption if you want to, but you can't deny the results of her pitch to the client.
“I don't care if any of you are dating someone from the office. It’s not my business. All I care about is whether or not Sandcastle can grow and prosper with the people standing in this room right now. This isn't high school. So, if you're interested in gossip, rumors, and talking about your coworkers' private lives, please see yourself out right now. I don't care what position you hold or how much you get paid. If you're more concerned about who the boss is sleeping with than you are with your work, the door is behind you. Please walk through it and don't come back. Our goal is to do our jobs and grow this company, ascending it to heights it has never reached before. Nia has taken a huge step in making that happen with her work with Golden Diamond. How many of you can say the same for yourselves?”
When no one answers, Rome finishes.
“So, here is how we’ll end this fiasco. Yes, Nia and I are together. We care about each other deeply, and as far as our future is concerned, I don't see an end in sight. So get used to it. We are together. We’re a couple … and it will never affect our work. I advise you,” he turns to Sierra, “all of you—not to let it affect yours. I don't ever want to have to talk about this again. If I do, you won't have to worry about walking through the exit on your own, because I will gladly push you out. Any questions?”
As expected, no one says a word. The only sounds are breathing and the air conditioner as Rome turns on his heel, steps close to me, and kisses me softly on the cheek in front of everyone. I watch in astonishment as he starts to walk away, brushing shoulders with a stunned Sierra. But before he goes, he turns to her and says one last thing.
“Your decision is easy,” he whispers to her. “Either apologize and get your shit together … or resign. Choosing neither will not be allowed, and you have until the end of the day to make your choice. If you can’t decide, I’ll take your lack of a response as your formal resignation.”
A tear slides down Sierra’s cheek as Rome doesn't even give her time to respond before walking away, leaving our entire world in a daze, and my heart dancing.
Thirty-Seven
“What happened today was insane,” Jeremiah whispers to me as everyone starts to filter out of the building.
Tension sits heavily in the air like smog, made thicker by awkward silence as the day comes to an end and everyone starts their commute home. Only a couple of hours ago, Sierra saw Rome and I kissing in the breakroom and decided to confront me in front of everyone. She was in her bag with her putdowns, clearly releasing built up anger toward me for showing interest in Rome, only for us to find out that she was into him before anyone else even had a chance to be. Rome stepped out of the breakroom like a knight ready to defend his queen, and Sierra hasn't made eye contact with anyone since. Today wasa day. Now that it’s over, I desperately want to speak with Rome about what happened—about what he said regarding us.
“Insane is an understatement,” I reply to Jeremiah. “Did you see how fast she left the building? Usually Sierra is one of the last people out the door, but she was speed walking today.”
“Bitch was on her high horse for sure, and rode that thing out of here,” Jeremiah jokes, laughing at himself. “I couldn't believe she went at you like that, and you just had to stand there and take it. I felt so bad for you, but then your bodyguard came out the door like Kevin Costner protecting Whitney. Girl, my jaw was on the floor. He snapped.”
“He most definitely did,” I reply, smiling at the memory of how it all went down. “Then he used it as a moment to talk to everyone about minding their own business.”
Jeremiah grins at me so hard that even his eyes are smiling. “I know you loved that shit. That man defended you and checked the entire office for you. I may not be up on the ins and outs of BDSM, but that seemed very dominant to me.”
I try to push my grin away but end up pursing my lips instead. “Yes, it was.”
I look into Rome’s office and see that he’s still seated behind his desk, and just looking at him makes my eyes light up. He is unlike anything I have ever experienced, making me feel an array of emotions I never touched with anyone else. Feelings that I thought were dormant due to all of my shitty dating experiences have now been brought to life because of Rome. Being with him has tilted my entire world on its axis.
“Okay,” Jeremiah says. He reaches down to grab a few things off his desk before looking back up at me. “I can see that you clearly want to go talk to him from the way you're staring into his office as if I've already left, so I'm going to go. Do your thing , girl. Go talk to your man. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
