Who's on Top? Read online

  “Neither, thanks. We’ve just got a lot of commitments for the next two years,” Jane lied, “and I can’t take on that kind of workload. We’re too small.”

  “Oh, puh-lease. You have no ambition? You don’t want to grow? Establish a real name for yourself?”

  If only she knew. Jane was ashamed of herself for even considering the Zantyne offer. She had actually come close to selling her soul in the name of money and success. She’d thought about selling out Dominic. That was disgusting.

  “Of course I want to grow,” she said to Arianna. How to be diplomatic here? “But the truth is that I don’t think we’d work well together.”

  Her visitor threw up her hands. “We’ve been working together just fine. At least until you decided to screw the pooch!”

  What exactly does that phrase mean? Jane found the imagery disturbing. And, ahem, she’d bypassed the pooch for the big alpha dog—Dominic. But there was no need to mention that. None at all. She kept her face impassive, her gaze unwavering.

  “Fine,” said Arianna. “You want to walk away from an amazing offer, then that’s your own foolishness. But I need you to rewrite the Sayers report.”

  Jane took a deep breath. “No.”

  Arianna’s diamonds sparkled dangerously. They vibrated with anger. Her nostrils flared. “I’ve already hired his replacement.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “We had an understanding!”

  “No, you had an understanding.”

  “You know damn well that you led me to believe you were on board. You came into my office and admitted that Sayers is difficult!”

  “He is when he’s angry. He felt railroaded and he was defensive. You set it up that way.”

  The vice president’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t go there with me, little Miss Muffet.”

  Miss Muffet? Jane almost laughed.

  “You get one more chance. Rewrite this, or I will crush your little two-bit business.”

  Jane straightened her spine, ran her tongue over her front teeth and raised her brows. She folded her arms across her chest. “My goodness. I’m trembling. Excuse me while I sit on my, uh, tuffet to catch my breath.” She sat in her leather chair and placed her hands flat on the desk. “Now, I’m quite sure that I didn’t just hear you threaten me. Because that would be unprofessional.”

  “It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. And don’t think I can’t do it. You think long and hard before messing with me, Jane O’Toole.”

  “I’m not ‘messing’ with you. But I don’t respond well to threats. And may I say that during the course of my research I looked into your past, as well as Dominic’s. You’ve had quite an interesting career path.”

  Arianna froze. “You can’t prove one bloody thing.”

  “No.” Jane smiled. “But I sure can connect the dots.” She got up and opened her office door, indicating that they were through. Shannon and Lilia were suspiciously close by. Jane looked for any cups they might have been holding to the wall.

  “Arianna, have you met my two business partners?”

  “No. Nor do I wish to.” The woman brushed past them.

  Lilia’s brows rose. Unfailingly polite, the etiquette consultant still wasn’t about to tolerate the snub. “Oh, but we have met, Arianna. At the Executive Women’s luncheons. Let me show you out.”

  Shannon was more belligerent and let it slip that she and Lilia had definitely been listening. She put her hands on her hips and called after the two women.

  “By the way, Ms. DuBose, you can threaten all you want, but we’re not closing anytime this decade. And we’re a three-bit business, you bitch!”

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT, Shannon!” Lilia lectured her later.

  “She deserved it. She’s got a nerve coming in here and trying to throw her weight and her bling-bling around. I’ll bet she’s even got a diamond through her—”“Don’t say it, Shannon. That’s gross.”

  “Aw, you’re no fun. Anyway, I hope she gets mugged and none of the rocks are insured.”

  “Bad karma,” said Jane.

  “Poetic justice.”

  Lilia changed the subject. “We’re proud of you, Janey!”

  “Why? Because I kissed off the biggest contract we’re ever likely to be offered?”

  “No. Because you handled her like a pro, you didn’t back down and you didn’t compromise your integrity. That means a lot.”

  “Huh. So how’d you hear everything, anyway? Did you guys hunker down near the HVAC vent?”

