Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (41 page)

I paused for a moment to gauge them for any immediate reaction. Seeing none, I continued, as I was sure what came next would get one.

“So, what I’m proposing is an idea I believe will enable us to achieve our goals much sooner and… have a bit of fun in the process. In short, I'd like to hold a competition among you. The winner of this contest will receive a significant prize. I intend to create a new position, Director of Lab Research, which the winner will assume. In this role, you will report directly to me and be involved in the company’s future projects in addition to key lab initiatives. In essence, along with me, you will be integral in shaping the direction of Hawkins Biotech. It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for whoever gets it. Not to mention a dramatic increase in your salary.”

I paused once more and glanced around. Expressions changed as I did. Postures shifted to attention as they started to lean forward in their seats in unison.

“I know this is the first you are hearing of my plan. Anyone have questions so far?”

Amanda raised her hand.

“Go ahead,” I said, nodding in her direction.

“Gabe, how will our performance be evaluated? After all, no two of us are working on the same aspect of the project.”

“Excellent question, Amanda.” Before I answered her, I spent a moment looking around the table. “Anyone have a similar concern?”

Within a second or two, most everyone nodded their head.

“All right then. Well, the answer is simple. Each of you will have key performance metrics specific to your role in the project upon which you will be evaluated. Whichever one of you shows the most improvement in the shortest time frame possible will be the winner. In this way, the playing field is leveled, since each of you are measured by your individual accomplishments.”

As I finished, I fixed my face in an expectant gaze. “Any other questions?”

For a few seconds, I glanced around the table at them. After it became clear there weren’t any more, I began to wrap things up.

“Very well, I’ll get with Colin on the timeframe. Beyond that, I’ll leave it to him to set your individual benchmarks. Remember, this is about speed
and
efficiency. I realize it’s not the ideal pathway to good science but we’re under the gun right now and we need some big jumps in progress. All right then, everyone, good luck. Let's get to work.”

As I finished speaking, the assembled group began to stand from the conference table and exit the room. I remained at the head of it, giving nods of encouragement to the passersby until Fiona approached.

“Fiona,” I said as I gestured with my head for her to follow me. “A word.”

After we’d gotten out of earshot, I turned and looked at her. With fingers half-covered in her lab coat, Fiona stood before me clutching her planner at the waist. Her blond hair wrapped around her face, partially concealing her blue eyes beneath a few wayward strands. Perfect lips tinted with a rose-colored blush stood in stark contrast to her flawless, milky skin.

“Yes? What did you want to tell me?” she said after a few moments.

Even in a room half-filled with people, I couldn’t stop it from happening. For another moment, I stared at her, my jaw flexing as I battled a sudden urge. Out of nowhere an instinct rose up inside of me.

Tell her? What did I want to tell her? I didn’t want to
tell her
anything.

No.

What I wanted to do to her didn’t involve words unless grunting was considered a language. Speaking was the last thing on my mind all of a sudden. Because in that instant, I wanted to grab her, throw her down on the conference room table, spread her legs and…

Easy Gabe. Easy bud.

Of course, I didn’t.

Instead, I raised my hand to my face, dragging it across my lips as I beat my carnal self into submission. Once I had it controlled, I spoke.

“Yes, Fiona. There is something I wanted to say to you.”

Her expression changed only a little as she looked at me. It became plain enough to see my desires went undetected, for now.

“Okay,” she said as she shifted position a bit. Sliding her fingers through her hair, she tucked it behind her ears. “What was it?”

I swallowed as her neck came into view. Inhaling, I looked away from it and back towards her eyes. “Simply put. I expect you to win this competition.”

“You… do?”

“Yes, absolutely. In fact, anything less would be a huge disappointment to me.”

She smiled.

F
or obvious reasons
, I hadn’t shared the details of my fainting incident with my grandmother. She’d worry and lecture me about working too hard and being stressed about money. Ultimately she'd be upset about the debt again, and I had no interest in making her go through that.

And besides, I’d worry she was worried.

Anyway, it was better left unsaid.

However, I was excited to share the news with her about the project and the promotion I’d receive if I happened to win the competition. And so, as I did most evenings, I ate dinner with her in her room and readied myself to tell her once we’d finished.

We munched on a pot roast I’d thrown together before I left for work that morning. I sat in a recliner eating off a tray while she ate in bed, as usual. About halfway finished with my meal, I swallowed a piece of the savory, tender beef. Afterward, I dabbed at the corner of my mouth with my napkin and prepared to give her the good news, when she beat me to it with a question of her own.

“So how was work today, my dear? Are you enjoying it and getting along with everyone?”

“Yes,” I replied as placed my fork down on my plate. “Actually, I’ve got some very exciting news to share with you.”

“Oh?” she replied, as she finished a bite. “Well, that’s wonderful. Please, I’m all ears.”

For the next several minutes, I brought her up-to-date with my work on the Link Protocol and concluded with the meeting Gabe called earlier in the day. I explained how the competition worked and how the winner would receive a big raise and a promotion.

