Chapter 4
“You wanted to see me?” asked in a very polite voice. It had been two weeks since Jason Collins had departed and Bart McGowan had taken his place. The man was middle aged and very attractive. He knew what he was doing but unlike Jason he was very cocky and sure of himself. worked with him but she did not much like the attitude he put forward.
“Have a seat.” He waved a hand languidly as he continued to peruse a document he had in his hand.
took a seat on the edge of the chair impatiently. She had a ton of work on her desk to deal with and several press releases to send out and did not have time to come running at his beck and call.
He looked up as if he was feeling her impatience. “I see where you are offering our customers a very low rate for the high tech phones we have available and the various prizes and surprises. Thinking of handing them houses as well?” His tone was a little caustic as he stared at her. He had started flirting with her the minute he had seen her and she had put a stop to it. She was not going to be caught in that again!
“The company has suffered from the rumors that had been put out there about cutbacks and the threat of bankruptcy so I think the least we can do is throw it out there that we are here to stay and it is business as usual.”
“You did not run all that by me,” Bart pointed out, his light green eyes looking at her coolly. He admired her, not only because of the way she looked. She was wearing a dark blue pants suit with a light blue shirt and her hair was caught up into a neat bun on top of her head. She was beautiful without even trying and he had thought that maybe they could have something going for the time he was at the company but she had frozen him out and he was still smarting at that.
“I sent you several emails to keep you in the loop and you have not responded to any of them. I naturally took it to mean that you approved,” she told him a little coolly.
“I am in charge here, ,” he pointed out.
“I am aware of that. But I am in charge of marketing and I have had no complaints so far.”
“Were you sleeping with Jason?” he asked her suddenly.
stared at him in shock that quickly turned to disgust. “No. Not that it is any of your business.”
“It is if it is affecting the way you make decisions around here.”
“Is there something wrong with the decisions I make?” she asked him frostily. She was trying her best not to be angry but it was difficult.
“Nothing at all,” he drawled insolently as he looked at her. “I am just wondering why an attractive woman like you is still single.”
She got to her feet immediately. “If there is nothing else?”
“Not right now. Just make sure to run everything by me before it goes out there.”
“Certainly.” She turned and left his office, barely stopping from slamming the door shut behind her.
“He is a pig, isn’t he?” Lacy said, looking up as she made her way across the room.
“What?”
“Bart McGowan. He more or less asked me to stay back and work and get to know each other better,” Lacy told her with a wry smile. “I am sorry I was such a bitch those few weeks that Jason was here. I apologize.”
“It’s okay,” said with a weary smile as she stopped by the girl’s desk. “I want to tell him to go jump off a cliff but I have to keep biting my tongue.”
“I think he picks on you because he likes you and you are not giving him the time of day,” Lacy said conspiratorially.
“I think he is accustomed to getting his own way with the females he works with and he is not used to saying no,” said dryly.
“Hang in there,” Lacy said sympathetically as she turned to take another call.
“I intend to,” she said before leaving and going into her office.
*****
“Want to tell me the real reason you left?” His brother Michael came to join him around the table in the living room. His wife and kids had gone to bed and left them alone to talk. Jason had stopped over in France on his way to the UK.
“I already told you.” Jason sipped the beer slowly. He much preferred local beer to the European ones and was trying to get used to it.
“You told me some half ass excuse about the project in Birmingham which is not ready yet not until the next three weeks,” his brother told him mildly, his dark blue eyes eyeing his younger brother.