Page 72 of A Good Girl's Guide to Dominance
“He’s right, Rome,” Isabella agrees. “It isn’t good for your mental health to hang onto these kinds of thoughts. You have to be able to move on.”
“I've moved on as far as I can,” I reply, turning my feet toward the door. “I've got all the closure I'm ever going to get, and I know what I have to do in order to be happy. Love is off the table, and that’s all there is to it. I’m not replacing Natalia with Nia. We’re not having double dates or couples nights like the good old days. That’s over, and so is this conversation. Thanks for dinner.”
“Rome, please don't leave,” Nikola pleads.
“Don't do this, Rome,” Isabella requests, bawling her eyes out.
I ignore them both. I hate that I'm crying as I go, and I hate walking out on the only two people on this Earth that have been here for me through all of my trials and tribulations. But I'm done. I’m fucking done with everything.
Let go, and Let Love
Thirty-Nine
“Iunderstand that, but I'm not using ten percent of our entire budget on one campaign, Simon. Now get out of my office, and don't come back until you figure out how to reduce the cost. Go.”
Every head in the bullpen is turned toward Rome’s office as he finishes berating Simon for coming to him with a high-priced ad and marketing strategy he’s been working on. As Simon ambles out of the office with his chin tucked against his chest, Jeremiah turns to me with wide eyes. From my desk, I shrug to let him know that I have no idea what’s going on with Rome today, and we all get back to work.
Today has been strange. While work has had its usually lackluster moments highlighted by the rare flair caused by a gorgeous mockup from someone on one of the design teams, the air has been thicker. Tension hovers all around us like black smoke from a nearby fire, and it’s because Rome clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. From the moment he walked into the office, it was apparent that he didn't want to be talked to for one reason or another. He barely spoke ashe passed by people giving him their usual morning greeting. When I went to his office to say hello, he barely acknowledged me, throwing me an apathetic, “Hey,” before moving his eyes to his computer screen and leaving them there. I'm not the kind of person to beg for attention when it’s clear someone doesn't want to give it, so I turned on my heel and walked back into my office where I didn't feel like a bother. I spent the entire day giving him his clearly wanted space, but it doesn't seem to have helped with his attitude, as this is the third time we’ve heard him have an uncharacteristic attitude with one of his employees. Jeremiah isn't the only person who has turned to me for answers, but all I can do is shrug. Even I have no riposte to his mood.
The day ticks on in uncommon silence. Every chair in the bullpen is filled because no one wants to risk going to the breakroom. They might have to walk past Rome or, even worse, be in there when he enters and suffer the brunt of his wrath. Rome has always been intimidating anyway, so now that he is having his first bad at the office, the usual healthy fear has risen to terror for everyone. Seeing as how we’re together now, I wonder what I can do to help, but I'm worried that if I try he’ll snap at me. Naturally, I will snap back, and the next thing we know, we’re having a freaking lover’s quarrel right in the middle of the office, which would send the rumor mill into overdrive as everyone at Sandcastle awaits our demise. I'd rather keep my distance and hope that he’ll be better once work is finished.
With an hour left in our day, I notice the familiar look of heads popping up and necks stretching to look over the top of their cubicle walls to see inside Rome’s office. I take my fingers away from my keyboard so that the click-clacking doesn't drown out any sound, and I hear what resembles a faint argument brewing. Jeremiah looks at me again, this time with a wrinkled forehead that shows real worry, so I get up from my desk and move to the doorway.
“What the hell is going on with you today?” Rome asks Sierra, who stands at the front of his desk with a piece of paper in her hand hanging loosely at her side.
“I don't know what you mean?” she replies, her voice devoid of its usual fire.
Rome sits back in his chair and scowls in a way that sends a shard of horror through my heart. “You don't know what I mean? I just had to get onto Simon about a campaign strategy that clearly had no thought or direction, and now here you are with numbers that look like you don't give a fuck if this company goes bankrupt by next week. Simon should've never come to me with those marketing numbers anyway, because you are the VP. He should've gone to you, andyoushould've told him that the budget was too high. It’s a problem that never should have made it to my desk, Sierra. You need to do your job.”
“Iamdoing my job, Rome,” Sierra retorts. “I didn't know Simon was going to come in here. He bypassed me.”
“And why did he think that bypassing you was something he could do?”
“How the hell should I know? What is with this attitude from you today?”
“My attitude comes from people not knowing how to do their fucking job!” Rome barks so loud I expect the floor to shake.
Sierra takes a step back, shocked by Rome’s outburst, and I hear a few gasps from the bullpen as other directors step into their doorways to see what is going on. Angst settles over the entire office and all work comes to a screeching halt as Sierra stands before Rome completely frozen while he glares at her. His face is contorted into a furious expression, but after a moment, it relents. The furrow in his brow smoothes out as he takes a deep breath and puts his head down.
“I'm sorry,” he says without looking up. “I shouldn't have yelled at you. That was rude and disrespectful of me, and I apologize.”
He looks back up at Sierra and … do I see tears in his eyes?
“It’s okay, Rome,” Sierra replies. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” he answers. “Do me a favor, please, and send everybody home for the day.”
“But we have an hour left.”
“I know. Just do it, please. Work isn't going anywhere. We’ll get back to it tomorrow. Thanks.”
Sierra slowly nods her head as she walks backwards toward the door as if Rome will attack her if she turns her back to him. Once she's out of the office, she turns to the bullpen and announces that everyone is being let off an hour early. I expect cheers, but instead, everyone quietly gets up and hurriedly scampers to the door like a fire drill. They filter out quickly, with Sierra as the last to go. She stops at the doorway and makes eye contact with me before following the rest of them out.
Rome hasn't moved an inch by the time I make it to his office. He sits at his desk with his head leaning back against the headrest of his chair, staring up at the ceiling.
“Bad day?” I ask, hoping he doesn't kick me out.
He sighs, still staring at the ceiling like he's stargazing. “Yeah … something like that.”
