Page 10 of Devilish Bully
“You really are the best, you know that?”
“Am I ‘best’ enough for you to not get mad about me telling the babysitter not to come today?”
“I’m going to let it slide…”
She gives me a hug. “Good luck at the all-hands meeting. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the last one.”
I kiss her forehead and step out into a drizzling and dreary Manhattan. A driver steps out of a grey sedan and opens the back door for me.
“You’re heading to Pearson Industries, correct?”
“Yes.” I slide into the backseat.
His eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “I’ll get you there as fast as I can, Miss.”
“Don’t bother.” I sip my drink. “At this point, just take your time…”
The auditorium lookslike it was modeled after an opera stage, as if Mr. Pearson wanted to compete for “most gaudy headquarters.”
Exhaling, I push the doors open and step inside, seeing that—thankfully—the meeting is already halfway done.
The board members—the “soulless ghouls” as we call them—are lined up onstage next to an oversized screen flashing recaps about the IPO we already know by heart.
Finding Mindy, I move past a few interns and slide into a seat beside her.
“I was just about to call the police to do a wellness check on you,” she whispers. “You alright?”
“Barely,” I mutter. “How is this so far?”
“Super fascinating. I’m learning so much.” She holds up her phone, a game glowing on the screen.
Perfect.
“Now for the big reveal that you’re all waiting for!” The lead board member, Penelope, squeals like this is actually exciting.
“After collecting and cataloging surveys from all of you here on the main campus—which is,wow—fifteen hundred employees, we can reveal Mr. Pearson’s overall score for morale. Mr. Pearson, could you join us onstage please?”
He rises from the front row, and even after twenty-one days, he looks better than in every fantasy I’ve had since. The lights catch on the broad lines of his shoulders, on the perfect cut of his dark grey suit, the sharp line of his jaw. Heat pulses low, sharp and fast, and I squeeze my thighs together as he glances at the crowd.
And just like that, my mind betrays me—dragging me back to the image I’ve been replaying night after night. His hands pinning me to my desk, that mouth against my throat, his voice low and rough as he demanded I answer him with “yes, sir.” I shift in my seat, trying to focus on the stage, but the memory of his body against mine won’t let me.
I blink hard, willing myself to stay in the present, but all I see is the way his suit would look discarded on my office floor, the way he’d look above me if I ever stopped fighting him.
“Okay.” Penelope smiles when he reaches her side. “Everyone count down with me. Five. Four…”
No one in the audience joins her. Her voice echoes solo off the walls.
“Two… one!”
She lifts a remote and taps a button, and the screen flashes with images of the city before revealing the result.
92% Approval
A collective gasp fills the room.
There’s no way…
The board members applaud, but not a single clap sounds from any of us employees.
