Page 108 of Under Her

“Like you didn’t give your idea to Coveted Lingerie and then pull our order from Niran, so they could take over the deal instead.”

“No!” she gasps. “That doesn’t even make any sense! I don’t even know anyone at Coveted Lingerie!”

“Sure you don’t.”

“I don’t! This was my idea!” She slams a hand to her chest. “Why would I give it to them when I work here for you? Think logically, Wilder. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I have thought about it. Maybe Coveted offered you more money. A better position in the company. Who the fuck knows? But what I do know is, you canceled the silk order with Ananda two days ago. And then, a few hours later, Coveted contacted Niran and bought up all the silk from our canceled order. And, just under an hour ago, they announced their brand-new range of plus-sized luxury bras at affordable prices.”

“No.” Her hand covers her mouth.

I see her hand shaking, but I can’t register anything but the blind rage I feel at her betrayal.

“But…but they can’t do that. Niran can’t do that! He can’t just sell our silk to them. He signed a contract with us.”

“Which you canceled.”

“I didn’t cancel it!”

“Just stop, Morgan. Just fucking stop. I’ve heard enough of the lies. I know the truth. And, now, I’m telling you that you’re fired. Effective immediately. You’ve got ten minutes to pack your shit and get out.”

Her lip trembles, eyes glazing with tears.

But I don’t feel a damn thing. It’s like my brain shut down all sense of feeling the second I realized that Morgan had betrayed me. Leaving me with the only source of emotion that I’m currently capable of feeling—anger.

I watch as she sucks in a breath. Then, she turns and walks away from me, going behind her desk. When she turns back around, her face is a mask.

“Fine,” she says, her voice stiff and cold. “But expect a call from my lawyer first thing tomorrow morning for unfair dismissal.”

Well, if those words aren’t like gasoline to my already-roaring flame.

I let out a disgusted laugh.

I can’t believe I loved this woman.

Still do love this woman.

“You’re fucking unbelievable.” I take large, menacing steps toward her, stopping when I reach the desk. Looking across at her, I press my hands to the wood and lean forward. I’m practically breathing fire. “You sue us for unfair dismissal, and I’ll haul your ass into court for breach of contract. You signed a contract, Morgan. And in that contract was a nondisclosure clause. Meaning you weren’t allowed to tell the competition a single thing about what work you did here. The plus-sized line might have initially been your idea, but the moment you told it to me, on company time, in a meeting, it became Under Her’s idea. And that, sweetheart, means you broke your contract. And I promise you this, by the time my lawyers are done with you, you’ll be back to pouring coffee in Starbucks, where you fucking belong.”

Have you ever hit someone?

I have. In grade school. I got in a fight with Thomas Purdy. He called me a faggot because my parents sold women’s underwear for a living. Gotta love a kid’s logic. Anyway, I clocked him right in the face. It was a good punch. But the point I’m getting to is, when I hit him—just right after my fist smashed into his face, and I pulled my hand away—there was this look in his eyes. Shock. Like he couldn’t actually believe that I had just hit him.

That’s the exact same look that Morgan has right now. Like she can’t believe that I actually just said those words to her.

It was probably the same look I was wearing when she slapped me in Thailand.

Well, now, you know how it feels, baby.

Only I don’t feel better for it.

And you know what’s worse?

She doesn’t react the way I expected her to.

I thought she’d tell me to fuck off. Yell at me. Maybe even slap me again.

But she does none of those things.