CHAPTER 9
“I really don’t give a flying fuck if you like her, Madi,” Dante said coldly.
“If you won’t sack her then I will. This has gone on for too long and we can’t afford to keep her on the payroll if she’s not doing her job.”
A loud sigh escaped me as I rubbed my temples.
We were in our office discussing the unprofessional behaviour of Paula, one of our instructors.
Her attendance had been appalling since last year, but I was loathed to dismiss her.
She was part of our family here, even though she had been acting more and more like that relative no one could stand.
At least things had improved between Dante and myself the last few weeks.
I remembered the simmering tension between us not too long after my hasty wedding.
He had been so pissed off, calling me all manner of names, ‘idiot’ had featured frequently.
“She’s been on a final warning for months, Madi,” Dante continued as he paced in front our desk.
“And nothing has changed. It’s not fair to the other instructors. They are the ones forced to pick up her classes when she phones in with yet another excuse. Sack her today, or I will.”
“D,” I began, twirling the pen between my fingers.
He held a hand up, already shaking his head.
“No, I’m not going to let you convince me to keep her on. Today, sweet cheeks. She’s due in at 3, Gloria will send her straight in so you can deal with it.”
I sighed again and nodded, upset it had finally come to this.
I had never sacked someone before.
My day was crap and the clock on the wall showed it was only 10am.
“Umm,” Dante stopped pacing and rubbed his neck, a nervous trait of his.
“I wanted to talk to you about the house.”
I raised curious eyebrows in his direction as I reclined in my seat.
“Oh? What about it?”
“Christine wants to move in,” he advised glumly.
Both my eyebrows were reaching for my hairline.
“So, I’m going to need you to tell her no.” He sent me a grateful smile.
Apparently it had already been decided upon without my input.
“Uh, what and why?” I asked.
Dante gave me a roll of eyes accompanied by a long-suffering sigh.
“Look, she’s my girlfriend but I don’t want to do the cohabiting thing with her.”
“So?” I prompted baldly.
“Just tell her that. You’re a grown ass man.”
“And face the subsequent drama that will follow?” Dante scoffed.
“Hell no. It’s easier if she thinks the decision is yours, not mine.”
I scowled at him.
“You want me to take the blame for you not wanting a live-in girlfriend? That’s messed up, Dante.”
“A best friend would do it,” he stated flatly.
“You’re my ride or die chick. I need you.”
Ok.
Put like that, I had to do it.
I mean, the title of ‘ride or die chick’ came with a lot of responsibilities, but man!
“She’ll hate me.” I whined.
“She already hates you, Madi.” he quipped without pause.
“What’s one more reason?”
My mouth fell open.
“Christine hates me?” I knew she didn’t like me, knew we would never be close friends, but hate?
“Proper hate hate?”
“Ah, well she’s jealous of you,” Dante explained.
“And I’m not just talking about our closeness. She acts like she isn’t but I can see through that shit.”
“Why is she jealous of me?” I asked quietly.
Dante’s girlfriend always gave the impression she thought she was better than me.
He rolled his eyes in my direction.
“Come on, sweet cheeks. Don’t do that. You know why.”
My expression was one of confusion and when Dante realized I really had no clue as to what he was implying, he leaned against the table and shook his head slowly.
“Because you’re everything she thinks she’s not. Beautiful, confident, driven.”
I frowned.
“But she’s ridiculously beautiful. She’s a model for crying out loud.”
“And just like dancers,” Dante said dryly.
“They are very image conscious. You don’t stress that shit. You’re comfortable in your own skin and it attracts people to you. It pisses Chrissie off that you don’t work at the whole image thing the way she does. It really annoys her that you get snapped by the paps in sweats and still manage to look good.” He shook his head slowly, jaw tightening for a second before he continued.
“And she’s got slight colour issues. She grew up thinking her fair skin was better than being dark and you confuse her, Madi. You’ve never been ashamed of your skin and Christine can’t understand why. God. She’s a bit messed up.”
