Japanese tourists at the reception desk turned to look at them. “We wrote that report together . Equally. Which means we should both get credit for the bloody thing.”
“We will. Your name is on the cover, Audrey.”
“Oh, thanks. That’s going to make all the difference when Whitman reads it, after chatting to you man-to-man while you were out running and having you hand it over to him personally. He’s totally going to ignore both those things and read my name on the cover and realize that I wrote half that freaking report, too.”
Zach was starting to look pissy. “What was I supposed to do? Tell him to wait for the report he’d commissioned because I wasn’t sure if my coauthor would approve of him reading it without her being around? That was never going to happen.”
He made it sound so natural that he’d shafted her. As though anyone else would have done the same.
“I’m not an idiot, Zach. Don’t pretend you weren’t using that report to gain leverage with Whitman.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t have done the same?”
She took a step back, genuinely astounded. “So you’re admitting that you shamelessly used our report to adhere your lips to Whitman’s backside?”
“That’s not what I said. Look me in the eye and tell me if you discovered you’d inadvertently scored five minutes alone with Whitman and he’d asked to see the report you wouldn’t have handed it over.”
“I have no idea, since I didn’t go out hunting for him this morning at the crack of dawn. Actually, I do have an idea. I was in the lift with him yesterday, just him and me and Megan, and somehow I managed to not even mention let alone hand over the report.”
“I run every morning. Rain or shine.”
“How convenient for you.”
“You’re overreacting, Audrey. Go get some fresh air and calm down and we can talk about this more rationally.”
She blinked at him, momentarily lost for words. Wow. Just...wow. First he did her over, then he tried to minimize his betrayal by making her look like a drama queen.
“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for nearly two weeks because of that report. And you just climbed over my body to get what you wanted. So don’t you dare try to tell me I’m overreacting or dramatizing anything. You patronizing asshat.” Her voice was quivering with emotion and she could feel angry tears burning at the back of her eyes.
No way was she going to let them fall, though. No way would she give him that satisfaction.
“I know how hard you worked on the analysis. We both did. And Whitman will know that when we present it to him formally. You’ll say your piece, he’ll realize you know your stuff, he’ll be impressed. You’re freaking out over nothing here.”
He was so sincere. So convincing.
“I can’t work out if you really believe that or if you think I’m a gigantic moron. He’s not going to bother sitting through our presentation now that he’s got the report, Zach. Why would he waste precious time going over something he’s already read? No, you just hit a home run for yourself with my work. Congratulations, champ. You’ll go far.”
She turned on her heel and headed for the lifts.
“Audrey.”
She ignored him, stepping into the waiting elevator. The last thing she saw as the doors closed was Zach watching her with a frown on his face. As though he was sincerely baffled by what had happened.
The jerk.
She held on to her tears until she was in the safety of her hotel room. Then she paced, her heels biting into the carpet, fingers wiping away the tears as they plopped hotly onto her cheeks.
She’d worked so hard on that report. She’d brought her A-game, and she’d done good work. And now Zach was going to get the credit. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that that would be the case. She knew the way the world worked, the way people worked. Whitman might see her name on the cover of the report—maybe—but he’d remember talking to Zach about it.
“We will. Your name is on the cover, Audrey.”
“Oh, thanks. That’s going to make all the difference when Whitman reads it, after chatting to you man-to-man while you were out running and having you hand it over to him personally. He’s totally going to ignore both those things and read my name on the cover and realize that I wrote half that freaking report, too.”
Zach was starting to look pissy. “What was I supposed to do? Tell him to wait for the report he’d commissioned because I wasn’t sure if my coauthor would approve of him reading it without her being around? That was never going to happen.”
He made it sound so natural that he’d shafted her. As though anyone else would have done the same.
“I’m not an idiot, Zach. Don’t pretend you weren’t using that report to gain leverage with Whitman.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t have done the same?”
She took a step back, genuinely astounded. “So you’re admitting that you shamelessly used our report to adhere your lips to Whitman’s backside?”
“That’s not what I said. Look me in the eye and tell me if you discovered you’d inadvertently scored five minutes alone with Whitman and he’d asked to see the report you wouldn’t have handed it over.”
“I have no idea, since I didn’t go out hunting for him this morning at the crack of dawn. Actually, I do have an idea. I was in the lift with him yesterday, just him and me and Megan, and somehow I managed to not even mention let alone hand over the report.”
“I run every morning. Rain or shine.”
“How convenient for you.”
“You’re overreacting, Audrey. Go get some fresh air and calm down and we can talk about this more rationally.”
She blinked at him, momentarily lost for words. Wow. Just...wow. First he did her over, then he tried to minimize his betrayal by making her look like a drama queen.
“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for nearly two weeks because of that report. And you just climbed over my body to get what you wanted. So don’t you dare try to tell me I’m overreacting or dramatizing anything. You patronizing asshat.” Her voice was quivering with emotion and she could feel angry tears burning at the back of her eyes.
No way was she going to let them fall, though. No way would she give him that satisfaction.
“I know how hard you worked on the analysis. We both did. And Whitman will know that when we present it to him formally. You’ll say your piece, he’ll realize you know your stuff, he’ll be impressed. You’re freaking out over nothing here.”
He was so sincere. So convincing.
“I can’t work out if you really believe that or if you think I’m a gigantic moron. He’s not going to bother sitting through our presentation now that he’s got the report, Zach. Why would he waste precious time going over something he’s already read? No, you just hit a home run for yourself with my work. Congratulations, champ. You’ll go far.”
She turned on her heel and headed for the lifts.
“Audrey.”
She ignored him, stepping into the waiting elevator. The last thing she saw as the doors closed was Zach watching her with a frown on his face. As though he was sincerely baffled by what had happened.
The jerk.
She held on to her tears until she was in the safety of her hotel room. Then she paced, her heels biting into the carpet, fingers wiping away the tears as they plopped hotly onto her cheeks.
She’d worked so hard on that report. She’d brought her A-game, and she’d done good work. And now Zach was going to get the credit. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that that would be the case. She knew the way the world worked, the way people worked. Whitman might see her name on the cover of the report—maybe—but he’d remember talking to Zach about it.
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