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Performance evaluation, my arse.
This was nothing but an opportunity for him to express his delight at being right about the whole Lennon thing.
A conversation I was vehemently opposed to, I wished the record to note.
“Sir,” I said, linking my fingers together and resting them on the table before me. “Company guidelines dictate that there must be a forty-eight-hour notice period before a performance review, and they must be accompanied by a written report. I don’t think this qualifies.”
“Then give me ten minutes and I’ll have a written report for you,” he replied smoothly.
“That won’t change the fact your notice was forty-eight minutes, not forty-eight hours.”
He leant forwards. “What are the company guidelines regarding interpersonal office relationships?”
“There are surprisingly few, but I’m almost certain that you and I might have broken every single one of them. Consider that before you continue down this line of questioning.”
Theo checked his watch. “It’s too long until seven p.m.”
I sighed and sat back. “You’re the Vice-President of the company. How on Earth do you have the time to sit here with me and concoct some cockamamie story just to ask me about what Lennon said to me? God only knows I don’t have the time for this, and I’m not you.”
“Oh, good. You know why I want to talk to you. Can we get on with how I was right, and you were wrong now?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t have the time for this. My email inbox is fit to burst.”
“You can get to it soon enough.”
“I insist you let me go now.” I flattened my hands on the table and stood up. “Or you can kiss goodbye to any kind of personal relationship both inside and outside of the office. In fact, I’ll pack my bags right this minute and book a hotel I can charge to the company on the grounds of your unreasonable behaviour.”
His eyes widened. “Unreasonable behaviour?”
“Yes. You’re trampling all over the work-life boundaries we set. I indulged you earlier because I could see that your meeting was stressful, but I can’t do it here where we both live. Surely you can see this is a recipe for disaster.” I stared firmly at him. “Those boundaries must stay firmly in place here in the cottage.”
Theo sighed, dropping his head into his hands. “Yes, I know.”
I lowered myself back to the chair and stared at the table. “Look. I know how you feel about office relationships, but even if I didn’t, there’s no way I ever would have accepted Lennon’s dinner invitation. I don’t do long-distance relationships, nor do I indulge in personal desires when I’m working.” I paused. “Usually.”
He glanced up, his lips quirking into an irritating little smile.
“If you heard him ask me out, you heard me turn him down,” I pointed out. “And before you say anything, he wasn’t working yet, so he wasn’t hitting on me during work hours.”
“I wasn’t concerned about that.”
“Then what were you concerned about?”
“Nothing.” He propped his chin up on his hand and turned to look out of the window. “I just… don’t like sharing.”
I stared at him.
He didn’t like sharing?
What kind of bullshit was that?
“Sharing what? Cake? Coffee? Your newly reignited love of gummy bears?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “And I swear to—” I paused. “Nope. I can’t finish that sentence. I’m still on the clock.”
Theo met my gaze, and there was a darkness edging into his eyes that only grew the longer we held eye contact. “You’re right. I’m the Vice-President of the company. I don’t have time for this ‘cockamamie story’ as you so eloquently put it.”
“You’re being childish.”
“Yes, I am.” He got to his feet, turning away from me. “Even I can be childish, you know.”
