Page 77 of Savage Suit

She nodded, and sadness enveloped her. “You care about your brother. He’s important to you, so he’s important to me. He’s right. Today was spur-of-the-moment. We can’t marry today.” Her lips trembled. “Let’s get the paternity test. Then we’ll plan a proper wedding ceremony before the baby is born.”

It was rare someone rendered me speechless, but my brother’s girlfriend achieved the impossible and stole my ability to say a fucking thing. Nathaniel’s surprise mirrored my own as we focused on her.

My brother looked so frustrated and defeated. “Are you sure, Al?”

“Yes,” she said hoarsely, raising her tear-filled gaze to me. “Please order the DNA test as soon as possible.”

“Excellent.” What else could I say? She’d shocked the fuck out of me. With Nathaniel so dead set against my demand, I hadn’t expected her quick capitulation.

There was a genuine possibility that I had wildly misjudged her.

Chapter Eighteen

I didn’t have a moment to think or to breathe or to let it sink in that I was in a new world, another level of business, where a fast pace, abrasive executives, and glaringismsexisted—chauvinism, sexism, and classism. If I didn’t woman up and put on my big girl panties, they, Megan especially, would chew me up and spit me out.

For two solid hours, she picked apart my delivery of her carefully crafted statement. She interrupted me so many times, I feared everything, except the first paragraph, would be lost to me. She called my voice flat. No inflection anywhere, she said, as if I gave a high school speech or read from a script. Never mind I was, in fact, reciting wordsshewrote. Other times, she sneered my focus remained down too long and my voice was too low, shouting to me the mics wouldn’t pick up a whisper. Her complaints were long and varied.

At one point, I was a taunt away from bursting into tears. At my watering eyes and traitorous sniffle, she smiled. The satisfaction in her eyes would stay with me forever. Unable to bait me into blurting a few regrettable words, she’d decided to break me.

A little kernel of doubt entered me. Her behavior had whiffs of Noah’s tactics to drive away female applicants. But common sense prevailed, and I reminded myself of Noah’s very real and very tight schedule for me. He’d given me pages and pages of files, and a flash drive with documents meant only for KMG employees.

He didn’t dictate her behavior. It might’ve been because of him, but Megan authored her own viciousness. She didn’t care what I said or how I spoke. It didn’t matter if I stood ramrod straight, head high, and shoulders proud. She rebuffed my attempts at small talk and took issue across the board. It was so tiring. If this indicated the tone of my career at the company, I needed to reconsider my employment.

“Stop fidgeting,” she snapped from her place on her peach and gray sofa. Her office wasn’t as big as Noah’s, but still spacious. The peach and gray décor and furnishings had a coolness that matched her personality. “You stand with composure no matter what is going on around you.”

Her words rekindled a small fire within me. Hopefully, it wouldn’t peter out and instead grow into a massive conflagration that burned this bitch alive. “Megan.” The strength of my tone surprised both of us. Her eyes widened. “If after two hours you aren’t satisfied with my performance, the issue isyourwriting, and not my delivery.”

Folding my arms, I didn’t flinch at her haughty glare. Instead, I went silent, standing in the middle of her office, awaiting Reid. Nicholas and his wife, Tina, were there. She was texting on her phone, while he looked a little bored and vastly irritated. His close resemblance to Noah shocked me, except his eyes were green and Noah’s were blue. Nicholas was handsome but Noah was gorgeous, even if they had the same dark hair cut in similar styles. Leaning against Megan’s desk was a makeup artist and a hairstylist. At the side of her desk, in the space between it and the wall, was a rack of clothes, several boxes of shoes, and the woman who’d direct my choices.

They were to be my audience during practice run number two trillion. All eyes were on me, which made me want to hide in Megan’s office bathroom. Under her desk. Behind her sofa.Anywhere.

Not much intimidated me. This did. The unfriendly faces and heavy silence wore on me. The realization that Keegan Enterprises had a lot riding on this press conference, andmydelivery, scared the shit out of me. If I didn’t convince the world of the company’s wonderful atmosphere no matter one’s gender, I’d harm everyone, from the top tier executives to the line cooks and janitors.

It all rested on my shoulders.

Admitting Noah’s presence would soothe me was humbling, but he wasn’t back yet. We crossed swords, yes. However, he undoubtedly respected my work ethic.

“Where the fuck is Reid?” Nicholas exploded. He threw me an ugly look. “I have to make certain the reportersIspecifically requested have the proper credentials for admittance.”

“He called me from the lobby and told me he had to take care of something.”

Though she continued texting, Tina remained aware of the goings-on around her and frowned at Megan’s explanation. “What woman is he fucking now? One day, his dick is going to fall off.”

Yawning, Nicholas folded his arms and smirked at Megan. “Seems you’ve missed out on another Keegan. No matter how you try, you can’t snare one for yourself.”

She glared at him. “Noah and Reid are both single,” she snapped. “I have as much chance as the next woman.”

“Yet, you still work,” Tina replied, finger combing her red hair and using her phone as a mirror. I did it all the time with my camera app. She pressed her lips together, then offered Megan a sugary smile. “You haven’t squirreled away enough income to quit and work around Noah’s strict rules about workplace behavior.”

“Tina—”

The opening door interrupted Megan.

Quinn walked in, wearing a denim jumpsuit and matching boots. I’d texted her an invitation to the press conference for moral support.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” Reid said tightly, following my sister and barely acknowledging me as he headed to the lone empty chair in the sitting area.

“Excuse me?” Megan said to Quinn. “The housekeeping services are on the other end of the hall.”