The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,49

out of bed and fumbling for any clothes that were clean.

Then she paused.

Was this really a problem worth focusing on right now?

Naomi hadn’t wanted to leave her job when she’d felt like she would be depending on Petr’s money. And it turns out that was a good instinct, since he hasn’t got any money, she thought wryly.

But now she had money of her own.

She knew that her mother wouldn’t want her to remain unemployed, living off of her inheritance. But her mother also wouldn't want to see her tormented by a job she hated.

Maybe it was time to make a change.

Rather than throwing on the first clothes she’d touched, she took her time getting dressed. She brushed her hair and did her makeup. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she gathered her things, got into her car and drove to the office.

Her heart was pounding as she walked into the building. She hoped that her anxiety didn’t show on her face. She breathed deeply and did her best to remain cool and calm.

Rick was at the back of the office when she walked in the door, but as soon as she came in, he rushed forward. He had clearly been waiting for her arrival.

“Come to my office,” he said, and she heard the triumph in his voice.

She followed him across the floor, noticing as people tried to pretend they weren’t watching. She was sure that as soon as the door closed behind the two of them, the whispers would start. People would speculate that she was getting fired. She had seen it happen before, to other ex-employees, and she knew how impossible it was to look away from. It was like watching a train wreck.

But this is different.

They entered Rick’s office. He sat down at his desk and pointed to the chair opposite his, indicating that she should sit. She did so.

“Do you remember what you told me after your impromptu vacation?” Rick asked her.

“Maybe you’d better remind me,” she said.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You said that I didn’t have grounds to take action against you unless your work started to suffer,” he said.

“Ah,” she said. “That’s right. I did say that.”

“I think I’ve done my best to overlook the problems in your work over the past few weeks,” he said. “But I’ve seen you slipping, Naomi. You haven’t been showing me dedication and zeal for quite some time now.”

She watched him, waiting.

“So this is what we’re going to do,” he said. “I’m going to mandate that you take a core value refresher course—the same one we give to our new hires. I’m also going to adjust your pay rate to reflect that of a new hire. If you show me dedication and zeal, you’ll be able to increase your pay back to what it once was. You’re also going to be disqualified from any merit-based bonuses for the rest of the year.”

“I thought you were going to fire me,” Naomi said, surprised at how calm her voice was. She had expected this to be an emotional confrontation. She hadn’t thought she would be able to keep her cool this long.

But maybe confronting Petr last night had prepared her for this. After all, that had been much more fraught. What difference did it make what Rick said to her?

“I considered firing you,” Rick said, smiling patronizingly. “But I still think you can succeed, Naomi. You just need to try a little harder. I think if you retake the training and rededicate yourself to the company’s goals, you’ll find that you’re very successful.”

Naomi nodded. “I understand.”

“You’re taking this very well,” he said. He turned to his computer. “Should we go ahead and schedule you for your training, then?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Naomi said.

Rick looked up at her. “I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t think I want to do the core value training again,” she said. “Frankly, I get the picture. Dedication and zeal. We talk about those words more than we talk about the actual products we sell here. It’s a little bit weird, if you want to know the truth.”

“Did I give you the impression that this was optional?” Rick said. “Because it isn’t. It’s a condition of your continued employment here.”

“You’re saying that you would fire me if I refused?” Naomi asked.

“We would have to consider terminating you if you weren’t willing to cooperate, yes,” Rick said. “You know I don’t want to do that, Naomi.”

“Yeah, I know you don’t,” Naomi said. “You’d rather scare me