Chapter 3

3: 3

At the morning meeting the next day, I finally learned that when he said "switch who handles it" last night, the one he was switching to was me.

I lifted my head and met his eyes, my voice level and unbowed.

"Whoever brings in a client cleans up after them."

"I'm not a dumpster. Stop dumping everything on me."

I had never contradicted him in front of this many people before.

So the conference room went strangely quiet now.

My coworkers exchanged glances.

Their eyes ran back and forth between my face and Jerome's.

Claudia stepped in to smooth things over.

She held out the client's background file to me.

"Beth, it's all my fault. I was so shaken yesterday, and Mr. Henson only troubled you because he was looking after me."

"Don't be angry with Mr. Henson. Let me apologize to you on his behalf."

I took the file, my expression easy.

The corner of Jerome's mouth curved up a little.

As if I would still take on the client no one else wanted, just like I always had.

If it worked out, he'd toss off a lukewarm congratulations.

If it failed, he'd tear me apart as worthless.

I set the file down on the table and looked up at Claudia.

"In what capacity are you apologizing to me on Mr. Henson's behalf?"

"An assistant apologizing to an employee for the boss is out of line."

"A woman apologizing to a man's girlfriend for him doesn't know her place."

Her face went white in an instant.

There was defiance in her eyes, but she swallowed it back quickly.

My coworkers couldn't hold it in and laughed, then started whispering.

"She's an assistant, but instead of doing assistant work she's out handling clients."

"No idea what Mr. Henson is thinking. His girlfriend's this talented and he grinds her down every day, but he's endlessly patient with the assistant."

"What's there to wonder about? He wants her to climb, obviously! Just can't tell if it's the ranks she's climbing or his bed!"

The talk kept getting louder, and Jerome had to rap the table a few times to get the room under control.

"Too much free time, is that it?"

"Finished all your own work? Then redo every one of the old proposals from scratch!"

His voice was still calm and controlled.

But there was fury held down under his eyes, and the veins stood out on his neck.

All at once he disgusted me.

Catching the contempt in my look, he froze for a second.

I'm sure that since he climbed into the GM's chair, no one had looked at him that way in a long time.

As if he meant to force me down.

He gave the order word by word.

"I assign you your work. You don't get to pick and choose!"

"When I tell you to do it, you do it. Since when is there this much backtalk?"

It looked like he was speaking to everyone, but his eyes stayed fixed on me.

I didn't look away, and I didn't say anything to him.

I just threw the file in my hands into the trash and walked straight out of the conference room.

I meant to go pull myself together in the bathroom, but there was talk coming from inside.

"Men, honestly. Whether they love you or not, it's so obvious."

"I still remember when Beth Summers first got here, the two of them making eyes at each other every single day."

"Right? Back then Mr. Henson would tell her off sometimes too, but the second she frowned he'd change the subject."

"And now look at how he shields Assistant Mason. Tsk, tsk."

I didn't slow my steps. I walked over to the sink to wash my hands.

The coworkers scattered in a hurry, embarrassed.

As the hot water ran over my hands, I looked up at myself in the mirror.

Years ago it had been in front of a mirror too.

Jerome had held me and pleaded, "Beth, come work at my company."

"Then we won't have to do long distance. I really can't stand being apart from you for a single second."

Watching him, always so rational and cool, show that clingy puppy side of himself.

I softened.

I gave up the better offer I had at the time and went to his city without a second thought.

Once the red had faded from my eyes, I took out my phone and called my mom.

"Mom, you and Dad wait for me at home."

"I'll be transferred back to you soon."