Nudge 13 The Bet #3
But it does. Badly. There’s a burning fire in my chest that will not be soothed until he understands.
I square up to him, tilting my chin harder and leaning into the minimal space that existed between us in the first place.
I need him to see me, to feel the rage in me as I convince him and everyone else that I’m not the predictable girl they think I am.
‘I don’t need to plan every second of my life.’ I enunciate each word as well as I can. ‘If I gave up my notebooks and calendars tomorrow, and started to live like you, I’d be absolutely fine. You think I’m up myself because I like to plan, but you’re no better than me because you don’t.’
He sighs. ‘I don’t think I’m better than you, Mads.’
My eyes narrow. ‘My friends call me Mads. My name is Maddison.’
His eyes widen, spine straightening at my firmer, more biting tone. It awakens something in him; his soft, apologetic stare alight with a new energy.
‘OK, Maddy,’ he says, a devious hue seeping in through his irises.
I roll my eyes. It’s still not ‘Maddison’, but one battle at a time.
‘Your little laissez-faire attitude comes with its own inflated ego and I’m sick of you parading it round like it makes you superior.’
He crosses his arms. ‘No one says “laissez-faire”.’
‘Well, maybe they should. It’s fun,’ I say through gritted teeth.
A quick chuckle escapes from his mouth, head shaking at my tightly packed animosity.
‘If you tried to live like me, you’d barely make it through a week.’
I snarl. ‘I could do it without trying.’
His eyes seem to grow more alive. He shuffles closer, pressing against me until our chests touch and his stare drills right into my soul.
‘Prove it.’
His words are a notch above a whisper, dangling forbidden fruit. I feel my breath hitch.
‘How?’ I ask.
He pauses for a moment, rolling his lip against his bottom teeth before revealing a sly, wicked smile. It sets off every warning signal inside my body, but I can’t look away.
‘I’m guessing Evie told you about the events job?’ he asks, his voice slower, focused and rife with an agenda. I nod.
‘Did she tell you about the board?’
‘She mentioned them.’
He shakes his head. ‘So, she didn’t tell you. It’s cool – she didn’t tell me either. I just get copied in on her emails.’
‘Tell me what?’ I ask softly.
I keep it as cool as I can, but it’s to no avail. He knows he’s got me hooked.
The delight dances across his features as he takes his sweet time to respond. ‘The board thinks you lack the experience – which, to be fair, you do. You can do the work for sure, but you’ve never been a manager.’
‘I know, that’s why they’re using the Summer Splash to determine—’
‘Even with the success of the Summer Splash, they want you with a partner. A co-head of department if you will. Someone who is good with numbers, budget, and has experience of business management.’
As much as it stings, I do get the board’s worry.
It’s the same kind of worry Maxwell and Oliver should have had before they appointed Pippa.
I’m not opposed to a partner – in fact, it would be quite nice to not have everything fall solely on my head.
That is, however, depending entirely on who the partner is.
And the devious look in Aiden’s eyes tells me the answer’s not good.
‘Evie didn’t think to put me forward for it – she knows I don’t do events and I’ve been grumbling about this one since she assigned it to me.’
My chest eases immediately, a relieved breath escaping my lungs.
‘That is, however, until I asked her to consider me. Which she did instantly, and quite enthusiastically, actually.’
And just like that the tightness returns and my breath falls short, brain muddying with the nightmare dropped upon me. A million thoughts run through my head, but one screams above the rest.
‘You don’t even like throwing events!’
‘I like promotions.’ He shrugs, crushing my dream between his shoulders.
Of course, he’s made this happen – he has never let me be happy. But even at his cruellest, I did not believe that he was capable of something this low. And he doesn’t even care about the role! He’s doing it for what reason? To torment me? To one-up me? To finally win?
‘And I’ve actually really been enjoying the event-planning recently,’ he continues.
The tent starts to close in around me as I aim to steady my breath. What was, mere days ago, a trip across a perfect stream to success, has become a murky river of unending torture with Aiden at the helm.
‘There is no way you’d volunteer yourself to work with me full time,’ I say.
Tolerating each other for six months is one thing, but by doing this he’s resigning himself to what could be a lifetime with me.
‘Oh, I’m sure you can’t think of anything worse. Which is why I say we make this interesting.’
He bends his neck down even further, the depths of his brown eyes trapping me in his gaze. I ignore every feeling and focus directly on the man above me. I will not break under him. Not at a time like this. No matter how badly he is pushing me.
He continues. ‘If we make the Summer Splash as epic as it could be – really blow everyone away – get the kind of media attention and sales that not even Evie has experienced – then we might be able to convince the board that one of us is capable of doing this alone.’
‘You want the full job?’ I ask.
‘I want one of us to earn the full job,’ he says. ‘You have to admit, it’d be better than whatever this is.’
‘What are you proposing exactly?’
He pauses for a moment. ‘There are what? Six months until the Summer Splash? In that time, show me you can be a diver, not a wader. If you can, I’ll tell Evie and the board that the event was all you. If you can’t, then you go to them and you tell them that I ran it all.’
He says it so plainly, like it’s simple logic, but they’re the words of a man who has never seen sense. A man who is only further proving my point that he clearly does not know me at all.
‘You think I’d stake a promotion on you?’ I ask.
‘With your ego, yes, I do. Especially since it’s a promotion we don’t even have right now,’ he replies. ‘If you’re as laid-back as you claim you can be, then surely it’s an easy win.’
His voice is seductive and cocky – assured that this will work, that he’s moments away from reeling me in. But unlike him I think rationally, and I would never throw away the biggest chance of my life on a man like him.
