Free Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1) by Jamie Salisbury

always
been a hard worker, but he’s one of those new graduates who expects to be
installed immediately into the top positions, making an obscene amount of money
without putting any sweat into it.
    It was obvious by the conversation I overheard him having
with Caitlyn that he’s upset he wasn’t chosen for the position. The other
disturbing thing to me was the sexual context he implied. I’d never seen nor
heard that from him before. Quite frankly, it disturbed me.
    Quietly, I approached Don’s office door. Hearing the sound
of laughter, I inched my way closer. Looking around the corner of his doorway,
I found him on his cell, chatting with someone, laughing. He was seated at his
desk, his back to me, swiveling back and forth in his leather executive chair.
    I cleared my throat, letting him know he had company. He
swung around to see who it was. Immediately, he told whomever he had been
talking to that he’d get back to them. Making it appear as a business call.
    “ Apolo ,” he almost stuttered as he
placed his phone on the desk. He began to stand, but I motioned him to remain
as he was. I was the shark here, and he was simply my chum.
    “Do you mind telling me what the hell you thought you were
doing back there? Just who the hell do you think you are, Don, walking into my
newly-hired executive vice president’s office and all but accusing her of
getting the promotion simply in exchange for sexual favors?”
    He sat there, his mind obviously hard at work, trying to
come up with answers. It was obvious he’d thought if I ever did confront him
with this that it wouldn’t be any more than a “please don’t do that again”
talk.
    “I meant no harm, Apolo . But you
know, if Caitlyn’s going to play with us big boys, she’s going to have to
toughen up. She needs to realize she ain’t in Kansas anymore.”
    The adrenaline was surging through my veins. I had to
control my personal emotions toward Caitlyn in front of him. He was out of
bounds, and I needed to put him back in his place. “The lady is tough as nails,
and she is quite capable of playing with us ‘big boys,’ as you say. She proved
that in mergers and acquisitions. That’s part of the reason I chose her for the
position.”
    “Okay, geez, I’m sorry. I didn’t know the lady was such a
touchy subject to you.”
    “She is not a touchy subject, Don. I simply do not like it
when a disgruntled junior executive of mine oversteps his authority. I’ll leave
you with this word of advice. Don’t let me catch you, or hear of a repeat
performance of today. If I do, I will be forced to take corrective measures. Do
I make myself clear?”
    He sat there, dumbfounded. I stood waiting for his answer.
Finally, it came.
    “Yes, yes of course, Apolo . It
won’t happen again, I promise. I meant no harm by it. I was simply shocked by
your choice. There are candidates, I believe, far more qualified for the
position than Ms. White.”
    “And that is exactly why I own the company and I make the
decisions, and you are where you are, Don. You have to earn and prove yourself
to advance and succeed in the corporate world. You’d be wise to remember that.”
    I turned, walked out of the office, and didn’t look back. I
had made my point. He knew my position. There was nothing more that needed to
be said.
    That conversation went easier than expected. Now, to see if
it would sink in with him or not. First, however, I think I need to find Jacob.
I need to bring him up to speed on this latest development. See if he thinks
monitoring Don would be in order.
    I swung by Renee’s desk on my way to the elevators. I didn’t
need to say much. She knew me well enough to know my habits when a situation
arose.
    “Going downstairs for a minute, Renee. Be right back.”
    She nodded, knowing I was going in search of Jacob. His
office was on the second floor, right above the lobby. Security. He was looking
over a stack of papers when I entered and shut the door.
    “ Apolo ? What