Chapter Eleven
Rook
Standing outside his room, I rested my forehead on the cool wood of the door.
What had I done? I ran over the course of our date in my mind, picturing us going in and out of all of those cute stores, eating pie and pie-like items, weighing their merits with humor, sneaking kisses in the name of tasting the dessert on the other person’s lips.
Nothing wrong there, and when we entered the maze, we’d still been having fun, laughing and holding hands.
We even joked about not losing one another in a maze clearly geared toward a younger audience, and then I took the call, he stepped out of sight, and…
Was that it? Did he think I was breaking our vow not to get separated?
But he was the one who made the move. I hadn’t left at all, so couldn’t be the issue.
Perhaps it was my talking on the phone at all while on our date?
He hadn’t seemed bothered at first. I tried to think how long I might have taken, but it didn’t seem as if it had been more than a few minutes.
If he offended that easily at being ignored for a very brief moment, that did not bode well for our relationship.
But I could not walk away from my fated that easily.
Even if Idris had a character flaw, who didn’t?
And Fate must know her business. We could talk this through—if only I could find out for sure what had sent him flying away from me.
And no way was this conversation going to happen through a door.
I rapped on it. “Omega, open up and let me in.” More like the big bad wolf than a panther, but we use what comes to us.
“Go away.” His voice came from only a few inches away, on the other side of the door. Okay. He was close by.
“No. I am not going away until we discuss whatever has you so upset. I must have done something to offend you.”
“Doesn’t matter, go away.”
“Omega, open the door. If I hurt you, I want to make it right.”
No reply. For a moment, I thought he might ignore me, just go to bed and leave me cooling my heels in the hallway all night.
I had been serious and was going nowhere until we spoke.
He had to come out eventually, even if that meant morning.
Prepared to sit down and wait, back against the door so there was no way I could miss his exit, I was pleasantly surprised when the door moved, causing me to stumble inside.
“Come in, then. I can’t have you hanging out there until morning.” He stepped back and waved me inside. “Let’s get this over with.”
Promising—not in the least. But I’d take it. “Thank you for being willing to hear me out.”
“Start explaining.”
“I can’t—” Deep breath. For some reason, the omega thought I knew upset him.
I did not. But I could give it a shot. Use what I did know and see if I could somehow allow his responses to guide me.
A trick I’d employed more than once in my former business, with almost 100 percent success.
I’d hoped not to have to step back into my Italian loafers and tailored suit to clear up what surely must be a misunderstanding.
“Can we sit?” Standing opponents were in a position to leave quickly or ask me to do so. Sitting would buy me at least a few more minutes. Lying down naked would be better, but I didn’t see that happening just now, no matter how much I wanted him to wear my mark. “At the table?”
“All right.” He perched on the edge of the chair, not exactly the relaxed posture I hoped for but didn’t expect. “I don’t think we have anything to discuss, though.”
“Understood.” I spotted the two glasses and pitcher of ice water Franklin must have brought up while we were out and went over to fill them before returning to sit opposite the omega. “Now, if I heard you right, I am not who you thought I was.”
“Yes.” He was staring over my shoulder.
Okay… “Can you elaborate on that?”
“Elaborate?” Idris moved his head, bringing his blazing gaze to meet mine. “Sure thing, boss.”
“Boss? Did you feel I was trying to boss you around earlier?”
“No, not that. I just wasn’t thrilled to be laid off after you promised us that none of us would be when you sold the company.”
My jaw dropped. My mind spun. If I hadn’t been sitting down, I might have passed out. The information rolled into my brain in layers. He’d worked for me. I’d sworn his job was safe. He got laid off. Bing, bang, boom. He hated me.
Suddenly, I felt sick. How many others like him had been laid off when those liars broke our agreement. It wasn’t in writing, something I had only realized had been skipped at the last minute and had accepted their verbal promise.
Verbal agreements were generally binding in my state, the attorney present had assured me, under certain conditions, all of which were met.
I’d take the new owners to court and rip them a new one, but how I could help those who had been harmed…they, like my omega, would blame me. Dammit!
“They promised to keep everyone on. Do you know how many others were also laid off?”
He shrugged, but the tension in his shoulders had lessened. Slightly. “A lot. They brought in their own people, and the only positions I am sure were safe were at the very bottom.”
“Hell.” Any tension he’d lost, I’d gained. I’d spent all this time thinking of myself and never dreaming how many people had been harmed because I never followed up.
“I’ll find a way to make it right,” I vowed. “It will involve speaking to my attorneys, which cannot happen until after the weekend, but we will figure it out. You didn’t realize who I was?”
“We only knew you by your full name, and I’d never even seen a picture of you.
I always thought it was because you didn’t have a huge ego like a lot of big shots.
We had good salaries, benefits. I felt like a real person.
Seen, even if you wouldn’t have known me from the executive floor.
But I was working my way up, and eventually, I’d have been there with you and the others. ”
“Omega, let’s keep this weekend about us, but I’m going to make it right for you and all the others. They broke an oral agreement. This will cost them. I don’t know how many would even be willing to go back after what happened.”
“Gonna say only the desperate because nobody is happy there. A lot of office staff left within a day or two of their arrival.”
“And you had to face that every day. I couldn’t be sorrier.”
“I want to stay mad, but my bear insists I believe you. You’d better be telling the truth. A lot of my former coworkers have families to support. Mortgages. Car payments.”
“Before we leave the inn, I want a list from you of all the others you know were laid off or fired, and I’ll take it from there, or rather the attorneys will.”
“Okay.” His smile was wobbly but his eyes sparkled. “I always liked working for your company. It was quite a shock when I thought I’d been mistaken all along.”
“A shock to me, too. But I’m going to put this right.”