Making the Break (Beating the Biker 2)

Jessica was aware of what this meant. Chrissy and she had discussed this previously. If she got fired, the company would lock her out of the company’s servers before she could retrieve the work she could use for getting a new job. Jessica had her Dropbox account info, and she was to get the portfolio uploaded. “You don’t think...?”

“I don’t know. Things were... weird at Drummond Walker’s house when I went there.”

“I hope it’s otherwise, though.”

Chrissy walked to Richard’s office with grim determination. She had no idea what Richard would say if he had the nerve to say it. If anything, she should be having this conversation with Drummond Walker, the rat.

“Richard wants to see me,” she told Hamilton’s assistant, Chloe.

“Sure thing, Ms. Serafini,” said Chloe with a smirk. At least Chrissy tried not to interpret it as a smirk. Chloe knocked on Richard’s door.

“Tell her to come in, Chloe.”

Chrissy entered, but Richard didn’t acknowledge her. He studied a file on his desk, sighed, then raised his eyes to hers.

“Sit down, Chrissy.”

Chrissy sat on the padded chair and crossed her legs and waited for him to speak.

?

?Chrissy, this is very hard to say.”

Her heart thudded against her chest. Here it comes.

“Apparently, uh, you misinterpreted your conversation with Mr. Drummond.”

“Did I?” said Chrissy.

“Mr. Drummond didn’t mean to, uh—”

“Come on to me?”

Richard shifted in his seat, his expression expressing his discomfort. “He assures me it was a misunderstanding.”

“Really, Richard? In a pool. In our bathing suits. He put his hands on me. He said he wanted to ‘get to know me better.’”

Richard scoffed. “Well, that’s what he wanted.”

“I’m sure,” said Chrissy. “If that whole thing was on the up and up, you would have stayed to discuss the position. No. There was no misunderstanding. The only position Mr. Drummond wanted me in was horizontal.”

“I think you’re being paranoid. And foolish. Telling Mr. Drummond that you had another position was not your smartest move. Do you really expect to remain employed here when you say things like that?”

“I don’t know, Richard. You tell me.”

“You can forget any expansion of your responsibilities.”

“I’m sure,” she said.

“You need to think long and hard about your career options, Chrissy. Because I’m sure, at this point, they aren’t upward.”

“You can take a hard line if you want, Richard. But I did nothing wrong. And if you want to press the issue, go ahead.” Chrissy stood.

“I’m not done speaking with you.”

“I think you are. And if you attempt to write me up for a ‘poor attitude,’ or mark down my performance review from my formerly sterling ones, then I’ll file complaints.” With that, Chrissy walked out of Richard Hamilton’s office very deliberately and didn’t bother looking back.

She walked past Chloe’s scathing gaze and back to the safety of her office area.