Page 24 of The Butterfly Effect
I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. “For the last time, Roger, no. I’m not interested.”
The disappointment I expected to see in his face didn’t come. He still looked at me like I had just agreed to a lifetime of dates. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong. If you don’t go out with me, I’ll convince the board to go with Smith & Weston’s proposal instead. Then you’ll lose the deal, and I imagine your job with it. So let me try this again. I’m going to take you out tonight for dinner, drinks, and dessert at my place.” He took a step closer to me and tucked my hair behind my ear before leaning in. “And during dessert, I imagine we’ll all hear you calling my name.”
Bile rose in my throat, threatening to send me running from the room and to the nearest trash can. Instead, I swallowed my disgust and steeled my spine. “I said no.” I emphasized every word.
The look in his eyes reminded me of the glazed look he’d had in the parking garage when he pinned me against my car. Nerves flooded my system, and my head was spinning.
“You’ll regret that.”
He ran his hand along my cheek and turned towards the door, opening it and storming into the main area of the office and over to the elevator where the rest of his team was waiting with Sandra. Following them past the steel doors, he hit the button with a scowl and glared at me while the doors closed in front of him.
I tried my best to keep my cool. Needing some fresh air, I headed down the stairs and into the courtyard beside the large building.
Every part of me craved one of the cigarettes I had smoked in college, but my lungs couldn’t handle it anymore. I threw my back against the side of the building and took several deep breaths. Roger’s taunt kept repeating itself in my head. If I got fired for not dating a man who attacked me, then so be it. If it came down to that, I’d walk out with both middle fingers in the air.
When I got back to the office and sat down at my desk, a concerned Katie looked at me. “Are you okay?” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
“I’m fine, just needed some fresh air.” She knew I was lying. She always did, but I didn’t have it in me to worry about that right now. I didn’t even know what to think.
“William was just looking for you, and he didn’t look happy.” Her nervous warning made my blood run cold.
Surely he was upset because of Roger wanting to talk to me alone. My stomach filled with butterflies. I was half terrified and half hoping he was going to dominate me in his office. Lord knows I could use the stress relief today. For someone who seemed so intent on hating and controlling me, he demanded a lot of my time lately.
He opened his door and appeared in the doorway, motioning for me to join him with the curl of one finger. Katie was right. He didn’t look happy. My heart sank into my stomach, and I took a shaky breath that did nothing for the lightheaded feeling I was overcome with. Would I even be able to make it to his office without my legs giving out? I was determined to maintain the confidence I’d held since taking this account the first time. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
I carried myself across the office on shaking legs and stopped in front of his office. “Heard you were looking for me,” I managed to say without my voice breaking.
“Inside. Now.” He was fuming. The anger emanating from him could’ve burned me.
Trying not to show my uncontrollable nerves, I stepped past him and into his office. The door slamming echoed around the small room, and I cringed, quickly dropping into the chair across from his desk. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to assume what had made him so mad and definitely not wanting to make it any worse. The silence in the room was thick with tension, almost making the air difficult to breathe.
He finally broke the silence, slamming his hands onto his desk and raising his voice at me. “Do you want to explain to me why Roger Hepburn just called me and backed out of their contract completely? Does this have anything to do with your littleprivate chat?”
“Excuse me?” My voice was an infuriated shriek.
William’s hands shook against the desk, his knuckles turning white under the pressure of his weight. I could see why so many people said they were scared of the man. “Don’t fucking play with me.” He put an emphasized space between every word, his voice becoming harsher the more he spoke.
“That motherfucker demanded I date him, threatening to break off the deal if I don’t. I refuse to lower my standards that wayorcompromise my moralsfurther.” I stood up from my seat as I yelled back at him. From the heat in my cheeks, my face had turned bright red, and angry tears pricked at my eyes.
William’s stance was dominating, and it made me feel a third of my size. He leaned over his desk, not lowering his voice. “Damn it, Julianna. I don’t care about that! Fix it.”
I didn’t understand the man. One day he was making me come in his office, and the next he was degrading me. I glared at him, my breathing heavy. “You want me to date him to get the account.” I said it so matter-of-factly that William sat back in his chair and glared.
“No. I want you tofix it.” The emphasis on the last two words was extreme, forcing me to suck in a deep breath. He drilled his eyes into mine. How many of his deals had truly been ethical? Did he sacrifice his employees like this often?
I huffed and stood up from the chair, starting to walk to the door before turning back to him. “You’re something else.”
Without waiting for him to respond, I walked quickly and slammed his door behind me. My breathing was heavy and fast, and I held my hands in tight fists at my sides. I wanted to scream and throw something against the wall to watch the shattered pieces bounce back at me. Instead, I swiped my purse and cardigan from my desk and walked out.
“Jules!” Katie called after me. I didn’t stop, making my way to the stairway door and throwing it open. Before the door closed completely, she caught it and her steps pattered down the stairs. “Jules, wait!”
I didn’t stop until I got to the parking garage and over to my car. My hands were shaking too badly to grab my keys from my purse, and when Katie got to my side, I looked at her and leaned into my car. Warm tears flooded my cheeks, and I tried to breathe between hiccupping sobs. My best friend wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her chest and just holding me while I shook in her arms.
“I’m the biggest idiot around to think he ever cared about me, Katie. A fucking fool.” I covered my face with my hands, unlocking my car and opening the door. I threw my bag onto the front seat and leaned on the open door for support. “I just need to figure a few things out.”
Katie looked at me like a sad mother and grabbed my hand. “If you need me, or wine, I’ll be there. Are you okay to drive?”
I nodded and kissed her cheek before climbing into my car. The tears couldn’t fall fast enough and blurred my vision, making it more difficult to see, but I didn’t want to stick around any longer. I needed to get home and get my wits about me. Apparently, I was going to have to prove myself. Would Richard still hire me if William fired me for losing their account?
