Page 6 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

MAVERICK

Jason Jimenez was a dick. I didn’t like him the second he gave me a limp handshake and I still didn’t like him now.

I knew his type. Middle management that coasted for decades on doing as little work as possible.

It was clear he considered Bridget–a name a hell of a lot better than Bridge–nothing more than a servant instead of an assistant made me wonder how he hadn’t gotten fired before now.

It was obvious he’d been hired during my father’s tenure as CEO and hidden himself, and his behavior, well since I took over.

Not any longer.

It was the way he looked at Bridget’s ass that had me furious. Knowing Bridget from the few minutes at the coffee shop, she wouldn’t speak up about his behavior. Wouldn’t knee him in the balls and tell him to fuck off.

I wanted to do it, to tell him to fuck off, but not yet.

I was thankful I’d overheard Bridget’s conversation earlier.

It was clear now that it was with Bixby, the local contractor, she’d been talking to.

He seemed a decent sort, knowing his stuff and admitting when there was a mistake.

He wasn’t planning on billing tens of thousands of dollars for a math error.

As I listened to Ed, the engineer, and Bixby, give updates on everything from wiring codes to truss delivery, I didn’t miss a thing Bridget did. Which was nothing.

When she’d first come in with the food, I’d been stunned. Amazed that fate had made it easy for me to see her again. When she’d finally looked my way, she’d been just as surprised.

She had no idea who I was when she’d run into me, that was clear.

I’d thought she was beautiful before, and I’d told her that. But now?

Fuck, she was… lovely. I’d been right to be distracted.

With her hair pulled back, her high cheekbones were prominent.

Those green eyes were even more brilliant behind her glasses than earlier.

She wore not a lick of makeup which only highlighted how naturally beautiful she was.

A spray of freckles across her upturned nose wasn’t hidden by thick foundation.

Her lips were the prettiest shade of pink and not from a tube of color. They were full. Kissable.

I’d tried to get her to eat, because no way in hell was she serving us and then not having any herself, but she’d stopped the second I gave Jimenez a little credit.

The petty fucker hadn’t shared who really earned the praise when I tested him. He took it and kept it for himself.

Because of that, Bridget had shut down. Her gaze never left the sandwich in front of her as her shoulders slumped. As if she hid herself away behind her glasses and plain clothes. Her brightness was gone.

When Ed and Bixby finished their sandwiches, they ducked out to get back to work. I’d agreed to stop by the job site later so they could walk me through it. They seemed happier with that than stuck here with Jason.

Bridget left the room with them, trying not to be noticed, but that was impossible.

I caught Jimenez’s eyes on her retreating form.

I cleared my throat and gripped the edge of the table.

He turned back, a smirk on his face. He leaned in, lowered his voice. “That young ass is a piece of work. So are her tits. I’m not sure if I like her better coming or going.”

From outside the opened door, I heard a little gasp.

I stood, pissed. I didn’t like Jimenez’s locker room talk, clearly done to seem like we were buddies.

Two guys sitting around while the little woman served them and then moved on to ogle and demean her.

Jesus, he reminded me of my father’s behavior.

Women had to be pretty, willing to fuck, and dumb. Interchangeable.

This was not fucking happening. Especially when Jimenez didn’t give a shit that Bridget overheard what he’d just said about her. Not with me as CEO of James Corp. Not with any woman and especially not with Bridget.

His words, I completely agreed with, which made me feel like an asshole.

An old asshole lusting after someone so young.

I wasn’t sure if I liked her ass or tits better either, but that wasn’t something I was going to share.

With anyone. I wanted to get my hands on her, but to make her feel good, to make her feel beautiful. Special. Not degraded.

“Tell me, Jason, how did you discover the square footage discrepancy?” I asked, trying not to grit my teeth, or put my fist through his.

He hopped to his feet, the wheeled chair rolling back. “Well, I… the math didn’t add up.”

“Right, but you shared a cost increase last week. Didn’t you think that was a big jump?”

“Yes, I–” he sputtered, but I cut him off. I didn’t need to have him spew any more of his bullshit.

“It was enough that I flew up here to meet with you.”

“The report shows the fix,” he countered.

“Because your assistant found it, isn’t that right?”

