The man in the mirror judges me more than you ever will.
“Please pay closer attention to your deadlines from this point forward.” I picked up the form and put it back in her file.
“Do I even have one?” She scoffed angrily. “I assume you’re going to give that important project to someone else—like Gabe—he seems to kiss your ass every chance he gets.”
“No, the project is still assigned to you.” I shrugged. “We’re still paying you to work—for now.”
“Then I guess I should go back to my desk and do that.” She stood and walked to the door—then she paused when her hand touched the knob. “I used to regret sending that letter. Now I wish I would have just said those words to your face.”
Brooke slammed my door when she exited my office. It was a miracle that it didn’t fly off the hinges. I saw every head on the aisle turn, and I’m sure some on the other side of what they had dubbed The Great Divide turned as well. It was the first time I had seen the kind of hatred that had to be present when she wrote the letter. All I got to see the night of the party was tears in her eyes—and since she had appeared in my life, I mainly saw shock or confusion. That was gone, and I questioned my judgment after she returned to her desk.
I’m sure things are going to get worse before I can get rid of her. Hopefully, my career will survive this…
* * *
A week passed without incident. I included Brooke in my meetings with the rest of the team, just so she would have to sit there and waste time that could have been spent working on her project. The atmosphere was pretty tense when we were in the same room with each other, but she didn’t do anything that would warrant me writing her up again. I kept hoping she would have a public outburst—curse me—say something in the presence of others that she had said behind closed doors. She was too smart for that. I wasn’t going to catch her in another deadline fiasco because she turned everything in early—so early that I couldn’t even pretend she had missed it. The third part of her project was on my desk a full day before it was due.
If I wasn’t trying to get rid of her, I’d have to consider taking her off probation early at this rate.
“Mr. Rigsby, do you have a minute?” Mel tapped on my door and pushed it open.
“Sure thing, of course.” I smiled and stood. “Please, come in—have a seat.”
“Thank you.” She nodded and sat down across from me.
“What’s going on?” I adjusted my tie as I lowered myself back into my chair.
“I made a mistake.” She sighed. “A big one.”
“How so?” I tilted my head.
“I was going over the marketing budget that we just finished…” She looked down for a moment, and I saw her hand tremble. “I just realized that there was a decimal missing from one of the columns—it makes it look like the expected returns are much higher than our projection.”
“Shit…” I whistled through my teeth and managed not to smile. “That’s a pretty big mistake.”
“I know.” She looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry! I promise I didn’t do it intentionally. Please don’t fire me, Mr. Rigsby!”
“Mel, relax…” I held up my hands. “I check over everything that you turn in before I send it to Fulton. I fixed the error.”
“You did?” She blinked in surprise.
“Yes.” I nodded. “I was going to bring it up at the next meeting—just as a reminder to be careful.”
“Oh thank goodness!” She wiped her eyes and managed to smile. “I was so scared. I didn’t want to get on your bad side—like someone else.”
“Someone else?” My eyebrows raised in question.
“You know.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Brooke…”
I guess it’s pretty obvious at this point, but that might actually help my case down the road, so fuck it.
“Ah.” I leaned back in my chair. “Don’t worry, Mel. You’re doing a great job here. Mistakes happen—it’s fine.”
“I’m going to double check, no—triple check everything from this point forward.” She hopped up from her chair, and when she got to the door, she nearly ran right into Fulton.
“Careful…” Fulton growled under his breath and held the door open.
“I’m so sorry!” Mel ducked underneath his arm and practically bolted to her desk.
“What was that all about?” Fulton tilted his head to check out Mel’s ass before he pushed the door closed.
“Nothing really.” I waved my hand towards the door. “She just screwed up a decimal. I fixed it.”
“Did you write her up?” Fulton sat down in the chair Mel was previously sitting in.
“Nah.” I shook my head back and forth. “It was no big deal.”
“You’re not going to be able to write up Brooke every time she does something wrong and give the others a pass.” He raised an eyebrow. “That’s called preferential treatment—I’m sure they covered that when you went to the corporate office for the Emerging Leader conference.”
“Uh…” I felt my stomach tighten up. “Fuck, yeah—they did.”
“So get her back in here and put something in her file.” He motioned to the door. “I can sit in on the discussion. Maybe it’ll give me an opportunity to give you a little coaching if you don’t handle it right.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I blinked a couple of times.
“No, I’m not.” He shook his head. “I’m still your boss, remember.”
Fulton was dead serious, and while we had a pretty good relationship most of the time, I still reported to him. If he told me to do something, I was required to follow through with it. I called Melanie back into my office and told her that I was wrong to let her off so easy when she made such a big mistake—a complete contradiction to what I previously told her. She seemed confused and had every right to be, considering the conversation we had before Fulton walked into my office. I had to type up the discipline form while she sat there, and by the time it printed, she was practically bawling. I didn’t even think she was going to be able to keep her composure long enough to sign it, but she did.
