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"I am not leaving." She had quivered, the tears coursing down her cheeks. "I am your wife-"
"In name only. I cannot even bear to look at you. Get the hell out of my room."
Ultimately, he had simply left and spent the night in one of the other suites, locking the doors. Stifling a harsh sigh, he crushed the cigar and returned to his room.
Chapter 5
"I will need that budget report at some point this week."
"You will get it when I am finished with it." Delores gave him an impatient look before returning to the changes she had made to the manuscript. "Change this scene entirely; too mechanical." She muttered, already forgetting Jerry as he prowled around the office.
It had been two weeks since that fateful meeting with the new shareholders, and she had somehow managed to ignore the men and two women who were there almost every day, watching and making changes. As long as it did not affect her, she did not care.
"Is that the new manuscript?"
She looked up at him, marking the page she was on. "An old one. I am going through the pile of rejects to see if anything is worth salvaging."
"And?" He demanded, moving forward to sit in front of her desk.
"And nothing. Is there something you need?"
"I need reports."
"You will get them."
He fidgeted with the hem of his plaid jacket, and she knew that was not the real reason he was in her office. "What is it?"
He folded his hands before him and gave her a pleading look.
"Don't get upset."
"The fact that you ask me not to means I will. What is it?"
"Manchester is cutting expenses."
"I figured he would. What does it have to do with me?"
"He is cutting the advertising and cutting back on the overseas book fairs."
Her eyes narrowed at that. "What the hell for?"
He flinched at her raised voice. "He does not see the need to fork out thousands for airfare, accommodations, and not to mention food expenses." He gave her a heated look. "The last receipts from your travel showed that you spent several hundred dollars at high-end restaurants alone."
"I had to wine and dine several authors we were trying to woo, not to mention the publishers. That has never been a problem before."
"It is now. He is cutting back on it."
"And you, of course, just tucked your tail between your damned legs and slunk away without a word." Her anger was getting out of control, and he was not the appropriate target.
"There is no need to get bitchy."
"Oh, believe me, you have not seen bitchy yet." She warned. "What did you say to him? Or did you even bother to explain to that - that man of the importance of book fairs to a publishing house?"
"He was very resolute and would not listen to a word I said." He muttered defensively. "And I believe he is justified. The last trip did not yield anything much."
Her eyes flashed. "I got us a goddamned contract for what will be a very lucrative series."
"Which will take months to put together. We are losing money- What are you doing?" He demanded as she yanked up the phone.
