Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(90)

“Thanks everyone for a wonderful evening!” Tory said. “Please enjoy your dinner and an open bar for the duration of the evening.”

“Uh oh,” Sean said as he turned back to his plate. Salad had been served. “Open bar. Am I going to have to peel you off the floor again?”

“For your information, no. I don’t plan on drinking much tonight.”

Sean looked over at her. He was searching for something. “Why not?”

Krista shrugged. “Had enough last night. I don’t want the night to be over too quickly. I want to remember everything.”

“Hmmm.”

Krista wondered if he caught her meaning. “You?”

“Ditto.”

They passed the dinner talking to the table. Marcus kept looking at Krista and winking, or making a weird face. She wondered if her lust was obvious. She assumed it probably was. She also didn’t much care.

After dinner she found her way to the bar without Sean. He got delayed talking to Ron. She was getting a glass of wine when Marcus came up next to her.

“Geegee, you did well this weekend. Talk of the town.”

“I’m the only female manager, Marcus. Did you think it would be any other way?”

“Janice likes you, you know. So do all the other older admins—they think you are giving the men a run for their money. But Janice likes you because she thinks you’re good for Sean.”

“I’m good for Sean? Why?”

“Apparently you stick up for yourself, don’t take crap from him, and keep him grounded. She says you’re the only one, man or woman, that does it.”

“Backhanded compliment?”

“You mean, is she calling you a Big Bitch? In so many words, yes darling. But that’s what Sean needs, I guess. I agree, actually. I wish he needed a male big bitch, but you can’t have everything.”

“Can’t have everything, true,” Krista said dryly.

“I used to think Sean had her around because she was no threat to you, but—“

“What?” Krista interrupted.

“Well doll, Sean hired her. If he hired someone like those little admins you see around here, everyone would have thought he was, you know…”

“I wouldn’t have.”

“Bull. You would have wondered. The whole region would have wondered.”

Krista thought about it for a second. It was true, she would have wondered.

“See?” Marcus said, laughing. “Anyway, not the case. Or not only the case, I should say. That woman can type, like, 800 words a second! She is super human when it comes to all that administrative crap! Seriously. She put all those other admins to shame! I don’t know where he finds the people he hires.”

Krista shrugged and sipped her drink. “What do they say about me?”

Marcus sighed and looked around. “Well, not great things, doll. Not great things. Aside from giving the men hell, you know. They all agree there, but then their beastly woman-side takes over, and they start hating on you. The young ones hate you because you have the young stud’s eye. The old ones hate you because they think you are trying to get above yourself. Most think you are sleeping with Sean, some think you are sleeping with Tory. Some don’t believe you are all that great, some think you are some sort of spy. That’s all the admin gossip, though. They obviously don’t know much, and I’ve told them nothing. ”

“Sounds stupid. What do the managers think?”

“Bob has led the ‘Krista is a useless sack’ campaign up until today. I assume the whole impotent thing turned off his crusade. You’re welcome. For the rest, as the only woman, you aren’t taken all that seriously. But you’re starting to win votes from what I can see. A few people are your big supporters, like Georgie, Donald, and Perry. But anyone else who thinks you’re good news is keeping tight-lipped about it, including Phil. For now. Ron is leaning in your direction—word is he wants to get you to New York. He sees the value in hiring a woman, and why not start with onewhohas already proven herself? When Ron is on board, the winds will change.”

“They don’t want to go against the grain until it’s safe.” Krista sighed. All this wasn’t very fun. She just wanted to do her job and do it well. It was bullshit she had to fight for the privilege.

“Except for Sean,” Marcus said as he looked at Krista closely.

“Sean’s never really been a pack follower.”

“No, he hasn’t. But with you, he’s doing everything he can to try and make it easier for you. If anyone has a bad word to say about you, they do it away from him. He and Blake almost got to fighting over it when Blake was shooting his mouth off about—“

“I don’t want to know,” Krista interrupted. She had a pretty good idea what types of things Blake was saying to protect his ego.

“Well, let me tell you, Blake has a bad rap. He slept with two admins this weekend. He has no fans among the gals. I’ve been spreading word that he has a small penis. Again, you’re welcome.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “It’s nice to have a man on the inside.”

“I do my best. Plus,” Marcus continued, leaning toward her conspiratorially, “I hear Sean scared the bejesus out of him.”