Taming My Boss
NA
ird-past the cagey glass doors, away from the towering in
ting'wasn't the r
? Bafflin
e for nightma
What started out as a simple 'she's giving the presentation, so ask her the questions,'quickly turned into a bizarre game of cat and mouse-one where I wasn't sure which part I was even supposed to play.
ou characterize
supervisor Ms. Macer, as this is really her area
what you have to
ed sigh. Jamie's initial thumbs-up was wilting b
ll the factors, the risk is too great. I would back out
a charged pause as he stared
taking a risk now an
to the ground, wondering what unholy power struggl
n, and the meeting had adjourned, he'd tried to get my attention. But I'd walked deliberately out the door, not speaking or looking at anyone else, lest they pull me into another interrogation to last for days. Instead, I headed straight to my office and pretended to be
't deserve. It wasn't them who'd tried to humiliate me during my first ever Blackwood presentation. It
ard the last computer shut down then made a bee-line f
ne could quiz me, no one could mess with me for at least
resentation played out, I went straight to the gym. I needed to run off my frustration for a whi
..that wa
a pair of clinging yoga capris and a sports b
ack, shivering a little wh
the waist, not
hing I'd worn more clothes. "What are you.
wn on my feet. "I'm just trying it out for
, and I couldn't help but sha
give up eas
. This time, he
op
nd accepted his arm
to, M
m heading to the treadmill
that's where I'm going as well." His eyes narr
son, that was th
and I erupted in a fit of exhausted giggles. He stepped back when they started, looking wary
aded between gasps. "I ca
e were two people, the same age, flirting/trying-not-to-
" He held up his hands innocently. "
g the one next to me, he sat directly across, casually lifting weights and pretending not
about it. In fact, aside from being entirely too bold, he actually seemed like a great guy. He was for
rent life,
going to happen in this one. Dating t
I ask you
still biting my lip to
making me come off
ed a step, throwing my hands on
can be off-putting to some people." He shook his head as if exasperat
gh, o
, panting. He was up in an instant, standing
nce maybe high school." I shot him a disbelieving look, and he nodd
reaking un
ning smile. "You
ggled, smacking h
ate. It's not fair seducing you like this. I do
looked up, the attendant was already gone. I stared around in wonder as Mark took a long sip. My gym had attendants? I
d your own during th
to whether he was messing with me, a
oe to toe with Tom like that. When it c
e's pret
ly know y
back my hair. "It was a nightmare. I
"I feel that way about st
look. "Yeah, your last name aside, you don't
ld actually wants to grow up in a conference room. Tom was born in a suit. Th
genuinely interest
de of the building. I don't really have a choice.
Mark had followed it up with Princeton, just like me. In fact, I think I'd only missed him by a year. He made the D
his dad was A
fully, "that Ivy League educa
I was stupid. I'm bored. And I don't give
ind traveled back to the pres
only one in your fam
shortly. "Yeah, not like Tom. Tom lives for w
curiously. "Wh
woman and the only thing he not
d my teeth the next morning. Still turning them over in my head when my phone screamed at me from the c
el
s Ha
re was the tongue-lashing for yesterday's perform
started nervous
ed Trask we'd give him the first draft of the formal p
dread began hardening
t bumped it u
ld the phone with both ha
n't be done. There weren't enough hours
g you'll learn about me, it's that I'm never kidding. I
one-handed stripping, simultaneously fumbling around in
ina
l in the air. The entir
does tha
d this. You just spent the last night learning all of this by heart, and you certainly proved you knew your stuff at the pre
to be a human piƱa
I just don't
riting the section on all future contingencies, and me and the rest of the team are mapping out past and present risk ass
ite the
fusals and denials caught in
ckw
s what
ies of what I could do suddenly stretched beyond the horizon
d I'm going to need constant access with whatever regional director has been assigned to this part of the project.
ut commands like a season
ng was that Macer
need. The papers are a
e living room, followed by the sound o
is is technically Michael's territor
rk grinning up at me from beneath the weig
there's a problem, but if
d to it. I'm texting you his number. Call his cell and arrange
the moment decision to just make the best of it. Mark was
l get on it
oice echoing again through the phone -as
ar
ught off guard by he
reciat
line cl
know that there's a mountain of papers piling up in the living room?" I heard her start the co
te!" I called, still roo
er a moment, I decided that he would appreciate a more casual take on the day, and went from my closet to my dresser-pulling out a pair of black jeans and a s
I decided that 'grunge chic'would have to be acceptable and whipped out my cell phone again as I pulled
gs, there was finally a
oice, half muffled by a pillow
? It's m
om the
en, Trask bumped up the draft for the merger to Monday, and I'm
use, and I heard the
this?" Aloud yawn. "I th
definitely a job for the older Blackwood brothe
o won't go out with you. You need to put your feet on the ground and have someone get you coffee because this is
..Je
ar, Mi
uckling on t
I'm up. And yes-I'll help y
xasperation. As i
went through all this trouble just to get
was trying my best not to shout. "What
ing it serio
eyes in relief. At least I knew he wasn't g
thing," he
sked, the smile fa
office today. I'll send a
hands in utter
Where d
I'm send