- Landon -
nough days had passed since our run in at the theatre that I figured Dick must’ve come to his senses and decided that he could trust Margot and me to keep things professional.
Not that we’d done that. I was putting my hands on her every chance I could get, taking bold and irresponsible risks to do so. They were the kinds of risks most guys probably got out of their system in high school, but I’d never had a girl in my life worth sneaking around for. Until now.
“You wanted to see me?” I asked, stepping into Dick’s office Friday afternoon.
He leaned back in his tall chair, folded his hands over the top of his round belly, and waited until I closed the door to speak. “I’m calling time’s up on your office romance, Landon.”
“Excuse me?” It was a pathetic attempt to buy time, but reversing out of the room with pistol fingers and pretending I’d never come in didn’t seem like an option.
“Sit down.”
I did as I was told but maintained an air of ignorance, believing any physical show of weakness or guilt would spell instant defeat.
He shook his head like he’d just called me into the principal’s office. “You and I both know I can’t have you mixing business and pleasure this way, not after our recent troubles.”
“Which are irrelevant.”
One of his bushy gray eyebrows arched. “First of all, I decide what’s relevant. And second of all, I considered letting it go. I did. I’m not a monster. I know office flirtations happen, but this thing with you and the new intern has obviously gone beyond that.”
“With all due respect, she’s a full-time employee now,” I said, hoping to make the situation seem as far from foul play as possible. “You promoted her yourself.”
“Which is exactly how I’ll fire her if you don’t put a stop to these shenanigans.”
I clenched my jaw. How dare he fucking sit there and judge my personal life! The guy didn’t know a single goddamned thing about me apart from the fact that I showed up on time every day and outworked every single person in my division. Hell, I could say the same thing about Margot.
“Seriously, Landon. You know the rules, and as a trusted mentor, I hope you know my advice is coming from the right place.”
Who refers to themselves as a trusted mentor? I certainly never called him that. “What advice?”
“End it. End it as soon as possible,” he said, his tone suggesting a lack of alternative options. “For the sake of your career.”
I kept my eyes on him but didn’t say anything. I feared if I did he would see how much this was hurting me. Besides, it wasn’t his business how long I’d been crazy about this girl or how much more brightly the sun shone since I’d let her into my life. All he cared about was the company’s reputation, which was under scrutiny for reasons that had nothing to do with us.
“If she’s really the one, she’ll understand,” he said, splaying his fat fingers on the desk between us. “Trust me.”
“And if I say no?”
He sighed. “It’ll be the last time you ever say no to me. That’s for damn sure.”
I raised my eyebrows. Was that a threat?
“I don’t want to fire you,” he said, tilting his head like he pitied me. “That’s why we’re having this conversation.”
I swallowed.
“But I’ve fired better talent than you, and it will be no skin off my nose.”
Yeah. Definitely a threat.
“And I assure you, if you give me no choice, and Margot gets the break of her life because of it, it’ll destroy your relationship anyway.”
I couldn’t tell anymore if his threats were coming from a genuine place or if he was just getting off on playing puppeteer, haphazardly swinging the strings that controlled my fate. “You’re being unreasonable, Dick, this—”
“No,” he said, lifting a palm. “Unreasonable is earning the company’s trust and then betraying that trust by encouraging us to invest time and resources in someone to suit your personal—and completely inappropriate—agenda.”
“That’s unfair. She’s a brilliant hire. The best in years.”
“I know,” he said, raising his chubby hands in the air. “She’s almost as good as you.”
She was better, and if he couldn’t see that he was a bigger idiot than I thought.
“But I don’t want to have this conversation again.” He leaned forward. “Frankly, you’re lucky we’re having it at all since my gut is telling me to just let her go.”
I stuck my tongue in my cheek and bit down on it.
“The only reason I didn’t jump straight to that option is because I think she’s too proud to mope around the office after you break up with her.”
Unlike Dick, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would react to something like that. Breaking up with her had never occurred to me. Even in those cowardly moments when I’d chosen to give her space, permanently distancing myself had never been an option in my mind. She’d always been one of the few constant, good things in my life. And I was reluctant to believe this shit was happening right when we’d finally gotten so close to something solid.
“If it were any other girl,” he said. “I wouldn’t waste my breath.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to decide whether I should tell him to go fuck himself or just walk out.
“But like you said, she’s a good hire, and I know you’ll do the right thing,” he said. “Especially when this little hiccup is the only thing standing between you and a promotion.”
Unbelievable. Suddenly, dropping a few F-bombs seemed like more than he deserved.
“I’ll give you the weekend to sort it out,” he said, extending his arms like he was handing me an invisible gift. “I know these personal matters are a bit sensitive and require intelligent timing.”
I squeezed the armrests of my chair.
“Fortunately, that’s always been a strength of yours.”
I already knew what I intended to do, but I was grateful for the opportunity to make sure I did it right.
“Just pop in Monday morning to let me know it’s done,” he said. “And I’ll bury her in busywork until things settle down.”
Had he lost his mind? Hadn’t he figured out that he shouldn’t talk about her like she was some faceless office pawn in front of me?
“She’ll realize it’s for the best,” he said. “You both will.”
“Are we done here?” I asked, pushing myself out of the chair.
“I think so,” he said with a nod. “Thanks for your understanding.”
I turned towards the door and rolled my eyes, convinced that showing him respect no longer held the importance it did ten minutes ago.
“Enjoy your weekend,” he said as I opened the door.
I closed it without answering his fat face. I was too angry. Too wired. Too fucking determined to make him regret this conversation.