Free My Bluegrass Baby by Molly Harper

girl who bared
     her ass for Coppertone would probably disagree with you!” I snapped, leaning toward
     him. I would not be intimidated by this guy just because he was using his “big boss”
     voice on me. I could be just as loud and authoritative and I didn’t need a retro skinny
     tie to do it.
    “You know, if this is how you behave in a meeting, I don’t know why you’re even bothering
     with this ‘competition’ thing,” he sneered. “You’re not prepared to do the job. You’re
     not going to come up with a better idea than me. It’s cruel that Ray put you in this
     position in the first place. And frankly, I think it’s ridiculous that I have to participate
     in this competition at all. I just want to do the job, put in a few good years as
     director, and open my own marketing firm. I figured this would be a good place to
     develop contacts, not be tormented by some vapid, crazy cheerleader with an axe to
     grind.”
    I made an indignant squawking noise. He was putting me through this and he didn’t
     even want the damn job? He’d turned my office into a feuding war zone for nothing? He saw my
     dream job as a stepping stone to something better ? Suddenly a very dangerous idea formed in my head. I crossed my arms over my chest
     and tilted my head. And there, in the conference room, I made a vow that I would destroy
     Josh Vaughn. And his little suits, too.
    Or at least I would make his life very difficult.
    “I’m a cheerleader?” I scoffed. “So you’re not intimidated by me at all?”
    He gave me a head-to-toe scan that lingered a bit too long for professional behavior.
     “Not a bit.”
    “So I guess you wouldn’t mind a little side wager?” I slid to a sitting position on
     the table, my skirt riding up ever so slightly on my thigh. Vaughn’s eyes were trained
     on that tiny expanse of tanned skin and I raised an internal cheer. A distracted man
     was a man prone to making stupid promises. “Oh, come on, Vaughn. There’s no chance
     of me winning anyway, right? What do you have to lose?” I grinned. “We get through
     this Civil War plan with as little fuss as possible. I’ll make my best effort to hold
     myself back from my usual snarkiness and do my utmost to be a team player. But all
     gloves are off for the state fair campaign. No holds barred, full-on marketing mayhem.
     If your campaign is judged better than mine, I will come to work the following Monday
     in a cheerleading outfit. UK blue. Pom-poms and all.”
    There was a dangerous glint in his eyes when he said, “I’m not really seeing how this
     would benefit you at all.”
    I hopped off the table and stepped closer. For once, Vaughn was the one to back up.
     I beamed at him, sickeningly sweet. “Because if I win, which I will, you will come to work the next Monday in a cheerleading outfit. U of L red. Pom-poms
     and all.
    “And not the male cheerleaders’ outfit, either,” I added. “You will wear the tiny
     skirt and everything.”
    “And this is a very professional example in front of our coworkers—” He turned toward
     the table, where he’d expected to find the rest of the staff. But the room was empty.
     Our coworkers and the interns had crept out of the room while we were arguing, and
     we hadn’t noticed.
    “That seems like an overreaction,” I said, chewing my lip. “Oh, well. Do we have a
     wager?”
    “You’re nuts,” he exclaimed.
    I made none-too-subtle clucking sounds under my breath.
    “Fine!” he said. “You’ve got a deal.”
    “You’re going to look stunning,” I promised him just as Ray appeared in the doorway.
     I whispered, “I’ll get a pretty red-and-black bow for your hair and everything.”
    “You two,” Ray growled, with no trace of the playful, fatherly voice to which I was
     accustomed. “My office. Now.”

In Which I Push a Colleague out of a Metaphorical Lifeboat
    4
    Ray was not pleased with us.
    I refused to relay the details of our meeting, even to Kelsey, but I