I sucked my teeth loudly then snorted in derision for good measure.
“That girl needs to look at those pictures closer. They always try to get my ass at an unfavourable angle and concerning her faulty superiority complex…well, you know how we were raised. You have to love yourself before anyone else can love you. We weren’t raised to be ashamed of our skin like some people are, we were raised to be strong in the face of adversity, taught that we could do anything if we worked hard enough.” I regarded my best friend warily, unsure if I should voice my thoughts.
But best friends were supposed to be brutally honest with each other.
Screw it.
“Look, if you aren’t happy with her, you need to decide whether you want to continue with your relationship, D. You’ve been having problems for months now and I’ve kept silent about it but I want you to be happy. I don’t care if she moves into the house. I asked you to live there because I didn’t want to rent my home out to some stranger. Hell, you were with me when I bought the place. The point is you’re obviously reluctant to take things further with her.”
“Well, we can’t all be reckless like you,” Dante interjected in a sharp voice.
I stood up and folded my arms, not appreciating his tone.
“We’re not talking about me here.” I took a deep calming breath before continuing.
“Talk to her. Tell her you’re not ready to co-habit, I don’t know. I just don’t like seeing you constantly searching for ways to avoid further commitment with her. It seems to me that you’re not sure whether she’s the one you truly want.”
Dante suddenly folded his arms, mirroring my stance while his brown eyes narrowed.
“So you’re an expert on relationships now that you’re married? You? Miss-marry-the-first-man-she’s-ever-slept-with?”
My eyebrows lowered at his taunt and we shared a heated glare.
Then Dante’s mouth curled up at one corner.
“It’s still bugging me, sorry,” he admitted with an apologetic look.
“And you’re right. Damn it, but you’re right.”
I left my post behind the desk and went over to hug him.
“I just want you to be happy.”
“Like you are?” Dante asked quietly, pulling back to observe my face with a sharp intensity that searched for truth.
“Are you, Madi? Really happy?”
I nodded quickly.
“Yup. Like a pig in shit.”
Dante roared with laughter before squeezing the air out of my body.
“God. You sure know how to make me laugh.” He released me and fingered his braids.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Good,” I replied supportively.
“But, and this is a big but, if you need me as a scapegoat I’ll do it.”
“My main girl.” he muttered, fist up.
I bumped his fist with my own.
“Ride or die.”
Dante’s gaze wandered around our extremely cluttered office before settling back on me.
“If he ever hurts you, Madi-”
“He won’t.” I assured Dante quickly.
“Yeah, well, if he does…I’ll do the time. They don’t have the death penalty over here-”
“Shut up, Dante.” I said, all warm and fuzzy inside.
Was it wrong to feel that way over my best friend threatening death to my husband if he ever hurt me?
Huh.
I was crazy.
“On another topic,” Dante walked around the table, took my seat and laced his fingers above his chest.
“I spoke to the Royal Ballet yesterday.”
My heart-rate sped up.
“And?”
Dante started fiddling on the computer, deliberately drawing it out and knowing it was messing with me.
“Dante,”
He chuckled then tossed a pen at me which I dodged.
Idiot.
“We’ve got a tentative date. Mid to end of August depending on their scheduled shows.”
“Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air before doing the funky chicken dance.
“Don’t get too excited,” he warned.
“It’s not certain and you have to remember they already had their current season mapped out since last year.”
I was still doing the funky chicken.
This was great.
It was happening.
Our dream of performing at the Royal Opera House was tentatively on the cards.
“Crazy ass,” Dante mumbled, grinning to himself.
Then he put a downer on my mood by saying, “Make sure you print out Paula’s absence history before your meeting with her and I want you to document everything you discuss. The last thing we want is for her to claim it was an unfair dismissal.”
“Can’t you do it, Dante?” I wheedled while using my best puppy dog eyes.
“Nope,” he said without an ounce of regret.
