“Darius. Please call me, Rose.”

He nodded at her and watched her leave, the fullness of her ass swaying from side to side as she moved toward Ross.

Rose was far more capable of taking over from Ross than anyone at the temp agency, or anyone else in-house.

After learning about Mrs. Haywire, he wanted to reward the person who had suffered. Ross had already looked for a replacement. When it came to firing staff, he took it very seriously. Letting people go was never easy, but Mrs. Haywire had been skating on thin ice for a considerable amount of time. He was done listening to endless excuses, and now that she had taken credit for work she’d never done, he wasn’t going to let that slide.

Mrs. Haywire was one of the last employees his father had sent over to his company to be hired, and Darius knew there was a connection there. His father didn’t like that he’d gone out on his own and built a company that was ten times bigger than his own. A billionaire in his own right. He commanded respect from all over the globe. His father would do anything to bring him down, and seeing as his suspicions were confirmed, Mrs. Haywire was gone.

This time, he didn’t use the elevator, but took the stairs, heading toward the office where Rose and Ross were orientating. He was surprised to find the object of his anger ranting and raving at Ross.

“This is completely unreasonable. There is no way this girl is qualified to do that job. I will speak to the boss about this,” Mrs. Haywire said.

“Gladly,” Darius said, standing by the door. “A word, Mrs. Haywire.”

The sneer on her face sickened Darius. This woman was cruel, he saw it, and he had a feeling her staff had been worked to the fucking bone, right under his nose. That would end today.

He looked toward Rose and saw the fear in her eyes. That one look was enough for him to know he was making the right decision. He had an overwhelming need to protect her, and he was going to do just that.

Chapter Three

He fired Mrs. Haywire. Mrs. Haywire!

Everyone expected the old woman would live forever as if fueled by the souls of everyone on her team. Now she was gone, her office packed up before she was escorted out of the building.

Was this her doing?

Rose was happy and relieved, but also worried and maybe a bit guilty. What if she couldn’t even handle the new job Mr. Blackwood offered her? She’d look like a joke. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to deal with the stress and uncertainty of the position. Her past always managed to come back to haunt her, especially when her schedule was tossed up in the air.

On her way up the elevator the next morning at 6:45 AM, there were quite a few others heading into work. She thought she’d be one of the only workers coming in this early in the morning. But she was hyped, ready … and a bundle of nerves.

She felt the heated stares of two women in the far corner. When she peered to the side, her suspicions were confirmed. They eyed her up and down with blatant disapproval like some popular girls in high school. When she heard their barely disguised whispers talking about affirmative action, she swallowed hard and stared straight ahead. Was that how people saw her? Was there any truth in it? Every muscle in her body had gone rigid. This was the story of her life, being judged by the color of her skin when it had nothing to do with her brain, her heart, or her intentions.

As soon as the doors opened on the penthouse suite, Rose couldn’t stand the sound of their condescending giggles a second longer. She rushed out, holding her oversized bag to her side as she went straight to Mr. Blackwood’s office.

She opened his office door without knocking. When she saw it was empty, she closed the door and leaned against it, her bag sagging to the ground. She shut her eyes and exhaled, willing the swell of tears to stay locked in place. Rose was tired, embarrassed, and pissed off. She wanted her promotion because of her hard work, not due to some backward policy that mocked her achievements.

“You’re early.”

Rose opened her eyes and gasped. Mr. Blackwood had been in the office the entire time. He’d been at the bar around the corner, now carrying some kind of green drink.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here.”

“It’s my office.” He lifted his drink in greeting as he casually walked over to his desk. It was the complete opposite to the war playing inside her.

“I had a question I wanted to ask before I got started,” she said. Rose wasn’t going to play games. And no way in hell would she take a pity handout. She had her diploma, skills, and a strong work history now. If she had to start over at a new company, she’d do it on her own merit.

Tags: Sam Crescent Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net