Chapter 30 - Quinn
THIRTY - Quinn
“Well look who finally decided to show up. Did you enjoy your morning off, boss?”
I grin at Rob as I step past him to get into my office.
I place my coffee mug down on the desk and sit down as Rob leans against my doorjamb in a black and white vest and black pants.
He has an eyebrow raised as he entertains himself with ideas about what I may have been doing that made me call in late to work this morning.
I'm sure he probably thinks I was busy with Olivia, but she's already here. I saw her having a conversation with Nick in front of her desk just before entering my office. Nonetheless, Rob’s imagination is running wild.
“It wasn't the whole morning,” I answer, still grinning. “I just had something important to do when I woke up today, so I needed some time.”
Rob chuckles. “Time with Olivia? Don't think I forgot about you two setting up a dinner date right in front of me. You never told me how it went. Are you in love now?”
I bring my coffee to my lips and sip it before answering him.
“I don't think it’s love. I'm not even going to try to describe it, but I do like her. The date was at the Wonderland bar, and it was cut short when I had to beat the shit out of a couple of assholes from Olivia’s past. Then we fucked in the parking lot and I went home. As for this morning, I woke up early to go see my dad. That’s why I was late. But now I'm here and it’s all good.”
As I take a second cautious sip from my steaming coffee, Rob scrunches his forehead at my door. I feel him watching me with confusion, tilting his head and scoffing under his breath before he finally says, “Are you good? You seem … different.”
“Yeah, I'm good,” I answer coolly.
Rob keeps his eyes on me even as I turn on my computer and focus on my coffee as I watch the screen come to life.
“Umm … so you went to see your dad. How did that go? You usually put that off every time you think about going,” he says, his eyes narrow when I look at him to answer.
“It went great,” I admit. “It had been too long since I was last down there, and I think I'm going to start going once a month. I need to see him a lot more often than once a year, and he needs me, too. You should see him, man. He got big.”
“Yeah? That’s dope. I don't mean to get in your business, but what’d you guys talk about? Because I wasn't kidding when I said you seem different.”
“Damn, you're nosy this morning. We talked about a lot of important shit that I needed to get off my chest, and he gave me answers I needed more than I realized. Do you want a typed out transcript of the conversation, too?”
He chuckles softly. “So you're not going to acknowledge that I said you seem different?”
“How so?”
“Man, I don't know. You're just different. Like, more sure of yourself. It’s like you really woke up on the right side of the bed this morning, which is surprising because you're usually emotional and sort of confused after you see Quincy. This is like a whole new Q.”
I shrug with a smirk. “I don't know what you're talking about. But if all of that is true, it’s a good thing, right?”
Rob nods, but for whatever reason, he just can't seem to stop staring at me like I'm a different person wearing a Quinn King mask.
I don't know what all the fuss is about.
After talking to my father, I didn't change much about myself.
All I did was go back to my car and cry about the fact that my dad is never getting out of that fucking prison, and I have to navigate my entire life without him by my side.
After the tears dried, my need to run from who I truly am dried up with them.
I realized that I was disrespecting both myself and my father by saying I didn't want to be like my dad. Not only that—I was also lying. I’d let the crime he committed sour all of the cool shit he taught me about computers and life, when I should've embraced it all even more.
I should've taken what happened to him as an example of what can happen when you're gifted with this much brain power and ambition, but you use it in the wrong way.
He told me today that I'm him, only smarter, and I intend to move like it from now on.
There is no dark devil. There is only me.
“Did you say you beat the shit out of a couple of assholes from Olivia’s past?”
I snap away from thoughts about my dad and turn to Rob, who’s gawking at me with wide eyes. “Huh?”
“You said you beat the shit out of a couple of assholes and the date got cut short,” he says. “You got in a fight at Wonderland?”
I smile as the memory comes back to me. “Oh yeah. That did happen. They had it coming, though.”
