4. Grayson
4
GRAYSON
T he door opened then closed with a soft click . Marius stepped into my office.
“What did this girl do, exactly, where you had to get the legal department involved to fire her?” he asked, coming over to stand next to me at the window.
Marius and I went way back. We had been roommates at Harvard then had stayed in contact. I appreciated him tolerating my presence as his roommate and had offered him the position as head legal counsel when I had formed my company.
I always trusted Marius’s judgment, and he had been worth his weight in rare earth metals just in structuring the initial contracts with the venture capital firms all those years ago.
I was sure what he did now was probably beneath his skill level, and I expected him to leave any day.
People always did.
There was always a better opportunity.
And better assistants.
“I cannot have my assistant working for me anymore, and Ms. Collins seems like the type to cause trouble. Hence legal.”
“Uh-huh.” Marius crossed his arms. “This is technically an HR issue, but it’s been a slow morning. So sure, I’ll be your emotional support lawyer.”
I glanced at him.
A smirk played around his mouth.
“You didn’t hit on her, did you?”
The anger, always close to the surface of late, rose up.
“I would never.”
“Dude, you have to lighten up.” Marius clapped me on the shoulder. “Why don’t you come out for drinks tonight?”
“I have to work,” I lied.
I had plans, but not work. It was Tuesday, after all.
Marius sighed. “I thought after you built all this, you’d take a break.”
“I can never take a break.”
“The world won’t end.”
“It might.”
The door opened.
There she was. Taller now in those ridiculous heels, Lexi tottered in like a helpless baby foal.
Absolutely kidnapping bait. A liability.
She crossed her arms. The buttons on her blouse strained and the shirt fabric gaped.
Stop staring at her chest. What the hell is wrong with you ?
I met her eyes. Brown. Defiant.
“Narc,” Lexi whispered.
My eyes widened.
“You wanted to see her?” Brittany Dawn asked expectantly.
“I—”
Lexi’s curly red hair was sticking straight out of her head, like a cartoon character’s.
“Can’t you see?” Lexi said, spreading her arms dramatically and talking a mile a minute. “Mr. Richmond called me in here to chew me out. Finally thought of a good comeback from this morning?” She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that happens to me too. You can’t think of the really good zingers until you’re in the shower. Come on, lay it on me. Chop-chop!” She snapped her fingers.
“I have to go dig up a discontinued brand of cigars from the eighties along with finding an exact match of the custom wool fabric for that hole you put in your suit, not to mention have your riding boots resoled, which really, Anthym, that one’s a little too easy.”
Anthym gasped. “Don’t talk about Mr. Richmond in the shower.”
“What did you want to discuss?” Brittany Dawn asked pointedly.
I blinked and realized I had made a grievous error. I just needed Lexi fired; I didn’t need to do it myself.
It’s because you haven’t slept in days. You can’t make important decisions on such little sleep.
I picked up the mug of black tea and tried not to stare at the buttons that were threatening to pop on Lexi’s blouse and let her breasts spill out.
I took a large swallow of the scalding-hot water.
“You two are harshing his snarly, self-important, condescending vibes. It’s the gestapo up in here. A man can’t even cuss out his own assistant in peace. Shoo!” Lexi waved away the two older women. “Can’t you see you’re smothering him? Some people,” she said to me, cupping a hand to the side of her mouth.
“Can we please fire her?” Anthym shrieked.
“But then who will sort our dear leader’s underwear?” Lexi asked magnanimously.
“You’re not supposed to be touching his underwear.” Brittany Dawn was appalled.
“I was folding them Marie Kondo style, to bring joy to Mr. Richmond’s life,” Lexi said primly.
“Oh my god, you left the note,” I said before I could stop myself.
The office was dead quiet.
I snapped my mouth shut.
Anthym slowly swiveled to face Lexi. “You’re leaving him notes?”
Beside me, Marius strangled a laugh.
“Some of us are trying to make the world a better place.” Lexi’s hands were on her hips. “Besides, Mr. Richmond liked the notes, even though he won’t admit it in his cold, dead, sunlight-starved heart,” she added loudly, raising her voice.
“You’re the one who’s going to be trapped in a sunlight-starved basement if you keep catcalling strange men in dark parks,” I growled at her, forcing myself to unclench my fists.
“Why do you care so much?” Lexi cocked her head. “Is this some sort of weird way of hitting on me? Do you want to drag me back to your sex dungeon?”
Marius sucked in a breath.
“Now I’m the one feeling threatened. He’s catcalling me.” Lexi pointed at me and turned to Brittany Dawn. “I want to file an incident report.”
“I think we’re done with this conversation,” Brittany Dawn said, snapping the employee handbook closed.
“Agreed,” Marius said.
The women filed out.
“Why did Anthym hire someone so unhinged and sulky?” I complained, glaring through the glass as my secretary and the HR director argued with Lexi.
She finally sat down on a chair, crossing her arms and kicking her feet.
Like a child. An annoying, whiny child. Why is she so short?
“I guess we need to give her a severance.”
“Dude, are you kidding me? You can’t fire her.” Marius was appalled. “Not after that. That was a complete shit show. What’s wrong with you? Normally you have it more together than this.”
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” I said.
My lawyer barked out a laugh. “I wish I’d recorded it. Actually wait, no, I don’t. She could sue or talk.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes …” Marius hesitated then plowed on. “But it might look … well … with your family history,” he said delicately.
I let out another strangled growl.
“Fine.”
“Lexi fetches your lunch and runs errands. You won’t see her; she answers to Anthym. Just forget she exists,” Marius advised me.
I took another swallow of scalding tea, my hand burning as I gripped the hot mug.
“All right. She stays. For now.”