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After dinner, I tucked Brayleigh into her car seat. By the time we made it home, she’d fallen into a comalike slumber.
I swore she was heavier than the week before as I carted her through the parking lot and up the elevator. Easing her out of her coat, I slipped her into her crib.
The next morning, for the first time, she resisted going to daycare. It wasn’t until one of her little friends showed up that she willingly went inside.
I got to work with less than five minutes to spare. With no time for Giovanni’s, I simply waved and pointed to my watch. He blew me a kiss which was about as much sweetness as I had time for. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold me over until breaktime.
Ratcliffe waited for me as I stepped off the elevator. “Running a little late this morning, Hope?” He smiled at me greasily, his eyes running over my outfit.
I smiled back. Somewhat sharklike, I hoped. “Not a bit of it. I’m five minutes early…unless you’ve changed hours of operation in the week I’ve been gone?”
He looked at his watch, disappointment drawing the corners of his mouth down. “Harrumph. Well. I’ve been waiting to see you in your office.”
I waved my hand for him to precede me and followed him down the hall.
Taking my messages from Monica on reception, I offered her a tight smile. One she returned. “Monica, please send Eloise in when she arrives.”
I closed my door over but did not shut it tightly. Rounding my desk, I settled myself into my chair, ready to face ratface on my own for the first time.
Instead of taking the chair across from me, he crossed to my side of the desk. Hoisting his sagging ass onto the edge, he braced his elbow on his knee, effectively hovering over me and caging me in.
I couldn’t get up without brushing against him. If I leaned forward to get up, he would see clear down the front of my blouse.
He smiled. “I think we have a problem.”
Oh, yes, we fucking do.
I cocked my head to the side in question.
He nodded, mock seriously. “I’m going to need you to show a little more initiative if you’re going to keep your position beneath me.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline, but I maintained my silence, allowing the fire of my anger to build. I wondered what else he would say, taking mental note of just how far he would go.
He braced his hands on his upper thighs, fingers pointing to his crotch. “Do we have an understanding of what is expected of you in this position?”
“Oh, yes, I’d say we do,” I replied, then burst out of my chair. He was so close, the top of my head grazed his chin. In his haste to save his face from my melon torpedo, he slipped off the edge of my desk and stumbled to his feet. “You will never come into my office without someone else here. You have a track record of disrespecting female employees and scaring them off but I’m not going to be one of them.” His eyes lit with greater interest than before. Fucking pervert. “I will be visiting HR this afternoon. I’ll be requesting a new protocol put in place for you when dealing with female employees. And you will follow it.”
“I look forward to sparring with you.” His beady eyes took in my flushed face, and his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip.
My stomach churned.
“However,” he straightened his jacket, “I came to see you to let you know I need you to go to Montreal tomorrow to meet with a supply house and new designer.”
My mouth dropped open. “I can’t leave at a moment’s notice!”
His eyes flashed with victory. “Like I said. The position beneath me is a coveted one. I need someone who is willing and able to perform. Certain things are expected, last-minute travel being one of them.”
“Hope?” I whipped around to find Eloise standing wide-eyed and wary in my doorway. “What’s going on?”
“I need to meet with HR this afternoon and travel tomorrow.”
“HR?”
He spread his hands wide. “If you can’t do your job, we will have to hire someone who can. It’s not complicated.”
“It’s complicated,” I retorted. “You’re about to see how complicated it’s going to get.”
“Listen closely, sweetheart,” he mocked, finally breaking character in front of a witness, “you’ll find that I’m not part of this institution, I am this institution.”
