Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Using brewing as an excuse for my serious, “focused” expression, I quietly freaked out on the inside as the drip started. Edi, Bomir, and Marius knew who K was and that Konni was waiting for a reaction from me.
I loved the flowers. A lot. So much it hurt a little and scared me.
The flush that I was trying to keep from my face felt like it was creeping into my shoulder. I rubbed the overly warm spot and focused on calming down as I waited for the coffee to finish dripping.
My life would be so much easier if Konni liked Lianna. Maybe I should lock them in his office together.
I hated the idea.
Sighing, I pumped the diabetes-inducing amount of syrup he liked into his cup and added the espresso. Two women entered the break area as I was finishing up.
“Did you see the basket in the bathroom?” someone asked behind me.
“I did. I love working here.”
I glanced back at the pair, and they saw my confusion.
“It’s a huge basket of period supplies and a vase of fresh flowers,” the first woman said. “I hope the supplies don’t go away. I can’t tell you how many times my period has come a day early, and I didn’t have anything with me.”
“Hopefully, no one ruins a good thing by raiding the supplies for any home use,” her friend said. “There’s always someone who thinks it’s a free-for-all and never considers the people who come after them.”
I picked up Konni’s cup and wondered if he knew what kind of expectation he’d set.
“Maybe head it off with a note,” I said. “Something like, for emergency use only, not meant for restocking your personal supply.”
“Do you think that would be okay?”
“Absolutely. I don’t know everyone’s personalities here yet, but like you said, there’s always someone to wreck a good thing. I’ll be adding a similar note to the syrups later.”
They both looked at the syrups with interest. “Are they for everyone to use?”
“Yep.”
I left them to make their own coffee and headed back to our area.
“Who wants to deliver this?” I asked. “I need to make a note for the syrups so everyone knows not to use the last of them and to notify us if they get low.”
“I’m already on top of the sign welcoming everyone to use the syrups,” Bomir said.
“And there’s a whole case of both kinds in that supply cabinet,” Marius said. “We won’t accidentally run out.”
I stood there like an idiot, holding the coffee I really didn’t want to deliver.
Edi popped out of his chair.
“Here. Let me knock on the door for you,” he said.
“No, I want to play the ‘not it’ game.”
“We’re smart enough to know that you’re the only one who will survive going in there right now. He’ll thank you for interrupting and thank us for sending you.”
“She hates me,” I said softly in a last-ditch plea.
“She hates everyone. You happen to get more of it because you’re single and pretty.”
He knocked on the door, opened it without waiting for a reply, and pushed me in with enough force that I had to focus on moving with the momentum or spill the coffee.
But I wasn’t so distracted that I was unaware of Lianna’s position behind Konni’s desk or how her hip was brushing against his arm as she leaned over to point at something on his monitor.
Without looking directly at either of them, I approached his desk.
“Your coffee as requested, Mr. Steele,” Edi said from behind me. “Can I get you anything, Ms. Stonestock?”
“You need to train your assistants better, Drake,” Lianna said, straightening away from him. “And install a lock on the door.”
“They are well-trained, Lianna. And if I had a lock on the door, how would you be able to barge in?” He looked at Edi. “Check into a lock for my door.” His gaze shifted to me as I set the cup on his desk. “Thank you for the coffee, Ms. Elmantas.”
I nodded and left, telling myself I didn’t care how much Lianna rubbed up against him. It wasn’t my business. It would be better for me if she did jump his bones.
My inner sex goddess was pissed, though, because I wanted to be the one to tap that.
I sat at my station and glared at the flowers.
“Maybe empty the water before you throw them,” Marius said softly over the monitor.
I realized my anger was showing and let out a slow breath. Then I stood and handed the flowers to Bomir. “I heard that the ladies' room has a bouquet of flowers. It’s unfair that the men here aren’t given the same courtesy.”
He looked from me to the flowers to Edi, who had followed me from the office and shut the door. Not wanting to be a part of their silent communication, I sat, tossed Konni’s note in my garbage, and pulled up the secretariat emails.
Bomir walked off with the flowers shortly after.
Less than ten minutes later, Edi turned his chair toward me.
“Mr. Steele is asking for me. Do you want to shadow me for this one or sit it out?”
The universe was obviously in the mood to test me today.
“You lead, and I’ll follow.” I stood and ignored the way he glanced at Bomir before heading to Konni’s office door.
