Free Romantic Acquisition by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

here?”
     
    David wasn’t going to relent on such a flimsy excuse.  “Matthew needs to learn your job.  He can handle a few more weeks of filling in for you.”
     
    Kate was defeated for the moment simply because she couldn’t think of a way out of this situation immediately .  She looked at Carlo with hostility but kept it out of her voice.  “When did you want to start these tours?”
     
    “How far is the drive to the closest stores?”
     
    “Fifteen minutes.”
     
    He stood up and raised a challenging eye.  “Well, then let’s start there.”
     
    Kate nodded.  “ Fine.  L et me get a few more things organized and I’ll meet you downstairs in a half hour.  Is that soon enough for you?”
     
    Carlo nodded, then turned back to David.  “I’ll let you know if there’s anything else I need.  Thanks for your support.”
     
    David preened at Carlo’s good ole’ boy networking, happy to pull one of his employees in line.  “No problem, Carlo ,” he said.  “ Just stop in anytime,” he said and slapped Carlo on the back as if they’d been friends for years.  “Kate, can I speak to you for a moment?”
     
    Kate gritted her teeth.  Carlo wasn’t playing fair by going to David for these kinds of requests.  But now she was sure she was going to get a lecture on office protocol from her boss. 
     
    She was right.  “What’s going on between you and Carlo?” David demanded as soon as Carlo had shut the door.
     
    “Nothing,” Kate said, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting back down in her seat, wishing she could ignore the pompous man.  Unfortunately, he was still her boss and she didn’t see that changing, even after the sellout to ATI .  She remembered all the reasons she stayed in this job and swallowed her antagonism. 
     
    David took a seat on the edge of his desk, making sure he was able to look down on her from his position.  “It doesn’t seem like nothing.  It seems like you have a huge chip on your shoulder where he’s concerned.  I don’t need to remind you that he’ll be my boss soon, in a manner of speaking , so you’d better deal with him more professionally.  This barely veiled antagonism isn’t in anyone’s best interests.”
     
    Kate nodded her head.  “Anything else?” she asked sweetly.
     
    David looked up and down her attire.  “Now that you mention it, why don’t you tone down your clothes a little?  You looked very presentable on Saturday night.   I liked your simple black dress.  These outrageous clothes you tend to wear are fine for a purchasing director, but you’re leading the transition team now.  Surely you have more conservative clothes that define what we are trying to get across more than this…this…well, ” he said awkwardly, wa ving his hands up and down in front of her indicating her outfit, “you know what I mean.”
     
    Kate glanced down at her blue and white striped pants topped off with a neat, white sweater. 
     
    “What’s wrong with my outfit?”
     
    He sighed in frustration.  He hated confrontations and wished he had asked someone else to have this conversation with Kate.  “It would be fine if we were in Paris or New York .  But you know that Washington , D.C. is a much more conservative town.  Can’t you tone it down a little?”
     
    Kate bristled at his comment.  “No.  This is who I am and I like it.”
     
    His eyes turned angry at her blatant disobedience.  “We’ll see what happens when this sale is through.  I’m not going to have anymore of that kind of talk when we’re part of ATI , and I can guarantee that they won’t allow it either,” he snarled.
     
    Kate turned her back on David and his threat.  “David, if you’re going to fire me, why don’t you do it now?”
     
    “Why would I fire you?” he snapped at her retreating back.  “You’re one of the best buyers in the industry.  But there are better things to do to a recalcitrant employee than firing