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“Nat,” I heard Adam say as the door eased open. “Jesus Christ.” He flipped on the lights I’d kept off to keep my brain from sensory overload and walked in with a concerned look.
“Fuck,” I snarled, covering my eyes like a vampire blinded by the light. “What is it?”
“Are you okay?” he said as he rushed to my side.
“No.” He knelt by my chair, put his hand on my back, and I crumbled into a weeping heap onto his shoulder. “My life is a fucking wreck,” I admitted. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
My sobs busted loose, and any chance of ever redeeming my strong qualities in front of this man again was lost. This asshole and I had already gotten into it more than once over many things, namely when he was making adjustments to the bonus and commission structure. I was not the person to let anyone fuck with my money, and he eventually got that loud and clear.
I worked too hard for some greedy prick to try to pull one over on me. He was why I’d procured my broker’s license, so I could eventually open my own agency. The only thing that was stopping me was that I was too fucking busy to switch. If I tried to leave now, I wouldn’t get my commission because the contracts were legally Adam’s since he was the broker, and I’d be damned if I didn’t get every cent from the deals I had in escrow.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I was at myself for showing weakness in front of him. I had no idea how I’d pull myself together and show him I was still the powerhouse who would take his ass to the cleaners if he tried to screw me.
“I need some time off,” I demanded.
That was the truth. I needed to get my shit together. I thought I could work through everything so long as I continued to do my job, but the number of times I’d broken down today proved that was not possible.
“Yes, of course,” he grinned sympathetically. “Take the next two days off. I want you back and refreshed to land this huge opportunity that hit my desk about an hour ago.”
Typically, I would be all smiles and starved for a new challenge, but not today.
“I’m going to need more than just a couple of days,” I said. “I have a lot of shit on my plate that I need to sort out.”
“Do you want to talk about it? Perhaps that will help you?”
I frowned, wondering why this bastard was being such a stiff ass with me instead of giving me what I asked for. “No,” I said with irritation. “I’m not talking about my problems with you, of all people.”
“I can’t lose you for more than a week, Nat. In fact, I won’t lose you for more than a week. So take the rest of this week and see how you feel. Then, I’ll send info on the property we’re looking into for an impressive client. I want you on this. The commission is well over five million with included bonuses.”
I stared at him. “Speaking of commissions and bonuses,” I started, with no tears or smiles. I was just rigid and pissed. “I didn’t see those bonuses before I went to Europe, and I haven’t seen any since I’ve been home. They haven’t been added to any of my commission checks, so where the fuck is my money?”
He rolled his eyes, “Go home and rest. We can talk about it more when you get back.”
“Are you serious? No,” I said, sitting up in my chair and crossing my arms. “Why do you keep dodging the question, Adam?”
“Nat,” he said, seemingly nervous, “please.”
“Don’t fucking please me. I’m the reason this company can afford rent in this part of town, and you know that. So, do not piss me off or lie to me. Are you stealing my money?”
“There’s no way in hell I would do such a thing,” he said, as firm and stiff as I was now. “I just haven’t had Lisa add them to the payroll. Quarterlies come up, and then I’m—”
“Excuses, Adam,” I snapped. “If you hadn’t noticed, I don’t tolerate them from anyone. I don’t even tolerate them for myself. I handle shit.”
“Maybe you should take the time you need,” he said.
“Avoiding me now?”
“No, I just need to get together with Lisa and get your money to you. It’s going to take some time. I believe it’s only been six weeks—”
“Months,” I corrected him. “Six months. I have at least half a million dollars wrapped up in bonuses you failed to pay because you can’t do your fucking job. I have no idea how you own this fucking company.”
“I understand your frustration,” he said.
“You have no idea how frustrated and used I feel at this point. I told you I had enough of a lot of shit going on in my life,” I rose, “and I wasn’t lying. You’ll have my fucking money to me by the end of the week. For now,” I shouldered my handbag, feeling strong, powerful, and in desperate need of tying up loose ends, “I’m off to handle my business. You should do the same.”
“I think you need to slow down. You look like you’re on the warpath.”
“You have no idea what kind of warpath I’m on, and do not tell me to slow down. I want my money, or I quit.”
