“Thank you for your time, Mr. Van Clark. I look forward to hearing back from you after your call with Mr. Bexley.”
More silence. It’s like Dexter knows I know something he doesn’t, which I guess I do. Anderson will never allow Dexter to replace me. He’s in for a rude awakening. I hang up and settle back into my chair with a smile directed at Mallory. “Well, there you go. Mr. Van Clark will deliver the news to our client. Until then”—I scoot forward in my chair and point to the door—“you can get the hell out of my office.”
Mallory’s lids narrow, and her cheeks brighten to a shade of red that pleases me more than I should admit. I’ve never had the chance to talk to Mallory this way in the Seattle office, but a new confidence is washing over me now. No one is going to take away my job, especially not her.
“Dear, naive soul.” Mallory’s tone drips of venom. “If you think you have a chance in hell of winning against me, you are wrong.”
“No, Mallory. It’s you who’s wrong. You’ve roadblocked me all damn year, but that’s not happening again. Anderson Bexley is quite happy with the work I’ve put in. Without me, there is no project. I’m sure that’s exactly what he’ll tell Dexter.”
One corner of Mallory’s mouth tips up in a smirk. “Dexter was thinking with his dick when he hired you, Davies. He let me know as much before asking me to toughen you up. Challenge you. Mold you into a carbon copy of me, basically. Except”—she scoots onto the edge of her chair—“I would never fuck the boss.” She lets her narrowly slitted eyes drag over me. “Unlike you.”
I swallow. “Excuse me?”
Her eyes sparkle with amusement. “Don’t play coy with me. I’ve known the entire time, but I promised Dexter I would keep quiet. We made a deal.” She slides her palms down her suit dress, appearing nonchalant while she continues. “Why do you think your experience at Urgency has gone no further than the day you walked in? Your role is equivalent to that of an assistant with a much fancier title.”
“You’re lying.” I can feel my body start to shake with anger. “He would have told me.”
Mallory’s chuckle is as evil as her menacing tone. “He enjoyed fucking you too much. He knew you’d end it if anyone in the office found out. So I used it to my advantage.”
My mouth drops open while I try to wrap my head around what she’s telling me. While what she’s saying makes sense, there are pieces that don’t add up. “Dexter promised me a raise and a promotion once this job was complete. Why would he do that if what you say is true?”
She quirks a brow. “Simple. He thought if the secret was out that you were a couple that my leverage over you would dissolve. But you turned him down, which means I still own your ass.” She narrows her eyes. “He gave you a chance, and you blew it.” She looks around with a distasteful eye. “Trust me, I’d rather rot in hell than walk another inch of this campground, but it’s all worth it to watch you drown.”
The fire in my chest spreads to every limb. “None of that matters. If you think for one second Anderson is going to allow for you to replace me, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
Mallory shrugs. “Bexley isn’t the one who signs your paychecks, now is he?” She stands and leans over my desk. “But don’t worry.” She narrows her gaze. “I’m sure you’ll crawl back to Dexter and suck his dick to make it all better, won’t you? Maybe then you’ll even get to keep your job.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss.
She grins. “Might as well go pack your things now. I’ll be the one bringing this project home for Bexley.” She peers down at her blouse and plucks a button to reveal a healthy amount of cleavage. “He’s sexy too. It shouldn’t be difficult to seduce him into forgetting you ever existed.”
I’m seeing red. Every bone in my body is shaking while my heart tremors in my chest. I don’t even know what all of this means or why I care as much as I do. It’s not like I have my heart set on staying at Urgency. I’ve already decided I’ll find something new. Something better. Maybe it’s my ego. Maybe it’s my pride. But I refuse to let Mallory win.
I slam my laptop shut, throw my things in my shoulder bag, and storm out of the office before Mallory can utter another word. I find Anderson in his woodworking shop deep in the woods. The sound of a high-pitched saw gives him away. He’s sanding one of the canoes like he used to do when he was looking for a distraction. I sure could use one of those now.
“Has Dexter called you yet?” I yell over the sound of the saw.
Anderson’s head snaps up, his forehead wrinkling with concern. He turns off the drill saw and sets it on the table. He shakes his head but plucks his phone from his back pocket and wrinkles his forehead. “I guess he did. What’s going on?”
I suck in a sharp breath, blinking back the rage still storming through me. “Mallory’s your new project lead. Congratulations. Oh, and she plans to seduce you to earn your praise.”
“The fuck she—”
“She hates me, Anderson. She’s had it out for me from the beginning. She admitted as much to me just now. Even worse, she also told me that she knows about Dexter and me. She’s known the whole time, and she’s been using it against me to hold me back. That’s why I was always fighting against the tide. No matter how hard I worked, I had no chance in hell of getting what I deserved.”
Anderson balls his hands into fists. Even he can’t comprehend Mallory’s behavior. “Then fucking quit, Hope. You don’t need that place.”
“No,” I say, fully aware of how stubborn I come across. “That would mean that Mallory and Dexter win. This is my project. I’ve earned this. No one is taking it away from me. When I get back to the office on Monday, I’ll start looking for another job. At least that way I can quit on my own terms.”
“You don’t need to look for another job. Work here. You know that’s an option, right?”
I sigh and shake my head. “No offense, but I don’t want to be your activities director anymore. If there’s anything leaving here taught me, it’s that I’m made for project management.”
Anderson’s frown is deep, showcasing his doubt, but he nods. “Okay, then tell me what to do next.”
I inhale a deep breath and nod to his phone. “Call Dexter back.”
ANDERSON
“Hey, Anderson. Just the man I wanted to talk to. Thanks for calling me back.”
My eyes flicker to Hope’s hypnotizing green ones, and I hope the effect is enough to keep my cool during the phone call. I have nothing nice to say to Dexter Van Clark. Not today, not ever. “Not a problem. What can I do for you?”
“It’s what I can do for you, my man. I hear you’ve already met Mallory Shuman, my senior account manager?”
“Ah, yes. That was quite the surprise.” I can’t even pretend to be pleasant during this phone call. “A heads-up would have been nice.”
Dexter chuckles. “Of course. Well, I can assure you that you are in good hands with Mallory there now. She’s been with Urgency for over six years. In fact, she’s the one that’s been training Hope all year. I know how much you’ve loved having Hope there.”