Not to give him such time to speculate, she said, “I told you I wanted to learn every aspect of the company from the ground up. So why do I have an office on the fortieth floor?”
He leaned back in his seat. “You’re a Sharpe,” he answered as if that was reason enough. “However, I will comply with yourrequest and make sure that during your first month here, you will engage in extensive cross-training.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“Eloise will be assigning an administrative assistant to you sometime today.”
“I’d rather select my own.”
He lifted a brow. “Any particular reason why?”
There was no need to tell him that she figured anyone Eloise would assign would only serve as a spy. “I just do. I like the young lady who assisted me earlier, Karlie Atworth.”
“What do you know about her?” her grandfather asked, writing the name on a notepad.
“Other than she graduated from NYU last year and was hired here shortly after that, and is currently an HR Assistant, basically nothing. However, I feel she can be trusted. And trust is important to me.”
He stared at her, and she stared back, not caring how he interpreted the statement. “I’ll have Eloise contact the HR Director and let her know.”
“Thank you.”
‘By the way, did Cobra find your office?”
“Yes, he found it.”
“Good.”
“Not sure if it was good or not, especially for him.”
Richard Sharpe frowned. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “I might have offended his sensibilities.”
Her grandfather chuckled. The sound surprised her. She couldn’t recall a time she’d heard him laugh. Around her, he was always serious. “Offended his sensibilities? I know Cobra a lot better than you do, and he can hold his own, trust me.”
“Well, I don’t particularly like him.”
He chuckled again. “Then I guess it’s a good thing he’s not trying to win a popularity contest.”
Desiree pretended to pull a non-existent thread on her jacket. “You obviously like him.” She knew that he did, but wanted to see if her opinion of Cobra had any bearing on him.
“Yes, I like him. I also respect him. And I often tell him that he’s the only snake that I trust. A cobra is a venomous snake that raises its hood when threatened. It serves as a defense mechanism. They don’t take intimidation well.”
She wondered if her grandfather was telling her that for a reason. In case he was, she said, “And I’m a Sharpe. I possess an edge that can cut things into pieces. Even venomous snakes.”
Desiree actually smiled at the thought of that, and some of the anger and frustration she’d felt since her disagreement with Cobra eased out of her.
Standing, she said, “Thanks for meeting with me. Unless there is something else, I’ll return to my office now.”
“Not right now, no.”
Nodding, Desiree walked out.
***
“You weren’t in the best mood this weekend, Cobra, so I thought I’d brighten your day by sharing some news that came across my desk this morning.”
Cobra slid into the chair behind his desk. “There was nothing wrong with my mood this weekend, Straw.”
