Chapter 13 Bad Examples
TANNER
Iwalk into work still buzzing from the high Wren left me on last night. The moan she let out when she took a bite of the waffles I made for her went straight to my cock, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.
I know I can’t cross any lines. I would no doubt do something to screw it up, and I value her friendship too much, but damn I liked hearing her make that sound. Being in her orbit scrambled my brain, and I’m kicking myself for sounding like a tongue-tied teenager.
I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, so I need to get a fucking grip.
I completely pulled roomie nights out of my ass, but sometimes I surprise myself with a good idea, and I’m glad she liked it too.
She doesn’t owe me anything, but if she’s going to insist on paying me something, I’d rather it be her time.
I grab my phone and open the group chat I have with my friends.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Can y’all come help Wren move this weekend
Donovan:
That’s fine, we’ll be in town.
Logan:
We’ll be there. Poppy already talked to Wren.
Jacks:
Same here. Lacey said the girls were going over early.
Cool
Thanks guys
I’m also gonna need y’all to help me with some recon
Jacks:
This isn’t one of your missions. LMAO!
Logan:
Gotta agree with Jacks on this one.
Just trying to make our friend comfortable
Jacks:
Subtle.
Enzo:
I don’t think he could be subtle if he tried.
Logan:
What do you want help with?
Hell yeah
I need you to find out what she likes to eat and drink
Gonna make sure the fridge and pantry are stocked with all the stuff she likes
Jacks:
Just ask her.
I don’t want to keep bothering her
Please
Jacks:
I asked Lacey her favorite meal. Logan, you want to take this one?
Logan:
Sure.
Guys said they are on for the move
Wren :
Cool! Thanks for checking with them.
John knocks and enters my office with my freshly made latte.
“Good morning,” he says, handing me the paper cup.
“Morning.”
“Mr. Mitchell called a meeting with you at eleven thirty,” he says, causing my Wren buzz to disappear entirely.
I check my watch. It’s ten fifty five. Fuck. I knew I should’ve gotten here earlier.
“Do you know what he wants to meet about?”
“Sarah didn’t say.”
“Sarah?”
“Mr. Mitchell’s assistant.”
“Oh, right. Okay. Did you tell her I wasn’t here yet?” I move my head from side to side, stretching my neck, trying to relieve the tension I can already feel building.
“No, sir. I told her you were on an important call and that you were available at eleven thirty.”
I nod.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” John asks, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
“No. Thank you.”
The last big meeting I had with my dad ended with me at The Local, and that was the night I ran into Wren. I can only imagine this one will go similarly.
At eleven twenty, we make our way to my father’s office. Sarah greets us with a wide smile.
“Is he ready for me?” I ask.
She places one manicured finger up and picks up the phone.
My palms are a little sweaty, and my heart thumps against my ribcage. I take a couple of deep breaths, wiping my hands down the denim covering my thighs. It doesn’t matter if I’m thirteen or thirty; my body still reacts the same way around him every time.
Sarah murmurs something into the phone and then hangs up the receiver. “You can go on in,” she directs.
She leads me to his office door, tapping her fist against the wooden surface before swinging it open and revealing the large, cold room. Compared to this space, mine looks like I work in a closet. I let out a long breath, trying to calm the nerves pulsing through my body.
“Morning, Mitt,” I say with as much forced confidence as I can muster.
“Tanner,” he says, not looking up from his computer.
“Can I get you anything?” his assistant asks me.
“No. I’m good.”
“Mr. Mitchell?” She looks toward my father.
“No. This shouldn’t take long,” he responds.
She nods and moves out of the room, closing the door behind her. I take a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. Tapping my thumb against my thigh, I wait for him to start, but he doesn’t, so I clear my throat.
His gaze finds mine and he scoffs. “I thought I told you that moving forward you would need to be wearing a suit while in the office. You have a precedent to set. If people see you not taking your job seriously, that trickles down. Have you seen the way your assistant dresses? You’re already setting a bad example. ” He rubs his temples.
