Just One Night, Part 3_ Binding Agreement(24)

I hesitate for just a split second after the words leave my mouth. My light is brighter now; it’s even a bit glaring and harsh, but it’s not a supernova. I can maintain this. All these years I’ve tried to play by others’ rules in order to keep myself from being erased like my sister was, but Robert’s shown me another way.

His is a scarier path, and I’m not entirely comfortable with it . . . but I can see now that it’s much more effective than anything I’ve tried before. This aggression, this power play? It will keep me visible and in turn it will be my protection against falling to my sister’s fate. A possibility that haunts me every day of my life.

“You fucked a client,” Mr. Costin says. “There are consequences for that.”

“Of course there are.” I smile and slowly spread my arms out in an all-encompassing gesture. “You’re looking at them, Mr. Costin. Guess the consequences I live with are only the ones I want. Maybe that’s what I get for attracting the attention of an earthly god. Your words, not mine.”

Mr. Costin stares at me; his mouth is in a thin line, hinting at the hate he knows he must hold back. I smile again. He’ll see my smile as patronizing, or perhaps smug. It doesn’t matter though. I can smile anyway I like. These are my rules.

I get up to leave. I’ve made my point but as I start to turn Mr. Costin stops me.

“You aren’t the one pulling the strings here. That would be your lover, Mr. Dade.”

I turn, lock him in my gaze. “Mr. Dade is my lover,” I admit. “To my mind he’s the moon and I’m the ocean. You can blame the moon for the high tide but it’s the ocean that can flood your village. You’d be wise to respect us both. Oh, and Mr. Costin?” I say as I turn back toward the door. “That’s the last reference you will make to my sex life. Ever.”

And with that I walk out and go down to my office.

My new office. Where I belong.

* * *

THE DAY IS MINE. I call impromptu meetings with each department individually. It’s not how it’s normally done but things are changing based on my whims. Last night I submitted; today I master. Yin and yang. I can thrive in the extremes if I keep the balance.

It’s while I’m having a meeting with my old team that I get the call from the VP of Maned Wolf. As Robert had indicated earlier, they have another project for me, if I want it. They want me involved of course but they understand that I won’t be in the thick of it like I was the last time. After all, I have many teams to oversee. My job now is not just to lead but to pick leaders.

Asha looks at me expectantly, understanding everything from my half of the conversation. I look into her dark brown eyes and recall all the other ways she’s looked at me. With amusement, cruelty, even superiority. . . . I remember when she stood by my side, touching me without invitation, saying things she knew would demean me and make me feel small and vulnerable to her.

I hang up the phone and tell Daemon that he will be team leader. I see the looks of surprise on the consultants’ faces. Before my promotion Asha and I were the two people in this group who had the most seniority and accomplishments. Asha had trained Daemon once upon a time. He continues to pay dues that Asha has long since dispensed with. Asha’s brown skin picks up a rosy hue and her mouth turns down into a little grimace as I hand Daemon the scepter. She’s always so composed, even this small giveaway is a victory.

“What’s wrong, Asha?” I ask, unable to restrain myself.

“Not a thing,” she replies. She doesn’t want to show her aggrievement in front of her coworkers. That would be a sign of weakness.

But she will show that weakness, she’ll hang it out for the entire team to see. She’ll do so because I want her to.

I lean back in my chair. “I believe the lady doth protest too much. Do you have a problem with Daemon being your superior?”

I’ve chosen my words carefully.

Asha registers this and shifts slightly in her seat. “I don’t have a problem with Daemon being team leader.”

“That’s not what I asked,” I say, swiveling back and forth in my chair. This chair offers more support than my last. Its design keeps my posture straighter. It suits my mood. “Do you have a problem with Daemon being your superior?”

“No,” Asha says. The word is clipped, her anger evident.

“No what?” I ask.

Yes, she’s blushing now. I can see it. Who would have thought the malicious could blush.

You blush all the time. A little voice says. It’s my angel, speaking through the gag I’ve placed in her mouth. I squirm slightly at her implication but Asha is too caught up in her own humiliation to notice as she answers, “No, I don’t have a problem with Daemon being my superior.”