Hilary’s plane would land at 11:00 am the next day. It only gave me a couple of hours to get everything sorted at work. Before she boarded the plane she had informed me that she had plans to go to her fiancés home town straight away. His parents had already planned an engagement party - attendance was mandatory. I would have the unfortunate task of driving there...well, Crick would drive me there.
But until I left for the unknown, I had things to sort out. Things being the company. My company.
“Is there anything else to be discussed?” I asked without looking up. My eyes stayed firmly on the folders in front of me. The progress reports before me were shoddy, but what did I expect? I had only given them a couple of hours after all.
The room silenced. Eric, my right hand man, leaned over to take the report I held in my hand. My personal space was of big importance to me; very few had the privilege to ‘get up in my business’ but Eric couldn’t care less. That was the reason why I kept him around.
He kept my ego grounded.
I lifted my head up and search the faces of my senior management. Each department’s head had been summoned to the emergency meeting I had called.
My emergency? A holiday.
“Can I assume that no questions means nothing pressing I need to know? Because I’m sure you haven’t forgotten what happened to dear old Christopher.” Chris, head of HR, was fired because he kept things waiting until the last minute. He ruined my thanksgiving.
But no one spoke.
I took it as an omen that things would be fine without me keeping a watchful eye.
“Alright then. I expect only one thing while I’m gone...and that is communication. I want nothing, and I mean nothing, kept hidden from Eric. He’ll be in charge while I’m away. As you know, I have a very low tolerance for shoddy work; despite being given enough notice, your progress reports are shameful. After I leave, I expect better reports. I want detail people!” My confidence was sky high. The fifteen men and women in the room were my employees. They answered to me. I loved the power. “You can leave.” I dismissed the group with a wave of my hand and took back the progress report from Eric. Once it was just me and him left in the room, I grinned and turned to Eric.
“You lose.” I teased. Blond Eric shook his head and scoffed.
“No, I don’t. Mary is not pregnant; she just has wide hips.” He argued, but I could tell he was defeated.
“Come on, Eric! I get that you’re a guy, but even you can’t miss the bump growing,” I punched him gently on his shoulder. “You owe me a grand.”
Eric pouted his lips and sighed. “But I’m broke.” He fluttered his lashes, attempting to make me feel awful, but I knew better.
“Broke, my ass. I know what I pay you,” I patted him gently on his knee and winked. “You can afford it.”
“But I can’t afford fancy holidays like you though. Oh, how fun it must be to travel all the time.”
I rolled my eyes. Eric was just…he’s the best. “Well you should know. You travel with me...and you know that if I could get out of this thing with Hilary then I would. But I can’t. So shut it.” I joked. I gathered the reports and piled them on top of each other before getting up and smoothing down my pencil skirt. Eric got up too, and before I can pick up the pile, he reached over and grabbed them.
Eric - ever the gentlemen.
“It must be hard.” Eric mused as we walked quietly out of the board room. I turned to face him a little as we strode through the hustle of employees.
YOU ARE READING
Red Blooded
WerewolfIt was supposed to be easy. Life was supposed to easy. But it wasn't. Em Reynolds learnt that the hard way. Nine years after being rejected,defeated and humiliated, Em thinks she can finally move past the pain and hurt that has dominated her life...
