18
Iwalked into the conference room one minute before eleven. My co-workers were already around the table, but Barnes wasn't there yet.
I was surprised to see Peter Connolly at the table. He was Mr. Barnes' boss. Apparently, the issue I'd been working on for Barnes was bigger than I'd realized.
He smiled at me when I came in and set a stack of handouts on the table. "Good morning, Ms. Watkins. You look refreshed after your vacation."
I forced myself to smile back at him. "Thank you. Does this mean I can no longer work remotely?" I joked.
"Definitely not. I thought Trudy said Thomas approved your remote schedule. Is that wrong?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Mr. Barnes thought it was important that I attend the meeting today."
Something passed over his face and it took me a moment to recognize it. He didn't like my boss any more than I did. What an interesting development.
"Well, it is lovely to see you."
It was so very tempting to tell him everything then and there. I didn't know Peter Connolly well, but I had been around him enough to know that he seemed like a genuinely nice man. I was withholding judgment for now though, because he may not be so nice if I did what I was planning to do.
When I stared down at the stack of paperwork in front of me, I thought of how sincere and kind Mr. Connolly had been all these years and I made a decision. I wasn't going through with my plan. It was vindictive and mean. I would follow Trudy's example and speak to Mr. Connolly privately after the meeting. That would have to be enough.
"Mr. Connolly, would you have a few minutes for me after the meeting?" I asked.
"Of course," he said. "Is everything okay?"
I opened my mouth to answer him, but Mr. Barnes entered the conference room before I could speak.
Thomas Barnes wasn't an ugly man, but neither was he handsome.
The best way to describe his appearance was average. Medium build, medium height, brown hair and eyes. He would blend into a crowd with very little effort. Until he looked at you and spoke. Though his eyes were brown, they were as cold as frozen mud. And his voice was abrupt and harsh.
He glanced at me as he moved to the head of the table. "Watkins, I see you made it."
I gritted my teeth, biting down on the nasty words that wanted to spill out of me. When I knew I wouldn't say what I was really thinking, I answered, "I took your advice seriously."
Peter Connolly looked between us, a faint frown pulling at his mouth.
"Good." Barnes smirked at me before focusing on the stack of paperwork in front of him.
Everyone took their seat and the meeting began. My boss passed out packets and I saw all the ideas I sent him the last couple of months outlined in the handouts. It was my original email copy and pasted without my information on it. The asshole hadn't even bothered to change the wording or anything.
It pissed me off all over again.
In all honesty, I was too angry to focus so I didn't hear a word spoken until Barnes barked my name.
"Watkins, what do you think of the plan?"
I turned my head and looked at him. I knew he could tell I was angry because he smirked at me again. He was under the impression that I would fall in line because I didn't want to lose my job. Which pissed me off even more because if I had truly needed the money, I would have been stuck. Unable to fight back and unable to leave.
My decision to remain mature and professional flew out the window.
I picked up the papers I had brought and passed them to my right. "Please pass these around." Then, I fixed my stare on my boss. "I think your plan looks a lot like the suggestions I emailed you last month when you demanded that I work during my first vacation in two years."
Barnes' face turned red before it darkened into plum. "Now, look here—"
"And I would consider it a personal favor if you would allow my assistant to complete her duties for me rather than doing work for you."
His mouth moved, gaping and closing like a fish out of water. Finally, he sputtered, "She works for this company, which means she will do what is needed—"