I look down at my dark jeans and T-shirt and shrug. My wardrobe decisions have been a point of contention for years, but I can see they will be even more of an issue now. Wearing a suit makes me crawl out of my skin. When I’m sitting behind his desk, that’ll be the first thing to go.
“Granddad never wore a suit.”
“He also got his receptionist pregnant. He may have led this company for years, but I’ve told you before, and I will remind you again today, my father was far from a good example.”
I suppress a laugh at how incredibly cliché our family must seem.
“You say that like you're not talking about your mother.”
He looks up from his computer with a stern expression but doesn’t respond.
“You told me you wanted to prove that you could take this over. You said that it was important to you to keep your great grandfather’s business in the family, but I’ve yet to see you try.”
When I don’t take the bait, he continues, “Your brother is leaving for Europe whether I like it or not, and then it’ll just be you and me.
It’s time you grow up and start taking this seriously.
I would like to move forward with my plans by the end of the year, and currently I don’t have much confidence that is going to happen. ”
That look I know too well covers his face, and my heart sinks into my stomach. He’s right. I’m fucking it up, and it’s been less than two weeks. I don’t know why I thought I could do this. It’s clear I’m in way over my head.
“Are you listening to me?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He checks his watch and continues, “I need you to grow up. Stop the partying, or whatever it is you do with your free time. Try showing up to work before eleven.”
“I show up before eleven.”
He shakes his head. “That attitude is precisely why I doubted you would ever be ready for this amount of responsibility, but you assured me. Your mother assured me. Hell, when your grandfather was alive, he constantly championed you for this role, but it’s been twelve days and you’re still dressing like that and waltzing into the office at eleven.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were self-sabotaging. ”
My jaw ticks at the dig, but I internally stop myself from saying anything else that might prove he’s right about me.
“I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I promise.”
“Good. Now onto business. We are scrapping your plan for the Cedar Hill project.”
“You’re what? But we're set to break ground at the beginning of November,” I reply incredulously.
“Then it looks like I caught your fuck up just in the knick of time. I reviewed the proposal again, and the cost is unnecessary. We will move forward with demoing the building, but it will be solely a multi-family complex.”
“But I worked so hard on that plan. My team worked so hard on that plan.”
“First lesson in being the CEO. Sometimes it isn’t about what you want; it’s about the bottomline.
The money it would take to bring your little project to light would be a financial nightmare.
Think of this as your opportunity to show me what you can do here.
If you want me seriously to consider you for my position, I need to see that you can put your wants aside for the sake of the company. ”
I’ve already volunteered myself like some sort of Mitchell family martyr. Shouldn’t that be enough?
“At the end of the project, if I’m impressed and it’s profitable, then I’ll know you’re serious about your future, and I will begin to move forward with the plan. You will take over my role, and I will fall into the background as chairman of the board, just like your grandfather did.”
My stomach turns.
“I expect the revised plan on my desk by the end of the day Monday. Is that understood?”
“But my new roommate is moving in this weekend.”
“And?”
“I wasn’t planning on working. I need to be there to help.”
His head falls back, and he audibly exhales. “I need the plan by the end of the day Monday. This is not negotiable. If that doesn’t work for you, then I will start looking for a new CEO outside of the family.”
He emphasizes the last four words.
“No, I’ll get it done,” I assure him.
I don’t know how, but I’ll have to. I check my watch. It’s only eleven thirty-six. I still have the rest of the day and all of tomorrow. There is a small chance that if I work late, I could get him the plan before Saturday morning.
“Good. If there is nothing else, you’re free to go.”
I stand from the chair and walk toward the door.
“Oh, and Tanner?”
“Yeah?” I freeze, looking over my shoulder.
“Don’t make me regret this.”
His words knock the air out of my lungs, and my blood runs cold. I clench my teeth together, breathe in deep through my nose, and try to calm the emotions flooding my head. No doubt about it. He thinks I’m going to fuck it up.