“Fair enough—”
“Hey bitches!” chirped a cheery voice. Gabe came walking up and elbowed his way in between us. The always-handsome young man was dressed in skinny jeans and a preppy pink sweater, his hair gelled and slicked to the side. The smell of a fruity cologne wafted to my nose.
“Gabe,” we both greeted in unison.
Gabe reared back when he looked at me, his face twisting in horror. “Sweet Jesus! What happened to you? You look like you were hit by a bus.”
Before I could reply, April supplied, “Her big shot boyfriend cheated on her.”
Gabe let out a gasp and clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes going wide.
“April!” I protested.
“What? He would’ve found out anyway. You know he was going to hound you like hell to find out what was wrong.”
“More like you would just tell him as soon as you saw him, like now,” I accused.
April shrugged. “Same difference.”
“Don’t worry about me, Vicky,” Gabe assured me, looking extra eager to hear the sensational gossip. “You know your business is safe with me, girl.”
Right, I thought wryly. You’ll have my whole story all over the Channel Seven Evening News.
“So tell me what happened,” Gabe urged eagerly. “I want all the juicy details.”
I groaned inwardly. He’s never going to give up. Thanks, April.
I didn’t want to keep rehashing the experience. It was almost too painful. Luckily for me, or maybe not so lucky, April obliged me.
Gabe clamped a hand on my shoulder, shaking his head with sympathy when April was done with her slightly exaggerated tale of Tyler’s cheating. “I am so sorry, girl. You must feel terrible. That man was sex on legs. Too bad he couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
“Can’t we just change the subject already?” I demanded, tossing aside the red flower dress with exasperation. “I’m never going to get through the day if we don’t.”
Gabe frowned. “Okay. But can I ask a question?”
I sighed. “What?”
“How big is he?”
“Gabe!”
“What? We’re talking about important information here!”
I scowled, wishing he’d just go away.
“Please, Gabe, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t go for men. In fact, I know he doesn’t.”
Gabe raised a stern eyebrow at me. “I’ll have you know, Miss Thing, that I’ve turned a few men in my day.” Gabe crossed his arms. “But really, I do have a serious question.”
I ignored him for as long as I could before I sighed and gave in. "What is it?"
“How is he in the sack?”
I tossed a dress right into Gabe’s face, walking off and refusing to admit to him or anyone else that the sex was amazing.
Chapter 20
Charles
"I'm ready to take Tyler's place when you feel the time is right,” I proudly announced to the CEO of Armex, hardly concealing my excitement. "Just say the word."
I'd stopped by Mr. James Locklin's office to have a talk about my soon-to-be promotion. Rumors were that Tyler’s days were numbered and that I’d be his replacement. I hadn’t been given the official word from Mr. Locklin about it yet, but I had to come across as confident and willing to do the job.
Pride swelled through me as James, who was sitting at a large desk in the center of room, leaned back in his chair to regard me.
"Ah, Mr. Whitmore. As one of my best employees, I’ve always admired your enthusiasm for this company and your willingness to do what's best for our bottom line."
A feeling of dread pressed down upon my chest. The tone in his voice told me something was afoot. There was a BUT coming . . .
I smiled nervously and nodded my head. "Thank you, sir. It's my pleasure. Working for Armex has been a dream come true for me.”
I was laying it on pretty thick, hoping that my feeling was wrong. James shifted in his seat, and by his expression, I knew he was about to hit me with something. "That being said, I have no intention of removing my son as CFO."
Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw . . .
It felt like I'd been hit by a bolt of lightning. "What?" I asked in disbelief. I’d all but been assured by everyone else that Tyler's position was mine. “I was told that this was a done deal!"
"I'm sorry, Charles, but this whole thing got started because I reacted out of anger.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was usually a composed individual, but it was hard to keep a lid on my frustration. My dreams and aspirations were crashing down around me. “You said yourself that I understood the intricacies of running this company better than anyone you’d ever met!”
James scowled. "No, what I in fact told you, was that you take your job very seriously, and I appreciated that. But Tyler is my son, and as much as I want him to get his life together, I can’t aid in taking this from him. My conscience just won’t allow it. I’m willing to accept whatever consequences come from it."