Conflict of Interest (Employee Relations Book 1) (5 page)

I hate being late.

I click on the notification and review what little information the invitation holds.

“Meet and greet,” I read the meeting subject aloud.

Who the hell is Gabriella?

Happy to do anything other than respond to emails and replay my shit evening of listening to my roommate bang some girl he’d just met, I grab a notebook and pen and leave the clutter behind. After wandering the hallway for a few minutes, I end up outside the office directly across the hall from mine. I raise my fist to knock on the door while checking a text that’s just come through from an unknown number.

Unknown: Are we still on?

“Come in,” calls a voice sweeter than honey, and for the life of me I can’t remember actually knocking.

My eyes dart upward seconds after my cock has already begun twitching.
This shit day might turn out alright after all
, I think as I take in a view that far surpasses the one from my office.

Long, wavy brown hair, sensual curves and sculpted legs…God, those legs. I almost don’t want her to turn around because there’s no way her face could do the backside justice.

She straightens and looks over her shoulder, covering the phone I didn’t realize she was on. “Just give me a minute,” she whispers and I silently nod, watching as she dumps two creamers and six sugar packets into a steaming cup of coffee.

Fuck me. I’m not sure what side of her is better. She’s breathtaking.

She bends over the desk, ending the call, and I’m dumbstruck. Scratch that, I can barely breathe. I’ve never been a womanizer and I’d like to think I’m not a prick, but the thoughts racing through my mind are telling me otherwise. Not even a week has passed since I broke it off with Dara, and I’m having inappropriate thoughts about another woman—a coworker I have yet to formally meet.

Not that my situation with Dara qualified as relationship per se; more of a sexual convenience that lasted two years too long. When I took this job I admit it wasn’t solely for the position. Dara had grown clingy to the point of suffocation. And though I’m finding it hard to breathe at the moment, this is entirely different.

Turning to me, she holds out her hand. “You must be Lucas.”

The simple action of our skin touching sends my already heightened awareness of her into overdrive. I clear my throat and lower my notebook, positioning it directly over my lap to conceal my building erection.

Haven’t had to do that in the last fifteen years.

“Good to meet you…”

Fuck. What was her name?

Searching for a clue, my eyes dart around her office, hoping for a nameplate, framed degree or company award. The only thing I’m met with is an abundance of pink picture frames, a coordinating stapler, her pink blouse… and a security badge hanging on a lanyard around her neck, resting nicely between her breasts. Not quite a handful from the looks of it, but perky as hell.

Apparently, I
am
a prick.

“Gabriella,” I say, finally finishing my thought.

Blushing, her gaze follows mine and she removes her nametag and tosses it on her desk. “Please, call me Gabby.”

She spoke, I’m sure of it. But I was too busy admiring her lips and made no attempt to read them. I have no idea what she said, or what my problem is.

“How’s your first day going?” she asks and gestures for me to take a seat. I obediently do.

“Once I get caught up on emails I’ll be better,” I admit, casually sitting back in the chair.

“I bet. I had Jack’s assistant add you to a few distribution lists so you’d start getting the business updates.”

“So you’re to blame,” I state wryly.

Gabriella giggles, and fuck if it doesn’t make the top-ten list I’m mentally compiling of things that turn me on about her. “You’ll thank me in the long run,” she promises.

Our eyes lock. Neither one of us looks away until I’m left with no choice because her tongue darts out and wets her plump lips. Grabbing the knot of my tie, I loosen it so it no longer feels like a noose.

She clears her throat. “Are you liking Boston so far?”

“Haven’t seen much of it yet.”

Jack called me on a Sunday, barely a week ago, to gauge my interest in taking over the Strategy organization. I basically had twenty-four hours to process what he was offering, which was the opportunity to lead a large, global team and create something important. If all went well, he committed to promoting me to SVP in six months time. I called him the next day and asked when I could start. I didn’t expect him to say the following week, but he’d cleared the short transition with my manager, so here I am.

“I was surprised you turned down corporate housing. Are you staying with family?”

“Not exactly,” I say shifting in my seat. “A friend of a friend’s cousin was looking for a roommate, not sure I’ll stay that long. After I get to know the city better I’ll find a place of my own.”

It occurs to me that I have no idea who she is or why she has information about my living situation. Why the hell am I answering her questions? Oh right, I’m distracted. Which I need like a kick to the balls.

“It’s not too late if you’d rather—”

“I don’t take charity,” I cut her off. My clipped tone is unintentional, taking us both by surprise.

