The room fell silent as David commenced. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve called you all together this morning because an unacceptable incident has been brought to my attention, one that cannot be tolerated or simply ignored. I simply cannot let this stand for another second, and it must be reconciled at once.” With that, he glanced over his shoulder at Robert.
Mr. Cross’s scrumptious lips thinned into a hard line. He never took his eyes off the projector, but when he felt David watching, he gave him a small nod.
Why do you have to do it here, in the middle of the conference room? I silently raged. Must you humiliate me in front of everyone? At least I had the decency to embarrass myself and him behind closed doors. Can’t you just throw me off the roof or something? Make me wear a scarlet letter, maybe a P for pastry? That would be far more humane. Is there no justice in Mother England? Maybe your fair queen could just have the stupid yank beheaded. Maybe Madison’s Ronald could just use his sword and impale me so—
“Aegis Incorporated, our top competitor, has risen two points in five days, while we have dropped by four. Four!”
I blinked, looked over at Madison, then blinked again. That’s it? That’s the big news?
My eyes flickered slowly over to Robert, only to discover that he was watching me with a little naughty smile on his face, his eyes dancing with a restrained sort of amusement.
“Four full points?” one of the younger associates screamed, losing himself entirely.
A sudden silence fell over the room, followed by an explosion of hushed conversations.
In the mayhem that followed, Madison grabbed my wrist, and the two of us shrank even farther in the back of the room.
She glanced at the tall men around us before bowing her head closer to whisper, “I can’t lie, love. I was already planning a farewell party for you in my head.”
My entire body relaxed as I filled the air with a gasp of relief, so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes. I let out a bark of laughter, then leaned my head against the wall. “Don’t feel bad. I was planning it myself!” I wiped an errant tear off my cheek and sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the heavens, vowing I’d never sin again. “I mean, it sucks about Aegis, but right now, I don’t give a fuck.”
“Not true,” she said, shaking her head.
“Huh?”
“Darling, we both know that on occasion, especially on rooftops, you do give a fuck. Isn’t that part of what had us worried in the first place?” she asked with a grin.
“Shh!” I said with a scowl and a roll of my eyes.
Madison’s grin suddenly faded into a thoughtful frown as her eyes drifted back to the front of the room. “Well, as for the points, I really do give a bit of a fuck. That represents a great number of my clients.”
“We’ll fix it,” I said instantly, suddenly unshakably optimistic. “We’ll work weekends, stay late, do whatever we have to. We’ll have those numbers back where they’re supposed to be in no time, maybe even better than before.” A newfound spirit of determination swept through me as I took that silent vow to heart. “From now on, no more secret missions, breakfast bombs, or rooftop liaisons. In fact, no more men—at least not for me. I’m just gonna keep my head down and my nose on the grindstone, do my job, and stay the hell away from—”
Just like that, as if he’d picked up on some unspoken cue, Robert Cross was standing right in front of me.
I pulled in a silent breath, staring up at him like a pitiful mouse before a hungry snake. I reached one hand discreetly for Madison, but the woman had shrunk away the second she saw him coming, leaving me officially on my own.
“Miss Jones...” His eyes danced with that same amusement as he cocked his head toward the door. “Can I speak to you in the hall for a moment?”
I nodded automatically, then paused as a sudden frown flickered across my face.
Can I, not may I? More common but not grammatically correct. I remembered having the exact same thought proces
s the other night, only in reverse that time.
“Uh...yeah, sure.” I shook my head quickly, jolting myself back to the present. “Of course.”
We bumped a few elbows as we made our way through the disturbed horde and out of the room. The rest of the associates were in too much of an uproar to notice our departure, but Madison froze in place, her white-blonde hair standing out against the crowd of dark suits as her worried eyes met mine.
I tried my best to give her a reassuring smile, but I knew the game was already over and the punishment was already set. There was simply nothing either of us could do about it anymore, if we ever could.
Oddly, Robert didn’t stop when we reached the hall. Not sure where he was headed, I followed him around the corner. I feared he might chuck me out the window after all, but the man just kept moving, and it wasn’t until he led me past the fountain that I realized where he wanted to end up.
Back in his office, where all the madness began? Great.
A wave of nausea boiled in the pit of my stomach as he gestured me inside, then shut the door behind me. The two tall chairs in front of his desk looked highly intimidating, and unless I was imagining it, there was still a stray drop of crème smeared on the floor.
“Please have a seat.”