Her only response is a nod. Excellent, it should keep her busy all day.
***
Alexa
My freaking eyeballs hurt. Closing my eyes, I roll my neck. The pops and cracks sound loud in the quiet of the now empty office. I check the time, holy crap, it’s after six thirty. My eyes are burning, my back hurts, and I’m starving. And it was all for nothing.
I close the last binder and lay my head down on it. As much as I hate Leo’s guts, it doesn’t stop me trusting his instincts. But there’s nothing in here. There are a few suspect trades I highlighted, and twice Harden suggested investment in a small company connected to Roth Limited with a weak reason but nothing I can grasp and give to Leo.
My stomach growls again. Ugh, I’m done. When I try to stand my legs protest. I grab the desk to stay upright. Oh, that’s right I haven’t moved in almost three hours. I grab my water bottle and chug it down. Empty, I chuck it in the trash and begin shutting down for the night. For a second, I remember about getting Leo something for dinner then shrug, he doesn’t deserve it.
I knock on his door. When I get his permission, I open the door. I’m immediately annoyed with him. He’s still polished and pressed and looks like he did when he first came in, how does he do that? Seeing an eyebrow go up I shake the thought away.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ve been through all the binders, every page. I didn’t find anything. I’m leaving for the day. Goodnight.”
“Ms. Clark, you are not going anywhere. There is something there, and you are not leaving until you find it.”
Excuse me? “There isn’t anything, it’s been six hours of looking at every page until my eyes feel like they’re coming out of their sockets. If there were something, I would have found it. It’s late, I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m going home.” I turn and start walking. I don’t make it two feet.
“You walk out now, do not come back. I will take it as your resignation.”
I hate him, yeah, it’s hate now. “Did you not hear what I said? Is your ego so massive it plugged up your ears? There isn’t anything there.”
That damn eyebrow goes up. Oh god, what did I say? “My hearing is excellent. You said you are not up to doing your job and you quit. By all means, if I have heard differently feel free to clarify.”
Deep breath in. “There is nothing that connects Douglas Harden to Russell Roth or Roth Limited. I’ve looked at every trade, every dollar he’s spent, and there isn’t anything. For more than six hours, I studied everything, I didn’t rush it. If you’re so sure, then you find it.”
He smirks. “Ms. Clark in those six hours I have spent twenty-two million dollars and made sixty-nine million dollars. My time is better spent on other things, that is why I have you.”
I’m going to see if I can find something more painful than arsenic. “Give it to me.”
That stupid damn eyebrow.
“The damn file on Douglas Harden you got for his personal investigation.”
His eyes meet mine and swoosh, all the air goes out of me. I feel lightheaded at the heat hitting me. Then he blinks, and it’s gone, and I’m cold. He opens his top drawer and pulls out a file. With a smile void of humor, he pushes it toward me. “Good girl.”
I shiver at his words, hating him for how condescending it sounds, hating myself for the warmth that flows through me at pleasing him. I slam out of his office feeling good at the way the doorframe vibrates. My anger is gone almost immediately. I’m too tired to wrap my mind about what the hell just happened.
In front of my desk I sag. The thought of sitting back down makes my ass hurt. Tossing the file on my desk, I grab my purse and hunt for my wallet. I’m still hungry, I need to pee, and I’m thirsty. It’s time to raid the vending machines.
Done in the restroom, I kick off my shoes under my desk before heading toward the break room. At least this break room has all the good stuff in one place. Exousia has four floors in this building, from thirty-four to thirty-eight with, of course, Leo being on the top floor. This floor has the fewest people, only the top executives, numbering all of seven, their assistants and three admins who support the assistants.
The break rooms all have a variety of drinks and every salty and sweet snack known to man. There are even prepackaged cold sandwiches and dinners to be warmed up, a vending machine of frozen dinners containing everything from pizza, to the healthy meals and even the full-fat good stuff rounds out the offerings. All of it is priced not much more than it would be at the store, some kind of deal Exousia worked out.
There are also packets of hot chocolate, three different kinds of tea bags and good coffee available to make in carafes all at no cost. I’m so hungry I can’t make up my mind. I buy a bottle of water and sip while I consider my options and think about what happened in Leo’s office.
Absently, I run through it again and again and wonder why Leo didn’t fire me. Seeing as how he wants to, the shit I said would have been more than enough reason except he didn’t. In fact, I’m pretty sure I scored a major point by asking for the file on Harden. Then I think of that moment, just thinking about it sends heat flooding my body. What was that?
My ringing cell phone interrupts my thoughts. “Hello?”
“Where the fuck are you?” Leo snarls at me.
“In the break room trying to find something to eat. I’m starving. What the fuck do you want?” I answer just as rudely back, god he has me saying fuck now. I never say fuck, but it feels so good. I fucking hate him.
“Your dinner is on your desk. You’re welcome.” Cl
ick.