Way to overcompensate by biting her head off, jackass.

She eyes me quizzically, pausing for a moment before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. I follow the movement of her fingers until they’re back on the table, once again admiring her beauty.

“Right.” She fidgets with something on her desk, rifling through a thick stack of papers. “Well, let’s get started then. This is a list we put together for employees who have relocated to Boston that has information on local restaurants, post offices, banks…you name it. I thought you might find it helpful.”

I accept the list and review it. Typical twenty-something hangouts, not the type of establishments I’d go to enjoy a meal or someone’s company. Somehow I doubt making her aware of that tidbit would go over very well at this point.

Gabriella picks up a binder and a few folders and sets them in front of me.

“What’s all this?”

“These are to help you get acclimated. It’s org charts, two years’ worth of performance reviews for your direct reports, copies of the last few employee satisfaction surveys and the results of the recent organizational climate analysis,” she rattles off. “I recommend that you look at the org charts and then save the other stuff until you’ve had an introductory meeting with each member of your staff. You should also set up time with everyone on Jack’s team this week.”

She opens the binder and leans forward. I have to force my gaze to remain on what she’s intending to show me, and not the gap that’s been created between the buttons on her shirt that’s perfectly centered over her cleavage.

Pull your self together, mate.

I accept the binder and bypass the org chart for Jack’s team in order to look at mine, finding no one named Gabriella listed.

“Why isn’t your name on here?” I ask, more curious now than I was before.

Gabriella smiles like I just gave her a gift. “As your Human Resources business partner, I report directly to the head of HR, though it often feels like I directly work for the business.”

“My Human Resources business partner,” I repeat slowly, feeling sick.

I hate HR.

Never have I encountered someone in the so-called profession that added any level of value. If anything, the function’s a waste of overhead and they can’t be trusted.

“Yes, you and I will work closely to align business needs, both current and future, with your people strategy.”

“People strategy,” I say dryly though I want to laugh. Does she realize how ridiculous she sounds?

“Think of me as an extension of your staff. My job is to make yours easier, by understanding the business objectives and consulting with you on…”

I tune her out. If that was English, I didn’t follow.

“Doesn’t HR process benefits and recruit?”

I’m not an idiot. I know what her role is, not that I’ve ever seen it done successfully. Over the years I’ve come to learn that HR practitioners like to be mistaken for other overhead functions just about as much as they actually contribute.

Not at all.

“As this is your first leadership role managing others, it may seem foreign to you to utilize me this way, but before long I’m sure we’ll fall into a routine and rely on each other for support. The good news for you is that I have great relationships with your staff. Once you get acclimated we can start putting together your communication framework and evaluate the structure currently in place. And in the near future I’ll be facilitating your new leader assimilation.”

She must be kidding. There is no way in hell I’m going to let her dictate how I manage my team.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on her desk. “Do you support anyone else?”

“For the time being I’m filling in for my manager who just went out on maternity leave. Until she returns, I’ll be sitting on Jack’s staff. Normally, it’s you and Mike, the head of Global Sales and Marketing that I work with directly from a strategic perspective, though I support everyone in both organizations with day-to-day needs as well.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate, eh? I’m sure that keeps you busy.”

Sensing what’s coming next, she quickly redirects the conversation. “Why don’t you tell me how you’ve partnered with HR in the past.”

I blink at her. “I haven’t.”

“Do you have ideas of how you’d like us to work together?” she questions.

“To be honest I don’t really see the need.”

She frowns but quickly recovers. “Why don’t I tell you how I partner with Mike and we’ll go from there.”

Telling me she likes it when I take her across that desk is about the only input I’ll be taking from her anytime soon. I push the binder back to her and lean forward, placing my forearms on the desk.

“Gabriella—”

“Gabby,” she corrects though it’s too late. Her full name was committed to my long-term memory the moment I laid eyes on that nametag.

“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Her smile falls and for some unknown reason I almost reconsider what I’m about to say.

Almost
.

“If I come up with something that requires your input, you’ll be the first to know. As far as creating the overall strategy for
my
organization, I won’t be needing your help. I’ve got this.”

Ignoring her reaction, that’s somewhere between hurt and shock, I push back and excuse myself. I’m not sure what’s worse, that I upset her or that I’ve just been a complete ass to a new co-worker. Either way, I’m not sticking around.

“Cheers,” I mutter over my shoulder and shut her door behind me.

Fuck. Me.