“You need to do this, it builds character, plus you’re the boss. Oh, Kincaid called a few times, he wants to meet for dinner on Thursday. I think he’s a bit upset.”
“What?” I chewed my lower lip furiously.
“Why?”
Dante shrugged, eyes trained on the computer screen.
“He mentioned something about the funding, I guess he got the impression we don’t need him as much after the last show.”
My lip was pleading for mercy after a sharp nip from my teeth.
“Urgh. Stupid Matt and his stupid donation. Now Geoffrey feels unwanted.”
Dante gave me a strange look.
“That stupid donation was a godsend and it meant we settled with Kincaid almost immediately.” His handsome features twisted into an uneasy frown.
“I don’t know, Madi. I’ve been thinking about the agreement we’ve had with him over the years. It’s fine when he just donates funds but I don’t think we should be taking these loans from him.”
“Don’t you start,” I exclaimed in frustration.
“You sound just like Matt. You know, he actually forbade me from signing any contracts without letting his solicitors check it out first. And that was before we were even married. Jesus. He is so bossy.”
Dante leaned back in the chair to peer at me.
“Why did he say that? There’s nothing legally wrong with the agreement we have with Kincaid. Does he think something is wrong with them? We always have someone look them over and they’re always the same. A temporary loan.”
I flung my hands into the air, expelling the air in my lungs out with a loud huff.
“I don’t know. He probably just wanted to take care of me, he’s weird when it comes to money, and it’s a tax break anyway. I don’t know, D. Matt can be crazy jealous sometimes, I think it bothered him someone else was helping our company financially when he has so much money. I honestly don’t know, but I’m stating for the record that I’m not willing to accept another donation from Matt.”
Dante half-leapt from the chair.
“What?”
“No.” I said firmly.
“And this is not open for discussion, now get out of my chair. I have to call Geoffrey. Thursday night is the wedding anniversary of Matt’s parents and they’re having this big party so we’ll have to rearrange dinner for another time. You know I’m off on Friday, right? I’ll need you to take the meeting with the education department of Greenwich Council, we need their support for the schools’ dance program. Last year only four primary schools partook and I want more this year, Dante. Oh and get Gloria to make an appointment with the Arts Council, all this talk of donations is making me antsy. We need to ensure we’re still meeting their criteria for funding.”
Dante grimaced, slowly vacating the chair.
“Huh, can someone say ‘boss ass bitch’ please?”
“Get out,” I said with a grin, pointing to the door.
“And bring me back a coffee.”
Ha.
He wanted me to be more assertive, well there.
When the door closed after him, the temporary burst of amusement I had disappeared immediately.
I really didn’t want to fire Paula.
She was a nice person, a crap employee but a nice person.
I slumped in my chair, pondering what to say to her and drawing a blank.
“You’re fired.” I said, pointing across my desk in the manner of Lord Sugar on his show.
Wait a minute, I had my very own tycoon at disposal.
Matt would know exactly what to say.
I snatched my cell and called him.
“Hi, hon,” I said as soon as the call picked up.
It had taken five rings.
“Hello,” Matt’s tone was curt.
Crap.
I should have hung up after three rings.
My response was unsure.
“Are you busy?”
“Quite, I’m in the middle of an important meeting as we speak,” he replied.
There was a trace of amusement in his voice but I felt horrible for interrupting him.
“Sorry, I’ll uh, sorry. I’ll leave you to it.” I mumbled.
“Is everything ok?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for disturbing you.” I repeated like an idiot.
Why was I still speaking?
I should just say bye and let him get back to work instead of keeping him on the line.
“Hold on a moment,” he said, then I heard the muffled sound of numerous voices.
A little while later he came back on.
“Ok, I’m alone so what can I do for you?”
“Did you just stop your meeting?” I asked, incredulous and feeling even worse now.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a chuckle.
“Are you missing me? Is that why you’ve called?”
I smiled, fiddling with the edge of my desk.
