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Feeling guilty over my tone with Kendall, I push open the door. “Fine, come in.” However, I realize I’m still mad at Kendall being so friendly with a man when she can’t spare me more than a wary glance or flash of temper. I look over my shoulder, saying nastily, “If you’re quite done with your lunch break, I could use a coffee. Or I can make an amendment for that slave clause in your contract.”
From the flare of anger in her eyes, I have a feeling she’s more inclined to pour scalding coffee over my shirt at this point.
“I’ll get you a coffee, all right,” she mutters.
I silently muse whether I should be worried. I close the door behind us. “How can I help you, Mr. Hunter?”
And please give me an excuse to fire your ass while you’re at it.
Jace takes a seat across from me. “One of the clients that I’m working with wants to implement a more technical aspect to the project.” His tone is more businesslike now. “I can work with Excel and R programming but the kind of work he needs to be done, I don’t have that expertise or skillset. The client suggested that he outsource that aspect to one of our competitors.”
My eyes narrow at this. “You should be discussing this with your HOD, not the CEO.”
Jace scowls at me. “The recent cleaning of my department has people not very happy with me and Hashem doesn’t want to cooperate on anything.” He looks frustrated as he gets up and starts pacing. “I need a technical person on board with me, but my request is being denied.”
I tap my fingers on the desk, impatiently. “And what, you came running to tattle to me?”
Jace stiffens. “The Bernard account is one of the biggest accounts this company has. We lose it, it’s going to have a detrimental effect on our share price.” He stares at me. “Yes, Mr. Starr, I went to business school, too.”
I study him now, taking his words into consideration. “If we let one of our competitors sink their teeth into any part of this client, they’ll take the whole project from us. We’ll lose the entire account.”
“Exactly!” Jace finally looks relieved that we’re on the same page.
“You want me to approve a programming expert to work with you? You’re not bothered about how this will seem to your colleagues? Hashem won’t like it.”
“I don’t give a fuck about Hashem and his desire to control everything.” Jace looks vaguely annoyed now. “I’ve worked on this account for a few years now. If Hashem had it his way, he’d take this from me, just to prove that he can.” Jace walks over now, slamming his hands on my desk, growling, “I’m not tattling on my boss, Mr. Starr. But I know when I’m fighting a losing battle and all my attempts at explaining the urgency of this decision have been deliberately waved off. If I were to lose this account, I will not only be blamed but fired.” He straightens up and gives me a calm look. “Please, let me know your decision by the end of the week. Because if I have to leave this firm, it’s going to be on my terms.”
I admire the spark in him, the mixture of hot headedness and cool calculation.
Still wish I can fire him though, I grumble to myself. But the man is an asset. I’ve been through Jace Hunter’s files and I’m not going to let him slip away to some competitor. “I’ll consider it, Mr. Hunter.”
Jace fixes his tie and nods. “Thanks.”
“I haven’t ag
reed to it, yet,” I say warningly.
He grins at me, a shockingly, boyish look. “But you’ll think about it.” He starts to leave and then looks over his shoulder, his hand on the doorknob, a strange look on his face as he says, “I’m not encroaching on your territory.” He glances meaningfully towards the blurred figure of Kendall outside.
I give him a steady look, choosing not to respond, as he opens the door and leaves.
I hear a brief murmur of voices outside.
Kendall walks in with a cup of coffee. She gives me a polite look that borders on hostile and carefully places the cup and saucer before me.
I stare at her and then the coffee and then back at her again.
“What?” she asks, irritation in her tone. “I didn’t poison it.”
But she looks too gleeful for my comfort and I know she’s done something to the liquid. I warily study the cup, before lifting it to my lips and taking a sip. The bitterness is so heavy on my tongue that I nearly gag.
She watches me with sadistic satisfaction. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. We ran out of sugar just now.”
I watch her prance out, and growling, I push the cup away.
I know I had it coming, I concede silently.
8