  “Jane, sweetie, give us credit for more dignity than that. We just switched on the intercom at the reception phone. You can eavesdrop brilliantly that way.” Lilia smiled, her face all innocence.

  “I think you’re an undercover agent,” Jane said to her. “You wear Prada and Chanel, yet you can probably kill people with your bare, French-manicured hands.”

  Lilia’s smile widened. “No. But I did take a self-defense class in college. And I once used my hard-cover copy of Emily Post to rack a date when he got a little too aggressive.”

  Jane choked.

  Shannon cheered.

  Lilia smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle out of her sleeve. “See? I was born to be an etiquette consultant. I’ll teach manners by force when necessary. Now, I think we should all have champagne tonight—to celebrate getting rid of the charming Madame DuBose.”

  DOMINIC WHISTLED AS HE MADE his way to the office of Arianna DuBose. She’d called him in for a chat.

  Jane’s words the other night had reassured him that he had nothing to worry about. He couldn’t wait to watch the diamond-studded old crow eat…crow. And hell, cannibalism suited her to a T.She sat behind her massive walnut desk, visible only from the waist up. Her severe black hair and pale skin made her red lips look even bloodier than usual—as if she’d just raised her head from a fresh kill. Perhaps she had another employee’s severed thigh or arm stored in her stainless-steel minifridge?

  Dom did a rat-a-tat-tat on the surface of her open door.

  She barely glanced up. “Dominic.” She sighed. “Come in. Shut the door.”

  He noted two things that he didn’t like the looks of. One, an opalescent gleam in her small black eyes. Two, the glossy Finesse press kit on her desk.

  “Have a seat,” Arianna ordered him. She opened a file drawer and pulled out an official-looking bound report with a blue cover.

  “I’d prefer to stand, if it’s all the same to you.”

  She shrugged. “As you know, Jane O’Toole, the behavioral psychologist who spent some time here, has submitted an evaluation of your personality and performance here at Zantyne.”

  “Yes, Miss O’Toole and I met and discussed the situation.” He played his cards close to his vest.

  “Dominic, I’m sorry to say that her report is very disappointing—though not, may I say, a complete surprise to me.” She paused. “It can’t surprise you, either.”

  Dominic held himself very still, though shock and betrayal and fury surged from his ears to his heart and pulsed through every vein in his body. He set his jaw and clenched his teeth as she continued.

  “Your attitude toward women is perhaps understandable, given your upbringing, but it simply won’t fly with me. Since you can’t seem to swallow your resentment or control your tendencies toward insubordination and, frankly, chauvinism—”

  The jaw he’d clenched fell open at that. “This is complete and utter bullshit!”

  “Do not raise your voice to me or use profanity, Mr. Sayers. Both are against clearly stated company policy—”

  “I don’t believe this!”

  “You’d better start believing right now, because you are fired.” Arianna stood up. “And don’t consider trying to pursue legal action, because I have every incident and warning documented. You’ve been a trial to work with since the day I transferred here from Chicago and took what you considered to be ‘your’ promotion. I have tried to work with you, Sayers. I’ve bent over backward to smo
oth things over between us, but you just can’t take orders from a woman. Top management finally understands, and they are backing me up one hundred percent.”

  Damn, she was good. She even managed to look pained and wronged at the boorishness and “injustice” of his behavior. He recalled hearing that the best liars were those who convinced themselves first.

  “You’re a piece of work, woman. Do your lies ever stop? How do you look at yourself in the mirror every day? Christ!” he spat. “I don’t think you take a piss without calculating what angle to work, what it will get you.”

  “Vulgarity and hostility to the end,” she noted. “By the way, did I inform you that I’m tape-recording this conversation? Just in case.”

  He wanted to vomit right on her desk. “No, Arianna, you didn’t inform me. Not until you had some good ‘attitude’ and ‘insubordination’ documented.”

  He walked right up to her desk and leaned on it, his face inches from hers. “What makes me sick is how you roped Jane O’Toole into backing you up. What did you offer her? Money? Contacts? A job?”