“I always miss you but that’s not why I called.”
“Well?” he prompted.
I chewed my inner cheeks as I tried to think of a way to phrase it without sounding like an inept businesswoman.
“Poppet,” Matt called gently.
“As much as I enjoy the erotic sound of you breathing down the phone, I do have a busy morning ahead of me.”
“I need your advice on how to sack someone.” I blurted out.
“Pardon? Who are you sacking and why?” He was all business now, serious and alert.
“One of my instructors,” I explained.
“Didn’t I mention this to you before?”
“No, you didn’t. Do you have sufficient grounds for dismissal?” he queried.
“Well, Dante thinks so, I mean, she’s been missing classes for months and leaving us in the lurch,” I said quickly.
“We had a formal discussion about it, twice actually, but her absence levels are still high. I don’t know, Matt. Paula’s a really nice person and I don’t want to hurt her.”
Matt sighed out loud and in an exaggerated manner.
“I love how sweet you are, but you’re basically paying someone for a job they’re not doing. It doesn’t matter if she’s a saint, what matters is the bottom line and your company can ill-afford someone taking the piss like this.”
“But we’re all family here, it’s not like your companies where people are just numbers. I actually care about the people working here.” I said without thinking.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
I blinked, noting the bite to his words and not appreciating it.
“Aren’t you in the process of making loads of people redundant? Things like that don’t faze you, you just said it was all about the bottom line but I don’t run my company in that way.”
“So what you’re saying is you’d prefer to keep staff on to the detriment of your business? Simply because they’re nice people, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings?”
“You making me out to be a pushover when you put it like that,” I fumed.
Matt snorted, if he meant for me not to hear it, he failed.
“Madi, it’s business, not personal; you need to separate the two.”
“I’ve never fired someone before,” I cringed at how whiny my voice sounded.
“Then get Dante to do it,” Matt shot back impatiently.
“The fact remains you have a member of staff failing to complete their duties. A member of staff who has been warned, yet has done nothing to change their behaviour for the better. She needs to be dismissed.”
“Dante won’t do it,” I griped, leaning forward to rest my forehead on top the messy desk.
“He thinks I need to put on my big girl panties and take point on this.”
“Listen to me,” Matt was trying to soothe me.
“It’s never pleasant being in a situation such as this but you cannot let your emotions influence your decisions when it comes to these issues with your employees. Sometimes hard decisions need to be made and unfortunately you have to make them. It’s your dance company, you need to do whatever it takes to ensure it continues to thrive.” he sighed softly.
“Having a member of staff who isn’t pulling their weight will have a negative impact on staff morale, which in turn fosters resentment in others who are left to pick up the slack. It’s costly and shouldn’t be tolerated. Terminate her employment.”
I grunted incoherently down the line.
Did no one have a heart?
Or was I being stupid?
“Poppet, tell me you’re going to terminate her employment.” Matt ordered.
“What if I start docking her wages? Maybe that’ll work.”
Matt cleared his throat sternly.
“I need to get back to work, but not before I get verbal confirmation that you’ll dismiss her.”
“I’m not heartless.” I replied.
He cleared his throat again.
“Fine, fine. You’re right, Dante’s right. I’ll sack her. Happy now?”
“I’m not happy you have to do something you obviously don’t want to do,” he said.
“But you called me for advice and I’ve given it to you. It’s the right choice. I love you and I really must go.”
“Love you too,” I mumbled glumly.
Matt laughed, the sound made my skin tingle.
“Say it like you mean it, wife.”
“I love you, Matt.” I said it with feeling.
“Much better,” he was still chuckling.
“I’ll probably be late tonight, make sure and eat.”
The silence from his end signified he had terminated the call.
In his own words: cheeky sod!
I really needed to talk to him about proper phone etiquette with one’s wife.
I raised my head and glanced at the clock.
10:45 am.
Damn.
3pm didn’t seem that far away.
How hard could it be?
