I saw Mitch’s shoulders tense, and I knew she had crossed the line.
He stood, smoothing down his tie and tilting his head.
“How old do you think I am, Michelle?” he asked, cold and clipped.
Internally I grimaced. He had never called her by her proper name or in that tone of voice.
She huffed out a sigh. “I am aware of your age, Mitch.”
He shook his head. “Then cease speaking to Mandy and me as if we were twelve and under your control. Frankly, the way you’ve just outlined the structure, I feel as if I’m simply renting space here instead of being part of the team the way I have been the past while. I’m not sure I welcome that feeling.” He held up his hand as she began to speak. “No. It’s my turn to talk. If Mandy is being treated as an outsider, then I will be as well since she’s a huge part of my operation now. So that being said, I expect you to follow these rules.”
He stepped forward. “I will discuss this inane rule of supplies with Mr. Parson, and we will come to an agreement. I think you’re forgetting your place here, madam. I don’t work for you in any capacity. The way it was outlined to me, you are here to make sure things run smoothly for me if necessary. I don’t consider your bitchy attitude to be helpful in the least. In fact, it adds a level of stress to my workday I don’t appreciate. I’ll be sure to address this with the partners when I speak with them later.”
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. He continued.
“You will address me as Mr. Mitchell. Not Mackenzie and certainly not Mitch. You will speak to Mandy about business items only, and you will treat her with the same respect you would any other person in this building. More so, in fact. You will refrain from discussing me or her with anyone. If I hear otherwise, I’ll go straight to the partners and address my concerns, and my lawyer will be involved. Do you understand me?”
Their furious gazes locked in a battle of wills. She broke first, casting her eyes downward. “Yes,” she huffed out. She tapped the paperwork, addressing me. “Read through these files, sign where indicated, and return them to my office.” She swallowed, the next word ripped from her throat as if it killed her to utter it. “Please.”
“I’ll have them to you by the end of the day.”
She turned and marched to the door.
“One more thing, Michelle.” Mitch emphasized her name so she knew he was serious.
“And that is?”
“You will knock before entering this office. Every. Damn. Time. Do I make myself clear?”
If looks could kill, he’d be dead on the floor. As it was, he appeared cool and unaffected by her anger. On the other hand, I was a shaking mess, unsure what was going to happen next.
“Crystal,” she snapped and stormed out, the door shutting too loudly to be considered polite.
He studied the door, then swung around. “Well, that’s handled. Let’s go to the supply room and get your stuff back.”
“But she just said…”
He leaned on the desk. “Fuck her. I already knew there was going to be trouble with her, and I’m prepared for it. Your things are in a box in the supply cabinet, and I’m going to go get them and you can set up your desk again and order anything else you need. I’ll be billed through the company, the way my contract outlined it, but the basics are part of the deal. She took your stuff to be a bitch—nothing more.” He snorted. “She didn’t think I’d call her on it. If she thinks I don’t know what I’m doing, she’s got it all wrong. I’ll wipe the floor with her.”
I stared up at him, speechless, and he leaned close, cupping my cheek. “If she so much as breathes in your direction, I want to know about it, you understand? You work for me, and you are under my protection. She has zero control over you.”
“Okay.”
“We need to get you a new computer. You’ll have access to their drive, but I want all my work on machines I own. The same as yours. That was nonnegotiable when I spoke with them.”
“You went to a lot of trouble over this. Over me.”
He stood, pulling me to my feet in a tight hug. “And you’re worth it. First, remember?”
He had never wavered from those words. But as his time with Parson Planners went by, he decided two things: he liked Toronto and wanted to stay, but he no longer wanted to work for anyone but himself. The year had been fraught with tension due to Michelle and his constant clashes with one of the partners who felt Mitch wasn’t giving them his best, even though the rest of the people involved in the project disagreed. He made life difficult for both Mitch and me whenever he could, and Mitch had been perplexed until the night we saw him and Michelle out at dinner, acting like anything but coworkers. They tried to convince him there was nothing going on, but he had laughed at them, now understanding the hostility. He couldn’t be bothered, and he didn’t care what they did outside of office hours, but he let them stew over it.
Mitch had reached his limit.
So here we were.
“Are you really doing this?” I asked. “You have so many offers. You always liked having someone else manage the people, while you looked after the design.”
He pressed a kiss to my head and walked around, lost in his thoughts. He turned, studying me across the large room.