Traded by Lisa Suzanne
CHAPTER 22
Later in the afternoon, I slide into the chair across from Jack in his office to get the final word on this weekend when Michelle strides into the room like she owns it. I guess technically it’s her dad’s house, so in that sort of way, she does own it.
“What are you doing?” she demands.
She plops into the empty chair beside me, but she doesn’t actually acknowledge my presence. She doesn’t seem to notice that we might’ve been in the middle of a conversation.
“Working,” Jack says pointedly.
“Oh, on your cute little company?” she asks, her tone dripping with something. Sarcasm, maybe?
“It’s neither cute nor little,” Jack says. “Do you need something?”
“They called me back out to Los Angeles,” she says. “I leave Thursday. I need to talk wedding stuff with you in my office before I go.”
I pick apart her words, starting at the top.
Who is they?
Why is she going to Los Angeles?
None of it is any of my concern, I suppose, but she has piqued my curiosity.
“Fine,” Jack says, and then he turns to me. “Hey, personal assistant. Can you find time in my calendar for a wedding planning meeting with my bride to be?” His tone drips with something, too. I’m not sure whether it’s sarcasm or disgust, though.
My eyes widen. He knows he didn’t give me access to his calendar, and now he’s playing some game. I think I might be the pawn in it. I’m a little confused.
“Of course, Mr. Dalton,” I say sweetly. I open my own calendar to make this act look legit. “Looks like Thursday at noon is open.”
Michelle blows out a breath and looks at me like I’m stupid. “I leave Thursday. I need before then.”
“Oh, right,” I say, and I catch Jack’s eye. His are full of merriment, and I look down at my calendar again so I don’t accidentally start to giggle. “That’s my bad. Hm.” I review my calendar that’s pretty much wide open, and she stares daggers at me as she waits.
“Right now looks open.” I lock eyes with Jack, and I shrug and shoot him a sweet smile.
His gaze hardens, and I stifle a laugh.
“Now’s not good,” he says. “I have a contract I need to review.”
“Come on, Jack,” she whines.
“Give me an hour,” he finally concedes, but the hesitation in his voice is loud and clear.
“Okay. I’ll just wait here, then.” She pauses a beat, and then she asks, “What contract are you reviewing?”
“I don’t have time to chat right now, dear,” Jack says, his voice using that same condescending tone he hits me with sometimes.
“Just trying to show some interest in my husband’s little company,” she mutters.
“Will you please stop calling it little?” Jack booms, and her brows crinkle.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just always think of companies with fewer than twenty employees as little.” She gives him a fake smile, and my fingers flex on my lap as a bit of defensiveness creeps over me. I’m not even sure why. I have nothing to defend, but seeing the way she treats him is pressing on a nerve I didn’t realize I had.
“We have twenty exactly now,” he says, nodding at me, “so I guess we’re not so little anymore.”
Wait a minute. I am his newest employee?
“Didn’t Daddy hire her?” she asks, giving him a look like he’s dumb.
He ignores her as his eyes move back to his computer screen. “And we have several multi-million-dollar deals going at all times, not that I need to defend my company to you.”
“That’s wonderful,” she says, and her tone clearly conveys that it’s not and she doesn’t give a rat’s ass. “Let me know when the dollars start pouring in, ‘k?”
Jack sighs. “Look, Michelle. The more you interrupt me from my work now, the less time we’ll have to talk later.”
She holds up both hands innocently. “Okay, okay,” she says. She pulls her phone out from her cleavage and starts tapping around on it.
Loudly. And obnoxiously.
I think she’s texting, but I’m trying not to be nosy. It’s just that her nails keep tapping the screen and it’s like...well, it’s like nails on a chalkboard, but instead it’s a phone screen. Jack glances up pointedly at her hands, but she’s totally oblivious to just how irritating she is.
“I can meet you in your office when I’m ready,” Jack says.
“Oh, no, I’m fine waiting in here.”
“Michelle,” he says, his voice firm. “Go.” He nods toward the door, and her gaze lifts to him.
“She gets to stay,” she argues, finally acknowledging that there is another person in the room.
“She is my assistant,” he says. “She has work to do. I will meet you in your office in an hour.”
She pins him with a glare but eventually does get up to do what she’s told. She stalks out of the room and slams the door behind her.
Sounds like that’ll be a real fun meeting in an hour. I’m frankly shocked he didn’t make me leave, too.
I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do now. Do I leave? Our conversation seems to be over, and his mood seems to have soured since his fiancée stopped by.
But I sort of just want to sit here a few minutes and let her clear out. I don’t want to run into her in the kitchen because I don’t really care for her. And it’s not just because she’s engaged to Jack and I wouldn’t care for anyone cast in that role.
It’s more because she’s a terrible person.
“Do, uh...do you really have something for me to do?” I finally ask.
He closes his eyes for a beat, and then he finally looks up at me. The look there in his eyes clearly says get the fuck out without the words leaving his mouth. He needs to review his contract, and he needs to concentrate, and these constant interruptions are only setting him back.
Unlike his future bride, I can take a hint.
I get up and walk out without another word. Michelle’s office is around the corner from Jack’s and on the way toward the kitchen, and I hear two voices talking quietly as I approach.
“I heard back,” one woman’s voice says, and I don’t recognize it.
“And?” Michelle asks.
“They said yes!”
I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but their little squeals make me stop in my tracks.
“They don’t care that Tristan’s out?” Michelle asks.
“They said it’s even better. We’ll have a totally different angle they weren’t even expecting and it’ll give me a storyline with the recovery and all that.”
“I thought he filed for divorce, though,” Michelle says.
“Oh, he did. But I can be very convincing when I want to be.”
Both women laugh, and there’s an edge of maliciousness in their conversation that make me feel very uncomfortable.
I don’t know who this woman is, but she seems an awful lot like Michelle. And having two of them around most definitely won’t help Jack when it comes to my purpose here, which is helping him make better decisions.
Because unless he decides to leave Michelle, I just don’t see how I can coach him to do the right thing without losing my job.
