Ruth stood up, imperious as a queen, which fired his temper even further.
Even worse, Ruth wasn’t willing to talk to Selena. Instead, she stood and, with her nose stuck up in the air, acting as if Selena weren’t worth her notice, headed for the nearest exit. “Call my secretary and set up a time to discuss this. I’ll help you refine these ideas to something more…appropriate.”
Reid watched, tamping down his fury. He flicked his gaze towards Selena, trying to see how she was taking the abuse, but the hurt look in her eyes, a look she was valiantly trying to hide, only increased his fury.
“How about right now?” he suggested. His words might have formed a question, but his tone and expression were clear. It was a command.
And yet, she continued to try and play stupid power games. “I have another meeting, but we’ll work this out, Reid. Selena has a decent foundation. Her ideas just need to be tweaked into something reasonable. Something that will appeal to our customers.”
Reid shifted his weight, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m not sure you fully understand, Ruth. I like Selena’s ideas. I moved her out here so that they could be implemented.”
Ruth’s smile faltered, but she rallied. “I understand that you want to help her advance her career, but her ideas aren’t…”
“Her ideas are brilliant, Ruth. I have yet to hear a solid reason why we shouldn’t move forward with them. Selena researched her ideas thoroughly. Every suggestion is backed up with both financial and consumer data.” He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the conference room table, glaring at Ruth. “Either explain your concerns, backed up with solid research, or back off so that Selena can do her job.”
He hadn’t thought it possible, but Ruth’s lips pressed even more tightly together. “The ideas aren’t going to work, Reid,” she snapped.
“Why?”
“Because they just won’t!”
He frowned thoughtfully. “You don’t want them to work because you didn’t think them up yourself. Is that it?”
Her face went blank in surprise and he knew he’d hit it exactly on the mark.
But Ruth was nothing if not tenacious. “That’s not the issue at all. I’ve accepted ideas from my staff and we’ve implemented them into the overall marketing strategy. We do it all the time. We’re a team here!”
He saw the lie in her eyes. “If I asked members of your staff, would they agree with you?” he asked softly. He couldn’t believe he’d missed Ruth’s selfish machinations for so long.
Ruth stammered, understanding her jeopardy. “Of course they would.”
“We’ll see,” he snapped. “That will be all.”
Ruth wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Instead of arguing any further, she picked up her notebook and walked stiffly out of the conference room.
There was a long silence while Reid considered his next step. Ruth would have to go. There was no chance she could stay on with the company. Not after that performance. But…
“I’m so sorry,” Selena breathed from behind him.
He swung around, only realizing that he was still angry when he saw the concern in his eyes. Reid ran a hand over his face, trying to calm down. He’d missed something that had cost his company time, money, and creativity. He was furious, but with himself. “This isn’t your fault, this is mine. I allowed an employee to become a tyrant in my own backyard. That’s on me. I hate when I miss things.” He pulled her in for a gentle hug. “But your ideas are solid, Selena. Don’t doubt that for a moment.”
She hesitated, but eventually her arms wrapped around his waist and he sighed into her hair. “I’ll let you know what’s happening by this afternoon, okay?”
Selena pulled out of his arms, thrilled to have his support. “Got it. And remind me never to get on your bad side,” she teased as she gathered up the marketing materials she’d brought in for the meeting.
He laughed and she wanted to wrap the sound around her like a blanket, remembering it from last night while he’d made love to her. Goodness, that sound was…and she loved it. That sound was a precursor to something wicked and delicious.