Page 27 of Fair Trade
“Have you heard of knocking?”
The side of his mouth kicks up slightly. “I did.”
“Oh. Well, I didn’t hear you.”
He gives me a look that screams “Obviously.”
I shake my head. “I did give you a heads-up, to be fair.”
“Ah, yes.” He pulls out his phone and reads. “Promoting Luke Weston to manager. DiSorbo is fired. Figuring out interim pitching coach now. Let me know if you have any questions. Luisa.”
I wave at his phone, my gesture communicating “Well, there you go.”
He straightens and closes the door after fully stepping into my office. Being enclosed in here now makes my office feel a whole lot smaller than it was moments ago.
“You see, Luisa. That’s just not going to work for me.” He walks up to my desk and starts picking up the small frames and knickknacks I have displayed across it. He smirks down at the picture I have of me sitting on my dad’s lap while at a baseball game, my two front teeth missing. “Cute.”
I snatch the frame out of his hand and place it face down on my desk. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stonehaven, but you’re going to have to be a bit more detailed about what doesn’t work for you.”
He makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Mr. Stonehaven. How… formal.” He makes his way around my desk, and I have to focus on keeping my breaths even and my expression unbothered. “I do think we’re past the formality, given our… familiarity, dare I say?” He stops when we’re standing toe to toe, with my head tilted up to keep eye contact.
I don’t know what his play is here, but if he thinks he can undermine my authority by reminding me of our tumble in the sheets, he has something else coming to him. “Sorry, I’m not sure of what you’re getting at. Because it would be beneath you to not only backpedal on an apology that seemed genuine but also speak of matters that are outside of the scope of our professional positions. Don’t you think, Mr. Stonehaven?”
The fucker has the audacity to full-on grin in my face. And for a weak moment, I consider either slapping or kissing it off his face.
“My apologies, Luisa, but I was referring to the fact that you are now one of my sister’s closest friends. You’re all she talks about lately, while leaving me in the dust. I’m still waiting for an invite to one of your lunch dates, by the way.” He fake pouts. “So I’m not exactly sure what you were alluding to.” He places his hands in his pockets, and the smooth motion makes me want to throttle him. He chuckles before his voice turns playful. “I can feel the violence vibrating off your skin, Luisa. Do we need to have an HR training on interpersonal conflicts?”
I cross my arms under my chest, accidentally lifting my breasts in the process. His eyes drift down for a split second, long enough for me to notice that he looked, and now I’m the one sporting a grin. “No need. I have no problem keeping my hands to myself,sir.”
I think I hear a faint growl before he takes a large step back, running one of his hands down his navy silk tie. “Splendid. But I didn’t come here to discuss HR matters.”
I rest my ass on the desk. “Then why did youcome, sir?” I taunt again. And now I swear he’s the one who wants to have his hands around my neck. The visual, shockingly, feels much more appealing than I’d ever admit.
“Cut the shit, Angel—I mean Luisa.” I stiffen at his slip of the tongue. It now feels like it’s been decades since he called me that in bed. “You can’t make unilateral decisions about the hierarchy of the team I own and not include me in the decision-making process.” I stand to defend myself, but he powers on. “I’m not here to stifle your authority. I’ve caught up quickly on what your role is here in the organization, and I respect it. But as the team owner and the person in charge of running the business, I would expect the same respect to be given in return.”
I deflate slightly, because he’s right.
I ran everything by Arthur when it came to signing on the players. Because while who we hire is up to me, he was still my boss and needed to be in the loop with the finances to make sure that we were abiding by our spending pot and budget. Giving Coach Weston a promotion also meant tripling his pay, which is most definitely something I would have discussed with my boss had he not been… Nick.
If I’m going to preach about being taken seriously in my role as GM, I’m also going to have to wear my big girl panties and do the things that a responsible GM would do. Which includes maintaining open communication with my team owner.
I nod. “You’re right.” He gives me a look of disbelief, and I roll my eyes. “I’m woman enough to admit when I’m wrong. And in this instance, I should have kept you abreast of my intentions. It won’t happen again.”
“Hmm, nice apology.” He looks lost in thought for a moment. “Although I could have done without the word ‘abreast.’”
I snort and cover my nose immediately, embarrassed by the noise that came out of my face.
His face lights up as he moves toward the door. “Look at us. Getting along. Looks like hell has frozen over.”
It takes a second, but once I get the devil reference, I scowl. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”
He grabs the doorknob and begins to close it behind himself before he stops abruptly, his face morphing into one of stern professionalism while his eyes blaze with heat.
“Oh, and Luisa?”
I grit my teeth, “Yes?”
“Call me sir again and see what happens.”
