by Bella Rose
“Thank you.” She gave him a nod of appreciation. “I really enjoy software development, and your firm is doing some truly wonderful things in the security division. I look forward to collaborating with your team and learning from them.”
He pursed his lips. “I bet you do.”
“I’m sorry?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking that you seem as though you’re truly excited to be starting here at Maximov.”
“I am.” She couldn’t say any more than that. There had never been such an awkward moment before in her life. There were so many things she wanted to say. She wanted to ask him why the two of them hadn’t realized that they would be working together. She wanted to know if this would be a problem. And mostly she was hoping that she wasn’t going to get fired because she had accidentally slept with the boss before she knew he was the boss.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she whispered suddenly. “About the weekend?”
His expression softened. “I never thought you would.”
She bit her lip, then said, “I had a wonderful time.”
“So did I.” He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but instead he just turned and walked away. Landry had no choice but to sit back down and continue watching mundane videos detailing the horrors that could happen if one employee got romantically involved with another.
Chapter Six
Maxim headed back to his office to regroup. He was still trying to get over the shock of seeing Landry in his conference room. She was going to be part of his software development team. That did not just make her off limits. She was essentially forbidden fruit. So why did his brain keep going over the myriad of ways that he could get around the no-dating-a-coworker-or-subordinate policy?
“Mr. Sokolov?” Taylor popped into his office about thirty seconds after he sat down. “Is there something wrong?”
“Why would you think that?” he asked quickly.
Her left brow raised in a quizzical expression. “Because I saw you in the conference room with the new employee and then you basically bolted out of there as if there was something terribly wrong.” Taylor seemed to be thinking hard. “Did she say something inappropriate? She seems really sweet and very eager to please. If we need to terminate her though, that’s your call.”
“No,” he said quickly. Was it too quickly? Taylor’s expression seemed to suggest that it had been. “I think she’ll work out just fine. I’m not sure what you thought you saw, but there was no problem. I’m just preoccupied thinking about my travel arrangements for tomorrow.”
“You’re on travel?” Taylor frowned. “I don’t think I was aware of this.”
Maxim curled his lip and then brought his temper back under swift control. “That’s probably because I don’t clear my schedule through you, Ms. Pearson.”
“Oh that’s not what I meant to say,” she backpedaled quickly. “I was just not aware that you were traveling. We had a meeting tomorrow that we expected you to head up. That’s all. I’ll just have to reorganize the agenda.”
“Meeting?” Why did it always feel as if there were things going on at Maximov that he was unaware of? Some days it felt as though his own company was outside his control. Not a good feeling at all.
“Yes.” She glanced down. Was she unable to meet his gaze about this? That did not bode well at all. “We’re designing the next set of updates to the software and we’re meeting to discuss the documentation.”
Documentation was a very serious and very important phase of development. The requirements that had already been established for the upgrade needed to be itemized and then the steps taken to meet the new requirements had to be written down in a fair amount of detail so that clients would know exactly what they were getting. Not only that, but there was a truth in advertising aspect to the process as well.
“If that is the meeting you’re having tomorrow,” Maxim said icily, “then I suppose I had better be sure I’m there.”
***
Landry yawned and tried to cover it with her hand. It was nearly noon. Surely she was almost done with the new hire videos by now? Suddenly she spotted Taylor motoring toward the conference room door with long, ground-eating strides. The woman looked peeved, though Landry couldn’t imagine why.
“So.” Taylor walked in and sat down. Behind her, the video was still playing. Oddly, the skit on the screen was about conflict resolution. “What happened when Mr. Sokolov walked in here?”
Mr. Sokolov. It took Landry a moment to place the name. Maxim. Taylor was talking about Maxim. Crap! Had he said something? Surely not. That meant Taylor was most likely reading into something that Maxim had said or done. It was Landry’s turn to either play it cool or play it dumb, or maybe a little bit of both.
She cleared her throat. “Mr. Sokolov was very polite. He simply welcomed me to the team and asked if I had any questions. Nothing else was said. I don’t suppose he would have anything else to say to me. I don’t have any information about the current projects or upgrades yet, and I’ve not had a chance to formulate anything intelligent to say to the man. You know?” Then Landry sat forward in her chair. “Why? Was he displeased? I hope not. I would hate to screw up on my first day here.”
“No.” Taylor pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. “He said pretty much the same thing.”
“Oh, well that’s good. Right?” Landry was trying to figure out what was going on here. Was Taylor somehow trying to weasel her way into a promotion or something?
Taylor turned her gaze toward Landry. “Let me just make something very clear.”
“All right.”
“I’m the lead developer in this division.”
Landry was taken aback. She had not been aware that position existed in the company hierarchy. When it came to software development, the company mission statement and literature suggested that Mr. Sokolov was very hands on and did not have a project lead other than himself.
Taylor wasn’t done. “That means everything you do goes through me before Mr. Sokolov sees it.”
Now Landry saw where this was going. Taylor was trying to take developmental credit for everyone else’s work. Dammit. Why did this company have to turn out to be just like any other place on the planet? There was always one person who attempted to use everyone else like a bunch of stepping stones.
