“You’re just jealous because the women are into him and not you.” Okay, a low blow, but he was asking for it.
Paul stood blinking at us, red streaks forming on his neck and face.Shit. Trace is always getting me in trouble.I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Paul. I don’t know why I said that. It was out of line.”
Sofie looked down at the floor. Paul tightened his tie. I sat back down. A strained silence engulfed us.
“He’s a fucking asshole, and if I didn’t need this job, I’d have already quit.” Paul swung around and marched out.
With wide eyes, Sofie said, “What the hell wasthatall about? He hates Mr. Prescott. I wonder why. I think Velocity is doing great with him in charge. We’ve picked up some cooler accounts that are a lot of fun to work with. In my opinion, Velocity needed a change. We need someone young and in tune with what’s going on with our generation.”
“I agree. Paul’s reaction seemed a bit extreme, but I didn’t help by arguing.”
“Mr. Prescott should’ve heard you defending him. I bet he would’ve given you a raise for it.” Sofie chuckled.
I really need to stop being his number one fan.“I just think we should respect the head of the company, especially since he’s doing a good job.”
“I agree. Paul acts like he has a bone to pick with Mr. Prescott.” Standing up, she said, “I better get back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
After Sofie left, I stared blankly at the computer screen.I wonder if Paul is the snitch.The thought occurred to me when Trace told me about the internal leak. Paul seemed to have a real problem with Trace running the show, but I couldn’t see him as a turncoat. But then there was Doug Raley, who was very vocal about his dislike of Trace. I’d overheard him a couple of days before telling Gwen how he’d love nothing better than to have Mr. Linder back. He even went on to say that he’d rather have anyone other than “that womanizing sonofabitch.” Another extreme reaction.
Trace seemed to be good at evoking strong feelings in people. They either loved or hated him; there was no in-between. He either charmed or pissed people off. I knew because he had me bouncing between the two. But to think of a coworker selling trade secrets to a competitor was mind-boggling. I’d worked with most of these people for the past five years. Gwen had only been with Velocity for a year, and she and Doug shared the same view of Trace. Maybe she was the one since she hadn’t been at the company that long. But then Ron Stillwater was also bitter about Mr. Linder leaving, and he made it clear that he didn’t support the decision to put in a “skirt-chasing, spoiled thirty-one-year-old.” Ron was from the old school of thought and had been with Velocity since its inception in the 1980s. I couldn’t see him being a traitor.
I had to stop obsessing over it. There were several people who weren’t happy with Trace being in charge, but being unhappy didn’t translate to selling secrets to DTG. Then I remembered what Trace had said, that money could make people do anything, and suddenly so many coworkers became suspect.
I wasn’t up for working. I’d had a long week made longer by avoiding Trace, even going so far as asking to be changed from the Mission Street Kitchen to another soup kitchen on the other side of town. But I couldn’t avoid interacting with my boss indefinitely. I had to grow up and deal. We’d kissed and it was fucking amazing. So what? I let him walk out. So what? If I felt this crappy and nervous at work, I could only imagine what I would’ve felt like had I let my body have its way that night.
Enough!I picked up the phone and called the nail salon. I’d planned to have a manicure and pedicure after work, but I was fried. I needed to cut out early and just forget about everything associated with Velocity for a little while. I needed to exorcize Trace from my mind—for the time being, anyway. Launch night would put us together no matter what, and I had to be prepared for that.
Hooking my tote over my shoulder, I shuffled to the elevators. In less than ten minutes, I was out in the fresh air and heading to the nail salon. An afternoon of pampering was just what I needed. I had to be fresh, alert, and on my game for the following night. I couldn’t let my defenses down around Trace because if I did, I feared I’d be lost forever.
