Page 66 of Bayside Heat
“I don’t need to impress them. I have a ton of work to do, and I happen to like my teammates. So be careful how you refer to them, or I might have to bring out my nasty side.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I like my juniors, too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my lunches.”
“Sorry. I’m still trying to find my comfort zone with the infrastructure of the company. I’m not used to being around the type of people who take credit for the work of others. You should have seen their faces when I said I wanted them to come to an initial meeting with a new client. It was like they wanted to go but thought they’d get their noses swatted with a newspaper. It was pretty awful.”
He was quiet for so long, she realized he might be just like the others. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. God, foot in mouth much?”
He chuckled. “Relax. I was just thinking about how I felt when I first came on board and how much I’ve let go since then. I know what you mean. It’s unfortunate that they’ve learned their place, but fortunate for them as far as job longevity goes. I know a great café by the office where we can get food to go. Let’s take a cab and talk on the way over.”
They flagged down a cab, and as they rode to the café, Gavin filled her in on the ins and outs of the office.
“Here’s what you need to know about KHB. Like any business, there are two distinct areas that matter. Quality of work and image. KHB prides itself on working with the upper echelon of the business world, which is why we get clients like Younger, who want our name behind them. And that’s cool. You know, KHB has made a name for itself and achieved something not many companies could. But it comes at a price. A few days after turning in your billable hours, Suzanne will come talk to you. She’ll advise you to take your clients to BDC and rack up as many billable hours as possible. That makes the clients feel special and also fills the well.”
“I get it. Clients want to be treated like they’re worth every penny they pay, and the company wants to suck them for every penny they can. But I’m still hung up on the taking-credit thing. Do you take credit for your junior designers’ work?”
He shook his head. “No. But most of the seniors do. It’s the way the game is played.”
“Not in my book. That’s why I’m taking them with me to that meeting. Why visit twice when we can do it in one shot and cut down on the…? Oh man…That’s about billable hours, too, isn’t it?”
He shrugged, but his facial expression confirmed her thoughts.
A few minutes later the cab pulled over to the curb, and she said, “Why is everyone pushing client lunches? They’re not billable.”
She went for her purse, and Gavin pulled out his wallet.
“I’ve got it. Company expense.” He paid the driver and asked him to wait. Once they were on the sidewalk, he said, “Client lunches…Employees need to eat. What’s more advantageous for the company? That we eat while having one-on-one time with our clients, making them feel special, which equates to marketing for KHB, or that we shoot the shit with each other in the break room?”
“Everything is about money?”
He pulled open the door to the café and said, “Welcome to the world of big-city business, Cape girl. You want to know why I treasure my lunch hour?”
“Sure, but if it has to do with money, please lie to me.” She stepped into line beside him.
“We work our asses off from morning until night most days. Lunch is the only time we can put it all away and turn off the designer side of our brains. Let me ask you something. Why did you become a designer?”
“Why did you?” she threw back, giving her time to decide just how honest she wanted to be about her family life.
“I’ve always loved putting things together, whether it’s fashion—”
“I have noticed your penchant for nice threads,” she teased.
“Part of my charm.” He waggled his brows. “Clothing, spaces, fabrics. I love it all. Your turn.”
“I wanted to make my mark.”
“Mark? Like a Serena Mallery brand?”
