Without Apology (Without Series Book 1)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  I didn’t exactly see a woman like Peyton, who cared so much for her team, understand a man like me, whom they sometimes referred to as the ice man. Yes, I was the one who terminated employees. I often sat there while grown women and men cried about losing their livelihoods, and I felt nothing. Not because I actually didn’t. I wasn’t that much of a cold bastard. But because I’d mastered the art of shutting myself off from that part of my brain while doing a job. I had to. I stayed professional and passed the Kleenex. At the end of the day, I wasn’t the one selling the company or buying it. I was simply the one delivering the message. At least with this company, if we did go through with it, there wouldn’t be too many terminations.

  “What if the audit doesn’t go well, and you’re on a plane by Saturday?” Emma asked me.

  “I told her it was a possibility. With any luck, that won’t be the case.”

  When Tom came into the office fifteen minutes later, the frigid greeting Emma gave him made the temperature drop. To say she couldn’t stand him was an understatement. And not in a way where there was sexual tension, but rather a purely want-to-stab-him-in-the-face-with-a-fork kind of way.

  He, on the other hand, fed on riling her up with condescending remarks. She tried very hard not to let him see when he’d succeeded in getting to her. Where I could, I mediated, but at the end of the day, I could barely stand the guy, either. But we had to work with him. He was the boss’s nephew.

  This time, however, he chose to set his target on me. “Where the hell were you this morning?”

  “I came in early. Is George here yet?”

  “I believe he’s downstairs. Told me he wanted to bring two of his directors with him into this morning’s meeting. I’ll go down and get him shortly.”

  “Fine. Do we have the files on all of the directors?” There were five in total, and it was imperative that they be the most scrutinized of any of the employees. Having the right management was critical to the success of any acquisition.

  “Yes. I’d planned to give them to you this morning at the hotel.”

  I fixed my icy glare on the man, taking in his slicked-back hair, three-thousand-dollar suit, and even more expensive watch. He might try to look as if he was in charge, but there was one person our boss trusted with the go/no-go decision. And Tom wasn’t it. “You can give them to me now. Who are the key players?”

  Emma squeezed out the door of my office, not wanting to be part of this exchange. I didn’t blame her.

  “Fine. There are two key people. The accounting director—I forget her name. And the payroll director, Jeff. He applied for the CFO position.”

  I paused, thinking it curious. “And she didn’t?”

  He shrugged. “Not as of Friday, but the owner says she’s the point person for the audit. He said he’s going to allow her to pick her team, who she wants to stay.”

  “That’s not how it works. We interview everyone to ensure they will be assets to the company, including her.”

  Nobody was exempt from the process. People got emotional about their staff losing their jobs. Because of this, they sometimes kept people around who didn’t pull their weight. No one decided who stayed except me.

  “I told the owner that. But he’s adamant. Says she has the best staff and can choose which ones we interview and which we don’t.”

  “Then I’ll have to reiterate to George that isn’t part of the deal. No one outside of my team chooses who stays. In any case, we’ll meet with her this morning to get started on the list of audit items we need and to make certain she’s on board.” I didn’t like when things were out of order. Once again, I had a weird feeling.

  “I’ll go downstairs and get George. Hopefully, both directors are here at the office, too.”

  “Good.” Tom strode out the door.

  “God, this space is awful. The walls are practically cardboard,” Emma complained, coming back into the conference room. “I could hear every word in here from all the way out by my desk.”

  “Just bloody fantastic.” We’d have to keep the terrible acoustics in mind, especially when it came to interviews. The last thing I wanted was to have someone waiting able to overhear another person being interviewed. Or to have Tom eavesdropping on my conversations with Emma.

  Although I trusted her implicitly, I didn’t have the same trust in Tom.

  “Things just got cozy. Guess there will be no private telephone for you, lover boy.”

  I rolled my eyes at her teasing and finally placed the flower delivery for today. If everything went smoothly this first couple of days, I hoped to be able to sneak out on Wednesday to meet her for dinner.

