He scooted far closer to her than was needed. He could see she wanted to move away but her stubborn attitude refused to allow her to show any weakness. Their shoulders were brushing together as he leaned in to look at the file she currently had opened in front of her.
“So what have you been doing the last ten years?” he asked her. For once in his life he had zero interest in the business in front of him that needed to be done.
“That’s none of your business, it has nothing to do with my job,” she snapped and tried to pull his attention back to the file. “This is Anthony, he works in accounting. I have spoken to him on a few occasions and even went to my father because it looked to me like he was into some unethical business practices but my father said it was fine. I would personally not trust him,” she finished, as she pushed the folder closer to him.
Bringing up her father was as good as throwing cold water in his face. His libido was put on hold as he took the file. He looked through the exceptionally detailed folder and then added the man to the fire pile. They continued to go through the files one by one and they mostly agreed on who deserved a chance to stay but every once in a while they came to an impasse.
She would argue for some person to stay but she’d lose. Once he set his mind on something, it was difficult to change it.
She pulled forward another file and made her case for the man to stay employed. He looked through and decided to let him go. He tossed the file into the termination pile and she snatched it back out. “I really think you need to interview Henry. He’s a good man and does exceptional work. You don’t even know him, so you can give him the courtesy of at least speaking with him, before you end his employment,” she demanded.
Derek raised his eyes at her outburst. She’d argued for a few people but hadn’t been so emphatic about it. He wondered who this Henry was and if he was possibly her reason for having to leave yesterday. He moved him over to the interview pile, just because he wanted to see who the competition was.
“Thank you,” she said although it came out through clenched teeth and didn’t sound like a ‘thank you’ at all. It sounded more like she wanted to call him a few names.
“I need some lunch, let’s go out,” he said, suddenly needing to get out of the offices for a while.
“I will eat in,” she said, completely shutting him down. He didn’t like to be refused, which she was better off learning now.
“It will be a business lunch so you’ll accompany me,” he demanded. He grabbed his jacket and walked to the door, holding it open for her to exit. If looks could kill, he would’ve been melted right on the spot.
She jerkily got up and followed him out. He could practically see the steam rising from her ears. He was amused by her attitude and surprised by that amusement. He wasn’t used to being so openly disobeyed but he liked that she was unafraid to challenge him.
He drove them to a diner he enjoyed several times a week. The staff knew him well and led them to a private table in the back of the restaurant. He liked the place for its privacy when he needed to talk to a client, or take a date out. He used it for many different purposes. He was a person that didn’t mess with a good thing once he found it.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes further as she looked around at the intimate restaurant. It was the middle of the afternoon and there were candles burning on the tables. She glared some more at his back as she followed him to the table in the corner.
If he really thought he was going to try to seduce her, he had another thing coming. The hostess sat them down and then asked what they would like to drink. He ordered an iced tea. Normally Jasmine didn’t drink alcohol, especially in the middle of her work day but she had the feeling she was going to need a glass, if she was going to make it through the rest of the day without snapping at him.
“I’ll take a glass of red wine,” she said with a smile. He raised his brows at her but didn’t say anything. She was testing her limits. Let’s see if he’d fire her for having a glass of wine at a lunch he’d forced her to accompany him on.
Their appetizers came out and Jasmine found she was starving. The food was excellent and it disappeared quickly. Derek chuckled as she looked at his plate. She always had enjoyed good foods, good wine and great sex. His groin tightened once again.
The rest of their meal came out and they ate comfortably. She let her defenses down and chatted with him as the wine loosened her tongue and the food sated her stomach.
She excused herself to go to the restroom and was adjusting her hair when Amy approached her from behind. The woman didn’t look happy at all.