Fiction Friday/Story a Day: Day 25 – “Moral Dimension”

Today’s Story a Day prompt was to write a story about someone whose boss is doing something contrary to the main character’s morals. I combined this with a prompt I found on Pinterest:

“Why are you glaring at me?”

“I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust.”

I went back to Promotion and picking up at the end of that one, told the story from another POV.

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Anita heard the commotion in Leo’s office. She knew Bree had been called in there. She’d told Leo she wasn’t the right one to take over Anita’s position. Not because the girl couldn’t do the job. She would be really good at it. But, she’d seen the way Leo looked at Bree and knew that wouldn’t make for a good situation.
“I gave you a job here,” she heard Leo said. “You owe us.”
Anita’s breath caught. She used to respect the man. But she’d seen too much as his assistant over the years. But, this…no, it was too much. She was so glad she’d be out of here by the end of the month.
“Not this,” Bree’s voice snapped out. “Get out of my way.”
There was a thud, and her boss’s harsh curse, then the door slammed open, and Bree rushed out. Anita saw the younger woman’s face was pale, her lips pressed firmly together. She flicked a glance toward Anita. Anita didn’t meet her gaze, though.
She waited until Bree had moved out of sight before standing up and walking to the office door. Her boss was already on the phone. “Hold her there,” he snapped out. “I’m going to have her hauled in for trying to kill me.”
Anita saw the stapler on the floor at his feet. Well, good for Bree. “You aren’t calling the police on her,” she said as soon as he hung up with security.
“She tried to kill me.” As if saying it again, would make that stapler a more fatal weapon.
“She simply tried to get out of a bad position you’d put her in.”
Leo finally looked up at her. “I didn’t do anything. Why are you glaring at me?”
“At the moment? I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust.”
“What’s gotten into you, Anita babe? You’re not usually mean to me.”
“Yeah, well, I’m almost done here. I don’t need to worry about safeguarding my job anymore. Now, call your guard dogs back and tell them to let Bree leave without any trouble. If the police show up here, you can bet I’ll tell them everything I know about you. Your business and personal practices. You won’t be the one coming out on top of this.”
“You’re threatening me?”
“Just warning you what will happen if you don’t let that girl walk out of here. Now, call them.”
Leo fixed a glare on her, but he picked the phone back up and hit the button to call security. “I changed my mind. Just escort Ms. Calloway out of the building. I won’t be pressing charges.”
He didn’t take his glare off Anita the whole time, even to hang the phone back up. “You’re going to regret sticking your nose into this, Anita.”
But, she wouldn’t. She would make sure Leo upheld his end of this bargain, then she wouldn’t be coming back. She’d been planning to leave at the end of the month. What was a couple week early?