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“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that you’re here. I know a lot of the other people are as well.”
I can’t stand the compliments anymore, they are making me far too embarrassed, so I change the subject back to work where I’m most comfortable. We get stuck into the specifics of a particular part and what we do differently, which Gary finds very fascinating. We end up talking for a long while.
“What is this?” Carter’s booming voice snaps, grabbing both of our attention.
“Oh, Raelyn is just showing me how they do things for this part, which is much quicker…”
“I don’t want you changing up the methods of how we do things without talking to me.” He takes his piece off of Gary, followed by mine. “The quality of the piece is affected by the speed.”
“No, it isn’t!” My temper flares. “It’s just as good as yours. It’s just more efficient and cheaper to make. Cheaper for labor costs as well since it obviously doesn’t take as long to sort out.”
“I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.” Carter doesn’t seem to have improved his mood at all. “I thought you did but now I’m not so sure. Plus, your attitude leaves something to be desired.”
“My attitude?” Uh oh, it feels like everything that I have been locking away since I came here, is about to burst free. I don’t want it to, especially not in front of all these people. Leon hasn’t seen me this wound up before, and Gary hasn’t ever seen my temper flare. It isn’t right. “What about yours?”
“I am professional at all times.”
“The way that you speak to me is disgusting. Like before, with the photocopier.”
“Because you were standing around day dreaming when I actually needed the machine?”
“And now.” I ignore his last remark. “I’m just having a nice conversation with Gary about how we do things and you storm up here just to tell me that I’m wrong. If you really don’t want to have me here, then you shouldn’t have proposed this deal. You did it to claim a part of my business and now…”
“You are the one benefiting out of this. You are the one who can now expand.”
“I know; I’m not saying that I haven’t benefited from it. Did I even say that?” I don’t want to even look at Carter anymore, but I don’t want to look at the others either. This is so humiliating. “I just think that you’re rude.”
“If you can’t handle it, sweetheart…”
“Do not call me sweetheart,” I snap back, my top lip curling in to a snarl. “Never ever call me that.”
“Oh dear, does that offend?” He cocks his head to one side, mocking me.
He is somehow closer to me now; I can almost feel the heat of his body radiating right through me. It makes me want to shiver, to shudder, to cave to the weird desire that I’m feeling. Not that it’s actually desire. It’s more just hate. Intense, powerful, overwhelming hate.
“Fuck off, Carter,” I sneer.
“Now that’s professional, isn’t it?”
“I asked you to fuck off, didn’t I? So, why don’t you just leave me alone?” I shrug hard. “Or if you won’t go, then I will because I am absolutely done with you right now. Finished.”
7
Carter
What am I doing? I question myself as I watch Raelyn storm off. Why do I keep acting like this?
Every single time my feelings make me uncomfortable, whenever I think about her in a way that I haven’t thought about a woman since Anna, I act like a jerk. A real asshole to push her away. I want her to hate me so that this won’t get confusing, because right now, it’s all a big giant mess in my brain.
“What is going on with you, boss?” Gary asks, shattering me from the moment. “You’re acting weird.”
I give him a pleading look but it’s plainly obvious that he can see right through me. He knows what I don’t want to admit aloud, but it doesn’t matter. Gary can see my inner turmoil. He probably knows me better than I know myself at this point, which only serves to piss me off.
“I just don’t think she’s right, that’s all.” I offer him a one shouldered shrug. “Is that so wrong?”
“She isn’t wrong,” Gary argues. “You should listen to her. She really knows what she’s talking about.”
“I would be happy to show you,” Leon, someone from her team, joins in. “If you want me to.”
