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Rafi’s lips pressed together and he leaned back against his desk.

He started to say something, but a knock sounded on the door before he could.

He started to say something to the person interrupting, probably along the lines of “Go to hell!” but before he could, the door opened.

And there she stood. Tanya. The whole reason for why he and Carys hadn’t just been caught in an unprofessional embrace.

He eyed her carefully, sensing something odd about her demeanor.

“What is it?” he demanded sharply.

He watched as Tanya glanced at him, then at Carys. The relief on her face was clear. She was glad that the two of them were on opposite sides of the office. He also noticed that the woman had unbuttoned her blouse so her bra was visible.

Rafi was all for women embracing their sexuality. But this was unprofessional. Thankfully, he didn’t need to address her attire while firing her.

“Carys told me that you mentioned that you and I have been spending a lot of time together.”

Tanya’s glossy lips fell open. Her eyes darted from him to Carys, then back again, her mouth opening and closing as if she were trying to figure out a reply that would save her.

Before Tanya could offer any explanation, Carys leaned down and grabbed her materials.

“I’ll get those reports to you immediately, sir,” she muttered, then scurried out of his office.

He watched her go, his hunger tamped by his anger and disappointment.

Why didn’t she trust him? What had he done to violate her trust?

He’d work that out later. Right now, Rafi suspected that he’d found a major reason why the marketing department wasn’t working collaboratively.

Tanya stepped deeper into his office, a fake smile on her glossy lips. “I don’t know what that…woman told you, Rafi, but she’s lying.”

“Is that so?” he asked leaning back against the table and crossing his legs at the ankles, watching her carefully. “What do you think of her campaign idea?”

Another tough question and she shifted slightly. The woman actually thought she was on safer ground, so she crossed her arms, which lifted her breasts higher, revealing a little more of her lacy bra. “It’s very subtle,” she finally answered.

His eyes took in her figure draped in a crimson skirt, matching heels, and black silk blouse. “And you don’t like subtle.” It wasn’t a question. “Tell me, how many of the past ad campaigns were your idea?”

She shrugged, tilting her hips so that she could place a hand on her waist. The pose illustrated her slim figure perfectly.

“All of them. I take pride in coming up with new and innovative ideas.” She must have recognized the anger in his eyes because she backtracked.

Slightly. “The whole team had a hand in helping develop my ideas though. And several members of the team added a great deal of value.”

“The ideas were miserable,” Rafi snapped, irritated with her lies.

He’d already spoken with the rest of the team.

They were terrified of Tanya. She had to go.

Dave needed to be let go as well, but for laziness.

The man simply didn’t do anything of value.

He came to the office and sat around, playing games on his computer.

Occasionally, he would bellow if someone passed by his office.

Rafi had observed the game-playing personally and the man had absolutely no idea what was happening with his team members.

Yep, the number one and the number two people in the marketing department were the problem.

He’d have to find a new marketing director, one who was more collaborative and creative.

Carys immediately popped into his head, but he didn’t want her as the marketing director.

He actually had a different position in mind for her.

Sighing, he focused on Tanya. She was saying something about…was the woman actually defending her horrible ideas? The ideas that had sunk the products to the point that sales were a crisis now?

She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and offered a teasing smile. “So, you have to understand, it’s not my fault.”

Rafi’s patience snapped. “You’re telling me that, as the assistant marketing director, you didn’t have enough authority to create an effective ad campaign that produced sales?”

Her smile faltered and the painful flush crawled up her throat to her face. “Well, yes.”

He called for his assistant. The man immediately appeared in the open doorway, but he turned back to the woman.

“Tanya, I don’t think that this position is a good fit for you.

Why don’t you speak with Margaret in Human Resources?

She has several job openings that might suit you better.

” He looked at his assistant. “Could you escort Tanya to Margaret’s office?

Then let me know which position Tanya chooses.

” He looked at the woman who was frantically trying to come up with an argument for why she shouldn’t lose her job.

“Thanks for your help, Tanya. We’ll take it from here. ”

Rafi’s efficient assistant had already arranged for the maintenance guys to pack up Tanya’s personal belongings in her office.

His hope was that Tanya would resign rather than take one of the lower job openings within the company.

But if she chose to stay, maybe Tanya could become productive.

She’d been an excellent employee in the past. He wasn’t sure what had changed over the last five years.

“You can’t fire me!” Tanya gasped.

Rafi shook his head, his tone soft and conciliatory as he explained, “I’m not firing you, Tanya. I’ve decided that this job as assistant marketing director isn’t the best fit for your skills.” He paused, letting his words sink in.