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"What—I mean," She shakes her head and drops her tone, "why do I need to wait, sir?"
I lift the file.
"I'm not satisfied with what I'm seeing here. Some inconsistencies need to be fixed and—"
"I'll fix it," Harper says as she strides through the room and back to my desk, reaching for the file in my hand.
Smartly, I snatch it back with seconds to spare. "What are you trying to do?"
"Fix my errors, sir. I need your approval as soon as possible so I don't fall behind schedule."
She shouldn't have said that. Now I have more ammo.
I smirk. "Do you know where the errors are? And," I continue as she opens her mouth to reply, "I never asked you to fix them. I intend to do that myself. How long it will take depends on my satisfaction, and then you can proceed."
I almost break character when her lips part in shock. I knew it was only a matter of time before I figured something out that would render her speechless.
"You—I can fix them, sir. This is my forte, and the reason you hired me."
Shrugging, I fold my arms and lean back. "You came to me about a fault that wasn't in your area of expertise, claiming it had to be fixed or it would affect the entire project. If you know so much, why do you think I would not also be proficient in cybersecurity?"
"It is my project and my company, after all," I deliver the final blow. "I will let you know when to proceed, Miss Quinn. You may go."
After standing in front of my desk for a couple of seconds too long, she turns on her heels.
"Stubborn, flightless bird. I wonder how he ever gets any work done," I hear her mutter under her breath, and the victory smile on my face drops.
"What did you say?"
Like a deer in headlights, Harper comes to a halt. Then, realizing it gave her away, she resumes walking.
Oh no, I heard that.
"Miss Quinn," I call out. "What did you say?"
But her steps are too fast that she escapes through the door and slams it shut before I can get up from my chair. I sit back down again, completely flabbergasted. I'm confident I heard that right.
She called me a stubborn, flightless bird. What does that mean? I have never been called a bird my whole life, much less a stubborn, flightless one.
And something tells me she would have said it to my face if we weren't in the workplace. With her hands thrust on her hips and her chin tilted at that "come get me angle," Harper Quinn would have called me a bird and maybe something else, and I hate to think what that might be.
"She is something," I mutter as I struggle to understand the scene that played out seconds ago.
Unable to sit still, I stand and pace around my office. I stop in front of a window, shaking my head. "Me, a stubborn flightless bird? If anything, she should be telling herself the same words. Stubborn, obstinate, annoying," I list qualities I think belong to Harper Quinn.
"You do realize that all those words can be used to describe you, right?"
I whirl around to see Caleb standing in my office.
"The door?" I say. "Knocking? Has everyone forgotten I'm the CEO?"
"Whoa, did something happen?" he asks.
"No," I snap, returning to my chair.
Caleb wags his finger. "I don't believe you. Something happened, and it has to do with Harper Quinn."
"How do you… never mind."