“Do you understand what I’m getting at?”
Landry wasn’t sure if it was the twenty-four hours she had spent in Maxim’s bed, or her own personal gumption, but there was no way she was going to just roll over and play dead here. “Oh yes. I absolutely see what you’re getting at, Ms. Pearson.” Landry gave the other woman an arch stare. “And don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get every bit of credit coming your way.”
***
Three times. Taylor Pearson had been in his office three times now in one day. Maxim was pretty sure that this was a record, and not a good one. As Taylor stomped her way into his office, Maxim wondered who had managed to piss her off so thoroughly. Then he remembered that Landry was now employed in his company and knew exactly what was going on.
“She has to go,” Taylor informed him.
Maxim sighed, refusing to look up from his laptop screen. “Who has to go?”
“The new girl,” Taylor sniped. “That Landry person.”
“I thought you liked her.” Maxim was actually enjoying this. That was rather demented. “You told me that you thought she was sweet. Yes, I believe that was the word you used.”
“Yes, that was before I realized that she is not a team player.” Taylor had the nerve to flop down in one of the overstuffed leather chairs in front of his desk. “She’s not going to be a team player at all. In fact, I get the feeling that she’s ready to step all over everyone else in this department just to get your attention and force her way up the corporate ladder.”
“There’s not really a hierarchical ladder in this division, Ms. Pearson,” Maxim reminded her. “Everyone gets bonuses based upon their wor
k, but they are all equal in standing within my division except when it comes to years of experience. I respect and reward innovation and experience in the field. So there is no leader, no supervisor, and no top dog except myself. Very simple, I think.”
He saw Taylor Pearson bristle and knew that he’d hit a nerve. There had been several long-time employees who had come to him in the past with complaints that Taylor had set herself above everyone, claiming that he had named her the project “lead.” The way Maxim figured it, Landry hadn’t been willing to buy into that nonsense and now Taylor wanted her gone before she “infected” the rest of the division. Which—as far as Maxim was concerned—meant that Landry was exactly what this company needed. Taylor did not work in human resources, but she knew people who did. That meant Taylor’s contact generally hired men with poor social skills or a lack of confidence in personal interactions. If women were hired at all, they were unattractive and completely lacked any sort of social graces. For some reason Taylor Pearson had assumed that Maxim was unaware of how things had been at his company. He wasn’t. He had just been too busy to take things in hand.
“I like Ms. Tobin,” Maxim murmured. “She stays. If there are any further problems with her attitude, you can refer her directly to me.”
Taylor gnashed her teeth as her eyes flashed fire. “If you say so, sir. But I’d like to say for the record that I just don’t think she’s going to last long.”
***
“I’m Dinah Young.”
“Cooper Pendergast.”
“Adam Freeman.”
Landry was going to have a hard time remembering everyone. She knew that much. “Wow! This department is bigger than I thought it was,” she told them. “Please don’t be offended if I don’t remember all of you at first. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just so bad with names, right?”
Dinah beamed at her. “At least you’re up front about it.”
“Of course.” Landry grinned back, feeling a little more comfortable with Dinah. “And I really appreciate you all being so welcoming!”
Cooper and Adam shared a knowing look. “You mean you didn’t get a friendly vibe from Taylor?”
Landry wasn’t exactly sure what to say about that. This was her first day. She didn’t want to be caught trashing another employee before she’d even gotten her first paycheck.
“Oh you can be honest,” Cooper said wearily. “Taylor Pearson is such a bitch. We all take turns keeping a watch out for her.”
“And let me warn you,” Adam began darkly. “You need to keep an eye on your work. If you come up with an idea that seems really innovative and good, Taylor will steal it so fast your head will spin. She considers it her right as project lead.”
“A position that doesn’t exist,” Landry pointed out. “I don’t understand that. Why doesn’t Mr. Sokolov do something about that?”
“He’s really busy.” Dinah was quick to defend him. “I know he’ll deal with it eventually.”
“I suppose I can understand that,” Landry murmured. “So where’s my desk? I’d like to get started as soon as possible. I’ve been so psyched to start here and I want to dig in, you know?”
“Oh I was exactly like that!” Dinah exclaimed. “Here. There is an empty spot right next to my desk. You’re welcome to be my roommate.”
“And Dinah is the best one to protect you from Taylor,” Adam informed Landry. “Taylor hates Dinah.”
“Why?”
“Six months ago I came up with a really grand idea for a new way to deal with privacy settings on one of our client servers, right?” Dinah looked almost sick to her stomach. “Then when Taylor sweeps in and tells me she’s going to go present my idea to the boss, I told her no.”
Cooper was already laughing. “So Taylor waits until Dinah goes to lunch and tries to steal the file off her computer, only Dinah here is a whiz with her own security.”
“So Taylor couldn’t steal anything,” Dinah said with satisfaction. “And I scheduled my own appointment with Mr. Sokolov, presented my idea, and got a big fat bonus all to myself.”