I would remain calm, look her in the eye and just say it.
‘I’m sorry, Paula, but we have to let you go.
’
No, Matt wouldn’t apologize, he would probably say something along the lines of: your services are no longer required, gather your things and leave the building.
I groaned, squirming anxiously in my chair.
What if she cried?
Begged me not to sack her?
I would cave for sure.
What if she attacked me in a fit of rage?
Paula had a temper, she was a nice woman, a great dancer, don’t get me wrong.
And you rarely saw her temper, but it was there.
Oh God.
What if she went postal on me?
Brits didn’t do that.
She wouldn’t…
I jumped up from behind my desk and hurried to the door.
“Dante, get in here!” I yelled once I had yanked it open.
To hell with this.
He was part owner, 30% meant he had to deal with this too.
There was no way I planned on doing this alone.
Matt’s car was parked out front when I arrived home that afternoon.
It was such a rare occurrence I had to check the dashboard time twice.
It was only 5:30.
Was he ill?
Had there been an emergency?
Why on earth was his car parked out front at this time?
He hadn’t used his driver this morning, I was sure of it.
When I had grabbed my keys from where we usually kept them, his were gone and so was his car.
Shit.
Was he home?
He said he would be home late tonight.
What was going on?
I grabbed my bag off the passenger seat and jumped out the Cayenne, not wasting time to even turn off the engine.
Forget gas consumption, something wasn’t right.
Without closing the car door, I ran up the steps to the front door and quickly opened up.
“Matt?” My bag fell to the floor.
Like a lunatic I raced through the foyer and down the hallways, yelling for my husband as I opened doors along the way.
“Madison? Poppet, what’s wrong?” Matt came out of his office, face drawn with worry.
“What are you doing home so early?”
I stood there, silent and needing a minute to calm down.
Matt hurried over to me and bent his head to kiss my mouth.
When I didn’t react he leaned back, grey eyes searching my features intently.
“What am I doing home? What are you doing home?” I croaked out hoarsely.
“At this time? I left the SUV running, almost broke my neck running up the steps-”
Matt started to chuckle while wrapping his arms around my waist.
I found nothing funny about this turn of events.
“Stop laughing, Matt. This shit isn’t funny. I thought something was wrong.”
He laughed even harder and a frown graced my lips.
“Oh, poppet. You do make me laugh.” Still chuckling, he bent his head to kiss me again but I twisted away.
Huh.
Did he think a little kiss would make up for my scare?
“It’s not funny, Matt. You’re never home this early. When I saw your car I thought something had happened.”
His hands slid down to cup my ass and he jerked me closer before explaining his unexpected presence.
“I left the office early because I wanted to be here when you got home. After our conversation this morning I figured you would be in a less than chipper mood and I wanted to make you dinner. I hadn’t planned on you coming home early so unfortunately nothing’s prepared.”
“Oh.” My frown was replaced by a sweet smile.
My husband rocked.
Matt arched an eyebrow at me.
“Oh? Is that all you have to say?”
“Next time give me a heads up.” I chastised as my fingers curled around the open edges of his shirt and tugged him closer.
“I’m not used to you being home this early.” My mouth was ready for some loving but it seemed Matt’s lips were otherwise occupied with scowling.
“What?” I asked, mentally groaning at his expression.
“Don’t you think it’s alarming that we’re both surprised at being home together at this time? It feels like we hardly spend any quality time together and we’ve only been married for a little over two months. That’s bollocks, poppet, and it has to change.”
I rolled my eyes and tugged harder on his shirt.
“That’s what I’ve been saying, hon. Give me a proper smooch now before I go outside to turn off my baby.”
He did give me a proper kiss, one that left me breathless and aching for more.
When we pulled apart he winked at me and tapped my ass lightly then said, “Don’t be long. I’ll run us a nice, relaxing bath and you can tell me about your day.”
I nodded and went to do as told.
When I got back inside, my mind was on all the things we could do in the tub.