Page 151 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
“I think she’s going to request her job back. As your assistant.”
“It’s been filled,” I informed him. “I offered it to Braelyn. She accepted.”
“I’ll be more than happy to give her the good news,” Zion stated with a smirk. “Just say the word.”
I shook my head. “I’ll let Memphis do it. They’ve got to get past this. One way or the other.”
“Good point.”
Shifting topics, I got serious. “Any more updates from the trainers?”
“Gideon spoke to the possession Laura Dunbar kept.”
“And?”
“He’s on the fence.”
“Pull him back,” I instructed. “If there’s any hesitation, he won’t be a good fit. Laura doesn’t have time to coddle him and reassure him.”
“I agree. That means she’ll leave here empty-handed.”
“Give it until morning,” I decided. “She’s an astute woman. She’ll figure out he’s not completely committed.”
I figured she already realized that but she was riding out the rest of the trip. Might as well enjoy it.
“What about Drago?” I asked.
“I confirmed. He’s taking permanent possession. Only thing left is for you to do their exit interview.”
I nodded.
“Same with Leah and Brad.” Zion smirked. “Mr. A wants a go at the new one Gideon was showing off earlier. The redhead.”
“He’ll have to go through the proper channels like everyone else.”
“That’s what I told him. He hopes to be coming back for the next retreat.”
“Good. And Hershel?”
Zion shook his head. “He’s a no-go. He’s requested to wait a couple of months to see what other stock we might have.”
I had a feeling that would be the case. I couldn’t fault an Owner for being patient with their selection. This was a big deal and there was absolutely no reason to rush. The biggest problem we had was the timing of the retreats. Due to my schedule, they were infrequent at best. With any luck, having Ransom on board would change that.
“Well, then, I guess the only thing that’s left is to enjoy the evening.”
“It’s a good night for a party,” Zion said.
Yes. Yes, it most definitely was.
*
RANSOM
While everyone else spent the day at the pools, I took Talon’s advice and steered clear. No way did I want to run the risk of finding Talon and my sister in a compromising position.
I spent the majority of the day getting my office in shape. I took over one of the extra rooms on the main floor, figuring it would keep me in the thick of things and make it easy for Talon to find me if needed. I used several possessions to move some extra furniture from a storage room, then had them rearrange it a few times until I was content. By the time I was happy with it, I realized I had missed lunch.
Figuring I could catch a quick bite to tide me over until dinner, I started for the kitchen, then decided I would check in with Jasper first. I hadn’t seen him all day, and I figured he was still avoiding me, something he’d been doing since our encounter in the pool. At first, I’d let him get away with pretending the issues didn’t exist, but I was growing tired of the games.
I found him in the clinic hallway talking to a very animated Cody.
“You should’ve been there,” Cody was saying, his words rushed in his excitement. “Gideon demanded I join in, so I did.”
I smiled to myself. Looked as though Gideon might’ve taken my words to heart. Earlier in the week, I’d asked him about Cody, questioned why Cody wasn’t treated the same as the other possessions. He had told me it hadn’t been intentional, the younger man had simply followed in the footsteps of Jasper, who they didn’t see as a possession.
Of course, being the instigating bastard I was, I’d informed him I wanted Cody to be included and I wanted Gideon to be in charge of him.
“Is there a reason you’re in here?” I prompted when I approached the pair, my eyes locked on Cody.
His eyes widened and there was guilt there.
“Is it appropriate for possessions to gossip with the doctor?”
Cody shook his head.
I looked at Jasper, saw he was watching me intently. “Hey, Doc.”
He didn’t smile, didn’t acknowledge me.
“I figured now would be a good time to get my follow-up exam done.”
Jasper’s light green eyes remained professional. “Follow-up?”
I patted my ribs. “Want to make sure I’m all healed up.”
“Are you having any problems?”
I shrugged. “Figured you’d let me know if I am.”
“I … uh … I should get back,” Cody whispered to Jasper.
“You’ll stay,” I insisted, wondering if Jasper would finally have the balls to admit he didn’t want Cody participating in our interactions. I’d caught on the night in the pool, but Jasper had refused to admit it.
Cody nodded.
“This room okay?” I asked, motioning to an empty patient room.
“Yes,” Jasper said curtly.
“Good.” I gestured Cody into the room, followed.
While Cody took a seat in the chair near the wall, I hopped up onto the exam table.
