Exodus (The Ravenhood #2)(98)

“I already have plans in place.” It’s the first time Tobias has spoken up, and my eyes lift to his.

“I just wanted to give you some options. This is what I do.”

He doesn’t waste breath with his retort. “I’ve been doing it longer. Is that all?”

“Okay, let me word it better,” I snap. “Plan B is what’s happening.”

Ryan speaks up, biting Tobias right in the ass. “It’s a condition of the contract.”

Tobias doesn’t spare Ryan a glance and gives me a dead stare.

“I’m creating jobs, not ruining your plans.”

“Debatable,” he counters and stands.

“I have fifteen minutes left,” I object. His eyes roll over my form-fitting pantsuit. I may have spent a little more time than usual on my appearance this morning.

“You’re doing what you want, why does it matter if I’m here?”

“Your presence at these meetings is also in the contract,” Ryan counters as Tobias finally shifts his focus. And the result isn’t pretty.

“You going to lick the bottom of her stilettos when she’s done here?”

“She’s not into foot kink,” Ryan retorts with a sure smile.

Tobias’s eyes drift up to mine. The look in them enough to condemn me. And now he knows I’ve slept with my lawyer. I glare at Ryan, who shrugs, giving me a thorough and appreciative sweep Tobias does not miss.

“Gentlemen, tuck your penises away and take a breath,” I snap. “This isn’t about who has the most authority here. This is about thousands of workers and their future and what’s right for them. I don’t have to be right. Let’s just come to an agreement on what’s best for them.”

Shelly speaks up. “Agreed. What we have planned is very similar, I’ll cross-reference our prospectus with what you’ve got, and we can work together to get the kinks out.”

“You’re speaking out of turn,” Tobias scolds her.

“I don’t lick shoes or wipe asses, Mr. King, that’s why you hired me.” She doesn’t miss a beat. “Cecelia, I think this is brilliant, and since I’m the one who’ll be getting this information together and out to the masses, I would love to hear your last fourteen minutes.”

I bite my lips to hide my smile as Tobias’s eyes narrow at Shelly before he takes his seat. “Floor is yours.”

I can practically hear his thoughts—your move.

Ryan chuckles, and he and Tobias stare off for a second before they both turn expectant eyes back to me.

And this is just day one.

Fuck.





I can’t help my smile shortly after our meeting when Tobias walks into the office across the hall from mine. Floor to ceiling windows creates no barrier, giving us little privacy so he can’t, at all, avoid seeing me during working hours. I feel his hesitation as Shelly guides him through the set-up of his workstation. I feel a lick of heat from his stare before he finally takes his seat. Transitioning from corporate to employee-owned isn’t a matter of signatures or a one and done. It will take weeks of careful planning to work out the details, and I plan on using the time wisely.

He can’t avoid me. But he’s damn sure going to try. Hours later, we duel on our keyboards, and every so often, I feel the lift of his head and the weight of his stare. He’s been listening to my phone conversations all day, his door open. I have loose ends to tie up before I can entirely hand the business over to Collin, who also isn’t speaking to me. He’s had his assistant email me with questions about the pressing matters. And I get it. I understand. But it still stings.

Ryan has been planted in the office next to me for most of the day, and the crackle I feel brewing only intensifies as the hours pass. But I forge on, intent on using all my tools to make the transition smooth and beneficial to the employees. Because I’ve been in their shoes, literally. Ryan heads to the breakroom for another cup of coffee when I crack my neck and look up to see Tobias working diligently on his laptop. His shoulders tense the minute he feels me eyeing him, but he keeps at a steady pace. He’s in a pinstripe suit today that makes him look regal, like an old-world gangster. It’s so fitting. He’s so perfectly manicured that he looks completely out of place in the dump we’ve been stationed in. The bottom floor has a distinct stench of mold, and the ceiling tiles are heavy with residual water and stained brown. I decide to shoot off an email to Shelly to see if we can find a little wiggle room in the budget for a cheap remodel. I’ve just sent it off when Ryan strides back into the office, our coffee forgotten.

“Cee, we got him. Jerry Siegal.” I wince as Tobias’s head snaps up from where he sits, and Ryan hands me his cell phone. I go to speak, but Ryan jerks his head insisting I put him on speaker.

“Hell no, I’m not missing this.”

And I can’t deny him this. We’ve been working on this for a solid year. Feeling the livid eyes of the man across the hall, I shake off the ill-feeling it gives, unwilling to let it get to me, and hit the speaker button.

“Jerry, how are you?”

“You fucking bitch,” he seethes on the other end of the line as Tobias stands and walks over to the doorway of my office. I turn my back on him and begin a slow pace behind my desk just as Shelly walks in with an arm full of folders.