She listened intently. At least that was the case until I got to the part when I told her Gabe spoke to me in private after the meeting wrapped. For no sooner had I done so than my grandmother looked up at me in silence over the edges of her reading glasses, lips pursed.

“What?” I asked.

With a subtle smack of her mouth she said, “Are you sure this possible promotion is the only thing your boss is interested in?”

The space between my eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as I looked at her.

“What? I don’t understand what you mean.”

My grandmother raised her arm, extending an accusatory index finger in my direction in the process. “Romance in the workplace isn’t good idea, Fiona. In fact, it’s a terrible one.”

“What are you talking about? Who said anything about romance?”

As I finished speaking, she glared at me for several seconds. With her mouth closed, my grandmother slid her tongue across the front of her teeth in suspicion as I watched.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Come sit over here Fiona,” she said, as she patted on the mattress with her palm.

By now, I’d stopped eating as well. As she issued her command, I crossed my arms at my chest.

“No. I don’t need a lecture, if that’s what you’re thinking of doing.”

“It’s not, dear. I just want to talk about your boss’ sudden interest in you.”

I groaned, tilting my head upward at the same time. Straightening my arms, I closed my fingers tight around the sleeves of my shirt.

“My boss does not have a ‘sudden interest’ in me. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Come. Sit,” she ordered as she pointed at the mattress.

“Fine,” I grumbled. Carrying my tray with me, I got up from the chair and a moment later, plopped down at the foot of her bed. “Okay. I'm listening.”

“Well, let’s start at the beginning,” she said. Wiping at the tips of her fingers with her napkin, she laced her words with a tone of curiosity. “Why would he single you out do you suppose?”

“He told me why,” I replied, without hesitation. “Because he expects me to win and was offering me encouragement. Nothing more.”

“Oh, uh huh, I see,” she said, tenting her eyebrows at me. Shaking her head back and forth in a deliberate manner, she continued, “And, does that seem strange to you at all? That he would do such a thing?”

I swallowed hard as she finished her thought.

“No,” I scoffed. “What’s strange about it? Are you suggesting he doesn’t think I can do it on my own merit? Why are you assuming there’s some sexual undercurrent? When has that ever been the case with me and men? Hmm?”

My grandmother eased her head back into her pillow as her expression changed once again. Through squinted eyes she said, “My, my, you’re quite defensive aren’t you? You’re lying to me about something Fiona. Out with it.”

“I am not, I…”

She cut me off and said, “Are you having an office fling with your new boss!?”

“What!” I protested. “That’s... ridiculous! Of course not. It’s not like that, Gabe is just…”

“Oh, it’s Gabe is it?” she said with a sarcastic chuckle. “Mmm, hmm. I see.”

“What do you ‘see’?”

“Oh come now, Fiona. The man goes above and beyond to encourage you over everyone else, then you’re referring to him by his first name…”

“Of course I refer to him by his first name!” I exclaimed as I interrupted her. “When he introduced himself to me at the bar, he didn't do it as
Mr. Hawkins
and…”

As soon as the words sputtered from my lips, I reached up and slapped my palms against my mouth. As I did, my grandmother’s eyes widened. She clapped her hands in front of her face in a gesture of smug victory.

I rolled my eyes.

“So you met him the night before your interview?” she said, as the memory returned to her. “When you went out with your friends?”

Although I went out with them on occasion, to say we were ‘friends’ was quite a stretch.

Ellie’s parents hired me as a tutor when it looked as if she would flunk out in her freshman year. She dragged me kicking and screaming into socializing with her. After a time, I got used to it but aside from the occasional evening out, I didn’t spend much time with them.

In truth, besides my grandmother, I didn’t have any friends.

My hope was that once I got around other like-minded people, I’d feel more at ease and able to open up. But, it was only a hope since my track record in this area left a lot to be desired. Turning my attention back to my grandmother and her question about the night I met Gabe, I continued.

“Yes,” I grumbled. “But I had no idea who he was then.”

“And he made a pass at you? At the bar?”

“Well no, I wouldn’t exactly say that. Mostly he teased me about my clothing and my planner. He was sarcastic and frankly, a bit mean.”

“Oh, dear,” she whispered. “That’s not good.”

“Now what?”

“Well, Fiona, men don’t make a habit of teasing women they don’t like. Let me ask you. Do you like this man? Are you interested in him?”

“No, I’m not,” I said, with all the conviction I could summon. “And even if I was, I’d be putting my job and our financial situation at risk. You of all people should know I wouldn’t do that.”

“Mmm, hmm,” she said, as she nodded her head. “And what about him? At the workplace? Has he continued his flirtatious ways?”

I hated lying to my grandmother about anything and to make matters worse, I was terrible at it. I just didn’t want to discuss any of this with her. If I tried to pretend he hadn’t flirted, she'd know right away. Shaking my head, I stood from the bed and picked up the plate containing my half-eaten meal. I gestured towards hers and said, “Are you finished?”

