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“That they did, and as of nine o’clock this morning, we decided to go ahead with the lawsuit. Mad Media signed with Powers yesterday. We were notified this morning that they were terminating their contract with us.”
“Which they can’t do legally because they signed a five year exclusivity contract,” Dee answered as she and I both leaned forward, both interested in the developing details.
“Correct, they’ve violated the terms they agreed to, which brings me back to why I asked you both here. I’d like the two of you to take the lead on this. Dee, you’ve got a great deal of experience in cases like this thanks to your previous employment. And Travis, you're great when it comes to negotiating and keeping things from going to trial. I’d like the two of you to get this solved amicably, or not so amicably, if it boils down to it. I just want this settled once and for all and I know you two can make that happen.”
I looked to Dee in an attempt to gauge her thoughts. There was no way I’d just heard Russell right. He wanted us to worktogetherbecause he thought we’d make agreat team? That was all the persuasion I needed. I knew Dee and Iwouldmake a great team both professionally and personally.
“I’m sure Travis is beyond capable of handling this all on his own.” Dee attempted to back out. One glance told me she seemed desperate to get out of this and that pissed me off. Inside, my anger was starting to bubble. What was her problem? And why the hell was she acting like working with me was the worst thing that could ever happen to her? Hadn’t she realized over the last couple weeks that I wasn’t the jerk she thought me to be? We’d been civil. Hell, we’d been friendly and even shared a few laughs. So what the hell was Dee’s problem? The not-knowing had me near seething. but I did my best to not let it show.
“Yes, he is, but I want you to worktogetheron this. I’m positive that you two will have this matter settled quickly and that you can keep this from going to court.”
“You’re wanting a settlement then? Any specific terms?” I steam-rolled past my own feelings and got down to the meat.
“They need to pay what they owe for the rest of their contract. It’s in the terms they agreed to. They also need to understand that if they change their mind, we will not renegotiate a contract, nor will we represent them again. If they’ve pulled this once, they will do it again and I’d rather not be on the wrong end of it a second time.”
“Anything else?” I looked over to see Dee jotting down notes, her eyes focused on her tablet. The woman looked downright miserable. Not only did it piss me off, but it also had me worried about what she might be thinking. Had I done something and didn't realize it? Or was her behavior stemming from fear? I had no clue, but when this was over, I intended to find out.
“No. My assistant emailed all the info to you just a few minutes ago. We’ll discuss this in further detail later during the meeting.” Russell moved to the opposite side of his desk and sat down. “Oh, before I forget. Glen and Leah will be assisting you and the team you assemble.” Russell glanced away just as Dee’s head shot up and her eyes flared.
“Leah? Why is she assisting us?” she asked incredulously. Unveiled disgust marred her lovely features. I sensed that Dee was not one of Leah’s biggest fans. Having only met the woman once and finding her hyena-like laugh annoying, I’d prefer not to work with her, but Russell was our boss and I had to do as he instructed. I also needed to assure Dee that it would be fine. That Leah would tow the line. That I wasn't about to let anyone or anything make her uncomfortable.
“Yes, Leah.” Russell turned back towards us. “She needs the experience and I feel she’ll get that by working under you two.”
“She’ll get it from being under at least one of us,” Dee mumbled so low I barely heard her.
“What was that?” Russell asked, confused.
“Just speaking to myself is all.”
“Okay. Fine.” He shook her off and refocused on his objective. “Now, I am putting a lot of faith in you. I trust you will see this thing to the proper resolution.”
“You can count on us,” I assured him.
“Got it. You know I won’t let you down.” Dee attempted to sound upbeat but failed miserably.
“Great. Let’s make the magic happen, folks!” Russell went over several more points but I didn’t hear a word. The air conditioning system kicked in and sent whiffs of Dee’s perfume my way. It took every bit of my self-control to not close my eyes and savor the sweet, exotic blend of bergamot and other dark florals. The woman smelled like absolute heaven and I was finding it near-impossible to not get hard. The last thing I wanted was to pop a boner in front of my obsession and my boss. I was so focused on taming my body’s reaction that I hadn’t realized Russell had excused us and Dee was already half-way out the door.
“Dee,” I called out as I chased after her. Dee ignored me as she made her way to her tiny office located just a few doors down from mine. The floor we worked on wasn’t open and spacious. The interior had been designed for multiple people to have private offices, even though they tended to run small. Despite the lack of space, they were still comfortable and that enabled us to all be productive. I finally caught up with her just as she reached her door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I realized some of my coffee had splashed on my cuff and I’d squished my danish, turning it into a weird looking butterfly. “Why don’t you want to work with me? What did I do?” I sounded pathetic. I knew it, but I didn’t care.
“It’s not you,” Dee grumbled begrudgingly.
“Apparently it is from how you acted back in Russell’s office,” I asked as a flame of my anger licked at my insides.
“I . . . I was just caught off guard, is all,” she tried to lie, but I saw right through it.
“I don’t think so, Dee.”
Looking me square in the eye, she had every intention of doubling down on her falsehood, but something flashed inside those breathtaking blues and the next words from her mouth were truthful. “It’s Leah,” she admitted after a few seconds.
“What’s wrong with Leah?”Other than her hyena laugh.
“I know a lot of people like her, and she’s notcompletelyterrible at her job, but I—I just don’t want to work with her. I don't want to be associated with someone like her.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t help but shake the feeling that she’s not serious. That she’s just biding her time while she looks for a husband. Arichhusband.”
