“It’s actuallyMr. Anderson. Joshua. I, uh, took over from Amy Lee, my mother… Today is my first official day as the new Union Head. Nice to… meet you.”
When Alistair just continues to glare at me, I clear my throat and offer him my hand. Yeah, buddy, no shit, I’m shook, too. Of course the evil billionaire I’m here to take down turns out to be the sexy dude from the club who gave me the fucking of my life. Why the hell not?
He flutters those long lashes slowly, glances at my hand as if it’s a snake rearing up to bite him, and clears his throat, too. Then we shake, his hold firm and deliberate.
“Joshua, sorry. I wasn’t informed there has been a change…”
I smile without humor. “We sent you an email. In response to the one my office got not thirty minutes ago. I was expecting to meet with the commission, but, clearly, you had other plans, Mr. Devon.”
He freezes for a moment, speechless. Pride swells in my chest, unleashing a wave of satisfaction that tickles my nerve endings.Serves you right, asshole.
“So, uh, please take a seat,” he fumbles, pointing at one of the chairs while still holding onto my hand.
I lift an eyebrow. “Do you mind?”
He scrunches his nose. “Huh?”
“Do you mind letting go so I can take a seat?”
He drops my hand as if burned. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry…”
God, can he be any more awkward? It’s starting to get to me. But the subtle flush that his cheeks catch is kind of charming.
Ahem.
Alistair takes the chair across from me, crossing his arms on top of the table. They pull my attention, transporting me back to that night I’ve been trying but failing to forget. Fuck me, why did it have to be him? Of all the people it could’ve possibly been…
“Apologies again for the confusion. And for not e-mailing earlier. It was a… last minute change on our end,” he says, smiling.
I was too lost that night, but now that my brain is only partially in the gutter, I notice things. Like his voice. It’s smooth and rich, pleasant in a way that makes you want to listen to it and relax. He’s nice to look at too, not too imposing, but still instilling enough authority to stand out. His face is all sharp angles, and he could well be a cover model with his chiseled jaw and Roman nose.
“So… how can I help you today, Joshua?” His full mouth curves up in a smirk when he catches me studying his face, and it reaches his sapphire-blue eyes. And that blond mop of hair… it calls to me to rake my fingers through it and see for myself if it’s silky or not.
His whole getup ticks all of my boxes and I kind of hate that. It’s like I’m sitting across from the grown-up version of those bad boys I used to crush on when I wasyounger. They are bad news, but you can’t really help it, you know? His black slacks and brown shirt with hickory tie—which he messed up, by the way—take away some of the punch, but I also spy two holes along his left earlobe.
He’s got potential… but I also need my head in the game, not in the clouds. People are counting on me. Their livelihood is the only thing that matters right now.
Smiling back tersely, I lean forward and lace my fingers together on top of the manila folder I brought with me. But I don’t take out the proposal just yet—I want to keep him on edge for a few more seconds as I pretend to examine the conference room.
“Mr. Devon,” I say finally, keeping my voice and expression neutral as I flick my gaze away from the collage of photos of Devon Holidays’ hotels across the world that’s adorning the back wall. “I’m sure you are aware of the pay and position cuts happening across your US locations starting next month,” I lead in with, and he nods. “The Union would like those reverted.”
He holds my gaze and I don’t back down, which is how I notice the slight change in the intensity of the two blues across from me. “I understand, of course, the inconvenience they would cause anyone.” I squeeze my hands so hard my nails dig into my palms. He clearly doesn’t, because how could he when he is a pampered rich brat? “But with the construction costs of our two new locations and the additional staff that we’re in the process of hiring, it is unavoidable. In addition, everyone affected has been granted three extra days of paid leave per year.”
Woo-wee, because three more days off per year is such a game-changer. Also, did he call the pay cuts and firing people an inconvenience? On what planet does this idiot live to think that a thirty percent cut is a mereinconvenience? A lot of people nowadays barely make ends meet as is, and this will make their financial struggles even worse.
Alistair’s smile dials down when I don’t respond, betraying a hint of nervousness. Good. This is unacceptable, and I’m not going to pretend that it is.
“We, ah, are also amending our policies in relation to holding a second job,” he offers enthusiastically.
Oh yeah, more work when you are already working full-time makes perfect sense and will magically fix everything.
“Mr. Devon, I wouldn’t call a pay cut or getting fired an inconvenience. A lot of the people who work for you have families, kids, debt.” I take out the materials I prepared for this meeting from the manila envelope. “Seventy-one percent of your workers are parents. Sixty-four have kids under the age of eighteen. These kids depend on their parents not just financially, you know, so encouraging a second job would take away from the already little time that they have together.” He opens his mouth to say something, but I raise a finger and don’t let him. “Rents are a nightmare, mortgages leave people scrambling to pay for basics such as food. Do you think that these people don’t already have something on the side? It’s unlivable otherwise.”
The extra income from hobbies or side-gigs is minimal for those who do such things legally, and for those that don’t, it makes little difference if their main employer changes their policies or not.
“What I’m trying to say is that in many cases, one or two of the spouses have already taken on second employment, Mr. Devon. I realize you are new to running abusiness, but the data is freely available to you as much as it is to me.”
To his credit, he recuperates quickly. Mirroring me, he steeples his hands and smiles again over a nod. “You are, of course, correct. To many, the strain a pay cut puts on a household is not just an inconvenience.” Another understatement, but I am not surprised anymore. Rich people live in their own ignorant bubbles. “But you have to understand that this decision is driven by performance. As our expenses exceed the estimates, the budget cuts that are happening are not limited just to wages. We all feel it.”
