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Gabrielle was getting more and more curious, finding that there was someone Adam could actually be so impressed by. But when she glanced through the menu and saw the prices, she immediately wanted to go running again.
Adam must have been a mind reader. “I could make some recommendations, but you should simply order what you like. The prices are steep, but trust me, the food is worth it. And I’m the boss, so I pay when we go out. Got it?”
“But…”
“What part of I’m the boss didn’t you understand?”
Just before she could think up a retort, Adele walked back to their table. Not wanting to cause a scene, Gabrielle made her order, though she was tempted to ask for the most expensive items on the menu just out of spite. Not that it would make any difference to Mr. Billionaire.
When Adele left them, Gabrielle just sat in angry silence and resorted to her new favorite pastime of calling Adam every unprintable name she knew, in her head only, of course.
“It’s been four days now. How would you rate yourself so far, Ms. Black?” Adam broke the silence with that impersonal tone she was beginning to hate.
“I’d rather hear that from you. Though I can bet you expect me to throw in the towel any minute,” she said drily.
“You’ll get your fair chance, but that’s it. Still, it’s surprising how you seem so determined.”
“At first, it did feel a bit awkward,” she confessed, then stopped short. “I mean, after that night we… um….” Again she stopped, and just gulped down water. Ugh, she’d vowed never to bring that up, ever.
“I’d like to keep my appetite, so why don’t we find a more acceptable topic of discussion?”
How about we don’t even bother discussing anything at all? Gabrielle felt stung. He wasn’t going to make any of this easy for her, she got that. It seemed he didn’t really want her working for him or even talking to him, so why had he given her the job?
Sighing, Gabrielle told herself not to try to understand a man like Adam. If he kept this up, she just might give him what he wanted.
Dispelling those defeated thoughts, she forced a bright smile as if nothing was wrong. “To go back to your first question,” she said resolutely. “I’d rate myself pretty high. Though I’ve worked as a temp before in a business setting, I never really had the chance to get a hang of things. So even with my little experience, I think I’m keeping my head well above water.”
“Your experience…ah. Let’s talk about that,” he murmured. “You had a good education, but chose not to put it to good use for most of your time after college. Jumping from one odd job to another, never really making your mark. That hardly inspires confidence, I’ll confess.”
“None of that was my fault. I tried…”
“Excuses don’t work with me, Ms. Black. With your intelligence and obvious interest in the world around you, you could have made something better of yourself. You just didn’t seem to have much of a purpose, did you? So what has changed?”
Gabrielle was glaring at him. “Meeting you.”
When he cocked his head quizzically, she went on in a rigid tone, “It’s people like you who make me want to fight and never back down, no matter the hurdles. Even when you beat me to the ground with your words, I won’t let it keep me down. That’s my motivation.”
“I wonder how far that will get you,” he murmured, drinking from his water glass. “That’s if I even believe anything you’ve just said. All indications show you’re much too flighty, and given to frivolity. Take for example today with you and Scott, and all your desperate flirting. Judging from what I know of your capricious nature, you obviously think you—”
“Enough!” Her hand smacked down hard on the table, her chest heaving. She couldn’t believe she’d just shouted at him. But she didn’t care about that – or even about getting fired. Not waiting for him to react, she grabbed her bag and walked swiftly out of the restaurant.
The moment she was outside in the open street, Gabrielle felt stupid. She had no clue where she was right now, since she hadn’t paid attention while they’d been driven over. Not letting herself even think, she just starting walking to her left, not caring if she was going in the right direction.
After five minutes, she saw a bus stop with waiting seats and she fell into one. She was so mad and hurt at the same time. Adam’s insults had cut deeper than expected, and she hated being this emotional and not holding herself together in front of him.
