Page 10 of Ruthless Ambition
Fuck that and fuck her.
“Do you want her to leave?”
I thought about it. Did I? She was a good agent, she cared about her clients, and she did offer them good deals. She would be a strong competitor anywhere, and as much as it irritated me looking at her, it was better that she was bringing the revenue into my company than someone else’s. “If she chooses to leave, I will accept her resignation.”
With a heavy sigh, Neil pushed himself off the chair. “I’m too old for these games,” he warned me as he headed to the door. “I hear you loud and clear. You don’t want to be the one to get rid of her, so listen to an old man, Onyx.” He stopped and looked back at me. “Don’t give her reason to leave, because she will sue you, and that girl’s smart enough and bold enough to bleed you dry while making sure everyone is watching.”
Saying nothing to his warning, I watched as he shook his head and left the boardroom. It wasn’t the first time in the eighteen months she’d been here that he had warned me off her. I knew he often had the same talk with her. The unfortunate thing for Neil was that we were both stubborn, and I would not give her the satisfaction of firing her, and she would not give me the satisfaction of fucking off somewhere else.
Turning my attention back to the window, I looked out over downtown Nashville. Watching the Monday morning hustle below made me glad I was up here in my glass ivory tower, as my mother liked to call it. I was twenty-six and a self-made millionaire with my own company. She could call it what she liked; it made no difference. It was what it was. Mine.
My cell vibrated in my suit pocket, and I pulled it out.
Owen:Heard a rumor you went to Colorado on the off-season and got yourself a Hudson
Me:News travels fast
Owen:I’m a sports reporter. What I want to know is why I didn’t get the scoop?
Me:Your co-worker sucks cock better than you do
I watched as the dots came and went.
Owen:I almost fell for that. Dick. Send me the deets, I’ll make you look good
Chuckling, I put my phone away and headed to my office. On the way past Angel’s, I looked in and saw her sitting in front of her laptop, her suit jacket off, her hair pulled over her shoulder, legs crossed demurely in front of her. The gray shift dress hugged what little curves she had. Turning her head, she met my gaze, and I slowed my step. Angel looked me over once and then turned her attention back to whatever held her interest on the screen.
Grinning, I entered my office, and looking at the heavy wooden furniture, I lost my smile. At my desk, I pulled up my contract with Hudson and called Owen back.
“Right, what do you want to know?”
* * *
“Mr. Santo?”
My secretary, Liz, was standing in the half-open doorway. “Do I need to pay you more to stop calling me Mr. Santo, or less?”
The older woman smiled at me as she walked into my office. She was in her fifties and had only been with me for a few months. “Definitely more,” she joked.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was past seven. “You looking for overtime, Liz?”
Her light laugh was contagious. “No, you know I hate leaving things I’ve started to the morning.”
“I do.” It was one of the reasons she’d lasted longer than the others. That and the fact that I hadn’t slept with her. Well . . . in my defense, I slept with them after I fired them. No one wanted a sexual harassment lawsuit. “How can I help you?”
“You can’t,” she said as she leaned against the chair. “I’m reminding you that you need to eat and to go home.”
“Everyone else gone?”
“Ms. Balan is still in her office, but she’s on a call.”
“Who with?”
Liz shrugged. “You know her PA won’t talk to me about anything other than her grandkids.”
I grunted an acknowledgment. Angel’s PA was as suspicious as her boss. They all seemed to forget they worked for me.
“Well, I’m heading home. You have a meeting at eight thirty tomorrow; will you be here for it?” she asked me as she checked over her shoulder that the door was closed. It wasn’t just Angel’s PA who was secretive.