‘You can’t do this. You can’t just manipulate me into giving away a promotion.’
‘I wasn’t trying to manipulate you,’ he says, steady and strong. ‘I just figured that after our talk Friday night, you’d maybe be up for something different.’
I recoil immediately. The mention of Friday is enough to snap me out of his hold and remind me just who I’m dealing with. I may have risen to his bait before, but I will not rise to something this insultingly low-hanging.
‘Something different like parting with my dream job?’ I say with a sneer.
‘Something different like taking some risks. And let’s not forget, two weeks ago in that boardroom you were pushing me to give up my job first.’
That was entirely different – he would have been giving it up without having to do all the work. And yes, it wasn’t my most level-headed moment, but, in my defence, he’d already promised he would. Whether the bonus existed when he promised it is frankly none of my business.
The mere thought of that argument sends chills up my spine. The same chills I felt just before that panic overtook my body. I can’t keep going through that. I can’t keep working with him. Especially not for what could be the rest of my working life.
‘Just think about it. If you can make it that long just winging life, with little to no planning and more spontaneity, then I will step aside and sing your solo leadership praises to Evie without complaint. It’s a no-brainer,’ he says.
The air is thick between us, slick with the terms of the agreement as they marinate between our two bodies. That job could be mine for the taking if I simply bet on myself. Bet against the man who does nothing but pray for my failure.
‘You would really bet your promotion on this?’ I ask.
‘Like I said, it’s not like it’s a job I had before.’ He shrugs. ‘Plus, for me to lose it, you’d actually have to follow through.’
‘And you don’t think I will,’ I say bitterly. ‘What makes you think I’ll fail?’
‘Your aggressive Type-A personality.’ He smirks as my face scrunches into a scowl. ‘So, is this you saying that you’re in?’
He’s doing something to me. Messing with my brain, making me all hot and bothered in this tight, overcrowded tent. I can’t think straight – everything jumps around, screams then shakes, and I can’t organise it, as hard as I try.
‘I need clearer terms,’ I say.
He rolls his eyes instantly, but, on this occasion, I’m standing by my request. I’m not putting my future on the line over a sentence and some vibes, and if he were smart, he wouldn’t either.
He curls his tongue in his mouth as he looks to the top of the tent, contemplating a stronger set of rules. His jaw tenses every second that he stays in deep thought, bringing with it the kind of definition that could cut like a knife.
‘Six months of saying yes to everything – every spontaneous night out, every random invite. No thinking, no debating – just a cold, hard yes. Do that for six months and the job is yours.’
‘I can’t say no to anything? Seems a tad problematic,’ I say.
‘Within reason,’ he adds, rolling his eyes again. ‘There’s obviously an implied element of consent. I’m asking you to live a little, not sell your soul.’
‘For six months?’
‘We end at the Summer Splash, just before the job is allocated.’
My eyes flit to the floor – focus in on the grass beneath us, desperate to look at anything but Aiden’s face. I need logic, I need reason, I need all the things that seem impossible whenever I am too close to him.
Think, Maddison.
I could say no to this – stick with Aiden through the Splash and then resign myself to a life of working by his side. Go from one miserable job to another, all in the name of ‘safety’ and ‘security’.
Or I could take a risk.
I could say yes and prove him wrong and walk away with the prize.
The sole leader of the new Evielution events department.
That’s the kind of thing that would kill with my parents and my annual LinkedIn post. And, most importantly, it’s the one thing that I could definitely tick off my five-year plan before thirty.
I have always been pretty smart with my choices.
I’ve always planned my path and made the necessary steps, and it all seemed worth it until I got to Abbingtorn.
I know you have to work your way up the ladder and I know that good things take time.
However, after four years in the same entry-level position, I have really got to start questioning whether the careful path really is the smartest option.
‘OK, six months.’ I watch his face light up. ‘But you want that job? You’ve got to prove something for it too.’
‘Go on,’ he says, motioning to give me the floor.
‘You’ve got six months to plan everything you do. I want calendar entries, tick-lists, even a five-year plan. I’ll be inspecting your notes at the end of the period.’
He scoffs. ‘You’re setting me homework?’
‘I’m teaching you basic adult skills. Trust me, you’ll realise you’re better off.’
‘I doubt it. But, yeah, sure, I’ll give it a go. Now give me your phone.’ He holds out his hand.
‘My personal one?’ I ask, taken aback.
‘Yeah. With so much on the line I’ll need proof, and I’d rather not have it by email.’
I roll my eyes at his stupid smirk, but hand over my phone nonetheless. My spine tenses ever so slightly as he takes it in his hand, calmly tapping his number into my contacts.
‘Why so scared? You think I’m gonna read all your hate messages?’ He’s clutching my life in his palm like it’s nothing.
‘Hate messages?’ I say, poker face in tow.
‘I imagine I’m a hot topic in your group chats.’ He shrugs.
‘Bold of you to assume that you’re that important.’
He looks fondly at me as I snatch my phone back from his outreached hand. If I didn’t know any better, I would say he enjoys the animosity that he brings out of me.
‘I want pics and vids every time you do something reckless. For something to count it needs to be caught in 4K,’ he says.
‘Every single thing?’
‘Let’s be real, there won’t be that many,’ he says tauntingly.
He stretches out his toned arm, the weight of the deal resting dangerously in his palm.
‘You’ve got yourself a deal.’ My hand swings towards his.
‘I look forward to my promotion.’ He smirks, settling with a firm shake.
And just like that, the deal is done – my route out of Abbingtorn hanging in the balance over something I’m not sure I know how to do.