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“It’s my company, and I say it is.”
I planted a hand on my hip and said, “Unless you plan on implementing a dress code that is fair toallemployees and will be enforced unilaterally, the dress is fine. The way you’re looking at me in it is not. Sexual harassment—look it up.”
He gave me another cool look, but to my surprise, he waved a hand. “What building?”
“There’s a building in Greenwich Village that houses a bookstore, a bakery, barbershop, bike shop, a tax–”
He cut me off, impatient. “What’s your interest in it?”
I went with the simplest solution. “I want you to reconsider having the tenants vacate.”
“Why?” His eyes narrowed, and he studied me with more interest than he’d shown before. Or, rather, a different sort of interest. “You don’t live there.”
“How would you know?” I asked.
He just lifted an eyebrow. “I looked over the tenant list.”
“Then maybe you noticed the last name of the tenants on the third floor—or the owners of the bookstore.” Tapping my fingers against my hip when he didn’t respond, I said, “It’sEllis. My parents live there and own that bookstore, and you’re booting them out.”
“I didn’t realize there was a connection.”
My stomach twisted as I asked, “If you had?”
“Not my concern.” He shrugged. “They have six months and a smart daughter. You’ll figure something out for them.”
The cool disinterest was back, and he waved me toward the door, already refocusing on his computer. “I’ve work to do, Ms. Ellis.”
He was such a callous asshole. It was no wonder everyone hated him if they didn’t want something from him, and I was pretty sure those people hated him too.
“You really are a jerk,” I mumbled.
At that, he snapped his head up. “Excuse me?”
I was done being nice and I let it all out.
“You heard me. You’re a jerk. A bully and a jackass. You fired one of your hard-working employees after she made a single mistake. Other people had their eyes on that project—includingher supervisor—and they didn’t see the mistake.Shedid, but you firedher.”
Striding to the desk, I slammed my hands down on it. The rage was burning inside me making my face flush, but I didn’t care. The shock on Derrick’s face just added fuel to the fire.
“I guess in your world, people aren’t allowed to make mistakes, Mr. Thomas, but in reality,it happens all the time. And now you’re kicking several hard-working small business owners out on their asses. My parents put their whole lives into that bookstore. How do they start over? Mrs. Lancing, the bakery shop owner. She’s sixty-five and just lost her husband. How doesshestart over? But…hey, it’s not your concern. You’re a bully and a jackass.”
“Are you done?” he asked mildly, having regained his composure.
“No.” It suddenly hit me. “I seriously don’t know if I can work for a man like you anymore.”
He blinked, and I realized that out of all the things I’d said and done in the last few minutes, those last few words had shocked him the most.
He leaned in closer, his eyes going chilly as he replied, “I’ll take that under advisement, Ms. Ellis. You’re dismissed.”
SIX
DERRICK
The door slammed behind her,and I leaned back in my chair as I blew out a breath.
That woman had just told me off, and I was sitting here with a hard-on.
That strawberry-gold hair slicked back into an elegant twist with just a few escaping curls had made me want to mess it all up. And that dress, which hadn’t been that short, had me convinced she would be delicious to unwrap, preferably while sitting in my lap as I pushed my dick into her.