AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you could give us an update on the project you’re working on,” Glen says, careful not to say any specifics because of Miles and Wyatt being in the room.
Reaching over the table to take the projector connection from Lewis, I look down at Asa who seems to be distracted by the gap in my blouse created by my reach. As soon as I get the projector hooked up, I turn to Miles and Wyatt.
“Some of these findings are sensitive, so I’ll ask you to please excuse yourselves,” I say.
Miles, used to this when he attends Board meetings with me, gathers his things and takes Wyatt with him outside the room.
“Findings?” Asa pipes up angrily from the end of the table.
Opening up the PowerPoint I created, I place a hand to my hip as I look at him.
“Don’t worry, Asa, if we’d found anything illegal, you’d probably be in handcuffs right now,” I joke, but Asa doesn’t find it funny, although half the Board members chuckle in their seats.
“What is this?” Asa demands, turning to face Glen. “Are you running a circus?” he asks, and I know he’s referring to my juggling act with the phone which stings a little. He looks at me as if he wants him to give me a spanking for having the audacity to make a joke at his expense.
“Lake may be a little rough around the edges, but she’s someone you want on your side.” Glen, at least, has my back, although I couldn’t care less what Asa thinks of me.
I take them through some of the redundancies I’ve uncovered, and when I’m done, Glen looks pleased although it still needs to be run by the Board for approval once I can get everything finalized. Unplugging my laptop, I gather the rest of my things while the room clears.
Before exiting, Glen calls me over to him. “Lake,” he says, and I wait until the room is empty, even Asa Waterman, who gives me a dirty look before leaving.
“If he can’t take a joke, that’s not my problem,” I say before he has the chance to chastise me.
Glen has always been a fair man, giving me many opportunities in my career over the years, but this acquisition has given him amnesia to everything I’ve done in the past.
“I know how much you want to be respected and God knows you earned this position, but you don’t have to piss off Asa just to prove a point,” Glen says.
“Do you know why the other Board members laugh at your bad jokes?” I ask him.
“They’re not that bad” he laughs, waving me off.
“Because you’re a man,” I say, demanding his attention.
Glen furrows his brows, now suddenly interested, but I can tell he doesn’t like where this is going.
“Lake, I don’t think…”
“I make the same joke and they look to you for a signal that it’s okay to laugh,” I point out. “I can understand that, Glen, because you’re the boss, the one they should respect the most, but what you fail to see or maybe you succeed at ignoring is that when you walk into a room, they look at you to see how they should react. When I walk into a room, the first thing they do is check to see how low my blouse is buttoned today.” Hoisting my laptop bag further up my shoulder, I look at him pointedly.
Glen has the decency to look embarrassed for them. “They’re not all like that.” He tries but fails to make an excuse.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. While men like Asa Waterman are distracted by that third button, they never see me coming, andthat,Glen,” I say, poking him playfully in the chest, “is more powerful than a bunch of old men laughing at a dumb joke.”
Opening the door to the conference room, I don’t wait for a reply because I know I won’t get the one I deserve. My suspicion that Miles was waiting for me outside is confirmed when he matches my stride as I strut down the long row of cubicles on the way to my office.
“What was all that about?” he asks, following me down the hallway. Glass offices line the outer wall while the cubicles fill in the center space like a rat maze. Passing by the name plates stamped on the doors, Barry Engles, Jude Singleton, Robert Franklin, and Lewis McBride, I scoff.
“Third buttons, Miles,” I say, sliding my eyes to him with a sly smile, and Miles shakes his head in confusion but he knows better than to ask for an explanation.
When we get to my office I pause at the door, resting my hand on the frame. “I’m going home for the day,” I say.
“Do you need anything?” he asks, in a kind voice.
“I’m good, thanks,” I say, leaving him outside of my office as I walk over to my desk to gather the rest of my things.
As soon as Miles leaves, I place my palms to the desk, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. It’s not easy being the only woman in the Boardroom, especially when I just acted like a fool. Thinking about Asa’s smug expression and Glen’s pitiful excuses does little to calm my heart rate. Angrily, I shove a pile of papers onto the floor just as Wyatt barges into my office, startling me.
“I know it’s Arizona, Wyatt, but this isn’t the Wild West,” I say, clearly irritated. “People knock before they enter.”