“They had it coming?” Rob says, bewildered. “Dude, what has gotten into you?”
“Nothing,” I answer, but I'm suddenly distracted by what sounds like arguing coming from outside of my office. “Do you hear that?”
Rob mutes himself and turns an ear toward the door. “Yeah. Who is that? Nick?”
My body moves before my brain even tries to process what’s happening.
I get up, walk around my desk, and step into the hall to find Olivia and Nick standing in front of Eden’s desk.
They're clearly engaged in a tense conversation, but Olivia’s face is tight with consternation.
Her eyes are glossy with unshed tears, and Nick is pointing his boney little finger at her as his face reddens to the same hue as his Polo shirt.
I think to bolt out the door and tackle him, but I'm …
smarter. So I lean against my jamb and listen.
“No, Olivia, it’s bullshit that I'm not being allowed to not only lead the pitch, but I'm barred from helping to prep it,” Nick says in a strained, almost sobbing voice. “Why is my experience being ignored? I have no other choice but to believe that it’s favoritism, which makes it discrimination against me, and I'm not afraid to make an HR complaint if that’s what it takes to get what I deserve.”
Olivia stares back at the man who is hellbent on becoming her nemesis, and she looks good doing it, too.
She's dressed in a black and white, plaid print blazer with the front open, showing a tight white top underneath that exposes some cleavage but not too much, and form-fitting black pants that accentuate that perfect ass of hers. Her hair falls down her back in classic waves, but having to converse with Nick is fucking up her aura. It’s funny how dealing with men will do that to a woman.
She can have everything put together perfectly, and one conversation with a bitch ass man will ruin the entire vibe.
It’s a goddamn shame what men put women through, but I'm here to be the fucking antithesis.
“Look,” Nick continues, really feeling himself and unbothered by Eden’s watchful gaze. “Either let me do the EWB pitch, or I'm going to HR. That’s all there is to it. Give me what I want, or I'm complaining.”
Olivia lets out a tired sigh, because I know she is just as exhausted by this way of thinking as I am.
We’ve witnessed people with attitudes like this one—with their fake tears and profound sense of entitlement—get what they want through manipulation.
I know she wants to call it out, but Olivia feels that she needs Nick.
I vehemently disagree, but I won't step on her authority as CEO. She made a decision to keep Jon Reid’s minions, and while I can't fire them, I can certainly do something.
There is no dark devil. There is only me.
“Nick, you can't pull this shit just because you're not getting your way,” Olivia says, trying to reason with the unreasonable, but Nick isn't going for it.
“Yes, I can,” he says. “It’s well within my rights to complain about what I perceive to be special treatment toward Quinn.”
“He's the CISO,” she bellows, her annoyance raising her volume.
“I don't care. I’ll complain anyway,” Nick argues.
I take a step out of my office and immediately hear Rob’s voice in my ear.
“Q, don't,” he says, clearly assuming I'm about to get violent.
I look over my shoulder at him and smile. “Relax, Rob. I got this.”
Rob lets out a long sigh, but I ignore him as I step down the hall and come to a stop right next to Olivia and Nick. The latter turns to me and furrows his brow.
“Speak of the goddamn devil,” he says. “What? Are you here to gang up on me?”
I laugh to myself. “Gang up on you? No, not at all, Nick.
I'm simply here to reinforce the rules. I think your time working for Jon has given you the impression that your position in the company is higher than it really is.
Jon was the CISO, which is a step below the CEO, and you are a step down from the CISO.
Although he didn't act like it because he was terrible at his job, Jon was your boss.
As far as the chain of command is concerned, you were required to speak to him before ever speaking to Olivia.
So, like I said, I'm here to reinforce the rules.”
Nick scrunches his face so hard it looks painful. “What the hell are you talking about, Quinn? Rules? Chain of command? This isn't the military.”
“Nah it’s not, but the term still applies,” I say calmly.
“So, here’s what we’re going to do from this moment on.