  But it turned out I didn’t have to wait that long. Ten minutes later in walked the very object of my thoughts.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Simon

  Along with Peyton was Tom, George, and a man I hadn’t met before who I assumed was Jeff, the payroll director.

  George was the first to speak as Peyton and I simply stood stunned, staring at one another across the conference room table.

  “Good morning, Simon, Emma. I’d like you to meet the woman who keeps the wheels on the bus here at Maddox Consulting. This is Peyton Waters. Also, my Director of Payroll, Jeff Faison—”

  He was finishing the introductions, but I couldn’t hear him. Instead, blood was roaring in my ears. Meanwhile, I saw her face drain of color. Our eyes remained locked until I heard Emma clear her throat, cuing me to say something. “Nice to meet you both.”

  Peyton spoke quietly as if still in shock. “You, too.”

  How the hell was it she was the director of accounting of the company we were about to acquire? I wasn’t sure what to do. Luckily, after we all took seats at the conference room table, George took the lead. Peyton focused on him as he started speaking.

  Emma kicked me, not so gently, under the table. When I turned her way, her raised brow asked, ‘Is this who I think it is?’

  My tight grimace in return told her, ‘Yes.’

  Her face expressed what we were both thinking.

  Fuck.

  George thought to ease his directors into the purpose of the meeting. But it wasn’t going to work on Peyton because she had to know exactly what my presence here meant.

  “We’re planning to conduct an audit. Simon, Tom and Emma here will be leading the effort.”

  “What type of audit?” she boldly asked.

  “I figured it’s a good idea to get some outside auditing. We’re not a public company, but it’ll be a good way to get some advice on things,” George tried to explain. He was obviously a man who didn’t lie often or well.

  Peyton didn’t miss a beat. “Because you’re planning to sell the company.”

  Only Jeff looked shocked and immediately spoke up. “No way. I mean who wants a local consulting company coming off not-the-greatest quarter?”

  George gave him a scowl before answering. “Hopefully, yes, I am looking to sell the company. But I need you, Peyton, and your team to help the Stone Group with the evaluation these next couple of weeks. None of our staff can know about the sale until it goes through. Which means I have to trust you’ll keep it confidential. For now, make sure both of your teams are only aware we’re being audited. I’m sorry. But this company has outgrown being a one-man show. It needs a board and an investment of time and energy I unfortunately don’t have any longer. Carol, she just beat cancer. And we want to travel the world, enjoy our grandbabies, and fully retire.”

  The older gentleman reached out his hand, and Peyton took it. She was offering empathy to George despite the fact he’d just turned her life upside down. Normally, such a scene wouldn’t have affected me. But this was Peyton. This time it did affect me. And I hated the foreign emotion, feeling all sorts of vulnerable in a place I’d always worn impenetrable armor.

  I noticed he didn’t offer the same apology to Jeff, who still appeared stunned. He did have enough composure, though, to inquire, “What about the CFO job? Did you make a decision?�
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  George answered, “We have not made a determination. I’ve asked Simon and his team to do the interviews since the CFO position is integral to the future of the company.”

  “Who all applied?”

  “You and Peyton, along with some external candidates.”

  Bloody hell. This kept getting worse. Of course, this had to be the promotion she’d talked about during dinner. That meant I would be interviewing her.

  “And what happens to the staff? If the purchase goes through?” Peyton posed the question.

  Tom spoke up, and I hated his tone immediately. “Lucky for them, they’ll be interviewed for jobs in the new company. It’s up to them to display the right attitude in order to stay.”

  Peyton focused her amber eyes on Tom. They were full of a temper I never could’ve imagined erupting from her. “Did you actually say lucky for them? Lucky, that some employees who’ve worked here for thirty years will have to reapply and re-interview for their jobs?”

  I was both proud of her for standing up and cringing on the inside. It wasn’t helping her chances at CFO to piss off Tom as he did have some influence with his uncle.