“Okay, Mel.” I put the form in her file. “You can take a break before you go back to work.”
“Thank—thank you.” She wiped her eyes and stood up.
“Not too long.” Fulton narrowed his eyes.
“Yes sir.” Mel left my office and was still sobbing when she closed the door.
“Damn, that girl has a nice ass.” Fulton grinned. “That was fun—what’s next?”
You’re such a fucking asshole—and so am I.
“You came to see me.” I turned to him and sighed. “I assume you didn’t come all the way down here just to watch me write up one of my employees.”
“Oh, right.” He laughed and nodded. “I was coming down here to tell you that Paul’s team is having problems with the marketing campaign for Gordon Cosmetics. Your team needs to step in.”
“We’ve got a lot on our plate already…” I raised my eyebrows in concern.
“That’s the joy of being the overflow team.” Fulton shrugged and started to stand. “You get the shit nobody else has time for.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Thanks.”
Gordon Cosmetics wasn’t a big account by any means, which was why Paul’s team was glad to let it go. It was just time consuming because they had so many products. Something like that would have normally gone to a tenured team, but Remington Global had grown so much over the last year that we were running short on those. I couldn’t really complain. Growth was why I got an opportunity to be an Emerging Leader at the company.
I looked over everything that we were already working on and realized that it was going to be practically impossible to shoulder the team with Gordon Cosmetics if I wanted them to take care of the important accounts we had been assigned. I could give it to Gabe, and he would probably do his best, but I wasn’t sure he knew enough about to cosmetics to build a campaign, and that ruled
out Eddie as well. Familiarity with the product wasn’t always necessary, but it did make things move faster. Isabella wore more makeup than anyone on the team and was probably familiar with the company. If she wasn’t already behind, she would have been my first option. Mel was out—I doubted she would even speak to me for a couple of days.
Brooke will be done with her other assignment tomorrow. This may be her next one…
The account would be a lot of work, but it would be easy enough for her to handle it—I just didn’t think it would give me any opportunities to walk her into a trap. It wouldn’t have stringent deadlines or anything she could easily fuck up. That went against my plan, but I wasn’t sure I had another option. Fulton certainly wasn’t going to let me hire anyone else until I got rid of Brooke. If they kept giving us so much overflow, I was going to need to hire several people when I got a chance to take applications again. That was a conversation for me to have with Fulton another time. I had to actually get rid of the thorn in my side that despised my very existence first, and she wasn’t making that easy.
I’m sure she’ll think I’m trying to set her up when I assign her this account…
Chapter Twelve
Brooke
Remington Global had become my personal version of hell. I felt like I was walking on eggshells every morning when I arrived at the office and was constantly on my guard for Trent’s next move. I didn’t seem to be the only one that was under fire. I wasn’t sure what Mel did, but she left his office in tears. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t want to discuss it with anyone. Eddie said that he thought they made an error on their last assignment but didn’t understand why she would be the only one that got in trouble if that was the case. I wasn’t sure what to think—the guy I used to know had been replaced by an evil bastard, and I didn’t want any part of the man he had become unless I was absolutely forced to be in the same room with him.
After he set me up, I was hurt—but by the time I had a drink and talked to my roommates about what happened, I realized that throwing myself a pity party wasn’t going to help—and the hurt turned to rage.
“Brooke, can you come into my office.” The evil bastard appeared as if he could tell that I was on a mental hate train and wishing he was tied to the tracks.
“Sure.” I locked my computer and stood up.
Here we go again. Either I’m in trouble, or he just wants to verbally berate me for absolutely no reason.
I lost the nervousness I had when I first started working at Remington Global. I was just angry—all day, every day. I didn’t realize I could hate Trent more than I did after I saw him with Keely, but he had taken me to a new low. I didn’t just want to spit on his grave—I was ready to dig it for him too. If things got any worse, I might actually contemplate homicide. That would certainly solve my housing situation. I would have a nice cell, three meals a day, and I wouldn’t have to worry about seeing his stupid face anymore.
“Did I do something wrong—Mr. Rigsby?” I walked into his office and sat down so hard the chair slid on the floor.
“Not yet.” He glared at me as he walked to his chair.
“I finished the assignment you gave me—all four parts.” I returned his angry glare with one of my own. “I assume they were on time unless you changed the fucking deadline again without telling me.”
“No, it was fine.” He narrowed his eyes. “I called you in here to give you another one.”
“Great, I’ll be sure to turn it in on time too.” I leaned back in my chair.
Trent gave me a marketing campaign for a makeup company by the name of Gordon Cosmetics. I was familiar with them. I even used a few of their products. I kept expecting a hammer to drop, but it didn’t. I was given the assignment along with what I thought were pretty generous deadlines and sent back to my desk. The atmosphere was tense, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I still wasn’t willing to let my guard down. For all I knew, there was something buried in the assignment that was going to get me in trouble. I didn’t know how many times he would have to write me up before he could make me turn in my employee ID, but I didn’t think I was going to have many of them—whether I actually screwed up or not.