I might have been in a pink t-shirt, but I was still the boss. And pissed. I crossed my arms over my chest and Jimenez swallowed hard.

“It’s her job to assist me when issues like these arise.”

“Like doing the math.” I grabbed the report and tossed it so it slid across the table to stop in front of him. “Show me where the fix is.”

He picked up the papers, leafed through them. His face flushed as he fumbled. I waited.

“Just give me a moment,” he said.

“You can’t show me because you have no clue.”

He dropped the papers and rolled his shoulders back. “My assistant pulled the document together. Bridget!”

She slinked into the doorway but entered no further.

“Show Mr. James where the fix is in the report.”

With a hand raised, I stopped her. “No need. It’s clear who’s done the work on this project.”

Bridget looked up and her eyes widened. Her surprise made me realize her upset over lunch wasn’t because of Jimenez, but because of me. I’d backed the fucker when I’d tested him, only she didn’t know it was a test.

Shit. Knowing I’d made her weak was like a kick to the gut. The last thing I wanted was for her to hate me, or worse, lump me in with a fucker like Jason Jimenez.

That wasn’t going to happen because I wanted to see her smile. I wanted to be the one to make her do it. And so many other things. Jimenez was going to be on the next flight out of the valley and off my payroll. And as far away from Bridget as possible.

I stepped toward him, and he retreated. “It’s also clear that you haven’t taken the sexual harassment class that’s required annually for all employees,” I pushed, referring to the one I’d put in place the first week I took over the company after my father died, “because if you did, you’d know there’s a zero-tolerance policy for comments like yours. That shit doesn’t fly with me.”

I stepped around him, stopped in front of Bridget and winked.

The only person who was going to think dirty thoughts about her was me.

At the same time, I wanted to pull her into my arms, hug her and tell her she was safe from assholes, but she didn’t need a man touching her right now.

Not me, at least not until I made things right.

“Excuse me, Jemma?” I called.

She stood from her desk and faced me. I could clearly see hope in her eyes. Yeah, she’d been fucked over by Jimenez too. I was sure of it.

“Can you please book Jason a flight today back to Denver?”

Her mouth dropped open, but she snapped it shut, then smiled. “My pleasure, Mr. James.”

I had no doubt that was true.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jimenez shouted. “You’re firing me because these women can’t handle a little talk?” His arms flailed as he spoke, then wiped spit from his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I’m firing you because not only do you not do your job, you’re a little shit who has to demean women to make his dick seem big,” I said. It was really fucking hard not to toss him out, but I was the boss, and this was a James Corp office, no matter how small.

Jimenez pulled his arm back with a blatant haymaker I could see coming, and let it fly. I could have blocked it, but I didn’t. It glanced off my jaw and barely rocked my head back.

Bridget hadn’t moved from the doorway, but her hand was over her mouth watching the confrontation.

“You saw that, right?” I asked her, making sure it was clear who threw the first punch.

She nodded, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

Not eager to fight in front of her–because this side of me was the last version I wanted her to see–but I had no choice. I wouldn’t let this go. I couldn’t and I wanted her to know it. I fucking needed her to know I would protect her.

I gave Jimenez one quick jab in return. His head rocked back, and he fell to his ass. Secretly, the sound of his nose breaking gave me immense satisfaction.

Immediately, I turned to Bridget.

“Are you okay?” I asked. She seemed fine, but I had no idea how long this had been going on for or what he’d said or done in the past. Had it just been words, or had he touched her?

She nodded.

“Can you call the sheriff for me, ba–Bridget?” I wanted to call her baby, but after the way I had just outlined the sexual harassment rules of the company, I didn’t want to break them myself.

Bridget nodded and went to her desk.

“I won’t press charges if they can escort him to the plane and ensure he gets on it,” I added, keeping my eyes on Jimenez. He wasn’t getting up, which was the smartest thing he probably did all day.

I settled my hands on my hips and took a breath. Fuck. I was supposed to be in and out of Hunter Valley. Not only was the project behind, but now there was no project manager.

It looked like I was staying in town for a while and surprisingly, I wasn’t bothered by the idea. In fact, it was Bridget, on the phone with the sheriff, who had me looking forward to staying.