Arrogant Boss

“You’re a media specialist and you come highly recommended. We also happen to need a new press secretary for our press and marketing team for Hunt Industries. Both David and I understand your reservations, but to put your mind at ease, I’d like to offer you a position at our company as well.”

My face was a mask of shock.

What?

He could not be serious.

Judging from the way David glanced at him, this was not something Julian had discussed with anyone. A spur of the moment decision, then.

And I was to entrust my brother to these men?

“But you haven’t even seen my resume,” I spluttered. “You don’t know anything about me.”

Julian leaned forward again, braced powerful his arms against the white table. Squared like that, with the thick hair pushed away from his forehead, he looked like a force of nature.

“We’ve seen your LinkedIn profile. It’s impressive, and I believe you’d be a good fit here. Look at it this way-working at Hunt Industries will let you see first-hand what type of company we are. You’d be part of our team, a member at hand who could influence the direction of the company. And you’d be working two floors above your brother’s office, only a stone’s throw away. There could be no better place for you.”

He’d managed to tap into my concerns right away. But I’d essentially become Turner’s plus-one, shoehorned into a company that didn’t actually have a need of me. I didn’t believe for a second that they happened to have a marketing position conveniently available.

They were tacking this on as an addition to the salary benefits and health insurance and free chocolate muffins and all the other things they were using to woo Turner.

“Thank you, Mr. Hunt. But I’m very pleased with my current position, and I don’t think this type of buy-in would be suitable.”

Julian gave a small smile, like I was reacting exactly as expected. I met his eyes with an annoyed glare of my own.

Turner turned to me. “But Emily, you’ve been complaining about your current job for months. The odds of this job being worse than the one you’re in aren’t very high. It could be a good change for you.”

His calm gaze was sincere, but I cursed inwardly. He was right, of course, like always. And now the others knew how much I hated Pet and Co.

I turned back to the two men. David quickly smothered his smile, but Julian did nothing to hide his.

Asshole.

Turner looked straight at the space between them. “If you hire my sister, you’re going to have to double her salary in comparison with what she’s currently making. She’s good at her job and she deserves it. That’s my final condition for the job.”

My heart nearly broke.

Oh, Turner. My amazing baby brother, who remembered all too well the financial difficulties we had faced.

“It’s a deal,” Julian said. He looked straight at Turner as he spoke, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Turner didn’t return his gaze. “I respect a man who stands up for his family like that. And I have no doubts regarding your sister’s skills. If you agree, we’ll draw up employment contracts for the both of you, containing your conditions in writing. There is no pressure to sign. Both of you may take the evening to read it over and get back to us tomorrow. How does that sound?”

It sounded damn good, and I was sure he knew it, judging by the satisfaction on his face.

I’d have to quit my job.

Turner wasn’t looking at Julian or David, but rather tracing the edge of the table with a methodical finger. But he was smiling, small and true. “It sounds good to me,” he said. “My sister and I will read it and let you know tomorrow.”

Now he was speaking for the both of us. Being his own man. He wanted this-I could tell. Given nearly unlimited resources, a steady salary… he would grow so much from this. I knew that he’d been concerned about finding somewhere to work that would suit him, and frankly, so had I.

I would have to work for Hunt Industries.

We rose and shook hands with both men. Julian held my hand a heartbeat longer than strictly professional-his dark eyes and brows startling against his fair complexion. His voice was pitched for privacy when he spoke.

“Happy to see you got home okay.”

I pulled my hand out of his. “Goodbye, Mr. Hunt.”

“It’s been a pleasure.” His eyes danced again. “I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow.”

Emily. Turner and I said yes.

Of course we did. It was hardly even a discussion in the car ride home, and by that evening, we’d both signed.

When I called Denise and told her the whole story, she squealed so loud in my ear that I’d had to hold the phone away from my ear until she calmed down.

Turner would be given free reins and practically unlimited resources; we’d both get a salary increase enough to make our lives easier.

But best of all? I could quit my job at Pet and Co. Three years in a field that didn’t interest me one bit had finally come to a close. I’d been looking for a way to get out of that job for a long time anyway, and Hunt Industries represented the big leagues.

The evening before my first day, I spent half-an-hour watching Hunt promotional videos to get a feel of the dress code. It still took me nearly the whole evening to pick out the perfect outfit for my first day.

I know. I know.

I was judging me too.

But when I walked into that massive lobby in a pair of well-fitting suit pants and a silky blouse, I felt like I’d struck just the right balance between forgettable and sophisticated. I wanted to stand out because of my ideas, not my outfits. It was a style that should get its own genre: invisibly chic.

I had no idea what to expect from this arrangement. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone popped up and shouted “psych!” as if this had all just been one big joke. Was that show Punk’d still on? Because any minute now, I’d have to go back to creating ads for dog food.

Turner and I said goodbye at the elevators. He walked away with his head held high and a lunch bag in hand, not showing any of the nervousness I knew he felt. My stomach was in knots, half of it for me and half of it for him. My grown-up little brother.

But as he disappeared, I squared my shoulders and ran a hand down the silky material of my blouse. Let’s do this, Emily.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

I was greeted as soon as I stepped off the elevator by a tall woman with a massive smile.”Emily?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Right on time! I’m Rachel. Let me just start by saying that we’re so happy you could start on such short notice.”

I blinked. “Hi. Yes, so am I. Thank you for taking me on.”

She shook my hand in a firm, business-like grip before handing me a stack of folders. “Here’s all the information you might want on Hunt. It’s a bit of a welcome package, so to speak. I have to tell you, we’ve been working with one position empty for nearly a month and it hasn’t been easy, so you’re a godsend.”

“You have?”

“Kamal was unexpectedly headhunted. He left us for London two days after he got the call.” Rachel pressed the button for the elevator. “I was of course happy for him, but it left us one man short in the middle of an expansion and rebranding.”

“I understand.” I gripped the folders tight in front of me. Her eagerness was intoxicating, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to become a member of this dynamic team. I might not have liked how I ended up here, but here I was, and I wanted to make sure that I pulled my weight.