As he opened it, I heard Lianna say, “How is a site visit going to help this, Drake?”
This time, Lianna was in the chair across from Konni's desk. He was leaning back in his chair, watching her with a slightly cool expression.
“You brought up valid concerns for marketing the new building spaces. But spending the morning brainstorming a different marketing plan to sell something buyers don’t want doesn’t make sense, and I’m concerned that you think that it does.
Steele Corp has always stood behind the quality of its designs and builds.
“Going there in person will help me assess the practical use of the spaces and make adjustments before the construction goes any further.”
Konni’s attention shifted to us. “Edi, reschedule my meetings for today. The ones you can’t reschedule, I’ll do remotely on the way to the Southside building project. Brief Ms. Elmantas on how to set up remote meetings. She and I will leave in twenty minutes.”
Lianna didn’t look happy.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to go together?” she asked Konni. “I’m the one who brought the problem to your attention.”
“Ms. Elmantas is wearing more sensible shoes. Plus, you have an interview with the news station about this build later today.”
I looked from my cute flats to Lianna’s enviably gorgeous and insanely high heels.
“Then take Edi with you instead,” she said. “He has more experience touring job sites and knows the dangers. The last thing HR needs is another liability issue dealing with Ms. Elmantas this week.”
The idea to offer up my shoes to her died swiftly. I wanted to strangle her and wasn’t sure if I was grateful for or resentful of the ten feet separating us. How dare she make it sound like I was a problem when the only thing I’d ever done was my damn job.
“Are you telling me how to run my company, Lianna?” Konni asked in a low tone that contradicted his calm expression.
Instead of answering, she stood and stalked out the door without looking at Edi or me.
“We’ll be ready in twenty minutes,” Edi said, already moving to follow Lianna out. I was right on his heels.
Learning how to set up a remote meeting was easy, but completely unnecessary since Bomir and Marius moved everything off of Konni’s schedule.
However, I had plenty more to learn about following the boss off-site.
I needed to take notes, pictures, and anticipate whatever Konni needed—which was a smack upside his head for sending me those stupid flowers and giving me unrealistic expectations not meant for me.
At least, not in this lifetime and never with him.
My mood wasn’t any better when Konni emerged from his office and stopped by Edi’s desk.
“Status quo as usual. Don’t count on us returning to the office.”
“Understood,” Edi said.
Then Konni turned to me. “Ready, Ms. Elmantas?”
I stood, grabbed my purse and tablet, and said nothing.
Konni frowned but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut as we headed toward the elevators.
Lianna cut us off.
“The news station called and rescheduled the interview for tomorrow. Somehow they know you’re doing a site inspection and plan to be there instead.”
“Alright.”
He stepped around her. I made to follow, but she blocked me and held out her hand.
“Thank you for your willingness to take on a new duty, Ms. Elmantas, but it’s not necessary.”
She plucked the tablet from my loose hold and turned to follow Konni, who had stopped to look back at her.
His eyes were doing that gold glitter thing that he’d claimed didn’t mean he was angry. But he sure looked angry as he stared at Lianna.
“Take the rest of the day off, Lianna, and remember why you joined Steele Corp.” He grabbed the tablet from her and told me to get into the elevator. I scrambled to obey, willingly escaping the fallout of Lianna’s idiocy.
He was a step behind me, and the doors closed on her storming off.
Unfortunately, he only remained quiet for a few seconds.
“Bomir said that you told him to put the flowers in the men's room. Didn’t you like them?”
“Flowers are a distraction in the workplace, Mr. Steele. They cause coworkers to spend company time idly gossiping instead of getting tasks done. And as Ms. Stonestock pointed out when she saw the card, any romantic entanglements right now will only distract me from establishing the career I came here for.” As I spoke, I kept my gaze pinned on the reflective doors in front of me.
I still saw the way he was watching me, though, and how he glanced at the camera in the corner of the elevator.
He was smart, but a smarter man wouldn’t have looked at the camera.
The doors opened to the main level, and he gestured for me to exit first. Why did that make me want to kick him with my sensible flats? In reality, I didn’t have any reason to be mad at him.
He’d stated his interest and wanted to openly pursue me. I’d asked for distance at work. He hadn’t. He also hadn’t been the one brushing up against Lianna. That was all her. His attitude toward her hadn’t veered from professional, not even when she pissed him off.