He pauses for dramatic effect or to stifle his anger—or both.
“Either you both grow the fuck up and fix this, or you will be fired.”
My body stills, and I immediately turn toward Elsa who looks just as petrified.
Suddenly, her deer-in-headlights look turns to fury. Her body now radiates anger, and she meets my gaze, fire burning in her eyes.
God, that temper—it’s a frightening turn on.
“If anyone should go, it’s Tanner. He’s the one who’s immature enough to pull off such a stunt during New York Fashion Week. To even think of doing that is mental.”
She smiles sweetly at the board, her charm working overtime.
“Elsa, to accuse someone of bribery and incompetence over and over again in the press could also be constituted as mental. Didn’t you think that I was going to retaliate? You know me, you know that I will not, and do not, take that shit lightly,” I say sternly, forcing myself to keep my voice at an even level.
“At my show? Poaching my models? The ones I’ve handpicked? That’s your way to get back at me? For someone who doesn’t like going low, you sure have outdone yourself.”
“That wasn’t low, angel. That was a justifiable response. That is and was exactly what you deserved. How can you not see that? Are you blind or just ignorant?”
“Excuse me?”
Her voice raises an octave, and she slaps both of her hands on the table, squaring her shoulders.
“Don’t you ever call me that. Your inability to recognize how insane you sound proves me right. You should be fired, seeing as you’re too unstable to run a fucking business.”
I place my hands on the chair’s armrest and begin to stand up.
It’s taking every ounce of strength in me not to go over to her, push her against the wall, and fuck her hard.
Fighting with her is fucking hot—I just wish she wasn’t such a fucking bitch about it.
I ache to shut her up, suck that slick tongue of hers dry, and make her come for me.
But I’m halted by another suit, whose name escapes me. They all look alike.
“That’s it. You’re both going to shut the fuck up and calm down,” he says in a loud yet oddly calm manner.
We both turn toward him and hold our tongues, and I shuffle my ass in my seat to hide my growing desire for her. A current of electricity still lingers between us, but we ignore it.
Instead, for the sake of our jobs, we face forward and listen.
“Since plan A has already failed, we’ll resort to plan B,” Mark chimes in. “If plan B doesn’t work, then you’re both shit out of luck.”
We both nod in acknowledgment, and I relax a little knowing that I won’t be fired today.
“But you’re not off the hook. You’re both not going to like plan B. In fact, you might find it worse than losing your job.”
Chapter 3
Elsa
How in the hell is this going to work?
A million thoughts race through my mind, and a range of emotions tear at me. My blood rapidly drains, and I start feeling light-headed, nauseated—like I’ve been punched in the gut.
I wasn’t expecting plan B to be this terrible.
Sitting at the conference table, I place my hands in front of me for balance.