  Tom opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. “It was a poor choice of words. What Mr. Sanders should have said is if we go through with the purchase, we will evaluate each employee, using interviews, past performance evaluations, and of course, asking for input from management. Some of the more tenured employees may not want to go through with the change. In that case, they will be offered either early retirement or a generous severance package, depending on their circumstances. But the overall goal will be to retain as many employees as possible. George can attest to that.”

  My voice, although steady, was not it’s normal ice man quality. I was letting emotion get the best of me. She looked beautiful. And the fact I’d just been flirting with her via text thinking of the kiss we’d shared shortly before this meeting wasn’t helping. I clenched my fist, willing myself to regain control of the situation.

  Jeff shrugged. “Hey, I’m a team player. Whatever helps the bottom line. You let me know, and I’ll do it.”

  I knew this was the man Peyton had been talking about at dinner, so I might have had some prejudice, but I felt it fair to say the man was a suck up.

  For a moment, my mind entertained the idea she might have known all along about the acquisition. She could then have set up my opinion regarding Jeff on our date. But when I remembered her shock on first seeing me here, I tended to believe this entire thing was simply a bizarre coincidence. Or maybe that’s what I wanted.

  “Yes, well, good to hear one of you is a team player.” Tom simply couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

  George turned a glare on Tom and then Jeff. “Being loyal to your team is a quality to admire.”

  We were way off topic. “I wouldn’t argue that point. Now, then, we have a number of items necessary for the audit.”

  Emma passed out a hard copy of a spreadsheet with over one hundred fifty tasks on it.

  “I’ll make sure you both are emailed soft copies, too. Let me repeat what George already said. The potential sale of this company is confidential. I expect you to keep it that way until the audit is complete, and a purchase decision is made.”

  Peyton glanced over the spreadsheet, probably realizing eighty-five percent of the items were for her.

  “If there isn’t anything else, I think this meeting is adjourned,” George declared, obviously ready to be done.

  He wasn’t the only one. I’d reached my breaking point when it came to trying unsuccessfully not to stare at Peyton across the table.

  The room cleared, with the exception of Emma and I. She whispered, “I really like your girlfriend.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Peyton

  My hands were shaking. Only pure adrenaline had got me through the meeting once I laid eyes on Simon. Well, that and the love I had for my staff. Although the last thing I wanted was to accompany George to get coffee afterward, I forced myself to go. Because I liked and respected the guy and I understood his intentions were in the right place. But I hated to have to keep this a secret for who-knew-how long, and then have someone else decide who could be let go from my team.

  “You doing okay?” George asked as we stood in line at the busy Starbucks.

  “Not really.” Although Simon was three quarters of my off kilter, I focused on the job and the owner. “I get it, George. I mean all of your reasons make sense, but it’s still a bit of a shock.”

  “I told Tom I’d like for you to pick who on your staff stays—no interviews—but I have a hunch Simon won’t allow that dog to hunt.”

  “No. I don’t see that either.” It was clear the cool and unaffected man in the meeting, a person I thought I’d begun to know, was someone who typically got his way in the boardroom.

  “You have my vote for CFO, and I’ll ensure they know it. But if you don’t want to stay, you’ll get one hell of a severance package.”

  “I care about my team. That’s why I applied for the position to begin with.” I recognized that going off on one of the people who’d likely be interviewing me probably wasn’t the best career move.

  His kind eyes brimmed with tears. “This isn’t an easy decision for me. But the last three years have been rough. In light of the fact I’ll be making money, I realize that might be hard to believe.”

  I believed it. The company was too large for one man to be the end all, be all. We needed new systems, better strategy, and a long-term vision. “Don’t go getting emotional, or I will, too. At the end of the day, I completely understand the why. And you certainly don’t have to justify it to anyone, let alone me. Please know I’ll do whatever I can to make the next couple of weeks run smoothly with the audit.”

