Page 27 of Game Change

I want to tune out the rest of his introduction, but I listen to every word and curse myself for being interested in what the snake says. I don’t care where he got his education or if he has a Master’s degree. What he’s never done is work here, but because he has the right last name, pedigree, and connections, he can take something I’ve worked toward all these years.

He walks in here and takes it from me. Now, I’m cursing myself for investing so much of my money in the house because if not for that, I could quit and start working on building my own business. That’s okay. Now, I have a reason to stop putting it off. I’m still going to do it. I’ve been doing it for myself and practically by myself for almost a decade. I can do it again, and I will.

When he asks for questions, I tune everything out. I have a few choice words for Mr. Kincaid, but no questions. And if Milton Kincaid thinks I’m going to be any help to this usurper, he’s mistaken.

One thing I’ve realized since that disastrous meeting is that Milton does not want me to leave. So, I’ll bide my time and quit on my terms. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a snake, and any relationship we had outside of this office is gone. Any respect I had for him has flown out the window.

“…and I look forward to working closely with Brynne Barber. Brynne, I had some time earlier to check out your portfolio, and I’m very impressed.”

I look past his shoulder without a word or a smile. Ernestine pokes me in the ribs with her elbow, but I don’t move. I’m not going to be fake to appease anyone, let alone this con man.

“I wish you could say I’m looking forward to him kissing my plump behind," she whispers to me.

I almost crack a smile, but I put my hand on top of hers to calm her down. I’m not worried about getting into trouble, but I don’t want anything to happen to her. She has a daughter in college and one who will be going next year. She needs this job.

Ernestine is my most loyal employee. Somehow, her resume made it through HR, and they scheduled an interview with me. Halfway through, she burst into tears, and after I closed the conference room door, she confessed she was going through a horrible divorce and hadn’t worked in years. She wasn’t knowledgeable in any of the software we use, and after going off-topic and admitting she hates QR codes, she started sobbing all over again.

Then

“Are you able to learn?” I ask, and the cries stop. She slowly looks up at me and nods. “Are you willing to learn?” A quicker, more certain nod. “Good. Once your background check is cleared and you’re given a start date, I expect you here at seven so I can teach you. No one needs to know what you just told me.” I hand her a tissue, and she wipes her eyes.

“I’ll be here at six-thirty,” she says.

“Well, I won’t be, so seven will have to be the earliest. Now, why don’t you tell me what you can do, and we’ll figure out the rest later.”

Now

That’s how I earned her loyalty and devotion. She’s been with me for three years, and she’s my eyes and ears at the office. There’s not a thing that goes on that she doesn’t know about, and in turn, I know about it, too.

Hiring her as my personal assistant was the best thing I’ve ever done.

The meeting ends, and lunch is announced. There’s a spread in the smaller conference room. I don’t bother to go in. There’s no way I want to partake in the lunch party that should have been for me. Colin is in there, and I notice a line of ass-kissing employees waiting to speak with him. I continue the walk to my office, determined to be as far away from this so-called celebration as possible.

Needing some fresh air, I put on my jacket, determined to go out despite the frigid January weather. Luckily, everyone is too busy to notice me. Everyone but Ernestine. She tilts her head toward the conference room. I know what that means. It means she will nose around and tell me the details later.

When I return, the party is still going on, and I notice that instead of the Italian food that was brought in, there is now a variety of desserts. I don’t bother to look past the food and head to my office. When I step in, Colin is there, and two plates are on my desk. His back is to me, and I get his attention by slamming my office door. He turns around and our eyes lock. For a moment, I remember everything we shared for those few days and wonder how I could have gotten it so wrong.

I saunter to him and try to look as menacing as possible, but he neither moves nor breaks the stare.

“Can I help you find something, Mr. Kincaid?” I ask. I finally look away and unbutton my coat.

He looks over me, and I wonder what he’s thinking.

I’m dressed completely differently than I was on vacation. Although architecture is not a conservative profession, I like to dress conservatively in the office. Today, I’m wearing black tailored pants, a matching blazer, and a light blue shirt underneath.

“I noticed you weren’t at lunch, so I thought I’d bring you some food.” My stomach grumbles at the smell, and I hope he didn’t hear it. Instead of eating while I was at lunch, I went shopping instead.

“I’m quite capable of feeding myself.” To prove my point, I pick up both plates and throw them in the trash. He nods slowly. “Don’t ever bring me anything.”

“So, this is how it’s going to go,” he says under his breath.

“You can get—” Before I can tell him to get the fuck out of my office and my face, Ernestine busts in holding a brown paper bag.

“I went downstairs and got you some French fries and extra ketchup,” she says as she hands it to me. I open it and stuff a handful of fries in my mouth. “What do we have going on here?” she asks while she eyes Colin. “Do you need me to handle this?”

Colin chuckles, and Ernestine bristles.

“I’m curious to know how you would handle this, Ernestine,” Colin says as he looks at my assistant like she had him. “Please, handle me.” His voice is much too gentle for the situation, so I intervene.

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