After All - Romancing Manhattan
“Fucking hell.”
“But,” she says with a smile, “Sienna works part-time, so I shouldn’t be as tied to my desk as I have been.”
She’s grinning at me, triumphantly. God, is it any wonder that I love her so much? Just look at her. Brown eyes shining, curvy body tucked in a smart red suit, blond hair spilling over her shoulders.
She’s fucking brilliant.
And she’s mine.
“Go get it all settled then,” I say. “And we’ll catch up later over dinner.”
“I’m making spaghetti,” she says as she walks to the door. “Gabby requested it.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
She walks out, leaving me alone.
Chapter Twelve
~Nora~
“I’ve gotten more done in the week since you came on with me than in the previous two years combined,” Sienna says with a laugh. “Is it wrong that I’m grateful that Carter can’t keep his hands off you?”
“It’s not wrong. I’m happy to be working with you.”
It’s not a lie. Sienna is fantastic, and the past week has gone smoothly. If anything, I run out of things to see to, which has been convenient because I’ve had to bounce back and forth between helping Carter’s new assistant and my position with Sienna.
It’s not been easy to adjust. I’ve done the same work for so long, I didn’t realize that so much of what I did was on autopilot. Gratefully, because Sienna is part-time, I can still help Carter out when it comes to Gabby and her many activities. In that aspect, at least, things haven’t changed.
“Okay,” Sienna continues, “let’s have a look at—” She’s interrupted by the ringing of her phone and picks it up. “Sienna. Hey, Mary.”
She rolls her eyes at me, making me grin.
It’s good that we’re on the same page there.
“Yes, I can come to your office. Nora’s with me.” Sienna’s eyes fly to mine. “Yes, I’ll ask her to join me.”
She hangs up.
“We’ve been called into the principal’s office.”
“Because we have time for this,” I mutter and stand when she does. “She probably has questions about assigning Alice to Carter rather than you.”
“Most likely,” Sienna agrees as we walk to the elevator and go up a floor to Mary’s cubicle in the HR office.
“Come with me, please,” Mary says primly, leading us to a small conference room, and shuts the door behind her with a sharp click. “Have a seat.”
She sets a folder at the head of the table and sits with her hands folded over it, watching us with cool blue eyes. The air of authority she’s trying to present is almost laughable.
She’s truly trying to make us feel like we’re in trouble.
“I need to talk to both of you ladies,” Mary begins. “It’s come to my attention, both here at work and away from the office, that you’re engaging in behavior that goes against our ethics code.”
She pulls two sets of stapled papers out of her folder and gives us each one.
“If you turn to page sixteen, as I’ve flagged it for you, you’ll see the passage I’m referring to. You both received the handbook when you first started your employment here.”
Sienna and I both scan the document and then look at each other with looks of what in the actual fuck?
“Let me see if I have this right,” Sienna says. “You’re slapping us on the wrist for having relationships with Quinn and Carter?”
“That’s right, as you ca—”
“Hold up,” Sienna says, holding her hand up. “You have a problem with my relationship with my husband.”
“Well, when you’re in the office, you are colleagues and should behave in a professional manner.”
I close the booklet and toss it on the table, then sit back in my chair and level my gaze at Mary, who’s suddenly looking a little nervous.
As she damn well should be.
“You know what, Mary? I’m done with you bullying me.”
“I beg your pardon,” Mary demands just as Sienna snickers beside me.
“You can beg for it, but I’m not going to give it,” I reply, leaning in. “First of all, Sienna is married to Quinn. They’ll behave as they choose, at the office or elsewhere. And as for me? Well, I’m with Carter, and I don’t care if that makes you angry, or uncomfortable. Nor do I care if you have a crush on him, and this is your way of throwing a little temper tantrum.
“We’re in relationships with the owners of this firm. If you want to pursue this, I suggest you take it up with them. No, I dare you to take it up with them.”
“What she said,” Sienna says. “Nora’s right, you’re a bully, and a pain in my butt. If you think you can drag us in here and look down your nose at us that way, well, you have another think coming.”
“The policy is clear,” Mary says, her voice wavering now. “I respect that you’re married to Quinn, Sienna, but there’s a time and place for public displays of affection, and here in the workplace is not that time or place.”