“Listen, this all sounds great, Luc. I’ve set up a few meetings myself,” Anderson adds. I’m engrossed in a message to one of my favorite Hawaiian influencers, inhaling the rest of my coffee and biscuit, when Anderson’s voice startles me out of my stupor. “Something on your phone must be more enthralling than your job, Natalia,” Anderson’s voice booms.
I glare at him with a mouthful of biscuit.
“She’s probably reading. She reads, like, three books a day,” Luca mutters, chewing his sausage.
“Actually, I’m not—”
Anderson spins toward Luca. “Is this not a business meeting? Maybe I should’ve brought a deck of cards.”
My face burns. “First of all, I’m not reading,” I snap at Luca. “Second, I answer to Luca, not you—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Luca mutters, wiping his face.
I shake my head and glare at Anderson. “You need to stop treating me like his dumb little sister. I have a degree in marketing, and I did this very same job forfouryears. I’m great at what I do, and I am more than qualified to be here. Please stop insinuating that I’m not taking it seriously.” What was it about Anderson that made me want to prove him wrong? To prove myself worthy?
Anderson doesn’t react—he simply pats his mouth with his napkin and places his hands flat on the table like he’s gearing up for war. Luca must sense the tension because he stands up and slaps a few twenties down on the table.
“The car will be here in twenty minutes to tour one of the local warehouses. Why don’t you both go freshen up and meet me down in the lobby in fifteen minutes?”
“Fine,” I mutter, taking one last sip of my coffee. I stand and walk away without a backwards glance at either of them. To my dismay, Anderson sidles up to me as I wait for the elevator.
“I’ll take the stairs,” I declare, turning around.
Anderson’s hand shoots out and grabs my arm, pulling me back.
“You’ll ride the elevator with me.”
I tug my arm free. “Make me.”
He grabs my arm again—this time a little less gently—and pulls me back to him.
“We need to discuss your attitude.”
I guffaw. “Myattitude? Are you kidding me?”
The elevator opens. I step in first, standing all the way in the corner. Anderson walks to the other side. His cerulean eyes meet mine, and his icy stare sends shivers through me.
“If you continue to act like a petulant brat, I will fire you,” he starts, crossing his arms.
I wish I could let the threat roll off of my shoulders—be a bigger person—but the fiery, Italian blood starts roaring. I never could control my temper.
“Whatever makes you think you have the authority to fire me?” I retort.
“I own fifty-one percent of the company,” he replies, and my face falls.
“Bullshit,” I mutter. Luca would never give up majority ownership of his company. Would he?
“I respect your brother, Natalia. He’s one of the brightest people I’ve ever worked with. But I won’t hesitate to send you back home on the next flight.”
I glare at him. “For Luca’s sake, let’s agree to disagree about everything.”
“Fine with me.” I hate that he sounds totally cool and unflustered—meanwhile, my hands are sweaty and shaking, and my ears haven’t stopped roaring since he walked up to me.
“It’s probably best if we don’t speak unless we have to,” I add, gritting my teeth.
“Sounds great.”
“And no more knocking on my door at three in the morning,” I hiss.