“With my meal, yes. With you, no.”

I looked away from her as I wrapped my fingers hard around the edge of my plate.

“Nothing is happening between us, okay? Don’t worry.”

“I always worry about you, Fiona. It’s my job sweetheart. You’re my entire world.”

A hard lump formed in my throat as I reached down and took her plate. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before turning to take our dishes back to the kitchen.

“I know I am and you’re mine too. But you have to trust me, all right?”

“I do trust you, Fiona. It’s him I’m concerned about.”

* * *

I
wouldn’t go so far
as to say things were great between my grandmother and me over the next few days. I sensed her suspicions about Gabe remained, but she made no further mention. Yet, knowing her, it wouldn’t stay that way, and that was especially true if I went on to win the competition. If we started working with each other on a regular basis, her curiosity would grow. I was certain of it.

As for Gabe, I hadn’t seen or heard from him since the end of the meeting in the conference room. I didn’t know if he was in the office or halfway around the world. He didn’t see fit to keep me informed of his whereabouts, and that was fine by me. I took his encouragement to heart though and intended to do the best I could to come out on top in the competition.

And speaking of the competition... Things around the lab were different in the days since he’d announced it. Everyone seemed tense, edgy. On the one hand, that’s understandable since there was a lot at stake, but on the other, we were all still supposed to be focused on achieving a common goal. If I had to guess, I’d say Gabe would probably be disappointed. The team seemed to be fracturing a bit.

Of everyone, I noticed the greatest change in Amanda and Melissa.

If anything, their behavior regarding me and Gabe grew stranger by the day. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn they were acting jealous. I didn’t know if it was of each other or me or what, but something was off. In any case, I was focused on my work and couldn’t understand why they weren’t as well. They seemed more preoccupied with who got Gabe’s attention than anything else.

In fact, that morning they made their way to my workstation after I arrived for work. I’d only just begun to get started for the day when I saw them headed in my direction. It wasn’t long after we greeted one another before they started in with questions. The first was the most telling of them all. Placing her palms flat on the surface of my workstation, Amanda leaned across it.

“Fiona,” she began with a probing tone. “What did Gabe say to you the other day? After the meeting?”

“Hmm?” I replied with a casual shrug. “Oh it was nothing, really. He just encouraged me. I think he was probably a bit concerned about me after my incident.”

I deliberately left out the part where he said he expected me to win.

They looked at one another for a moment. After they’d traded glances, Amanda whined, “I wish he’d notice me like that.”

I frowned at her bizarre statement.

“Why do you care if he notices you at all?” I asked. “We’re here to do a job, not flirt with the boss.”

“What’s the matter with you, Fiona?” Melissa said without hesitation. Her voice carried a hint of frustration, even anger. “Don’t you have the tiniest bit of sex drive?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I…”

Just then, I hesitated. I didn’t like the direction this conversation was headed. Thinking fast, I tried to shift the discussion as I reached for my planner.

“So how are you guys doing? Is everything going well for you?”

“What difference does it make?” Melissa replied. Clearly still miffed at me for some reason as she continued, “Gabe is going to pick you anyway. This whole competition thing is a sham.”

Amanda didn’t say anything, but she did nod in apparent agreement.

This was literally some of the craziest, cattiest behavior I’d ever seen. Admittedly, I didn’t have much, if any, experience with men, but something told me this wasn’t normal. The whole situation was bizarre, and as the seconds ticked by, I grew more and more uneasy.

I felt trapped. It was as if no matter what I tried to say in my defense, they wouldn’t believe me. Or even worse, they would accuse me of cheating to win, which is what they were already doing in so many words.

Never mind the fact that since the competition started, I’d worked late every single day. No one else put in the hours I did, despite the difficult situation I had at home with my grandmother. I couldn’t believe how shallow they were acting. Even so, I swallowed hard and tried to diffuse the situation.

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled at last. “I don't know what you want me to say. I promise I’m not doing anything sneaky. I haven’t even talked to Gabe since that day. Why are you guys acting like this?”

As I finished speaking, they both looked at me in silence for a moment before glancing at each other and… bursting out in laughter.

I frowned.

Thinning my lips in disgust, I said, “That was really mean. Why did you do that?”

“Oh relax, Fiona.” Amanda chided. “We were just having fun with you.”

“Yeah,” Melissa added. “Don’t take everything so seriously. We don't care if you sleep with Gabe.”

“I am not sleeping with Gabe!” I exclaimed, slamming my palms flat on my workstation.

No sooner had I done that, than a couple of the other lab workers looked up at me from across the room. Horrified, heat flushed to my neck and chest as Amanda and Melissa cackled like hens.

They did their best to offer me a half-hearted apology, but as far as I was concerned, nothing about their teasing was funny. Not one bit. A few moments later, they walked back towards their respective workstations.

Glancing up between strands of my hair, I kept my eyes trained on them. They may have said they were joking but something about the innuendo seemed anything but light-hearted.