She would not.
I may be well-practiced in not showing my true face to most of the world, but even Social Nikki wouldn’t stand for this kind of shit. Neither would Damien Stark.
And neither will Business Nikki.
I press the emergency stop button, then take a step closer to Tanner. I’m not enjoying the proximity, but I deliberately put myself in his personal space. The sneer fades, and he actually looks a little uncomfortable.
“Do you have a problem?” I ask, ignoring the bell that’s now ringing at annoyingly regular intervals.
His lips thin, and he pales a bit under the tan. For a second I think that this is it. I’ve made my point and won the alpha dog title.
Then he opens his mouth, and I see his color return. “Yeah,” he says. “You’re my problem.”
I force myself to stay where I’m standing. At least now it’s out in the open. “Me? You mean working together?”
“Working together? Together? Is that what you call it?”
“At the moment, no,” I admit. “I don’t think this is working at all.”
“We’re not working together,” he says, making air quotes with his fingers. “You’re my fucking boss now.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I am. And I suggest you think before you talk to me like that.” Seriously, what the hell is this guy’s problem?
“This was supposed to be my job. I worked this encryption package since day one. I know it inside and out. And I’ve proven to Bruce over and over again that I can head up a team. Then what happens? Some privileged little bitch decides she wants to work for pin money, and suddenly I’m booted back downstairs.”
“Pin money?” I repeat. “What century are you living in?”
“What’s the matter? Get bored with spending your boyfriend’s money? Thought you’d come here and shake things up? Do you know how many calls Cindy’s had to field? Dozens of calls from reporters who just want to know if you really work here. It’s a fucking waste of her time.”
The tempo of my pulse kicks up and I feel beads of sweat rise in my cleavage. How the hell would the press know that I work here? And why won’t they back the hell off? Even with Damien Stark in my life, I am just not that interesting.
On the upside, Tanner’s enigmatic “flavor of the month” comment makes more sense.
“And you know what really chaps my ass?” he asks, then continues without waiting for an answer. “The fact that you’re here just because the boss wants to make his wife happy.”
Now my head really is spinning. I haven’t got a clue what Giselle has to do with this, but at this point, I’m done playing games.
I reach over and start the elevator up again, then turn back to him once it lurches into motion. “This job requires a certain amount of finesse. An ability to communicate with clients and the public. And most of all a talent for smiling at people that you’d much rather spit on.” I flash my brightest Social Nikki smile at him. “Tanner,” I say. “I don’t think this position is for you.”
We reach the lobby, and the doors open. I step out, leaving him to follow. I am the one in charge here, and he can damn well deal with it. I may not have a handle on everything he’s just said, but I know enough to know that if I don’t take control now, he’ll do whatever he can to snatch it from me.