Free Bossy by Kim Linwood Page B

building.”
    He looks up, his eyes going wide, like a schoolkid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. With a practiced motion, he grabs a sheet of paper from his documentation, folds it up tightly into a little cup and then quickly stumps his cigar in it. Miraculously, it doesn’t catch. He at least has the grace to look a little embarrassed. “Sorry. It was just for a moment.”
    I sigh. The cigar is probably the least offensive thing he’s done all day and that’s what he apologizes for. Let’s get this over with. Claire takes the chair next to me. Her eyes are tight, but she’s shutting up, and that’s all I ask right now.
    “That was quick. A pretty thing like her, I suppose I wouldn’t take long either.” Cooper indicates Claire with a nod of his head.
    I look him right in the eyes, which are practically glowing with what he’s imagining Claire doing. “Ms. Anderson is a trusted employee of this firm and she is assisting me in this case. We’re going to do our best to ensure a favorable outcome for you and your company, Mr. Cooper, but if you make another comment like that again, I’m going to break your face. Do we understand each other?”
    Dad’s going to fucking kill me, but I have my limits.
    Cooper recoils like I’ve already hit him. “Jesus fuck. Is this how you treat all your customers? One of you insults me, then the other threatens me? What is this shit?”
    He’s such a caricature of a sleazy businessman that I find it hard not to laugh.
    “Sir, I’m only asking for a minimum of respect. Quite frankly, given your situation, you are lucky we’re willing to work with you. There will be no more outbursts from Ms. Anderson, and I apologize for those, but we’re all professionals here and we expect to be treated as such. You respect us, we respect you. Otherwise... I become unhappy. Alright?”
    When this meeting is over I’m going to have to ask Carl to get someone to scrub down the room. The cigar is bad enough, but something about Cooper makes me want to bleach everything he’s touched.
    Cooper nods quickly. He’s a bully, but like most bullies, when he meets a bigger one, he backs down. And I’m by far the biggest bully in the room. “Alright. Fine. So long as you get me off the hook.”
    I lean back. “I think we’re done here. Unless you have anything else to add, we’ll end this meeting now, and get back to you next week. Deal?”
    Cooper gets out of his chair, obviously eager to get out of here. “Deal. I’ll expect some results then.” He puts out his hand, and against my better judgment, I take it. It’s like shaking hands with a cold dead fish. I’m going to wash my hands after this.
    The door shuts behind him and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Well, I feel like a shower. How about you?”
    Claire leans back, shoulders relaxing for the first time in a couple of hours. “I think that’s the first thing I’ve agreed with you on all day.”
    “You know, if you’re really serious about having a positive impact...”
    She looks at me curiously. “Huh?”
    “Forget it, it’s probably too much for you.”
    “No really, what?” Claire’s expression is so serious I almost feel bad.
    “There’s a gym downstairs, and since water conservation is one of the most important issues facing the world today, I was thinking maybe a joint effort was in order.”
    “What are you—Declan!” She throws a pen at me, but it was worth it to see her smile again after the shitty afternoon we’ve had. “In your wettest dreams.”
    “Yours and mine both, little sis.”
    Her mouth drops open, but she doesn’t deny it.
    And with that, I open the door and leave the room.

Claire
    D ing.
    Fifty-fourth floor, we meet again.
    I heft the box of donuts I picked up on the way to work, trying to avoid getting powdered sugar all over myself. Every day that shop has tempted me when I walked by, but it’s finally Friday, and I’ve more than earned a treat.
    Massive overtime and dealing with