  We spoke a bit more about the business until I had to leave for my ten o’clock staff meeting. Where I had to pretend everything was business as usual. To look at their faces and know there was potential some might lose their jobs.

  But I managed it, simply stressing during the meeting that I’d be heavily involved with an audit over the next week and therefore not as available as usual. After that, I was anxious to get back into my office, shut my door, and check my phone to see if Simon had contacted me. But nothing. Not one text, email, or call. That annoyed me. He couldn’t even say something like he couldn’t believe the luck? Or ask me to meet him somewhere, so he could explain the coincidence?

  Then it hit me straight in the gut. What if he’d known? What if I’d been targeted, so he could find out inside information about the company? But then I stopped this train of thought. For one thing, I’d been the one to start our conversation in the checkout line. For another, what had he gained by seeking me out? It wasn’t as though I’d given him any information about the company. If anything, I’d done myself a disservice by telling him I might take a promotion simply because I didn’t want my asshole co-worker to get it.

  Deciding it wouldn’t be out of the norm if I were to go up to his floor to chat about the spreadsheet he’d given me, I grabbed the list, made a couple of notes to make my mission appear legit, and went upstairs. I only hoped he was half as anxious as I was to hash this out.

  I was nervous when I got off the elevator. I hated being nervous, especially at work. But considering my worlds had just collided, I supposed it couldn’t be helped. As I stepped off on Simon’s floor, I saw him alone in his office typing on his laptop. His assistant, Emma, who was way too gorgeous for my liking, with her dark hair, killer body, and model-worthy face, was on the phone. Deciding fate might have given me a boon, I threw her a smile and slipped inside his office, knocking on the open door as I did so.

  “Excuse me. Do you have a moment?”

  He looked shocked to see me. Before he could say anything, Tom walked in, looking equally surprised to find me there. “What do you need?” Tom asked.

  I swallowed hard, wishing like hell Tom wasn’t there. “I had some questions on the spreadsheet. Also
George indicated I might be able to choose which staff could bypass the interview process.”

  Tom spoke up. “George is incorrect. We will be interviewing everyone.”

  “While taking into account the management feedback on each employee?” My gaze darted between to two men, but it was Tom who answered.

  “Not if we determine, while interviewing management, that they aren’t qualified to make the assessment.”

  I was about to retort to the asshole when Simon interrupted.

  “Ms. Waters, correct?”

  I had to clench my fist. He was acting so cold, pretending not to know me or even remember my name. “Yes.”

  “This isn’t personal as we’re all here to do a job. That job includes interviewing everyone. But yes, we will take reviews and management input into consideration. Now, then, if you have questions on the audit sheet, you can email them.”

  His dismissive tone sent a chill through me, and I answered on auto pilot, “I’ll be sure to do that, then.”

  “Brilliant.”

  I waited a heartbeat. Waited for him to make an excuse to walk me down or see me to the elevator to have a word. But nothing came. Since we had an audience, I couldn’t say anything about it.

  But then as I turned on my heel to leave, his voice stopped me.

  “Also, Ms. Waters, take note that I have an assistant, Emma, who sits outside of this space. In the future, I expect you to consult with her as to whether I’m free to see you. No more barging upstairs. You should have her contact information on the spreadsheet she emailed you. If you need to request a meeting in the future, she can work with my schedule to set it up.”

  I sucked in a breath, all sorts of hurt from his words and dismissive tone. “You won’t need to worry about any other interruptions from me, Mr. Granger.”

  How? How could this possibly be the man from Saturday night?

  CHAPTER NINE

  Peyton

  I was a mix between hurt and angry. The collision of my personal life with my work life had caught me completely off guard. Mostly my pride stung from the way Simon had dismissed me so coolly. I recognized we’d only been out once, and he didn’t owe me anything, but dammit, he didn’t have to make me feel like a fool. It seemed a cruel joke that I’d have to work with this other version of him over the next few weeks.