  She didn’t blink. “Don’t try to physically intimidate me. Back off.”

  “For the purposes of the tape,” Dom bit out, “let me clarify that I am standing on the other side of Vice President DuBose’s desk and am no physical threat to her at all.”

  Arianna’s eyes flashed.

  Dom continued. “Also for the purposes of the tape, may I conjecture that none of the Connecticut staff nor Ms. O’Toole knows how you got your transfer here from Chicago.”

  “Don’t you dare—”

  “You were screwing Blankenship behind his wife’s back, Arianna, and you blackmailed him into this promotion!”

  “That is complete nonsense—”

  “Not to mention the fact that you got the transfer to Chicago after threatening to file a sexual harassment suit against the regional manager in Dallas! Do I need to say more?”

  “Get out. Get out, you bastard, or I’ll call security.”

  “I want a copy of this tape. The whole unedited discussion. Understand? And I’m entitled to a copy of that piece of shit report, too.”

  Arianna lunged for her phone and hit two buttons.

  “Oh, no,” Dom told her. “I’m leaving peacefully on my own steam. You’d just love to document that I had to be forcibly ousted, wouldn’t you? I’ll have to frustrate you on that score.”

  Dominic strode to the door and threw it open. He left with one last parting shot. “Just remember, Arianna, that all evil dictatorships end in bloody revolution.”

  DOMINIC TOLD HIMSELF THAT HE should calm down before confronting Jane, but he didn’t anticipate being calm any time in the next month.

  All the pieces fit together now—why she’d told him she couldn’t see him anymore. It had nothing to do with her ethics! It was because of her lack of them. She’d wanted to sever all ties so that she didn’t feel guilty for hanging him out to dry.Arianna had obviously offered her something in exchange for her cooperation, hence the Finesse PR folder sitting so prominently on her desk.

  He simmered with anger at Jane’s betrayal. He didn’t hate women, damn it, even though after this latest stunt he had a right.

  What had gotten into Jane? One night she’d seen stars in his arms, let down her guard, dropped her competitive edge. The next day—it must have been the very next goddamned day!—she’d written up a negative report about him. What had gotten into her? How could she turn on him like that?

  He thought about her fear, her need to win and that clinical superiority of hers. He’d left her apartment, and all of those qualities had bubbled right back up to the surface in her. A shower, perhaps a cup of coffee, a good look at a stack of bills…and any feelings for him had fallen by the wayside. She’d been too tempted by whatever Arianna had offered her.

  Half in love with her? Was he crazy?

  Dom squealed into the parking lot at Finesse and stormed the front door.

  He made straight for Jane’s office, but the blond amazon who was sprawled on the sofa, filing her nails, stopped him. She did so by raising one of her giraffe legs to the height of his knees. “Is she expecting you?”

  Dom looked down at the black-leather-clad leg and spike-heeled boot blocking his way. “No, but she should be.”

  “She has an appointment right now,” said the blonde. “You’ll have to wait.”

  “Do you make a habit to trip clients?”

  “Only when necessary.” She smiled insolently at him. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “No, thank you,” he growled. She was stunning—supermodel material—but she left him cold. For one thing, she was far too skinny. Someone needed to go after her with a funnel and a bottle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup. For another thing, she was rude. And to top it all off, she was in his way.

  She must have decided that he wouldn’t break Jane’s door down, because she finally removed her leg from his path. “Have a seat.” She gestured to the chair opposite the sofa.

  He reluctantly did so, though he felt a lot more like pacing the room. Dom folded his arms and glared at Jane’s closed door, willing away the schmuck taking up her time.

  “Headache?” asked the blonde.

  “What? No.”

  “Tooth pain?”

  “No.”

  “Just garden-variety homicidal tendencies?”

  He turned his head toward her. “You certainly make refreshing small talk.”

  “Thank you. I try. I’m Shannon Shane, one of Jane’s partners.”

  “Dominic Sayers.”