This one doesn’t seem so bad, but I don’t trust him—not after he set up.
* * *
“Welcome home, what do you want to drink tonight?” Jessica looked up at me as I walked into our apartment.
“I don’t think I have time for a drink tonight.” I sighed and sat down. “I got assigned a new marketing campaign, and I need to do some research. Where’s Hannah?”
“On a date.” Jessica smiled. “Apparently, she met this guy who owns a bar, and if you were here earlier, you would have heard how hot he is in vivid detail.”
“I need a fucking date.” I leaned my head against the back of the chair.
I haven’t even unpacked my vibrator yet…
“Come by the bar where I work this weekend.” She nodded. “I can point out a few guys that are good in bed.”
“Tempting…” I raised an eyebrow. “But if they’re that good, then why aren’t you keeping them busy?”
“Because they aren’t husband material, and I’m not getting any younger.” She laughed. “I’m looking for something a little more permanent these days.”
“Anyone in particular?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“Maybe…” She nodded, and her smile spread into a sly grin. “I’m still trying to figure out if he’s into me.”
“I really do need to get out more.” I shook my head and sighed. “My first attempt was a fucking disaster.”
“The guy that called you a prostitute?” She snickered. “Yeah, he was a real winner.”
“Tell me about it…” I reached into my bag and pulled out my laptop. “Alright, I’m going to try and do some work.”
“You don’t even want dinner first?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Nah, I had a big lunch.” I shook my head.
“You’re really going to make me eat my world-famous pork tenderloin on my own?” She smirked. “I even baked some bread for sandwiches.”
“You really need to think about culinary school.” I sighed. “Okay, twist my arm—I’ll have dinner first.”
Jessica’s pork tenderloin really was delicious. I ate more than I should have, and by the time I made it to my bedroom, I really didn’t feel like working. I powered through it until my eyes were burning, and my lashes kept drooping in front of them. It was time to call it a night. I simply couldn’t do anything else productive. Hannah was home by the time I got up, and we talked about her date over coffee. She had a good night but didn’t do the walk of shame—apparently, the guy was someone that she wanted to get to know first. It had been a while since I put that much effort into dating—things got a little wild when I got to college and stitched my broken heart together with a string that had the remnants of several failed relationships.
I don’t regret any of them. I needed to live a little bit after spending all of those years wishing that Trent was going to ride across Cabot Beach on a white horse and sweep me off my feet.
“Alright, I gotta go.” I finished my cup of coffee and put it down on the table. “Will you be home tonight?”
“No, we’re actually going on our second date tonight.” She grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Maybe you’ll have a date for your sister’s wedding?” I asked inquisitively.
“With any luck…” She nodded. “Let’s see how tonight goes first.”
“You’ll have to fill me in tomorrow morning.” I gathered my things and walked to the door.
I wished I had been able to do more research. I was regretting it when I got into the office, but I was the first one there, so I loaded my computer to see what I could get done before everyone else arrived. I usually got the office early, but I rarely beat Trent. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that he had a cot hidden under his desk. I organized the data that I had put together the ni
ght before, compared it to the products that I needed to build the marketing campaign around, and started making a layout. It was a first step, if nothing else.
“You’re in the office early.” Fulton’s voice startled me—I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t hear him walk up.
“Yes.” I turned to him and smiled. “Mr. Rigsby has me working on the Gordon Cosmetics campaign. I wanted to get started as soon as possible.”
“Dedication…” Fulton nodded. “I like that.”
“I’m doing my best.” I looked down and sighed. “When I’m not missing deadlines.”
“That was a head scratcher.” His face twisted into a confused expression. “I thought you would have been a lot more attentive.”
“Yeah…” I nodded quickly.
Damn it. I should tell him the truth and make Trent lie about it again, but I don’t know if Fulton would believe me or not…
“Well, let me know if you need anything. I’m on my way to meet with your boss.” He looked towards Trent’s office. “Oh—he’s not here.”
“He usually is…” I glanced at the closed door.
Why am I covering for him? It’s the truth, but I don’t even owe him that much…
“I’ll catch up with him later.” Fulton shrugged. “Have a good day.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and turned back to my computer.
About ten minutes after Fulton left the floor, Trent finally showed up. He was still early—even if he was later than usual. I considered letting Trent know that his boss was looking for him, but I decided against it. He wasn’t worth the effort that it would take to walk to his office—plus, I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with him. If I could sit at my desk and do my job, I could tolerate his presence. I had been at the company long enough to figure most of the necessities out on my own, even if he didn’t give me any guidance. If I could keep doing that, there was a chance I could survive until I was working for someone else.
Hatefully Yours Page 8
