Page 31 of Playing with the Boss
“Really?” He arches an eyebrow.
I smirk. “Prove it. Show me your evidence that your sales rep and I have had anything more than a professional relationship.”
“She was seen at your hotel.” He leans back, arms folded and clearly pleased with himself.
“So?”
“Colleagues don’t usually walk arm in arm like lovers.”
Lovers.Is snort at his fifties take on it. Although, that does sound kind of nice. On task, Mason. “I was being a gentleman.”
“You were seen heading into the archive room together.”
I laugh at the fucker. “Fucking conclusive evidence, Tony. Good luck with that.”
He scowls, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk. “You better watch yourself.”
“Exactly what I was about to say to you.” I step up to his desk. “Leave Lisa the fuck alone.”
“Maybe it isn’t her I have the issue with,” he snarls.
“So leave me the fuck alone as well.”
“Or what?”
“Or I take what I’ve found so far to Pete.”
Tony scoffs. “You think he would care? Or do you think he’d be more interested in how rogue you’ve gone?”
“What the fuck are you on about?”
“I spoke with Pete already,” he announces, dismissing my jab. “He was polite enough to give me a summary of the key areas you’ve been asked to investigate. Profit margins on the deals sales cut, staff outsourcing, and how the international orders are financed.” A smug grin spreads across his thin lips. “Nowhere did he mention entertainment expenses or discretionary spending.”
God, I hate this guy. “And if you’d bothered to ask about the additional areas I’m looking into, then you’d be aware that Pete knows how thorough I am in my work and that he’s never surprised when I go above and beyond to help the company.”
“Stop tooting your fucking horn, you jumped up little shit!”
I jerk back at his outburst.
Tony stands, leaning on his desk to jab a hand my way. “We both know this is personal.”
“No shit it is.” I step up to let him know he can’t bully me like one of his own staff. “You said that mere seconds ago. The difference is, I don’t have a problem with just you,” I snap. “I have a goddamn problem with any asshole who wastes money to keep up appearances.”
“Excuse me?” He rears back as though I struck him.
“A meeting at the golf club that took all day? Tell me. What benefits did you get for Leyton after that? How did our investment pay off, Tony?”
The guy’s quicker than I give him credit for. He lunges around the desk, hip knocking a pen cup over and scattering small weapons everywhere. Surely, he wouldn’t lay a hand on me.
“What’s the point of this, Roberts?” He shunts me in the shoulder. “What do you get out of bringing me down?”
“I’d advise keeping your hands to yourself.”
“Or what?” My back hits his glass wall.
Without a doubt, he’s attracted unwanted attention now. In fact…
“Or I’ll dig a little deeper,” I bait. “What else will I find?” My gaze catches a picture of his trophy wife. “Perhaps something the missus doesn’t know about?”