Sunday Snippet: How to Tell Off the Boss

Greetings,

Whew. Wild week in TV. Arrow, of course, amped up the tension and drama with a total shocker at the end of the episode. Okay, maybe not a total surprise, but wow, I'm dying to see what happens next. S.H.I.E.L.D went to great places and planted some new seeds for a future season (I hope!) and Orphan Black delivered another taut hour of viewing pleasure. I have several things I want to see happen with Rachel, but I'll save those for a fandom blog post. LOL I'm honestly not sure about the whole Helena/religious cult dealio, but I'll keep watching to see what happens.

Writing wise, the week ended up being way more productive than expected, in a truly odd way. I've been updating my Works in Progress page and the exercise is shaking off some cobwebs and getting the creative juices flowing again. I love it when that happens. J

Tonight's post is from How to Tell Off the Boss, a novella where my main male character has to grow a set… with a little help from a new co-worker.

Here's the tagline:

Orin Murdoch's boss, the newly installed VP of Sales, is driving him insane with new promotions that just don't work. Edda Case, an upstart marketing whiz, takes Orin in hand and teaches him how to tell off the boss with style.

And a snippety peek…

Edda crossed her arms over her chest. "Orin, what would you tell Linna if you had the chance?"

Orin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe, bug off." He tossed the pen across the desk.

Edda snorted. "Bug off? Are you five?" She crossed his office and placed her palms on the smooth oak surface covered with files. "The response is, 'Shut the fuck up, bitch, and leave me alone."

Orin quirked a brow, but leaned back in his seat, pondering the idea.

Edda waved a hand. "Go on. Try it out." She dragged one of the client chairs forward and settled down on it.

Orin straightened. "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone." He spoke clearly and used just the right amount of inflection to get his point across.

Edda nodded. "Good tone. Authoritative without sounding menacing." She chuckled. "You couldn't quite get the bitch part in, could you?"

Orin lifted one shoulder. "Hey, it's the VP of sales, Edda. A little decorum has to be used."

Edda rolled her eyes. Whatever, Orin. I'm sure she'll remember your tact and diplomacy when she orders you to do something stupid again." She added. "And she won't lay the blame at your doorstep when we start tracking the spectacular lack of sales when her new brand of promotions generates nothing but headaches for Accounting and Production." Edda pushed a little harder. "Look, I know you're not me, but covering your ass is always smart. Don't give Linna the opportunity to fry it when her lack of research comes back to smack her in the face."

Orin studied Edda for a moment. "Okay, you've got a valid point, except telling Linna to shut the fuck up will only go so far." He frowned. "She's ignoring the sales projections for a reason, but I can't figure out why."

Edda snorted. "Figure that one out and three departments will throw you a party."

Orin leaned forward. "What are your plans for the evening?" A sly smile crossed his face.

Edda tilted her head to the side. "Why?" She hoped like hell he had something sneaky planned.

Orin met her gaze. "I'm going to dig around and find out why. I could use some help."

Edda's lips curved. "I'm game… if you throw in dinner."

Orin stuck out his hand. "Deal. Korean or Thai?"

He'd remembered her comfort food?

Edda tamped down a zing of excitement. "Surprise me." She stood and made her way to the door. "Meet in the parking garage after work?"

Orin nodded. "That's a plan. I'll see you then."

Edda exited his office and grinned. Subterfuge with a hot guy. Her night just took a turn for the unexpected.

She couldn't wait for five o'clock.

And five o'clock doesn't disappoint. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin