Page 634 of Hell Hath No Fury
I huff, “Bye.”
Kathryn hangs up without another word. My chair creaks when I plop down and scoot closer to the hard surface. I sort through my things, putting them all in their proper place. Shaking my head, I contemplate why I even bothered calling her. She’ll always tell me to do the unexpected. On the other hand, I want to do what is expected to hit every goal.
Friday, while it wasn’t my first walk on the kinky side, was a fluke for me. I’ve been single for two years since ending my last relationship. I have no desire to jump back into anything else. My dream job came shortly after and has been my primary focus since. No other distractions are needed. This time is for me, though my friends feel otherwise.
I glance at my clock, grateful my day is nearly over. Lucky for me, I’ve managed to make it through my schedule with no run-ins with Kareem. I wanted to stay home and pretend to be sick if that meant I didn’t have to face the elephant in the building.
How am I supposed to do my job to my standards with him in the vicinity? Not to mention the way he stared at me in that meeting. I wouldn’t be surprised if his dad noticed how blatantly he was watching me.
There’s a knock at my door, and I look toward it. My assistant enters, handing me a small stack of papers. “Here are the files from the promotions team. Daniel said he’ll have the general ledger for August by the end of the day.”
I take the invoices from her, skim through the contracts, and sort them for my next year’s budget review.
“Tuan in accounting should send you the quarterly report in a few minutes.” We both pause when my computer dings, alerting me of an email, just as she said.
“Got it. Ask Velle for the expense report and double-check with Kim for my payroll report.”
“Will do. Here’re the contracts for next quarter’s campaigns.” She places a binder in front of me, then retreats. “Oh, and Mr. Bass asked for you to stop by his office after your two-thirty.”
I frown. “I thought he was going to be out the rest of the week?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. He just called and told me to relay the message.”
A sharp breath leaves me with a nod as I glance at my wristwatch. “Okay.” I sigh. “It’s lunchtime,” I whisper. “Thank you, Priscilla. I’m going to grab a quick bite before my meeting. In the meantime, please get me the minutes from the Villa Winery consult. I need to get Alan the proposal first thing in the morning.”
“Got it. Enjoy lunch.”
“You too,” I say to her back.
I shake my head and grab my purse from my side drawer. I do a quick double-take of my office before exiting to feed my hunger.
* * *
Kareem
“Dad. Seriously, I got this. You wanted me to learn the ropes and eventually take over, right? Let me. Between the administrative team you have here and all the months of training I just went through, I think we can survive a few weeks.”
My father goes on about what he expects from me, and I roll my eyes in response. There’s no sense in going back and forth with him. He needs to have the last word, and nothing I say will change that. Sometimes I just wish he trusted me a little more. I am his heir, after all, and I’m more than capable of running the family business with the same integrity.
“I’m serious, Junior. Read the notes, and please try not to rile anyone up, as you did in Philly.”
I chuckle at the memory of my time at the Pennsylvania office. “I won’t. Atlanta is in much better shape than Philly was. But I can’t assess that without the hard questions.”
“Just stay clear of St. James. She hasn’t said anything, but I’m sure she’s on edge with this change. She’s an asset. Let’s keep her that way.”
“Pops.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Okay, your momma is pinching me, so I’ll check in a few days.”
“Tell her I love her. Y’all be safe.”
I end the call without waiting for a response, and if you ask me, it couldn’t have been soon enough. I love my folks, but my dad can be annoying. It makes sense. He built this business from the ground up, and because of his sacrifice, I have the life I live.
The last thing I want to do is ruin what he’s worked for. It might not have been my dream to sit behind this desk, but business is embedded in my blood. Plus, he didn’t spend thirty-thousand a year at Morehouse for me to waste my MBA.
Pulling on the sleeves of my white dress shirt, I grab my gray blazer and slip it on. I check my watch, realizing lunch is almost over, and I’ve yet to eat. My stomach growls almost on cue. I stuff my iPhone into my pocket along with my wallet. I don’t have much of an appetite, but I know I need to eat something and do it now before my next meeting.
As I stand, a voice calls out my name, distracting me from my plans. A grin stretches across my face. I know that voice all too well, and the vibrations of it pull at my chest.
