Playing Dirty

Seven

Watching Ryan address the group, Sam found herself quickly revising her earlier opinion of him as a bored playboy. It was fast becoming obvious this was a job he enjoyed doing, and was really good at it.

She noted the light jokes with which he'd used to begin the meeting, putting everyone at ease before delving into serious issues. He didn't raise his voice, but spoke in a cool, confident tone that had every ear - including hers - hanging onto his every word.

Matter of fact, the only thing he did that irritated the hell out of her was the way he ignored her presence. Other than the initial surprise he'd displayed on walking into the room, Ryan hadn't shown the slightest bit of interest in her.

Sam quelled the flash of irritation at the thought and reminded herself why she was here. What should it matter if he chose to treat her like she didn't exist? She wasn't here to care about his opinion of her. It was supposed to be the other way round!

Glancing down at the screen of the iPad, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to focus on the notes she'd jotted down while Ryan spoke. The words seemed to swim in a jumble, much like her scattered thoughts and she scowled, miffed at her reaction.

"Right then, I believe we've covered everything to do with the projects." the note of finality in Ryan's voice had her looking up, scowl still plastered on her face. "I don't intend this to be a long meeting, wouldn't like to bore everyone to death..."

While the rest of the team chuckled at the joke, he glanced down at her, noted her expression, and raised an eyebrow, lips curving in a smile that set her pulse racing.

He looked away and took his seat, leaning forward to place his hands on the table. "But, before we go back to our duties, I would like to say one thing..."

Sam sat up straighter, mentally rehearsing the speech she'd give when he introduced her.

"I know we've all heard the news about the present circumstances by now," he began quietly. "And I want to assure all of you that nothing will change. I apologise for shirking my responsibilities and bringing us to this point where job security has suddenly become a real fear, but I give you my word, that I will sort this out."

The relief amongst the team was palpable. Everyone seemed to sit easier, shoulders eased and there was even a smattering of applause.

Sam on the other hand, was boiling.

What the hell was he thinking? The point of this whole appraisal was to weed out redundant staff, downsize to the most efficient team possible without affecting production.

Telling everyone their jobs were safe was undermining everything she hoped to achieve. At this rate, they were going to think she was the next wicked witch of the West by the time the ax started falling.

Damn the man!

"And on that note, let's get back to work, shall we?" Ryan smacked the flat of his palm on the table in dismissal.

Chairs scraped, murmurs rose as people made to leave. Sam sat glued to her chair, leveling a glare at Ryan who leaned back in his chair, arms clasped over his stomach, watching the exodus, lazy smile in place.

It hit Sam at that moment that his ignoring her was his way of making a statement. By not introducing her to his team, he'd effectively passed a message that this was his domain, and he would never recognise her role in it.

Well, too bad for him then, because she had every intention of making her mark.

"One minute, please." She pushed to her feet and raised her voice to be heard over the din.