talking about
some kind of meeting. Then he mentioned something that was supposed
to be in my purview. And then he mentioned a name.
Harry.
Chuck was at a meeting with the
Douchebros, and they were going to try to steal my project away from
me.
I looked up at Hunter, speechless.
He nodded grimly. “They’re
trying to cut you out.”
Emotions warred in my chest. I was
touched that Hunter was sharing this with me, but confused. He didn’t
care about the ad campaign, he thought it was all worthless. And
after last night, why would he care if Chuck brought in new blood?
“Why would you show me this?”
“Because if Chuck thinks he can
get away with this, he’ll cut me out next.” He looked
away and kicked at the dirt, his face vaguely embarrassed. He
muttered, “Besides, your idea is worth a hundred of theirs.”
That was probably less a measure of how
much he liked my idea and more a measure of how much he hated theirs,
but it still gave me a warm glow inside.
I stood, and met his gaze, letting him
see my determination. “Well, then we just won’t let him
get away with it.”
#
Hunter and I didn’t bust into the
meeting so much as stroll in casually, but Chuck and the Douchebros
still started guiltily in their seats like kids caught with their
hands in the cookie jar.
Chuck recovered first, barely pausing
to shoot an angry look at Hunter before going into full smarm mode:
“Allison! I’m so glad Hunter decided you should join us.
I’m sure you don’t mind that we’re exploring
multiple options, do you? It’s so important to consider all
perspectives, don’t you think?”
I gritted my teeth as I smiled, wishing
he wasn’t so powerful within the Knox corporation, so I could
tell him to his face what I thought of his patronizing crap. But he
was powerful, and so I couldn’t give him an excuse to dismiss
me.
“Of course,” I said. “Let’s
hear those ideas. I’m all ears.”
Between my bitterness and my hangover,
the forced smile on my face was actually starting to hurt, but if
they wanted to bro it up, I was going to be right there with them.
Chuck smiled ingratiatingly.
“Excellent. Let’s get to it, then. But it’s looking
a little crowded in here, so why don’t we reconvene someplace a
little more…comfortable? I know just the place.”
#
I pushed away the fried pound cake, the
few bites I’d been able to take sitting heavy in my stomach.
The Douchebros had pitched all during dinner, Hunter’s face
unreadable, Chuck visibly excited, and it was worse than I’d
thought: apparently they’d taken Hunter’s earlier
critique to mean that their previous pitch hadn’t been sexually
exploitative enough. They now wanted, among other things, to hire
“Knox knockers,” professional strippers who’d visit
college campuses and dance in showers of bourbon while free samples
were given out. Gag me.
I’d spent most of dinner wanting
to throw up, and it hadn’t helped when Chuck
accidentally-on-purpose slipped his hand over my knee.
I may have accidentally-on-purpose
stabbed him with a salad fork.
“Aw, Ally, you sacrificing your
dessert for your diet?” Harry said. “Don’t worry, I
like my women with a full figure.”
I smiled at him in a way that I hoped
communicated that he shouldn’t feel safe just because he was
out of stabbing range at the moment.
“Now, now,” Chuck
admonished Harry. “Allison’s not like that. She’s
one of the boys, isn’t she?”
He glanced slyly at all the Douchebros,
and there was hastily suppressed sniggering all around the table. I
flashed back to the whispered conversation I’d seen Chuck and
Harry having when I came back from the bathroom. Those assholes were
planning something.
“Now what I think,” Chuck
went on, with all the sincerity of a politician campaigning for
reelection, “is that we should show Allison how much we accept
her, by welcoming her into our sanctum santorum. Would you like to
join us there,
some kind of meeting. Then he mentioned something that was supposed
to be in my purview. And then he mentioned a name.
Harry.
Chuck was at a meeting with the
Douchebros, and they were going to try to steal my project away from
me.
I looked up at Hunter, speechless.
He nodded grimly. “They’re
trying to cut you out.”
Emotions warred in my chest. I was
touched that Hunter was sharing this with me, but confused. He didn’t
care about the ad campaign, he thought it was all worthless. And
after last night, why would he care if Chuck brought in new blood?
“Why would you show me this?”
“Because if Chuck thinks he can
get away with this, he’ll cut me out next.” He looked
away and kicked at the dirt, his face vaguely embarrassed. He
muttered, “Besides, your idea is worth a hundred of theirs.”
That was probably less a measure of how
much he liked my idea and more a measure of how much he hated theirs,
but it still gave me a warm glow inside.
I stood, and met his gaze, letting him
see my determination. “Well, then we just won’t let him
get away with it.”
#
Hunter and I didn’t bust into the
meeting so much as stroll in casually, but Chuck and the Douchebros
still started guiltily in their seats like kids caught with their
hands in the cookie jar.
Chuck recovered first, barely pausing
to shoot an angry look at Hunter before going into full smarm mode:
“Allison! I’m so glad Hunter decided you should join us.
I’m sure you don’t mind that we’re exploring
multiple options, do you? It’s so important to consider all
perspectives, don’t you think?”
I gritted my teeth as I smiled, wishing
he wasn’t so powerful within the Knox corporation, so I could
tell him to his face what I thought of his patronizing crap. But he
was powerful, and so I couldn’t give him an excuse to dismiss
me.
“Of course,” I said. “Let’s
hear those ideas. I’m all ears.”
Between my bitterness and my hangover,
the forced smile on my face was actually starting to hurt, but if
they wanted to bro it up, I was going to be right there with them.
Chuck smiled ingratiatingly.
“Excellent. Let’s get to it, then. But it’s looking
a little crowded in here, so why don’t we reconvene someplace a
little more…comfortable? I know just the place.”
#
I pushed away the fried pound cake, the
few bites I’d been able to take sitting heavy in my stomach.
The Douchebros had pitched all during dinner, Hunter’s face
unreadable, Chuck visibly excited, and it was worse than I’d
thought: apparently they’d taken Hunter’s earlier
critique to mean that their previous pitch hadn’t been sexually
exploitative enough. They now wanted, among other things, to hire
“Knox knockers,” professional strippers who’d visit
college campuses and dance in showers of bourbon while free samples
were given out. Gag me.
I’d spent most of dinner wanting
to throw up, and it hadn’t helped when Chuck
accidentally-on-purpose slipped his hand over my knee.
I may have accidentally-on-purpose
stabbed him with a salad fork.
“Aw, Ally, you sacrificing your
dessert for your diet?” Harry said. “Don’t worry, I
like my women with a full figure.”
I smiled at him in a way that I hoped
communicated that he shouldn’t feel safe just because he was
out of stabbing range at the moment.
“Now, now,” Chuck
admonished Harry. “Allison’s not like that. She’s
one of the boys, isn’t she?”
He glanced slyly at all the Douchebros,
and there was hastily suppressed sniggering all around the table. I
flashed back to the whispered conversation I’d seen Chuck and
Harry having when I came back from the bathroom. Those assholes were
planning something.
“Now what I think,” Chuck
went on, with all the sincerity of a politician campaigning for
reelection, “is that we should show Allison how much we accept
her, by welcoming her into our sanctum santorum. Would you like to
join us there,
Similar Books