  “I thought so. You don’t look very happy, Dominic.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help you until Jane’s free?”

  “Yep. You can get me a tire iron, a steak knife, a tarp and some rope. Maybe some concrete blocks, too.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “You set the tone of this conversation. Now you don’t feel comfortable with where it’s going?”

  Shannon cocked her head and looked at him for a long moment. “I like you, Sayers. I’m not sure why, but I do.”

  Jane’s door opened and a young woman emerged with a Finesse PR folder. The same type that he’d seen on Arianna’s desk. Dominic got mad all over again.

  The young woman called over her shoulder, “I still can’t believe the difference in the way my boss treats me!” And Jane’s voice said, “I’m so glad, Lisa.” The young woman exited.

  Before he could open his mouth, Shannon said to Jane, “You have a visitor.”

  Jane popped her head out and greeted him with a big smile. “Hi! So you must have gotten the good news.”

  “A cranky visitor,” added Shannon, rising from the couch and moving toward her own office. “See ya, Sayers.”

  Jane looked a question at him. “Cranky? Why? Come in.”

  He strode past her and turned. The fact that she looked particularly pretty today made him even angrier. He’d trusted her. Two-faced little psych major.

  “Why? Oh, hell, let’s see. I enjoy being blindsided, betrayed and then fired. I think it’s fun. What’s not to like?”

  Jane paled. “Fired? Based on what?”

  “Your report, sweet Jane. The one you turned in right after you told me that I had nothing to worry about, that I might be surprised. Yeah, I was surprised, don’t you know. Surprised right out of my job! Based on your cute little blue report.”

  Jane shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Nice try. Don’t pull the innocent act on me.”

  “Dominic, the report was positive! I said nothing in it that would give Arianna justification for firing you.”

  Dom looked at her through slitted eyes. “You lie even better than she does. You play dirty, dirty pool.”

  21

  JANE STARED AT DOMINIC. “Excuse me?”

  He walked forward until he almost stepped on her toes, glowering down at her from his superior height. Still absorbi
ng his insult, she didn’t back up an inch.“What did she promise you, Jane? A public endorsement, a big fat fee? Or—” he snapped his fingers “—a consulting contract?”

  Jane sucked in a breath as that arrow struck home, and his eyes widened in what he thought was comprehension. Before she had a chance to speak, he overrode her.

  “That’s it. You finessed yourself a consulting contract. Hundreds of thousands of dollars for your new business, without you lifting a finger. All you had to do was sell me out.”

  She had never seen so much raw contempt on anyone’s face. It leaped from his expression like acid and seared her. The fact that it was undeserved made it hurt even more. And despite all of her training, she was only human. She got furious, too. How could he think this of her? How could he? After what they’d shared.

  “I didn’t sell you out!” she shouted.

  He bent forward, lowering his face to an inch from hers. “Spare me your justifications. Don’t make me sicker than I already am. You’re going to tell me that you didn’t make up my background? That I had a bad attitude with you from the start? That I made my own bed, and now I’ve got to lie in it?”

  His hot, angry breath slapped her face with each word. She opened her mouth to hit back, but he continued.

  “Did you tell Arianna that you were lying in my bed, too? Did you tell her how you came apart in my arms? Did you tell her that I fell for you, Jane? That I was half in love?”

  His eyes closed in pain and rage, then opened again to focus on her. “Is all of that in your friggin’ report?” he thundered.

  Half in love with her? Jane forced a dry, wooden tongue out of her mouth in a futile attempt to moisten her lips. “You don’t understand—”

  “I understand perfectly. ‘Oooh, Dominic,’” he mimicked. “‘Thanks ever so for the multiple orgasms! But I’ve been offered a pile of money to screw you over easy, so don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’” He laughed.

  “No—”

  “Then you used psychobabble on me to justify your exit strategy. All the mumbo jumbo about how our personalities are too unyielding, that we’d never find a compromise, that a relationship between us would never work because neither of us could possibly give up control—”