Free Flesh: Part Fourteen (The Flesh Series Book 14) by Sky Corgan Page B

desk and punches in a
number, her nails making angry clicking sounds. “Hi Doctor
Reddick,” she fakes a pleasant tone. “This is Tyra
Rollins at Environ Design. I was just calling because no one here has
heard from you in a while and I wanted to make sure that you still
wanted to continue forward with your interior design project. Please
give me a call whenever you get this.”
    SLAM!
    Derrick and I both
jump when she puts the receiver down. She sighs again before looking
up at me, causing a tremor of fear to race down my spine.
    “ I
want you to keep trying to get in contact with Doctor Reddick every
day next week. You will email him and call him. If we don't hear from
him by Friday, then we'll know he bailed on his contract. If you do
hear from him, then speed things up. I don't care how you do it, but
get the furniture into his house and get the money. It's bullshit
that this is taking so long.”
    “ Yes,
ma'am,” I meekly reply. Somehow, I knew we would eventually get
to this point with how Lucian has been dragging his feet on the
project. I just never thought that Tyra would be so hostile about it.
    “ Rich
flighty...,” she hesitates, “people.” It's obvious
that's not the word she wanted to use, but she's trying to calm
herself down.
    “ I
hope that if he bails, you won't think this discredits up from
working with future high profile clients,” Derrick dares to
say.
    Tyra holds up her
palm to him. “Derrick, I don't want to talk about this right
now. You're both dismissed. And close the door on your way out.”
    I'm never happier to
leave. The tension in the room was thicker than molasses. There was
no way to cut it. All you could do is drown in it.
    As soon as we're
outside of Tyra's office and Derrick has closed the door behind us,
he grabs me by the arm and pulls me to the side, speaking to me in a
low tone. “What in the hell is up with that rich asshole?”
    “ I
don't know.” The stress returns in an instant as I feel
attacked for yet a second time.
    “ Amy,
you've got to do something about this. This isn't just about making
your boyfriend happy. Our careers are at stake. If Lucian bails, then
neither one of us will probably ever hear the word bonus again.”
His dark eyes bore into me, but I can't force myself to meet his
gaze. Now I feel like so much rests on my shoulders. If I can't get
Lucian to finish the interior design project, then Derrick will be
pissed off at me, and who knows what Tyra will do.
    “ I'll
try to think of something.” I take a step away from him,
feeling suffocated by the panicked vibe he's exuding.
    “ Don't
try. Do.” He turns away from me, and I listen to his heavy
footfalls as he walks back to his desk.
    I wrap my arms
around myself and quickly return to my computer to send Lucian an
e-mail, Cc'ing both Tyra and Derrick so they'll know that I'm not
slacking off in regards to getting Lucian back on board with the
project.

    Doctor Reddick,

    Please contact me
as soon as possible in regards to selecting furniture for the rest of
your house. We here at Environ Design would like to make the process
as easy for you as possible. If you are unable to make time to
physically come see all of the furniture before the purchasing
process, we would like to work with you to find another way to
complete your project.

    Regards,
    Amy Underwood
    Interior Designer
    Environ Design

    Send and wait.
    And wait and wait
and wait. End result, no response.
    I sigh in
exasperation as I shut down my computer for the evening. As soon as
I'm done, I text Lucian, “Please call me as soon as you get off
of work. We need to talk.”
    With nothing left to
do, I head home for the evening, my mind full of all new worries
regarding Lucian. How I wish he wasn't involved with my company? He's
every bit as unpredictable as a client as he is as a love interest.
And this does put an even greater strain on things between us.
    By the time I get
home, he's already responded. “I have stuff I want to