He leaned back and favored me with one of his rare smiles.
“Speaking of ‘tease’ that’s quite a little assistant you have there. I’ll admit I’m very impressed with all her qualifications. Take my advice and don’t let her go … as if I had to tell you that.”
This was, of course, accompanied by a smirk and a wink.
While I had grown to expect this sort of comment from Grimble whenever the subject of Bunny came up, I found I was no more fond of it than when they had first met. At least now, he was refraining from such behavior in her presence . . . which was a victory of sorts, I suppose. Still, I was annoyed and decided to take another shot at it.
“I’m surprised to hear you talk that way, Grimble,” I said. “Are you really so hung up on hormones that you can’t just acknowledge her worth as a colleague without adding sexual innuendos?”
“Well … I …” the Chancellor began, but I cut him off.
“. . . Especially realizing that the Queen . . . you know, your employer? … is also female. I wonder if she’s aware of your slanted views regarding her gender, or, if she isn’t, how she’d react if she found out. Do you think she’d just fire you, or would she want to see if you were bluffing, first? From what I can tell, she’s as interested in playing around as you claim to be.”
Grimble actually blanched which, realizing how pale his complexion was to start with, was quite a sight.
“You wouldn’t tell her, would you, Lord Skeeve?” he stammered. “I meant no disrespect to Bunny. Really. She has one of the best financial minds it’s been my privilege to work with . . . male or female. I was just trying to make a little joke. You know, man to man? It’s one of the rituals of male bonding.”