“That just seems so unfair,” Landry muttered. “You know, I was hoping to leave high school behind eventually. I thought I did when I went to college, but it was still there. Now apparently the whole high school cheerleading bitch attitude has leaked into my new professional life too.”
Chapter Seven
Maxim leaned back in his chair, pressed his fingertips together, and tried like hell to keep his gaze from wandering over to Landry. She sat very still and prim at the conference table. Her expression was alert, although she had a stellar poker face that did not tell him one iota of what she might be thinking at the moment. She appeared composed and very self-possessed. She was certainly unique in the room. The company dress code was very lax. Employees dressed pretty much as they liked. Maxim had seen a few come to work in pajama bottoms. If they got their projects completed on time and under budget, he didn’t care what they wore. Taylor always looked as if she were expecting someone to crown her CEO at every moment. Short straight skirts, suit jackets, that sort of thing. Dinah was the other end of the spectrum in her leggings and baggy sweaters. Landry seemed to prefer long flowing cotton skirts and comfy tops. There was no hint of the killer curves Maxim knew lay beneath all that fabric, but maybe he didn’t have to see to want.
He took note of the way the other employees in the department seemed to have immediately warmed to Landry. Landry and Dinah sat close with Cooper and Adam on either side of them. There were only four additional employees in the division, including Taylor. Unfortunately, the other three were basically her lackeys. It was obvious looking at the conference table how things were stacked.
“So you can see that we have this documentation and requirement process well in hand,” Taylor was saying. “Is there anything else we can do for you, Mr. Sokolov?”
“Actually,” Maxim began with deliberate laziness, “I’d like to hear what the other side of the room has to say.”
Taylor’s mouth thinned into a line. She glared over at the “other side of the room” like she was daring them to open their mouths and gainsay her in any way. Maxim was not surprised when Landry returned the challenge with a sweet smile.
“You know,” Landry said confidently, “item number ten and item forty-five really need rewording. There are a few other instances of this issue in the document, but these two are blatant.”
“Excuse me?” Taylor huffed. “Those are perfectly legitimate numbers.”
“Yes, but why would our company ever want to make specific claims like those? Being unable to control all of the variables in a situation where a client has the product in hand, we should not make specific claims such as promising a fifty-percent reduction in security breaches over the first six months of implementation.” Landry finally looked right at Maxim. “If we are unable—for any reason—to make that happen to exacting specifications, we would be liable for damages.”
“Good point,” Maxim said smoothly. Then he turned to Taylor. “I suggest simply promising a reduction and not giving a specific number.”
“But fifty percent is vague,” Taylor argued. She stood up and practically loomed over Landry despite the fact that there was a huge table between them. “We can easily reduce security breaches by fifty percent. We hardly have any reportable breaches to begin with.”
“Exactly,” Landry pointed out. “So you’re saying fifty percent. Yet fifty percent for one company might be one. Just one slipup could mean the difference between keeping our word and getting slapped with a lawsuit. That seems highly subjective, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know why we’re listening to her anyway!” Taylor burst out. “She started here yesterday! Her opinion is completely irrelevant.”
Maxim could actually see Landry bristle beneath Taylor’s onslaught. Obviously Taylor Pearson was more than just threatened by Landry Tobin. It was refreshing. In fact, Maxim felt like giving Landry a raise just to piss Taylor off a little more.<
br />
He gave himself a mental shake at that point. Why was he feeling so aggressive toward Taylor? If he felt that way toward her, he needed to reprimand her, or even fire her if that was what it took. This was his company. It wasn’t as if he needed a reason to fire Taylor. Other than the fact that he knew she would not make a pleasant enemy. Even to a man like him.
“Ms. Pearson,” Maxim stood up, “let’s go to my office and have a chat. Shall we?”
Taylor seemed to realize that she had crossed the line. “I’m sorry, sir. I am.” She cast a sideways glance at Landry—who, to her credit, was looking more confused than satisfied. “I didn’t mean to speak out of turn. I was just trying to protect the integrity of this company.”
“Now,” Maxim growled.
With a huffy little toss of her head, Taylor stomped out of the conference room and down the hall to Maxim’s corner office. He followed her in and shut the door. He could only imagine the whispers happening back at the conference table. But it was high time that he nipped this little problem in the backside.
Taylor whipped around and pointed a finger aggressively at Maxim. He fell back a step, surprised by her immediate attack. “Look here, Mr. Sokolov. I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re not thinking with your head when it comes to little miss Landry.”
“Excuse me?” He raised his brows.
“It was obvious the minute you met her in the conference room yesterday,” Taylor informed him. Her expression turned stormy. “I know men often experience that lightning-fast arousal, but I can promise you she’s a sexual harassment suit waiting to happen. I even heard her talking about it to her new little friends yesterday.”
“Did you?” Maxim murmured. His brain began to spin. Could Taylor be right? Was Landry planning to capitalize on the attraction she knew that he felt for her? That was very much unlike her, yet it would not be the first time he was wrong about someone’s intentions.
“She was telling them that she knew she could get some special treatment because she could tell you were attracted to her.” The triumphant expression on Taylor’s face angered Maxim more than the pushy little twit could possibly realize.