Olivia Lucero is the CEO of this company.
I am the chief information security officer, the second in command.
You are the information security manager.
You are below me. Beneath me. Under me. I am your superior, and no, I don't mean just while we’re at work, but I digress.
The point is that you work for me, Nick.
And as your superior, I'm declaring that you are no longer allowed to speak to Olivia Lucero without checking with me first. She is the CEO, and has plenty of shit to keep her mind occupied.
She doesn't need your menial, childish, dumb fucking bullshit on top of her plate that is already full.
So, if you want to complain, you will come to me, and you and I can have a discussion behind closed doors.
If you don't like it, you can fucking quit.
“In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I've decided that I am going to terrorize you until you either learn your place or resign.
Your days of talking shit to Olivia are over.
You won't speak this way to anybody else, or you’ll have to deal with me personally, and while I can't fire you—yet—because Olivia thinks your experience here is valuable, I can start the terror by demoting you and reducing your pay. I’ll have Rob Vaughn take your place, while you go down to do his job, and if you can't get your shit together there, I’ll drop you down to coding.
I will ruin every positive step you ever took in this building until you're crawling on your knees like a dog when you enter these halls, waiting for me to walk by so you can beg to stand.
You will be nothing and nobody at Obsidian.
And HR won't be able to do a thing about it, because I'm the CISO, and everything is within my power. You have no idea what special treatment is, but I’ll gladly show you …
and I'm a fucking sadist, which means I would love nothing more than to cause you pain.”
Nick’s eyes well up with tears as he looks down at the floor. I give him a second to let my words grease up the broken and grinding gears in his mind, then I bend my knees and lower my head so that he can't even look at the floor. I force him to make eye contact with me.
“You won't even be able to stare at the floor without my say so,” I snarl. “Now, don't think about it too much, because I don't want you to be confused. Just say that you understand, and we’ll move on from this situation that I'm sure is very embarrassing for you.”
Nick tries to look elsewhere, but I keep moving my face into his line of sight. So he has no choice but to nod. “I understand.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“No,” I say, digging the knife in further. “The proper response is yes, sir. So I’ll ask again. Do you understand the new rules, Nick?”
He swallows hard, shaking his head in disbelief, but I don't care if he believes it’s happening or not. This is his new reality, and he has no choice but to live in it.
“Yes, sir,” he says in a puny, whimpering little voice.
I nod and smile. “Good boy,” I finally stand up straight and allow Nick to stare at his feet, but then decide to take it one step further as I see Stephen glaring at us from behind his desk.
“And the same goes for you, Stephen. You do not speak to Olivia. You come to me first, or you can pack every hideous thing in your office and get the fuck out. Do you understand?”
Stephen’s glare softens immediately. “Yes, sir.”
I nod and turn back to Nick. “Great. Now go to your office and get back to work, and don't ever mention the EWB proposal again. I'm pitching it with Olivia, and you're not. It’s over. Deal with it. Now go away.”
“Yes, sir,” Nick whispers again as he turns around and silently walks away with his head down.
The second he's gone, I turn to a wide-eyed Olivia, whose lips are pressed into a thin line as she tries to keep from laughing.
“That was … thank you, Q,” she says quietly.
I take a step closer to her and lean in until my mouth is right next to her ear.
“You're welcome. Let me know if either of them steps out of line. If they talk to you, I want to know about it. I don't even want them saying good morning. Okay?”
“Yes, Sir,” she replies with a devious grin. Her version of yes, Sir is not the same as Nick and Stephen’s.
“Good girl,” I say, inching a little closer and ignoring Eden’s stunned face and gaping mouth. “Now, what do you have going on tonight after work?”
Olivia shakes her head. “Nothing. Why?”
“Because I'm coming over tonight.”
“Oh, you are?”
“I am,” I say. “There's still more you need to teach me, baby girl. And I'm in the mood to learn.”