Page 14 of A Little Moore Action
Ignoring my offered hand, Stan turns back to his son. “Social media campaign? Are you serious with this crap?” He gestures in my direction, and I can’t tell if ‘this crap’ refers to the campaign or if I’m somehow included.
I’m pretty sure Chase is thinking the same thing as his expression blanks out again, and he stands.
“Watch yourself, old man.”
Silence.
I can’t see Stan’s face, but Chase’s remains hard.
Mouth firmly closed, I fight my need to fidget, hating the silence.
Stan loses the weird, macho staring contest he has going on with his son by turning to me. “Angelica, is it?”
Really? Misremembering my name?Sucha cliché dick move. “Actually, it’s Campbell. Campbell King.” I don’t offer him my hand again, but I totally deserve another pair of Jimmy Choos for keeping the disdain out of my voice.
“And just what do you think you can bring to the table that five of my most loyal managers can’t? Hmmm?” He snorts. “Five managers thatthisone”—he thumbs over his shoulder to his son—“fired today.”
Chase opens his mouth, but I stop him with a look. No man needs to save me. Especially when my business intellect is questioned.
I raise one eyebrow, matching Stan’s condescension. “Why, customers, of course.” His eyes narrow, and I maintain eye contact. “It seems you’ve been lacking them lately.”
Chase coughs back a laugh.
“Think this is funny, do you?” Stan turns his disgust back toward his son. “Fire the men who can actually keep this place running and hire a nice rack to waste money on social media?” Stan snorts again. Calling him the devil may have been giving the man too much credit. Between his nasal noises, belly, and red face, he looks more like one of those personified pigs from Beatrix Potter. “Seems like somethingyou’ddo.”
Chase’s fists clench, and though his anger is almost palpable, his expression remains calm. I realize he doesn’t trust himself to speak.
Taking a breath, I walk over and right the overturned family portrait on Chase’s desk before fluttering my lashes at Stan, now only inches away. “Better than a bunch of swinging dicks with carpal tunnel and inflated paychecks.”
Both men’s jaws drop. Then Chase starts chuckling again, which turns into a full-out guffaw. Stan just turns a deeper shade of red.
“So nice meeting you, Stan.” I’m proud to have kept my parting words civil. “Chase, we’ll have lunch another time. I’ll see you tomorrow for our scheduled meeting.”
He frowns a moment before glancing at his father and sighing. “Tomorrow, Ms. King. Can’t wait.” He winks.
Stan starts to bluster and stutter, probably trying to think of something nasty to say. Before he can, I walk my nice rack out of the room.
Chase
“Even when you’rein charge of the whole damn company, the only thing you focus on is bedding a hot piece of ass disguised as a businesswoman, huh? Where’d you find foul-mouthed woman? On that porn site you’re so proud of?” Stan eyes the door Campbell just closed a moment longer before piercing me with his next set-down. “I don’t know why you can’t be more like Thomas. He’d never hire a woman like that.”
“That’s rich considering the only reason I’m here and have made these changes is because of Thomas and his desire to have nothing to do with the company.”
Cue Stan’s nostril flaring.
“And let me guess: You think a beautiful woman can’t work for Moore’s unless she’s on the sales floor. Convincing customers they can eitherbeher orhaveher if they just buy what she’s selling.” His facial expression tells me I’m right in my assessment. “Is it truly beyond your comprehension that women can be as good as, hell,better than, men when it comes to business?”
“Please,” he scoffs. “Any woman worth her salt knows her place. And it’s sure as shit not in the executive offices ofmycompany.”
Her place. I roll my eyes. My optic muscles are always under threat of strain when dealing with Stan. “Do you really think that? Because you only got a foothold in Moore’s boardroom door because you married Mom.” I pause, thinking over our last family lunch. “Maybe that’s why Mother hits the bottle when you’re around. Sad that this is where you’ve taken her legacy.”
His eyes narrow to slits. “Shut it.”
I throw him a smirk I know will annoy him before sitting down and kicking my heels up on the desk again.Hisdesk. “Besides being unbearably rude and sexist, was there something you wanted?” I really shouldn’t have given George the morning off to go to the eye doctor. My administrative assistant could’ve squinted a bit longer. Clear eyesight is overrated, anyway. Especially when it means he isn’t here to act as a barrier to my father just waltzing in like this.
He glares at my feet a moment before throwing me a smirk of his own. Anything even resembling a smile on the man is quite unnerving.
“You want to throw your weight around like a toddler with a tantrum, fine.” He extends his hands out to his sides. “Go ahead. Fire those men.”
