Page 4 of Fighting Mr. Knight

“It’s not enough time,” I say to Max with more bite than I intended. “Can we negotiate an extension?”And who the hell is this Danielle woman?

He inhales a lungful of air through his nostrils, meaningshut the fuck up.

The conversation is fruitless. If Lexington says jump, we get a long pole and launch ourselves into space.

My eyes fix on the Lexington Group HQ, a great big forty-something-floor glass brute dominating the London skyline and blocking our sunlight.

Jack Knight pretty much owns this skyline with his fancy hotels and luxury apartments. The guy thinks he’s a bloody god and London is his monopoly board.

“The partners and I will be discussing resourcing this afternoon,” Max says.

Nisha nudges me.

Andthat’swhy I’m sitting here, enduring the soul-sucking experience of working under my ex-fiancé.

Bradshaw Brown promotes once a year and that date is four months away.

I won’t cut off my nose to spite my face. I’ve worked too hard to leave without the title of senior architect.Andthey’re putting me through the training to get admitted to the elite architectural Conservation Register.

Bricks before dicks.

Otherwise, I have to claw my way up somewhere else.

“Another bleeding hipster village where the normal folk won’t be able to afford housing,” Steve, my fellow architect, grimaces. “Jack Knight’s a cockney, has he no shame?”

“Guys, focus.” Max’s lips press tightly together. “Now the deal’s secure, Jack has called a meeting next week to talk to uspersonallyabout this. I’ll send out the statement of work. You’ll need to know it inside out. Everyone assigned to this project must live and breathe it until I say otherwise.”

We exchange glances across the room.

“Why ishemeeting us?” I ask Max suspiciously. “Surely his construction leads will handle this?”

“That shows how important this project is to him,” Max snaps back. “Nisha, I’ll need you to drop what you’re doing and support the design team on the commercials. We may be buddies, but Jack is not a patient man.” I do another eye roll in my head as Max looks at his watch. “Too many minutes wasted today—next time be early, folks.”

Nisha grunts beside me. “More all-nighters to pull this out of my ass in time.”

Everyone spills out of the boardroom while Maxloiters at the front. “Bonnie, a minute please.” He gives me a thin-lipped smile as a frenzied conversation erupts in the hallway about hot Danielle and Max’s dick.

I grind my teeth into a smile to stop murderous threats from escaping.“Yes, Max?”

“Sorry about that little mishap earlier. I didn’t mean for you to see that.”

Guilt briefly flashes across his face. It’s gone so quickly I might have imagined it.

“Me and the rest of the team.” I titter defiantly. “Look, it’s fine. Doesn’t bother me. I’m dating too.”

That’s a big fat lie. These days I’m busying myself with a variety of fake dicks. I alternate between different shapes, sizes and colours as I’m not racist. No need for men to be attached.

With the number of mechanical devices in my bedroom, I’m surprised I have any feeling left down there at all.

“Glad to hear it.”He’snot convinced. “Listen, if you play your cards right, the partners will promote you. You can use this project to get noticed.”

They better bloody promote me.

“But I need you to give it everything.” He’s adopted that tone he uses to dangle work carrots in front of me. “I’m putting my neck on the line offering this chance. Sometimes it seems like you’re stuck in fourth gear, and you can’t get to the next level. I don’t want to give you too much to handle.”

My eyes widen. “What? I’m not stuck in fourth gear!” What does that even mean? “I can handle this project. I’m in top gear. Driving like I stole her.”

He exhales heavily. “This deadline is bad timing with the wedding, but we’ll just have to manage.”

---