by Holly Jaymes
Starting my own business hadn’t changed my interest in women. What had changed was my drive to eradicate suffering without bankrupting people. I found it odd that my private life would hurt my company when there were pharmaceutical companies out there who were price gouging and even one that was viewed as the source of the opioid epidemic. How were my dating habits worse than that?
There was little I could do at this point to change people’s perception of me. Maybe Dave was right that it would mean less capital raised during my IPO, but I could live with that if I got enough to expand my resources such as more researchers and a better lab. Success would lead to stock prices rising, so in the long run, my love of women shouldn’t get in the way.
I returned to my desk, ready to get to work. I looked through the files my assistant Hallie Thorne had left on my desk. Hallie was the perfect example of how well behaved I was. Despite my reputation with the ladies, I did have rules, and one was that I never got involved with women who worked for me. There were several women over the years who I might have asked out but didn’t because of my no-fraternization rule. Hallie was the only one that made me regret that policy.
I’m not sure what it was about her that attracted me to her from the first time I met her during her job interview a few months ago. She wasn’t like the lithe, willowy women with hair extensions and lots of makeup that I was usually drawn to. Hallie was curvy and natural. She also wasn’t a woman to hold her tongue, which annoyed me, and yet I admired this quality about her because I needed people around me to tell me the truth. She worked hard and was able to anticipate my needs, except, of course, my more physical ones.
I shook my head. Do not think of her like that. It was a refrain I had to chant regularly.
I refocused on my work, checking out the status of current research, looking at where in the FDA approval process a couple of our new drugs were, and the latest sales figures from currently marketed medicines.
Next up was to prep for this event that Dave wanted me to go to. I needed research on Janine Madison and the specifics of the fundraiser. I’d have to make a donation, so I hoped he was right that the charity event was for an African school or something that actually helped people in need.
To get this info, I needed Hallie. I poked the button on my phone.
“Hallie, can you come in?”
“Yes, sir,” Hallie was a modern woman who held onto southern traditions of manners as well as the soft accent. In Virginia, the level of twang heard varied depending on the location and whether the speaker was urban or rural. I’d pegged Hallie to have grown up south of here but not too far. She had an accent, but it wasn’t too pronounced.
A few seconds later, she knocked and then poked her head in. Her long red hair was down, with one side tucked behind her ear. Her green eyes looked at me inquiringly.
“Come in,” I motioned for her to enter.
She stepped into the room and strode toward my desk. She wore a simple navy dress, and yet the way it hugged her curves made it look custom made. I wondered what she looked like without the dress, when it was just her creamy skin, red hair hanging loose, and dazzling green eyes. I shook my head to rid it of inappropriate thoughts.
“Have a seat. I need you to do a little research for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
I bit my lip as an image of her writhing under me came into my mind.
Jesus, I was going to hell. Focus Sloane. Taking a deep breath and willing my dirty brain to behave, I got to work.
Book 2: Chapter 2—Yes, Sir
Chapter Two: Yes, Sir
Hallie
The one thing that kept me from leaping over my boss’ desk and ravishing his hard, sculpted body was that I knew I’d repulse him. Nate preferred skinny, tall, blondes, and I was a curvy, average redhead. And, I liked to think I had enough self-respect to not allow myself to become a notch on his bedpost. But if I were stuck on a deserted island, he’d definitely be on the list of who I’d bring.
“Can you do some research on Janine Madison?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Nate’s lips always quirked up a little bit when I called him sir, so I said it often. It made me sound very prim and proper, but it was worth it to watch his lush lips. Sometimes, too often, I wondered how those lips tasted or would feel.
“She’s having some sort of event this weekend in DC. I need to learn more about that as well.” He handed me a piece of paper that a quick scan told me was about the event, “I’ll need you to go with me as she’s a prospective investor.”
“Yes, sir.”
This time Nate frowned, “Seriously? You don’t have any other plans for Saturday?”
“No, plus this is work, right?” I’d get paid, and I needed all the money I could get since my house was damaged by fire a few months ago. It was still sitting burnt to a crisp because I couldn’t get the rebuild going yet. I’d felt fortunate that I’d been able to get a job with Sloane Labs because the extra salary would help a lot.
He nodded, “You don’t even have to check your calendar or anything?”
What did he care about my personal life or my lack of one? “Nope, is it formal?” That could be a problem. Since my clothes all smelled like smoke and whatever firefighters used to put out the fire, I had to buy new ones. Most I got second-hand, like this plain navy dress. I wondered if they had formal wear at the consignment shop?
“Yep, I’m wearing a tux, for sure.”
Crap. I knew there was a second-hand store in the affluent area around Vienna. I could go there and see if there was a fancy dress in my size. It was the size that was always the challenging component of finding nice clothes. More often than not, the dresses I liked were too small, and the ones in my size were like mumus.
“No problem.”
He sat back and studied me. I tried not to shift under the scrutiny.
“You enjoying your job, Hallie?”
“Yes, sir.”
This time he snorted, “You know you make me feel a hundred years old when you call me sir.”
This time my lips twitched, “Yes, sir.”
He grinned, picked up his pen, and tapped it on his desk, “I’m okay to work for?”
“Yes, sir.”
This time he frowned, “Do you ever say more than ‘yes, sir’?”
“Yes, sir,” I paused and added, “You should ask open-ended questions if you want more than a yes or no answer.”
“Open-ended. Okay. How do you like working for me?”
“I like it very much.” The pay was good, the staff was friendly, and Nate was nice to look at. I might tell him the first two but not the last. Besides, he probably already knew that.
“Good. What do you think of me?”
I think I’d like to see your chest without your starched white shirt on. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, “When you think of me, what comes to mind?”
Well, I couldn’t be honest about that because what came to mind wasn’t appropriate for work, “Intelligent. Friendly.”
“Womanizer?”
I seesawed my head side to side, “You do have a reputation for enjoying the ladies. I haven't actually seen any evidence of that, but you know what they say - perception is everything.”
“Hmmm,” he made a face suggesting he didn’t like my answer. “How would I fix that?”
“Stop liking the ladies so much?” Since I wasn’t sure what he was looking for in an answer, I didn’t know what to say.
“I have, but no one has noticed,” he stood and went to his window. He crossed his arms, and from the back, the way his shirt pulled tight on his shoulders showed off his muscles. He must work out, or maybe they were strong from his frequently being in a missionary position over a woman. “Dave said I should get married. Do you think that would help?”
Was he serious? Did people really get married today for business? “Philanthropy might be an easier and faster option.”
He turned to me, frowning ag
ain, “Philanthropy?”
I nodded, “I know you give money to charity.” I suspected I’d be arranging a donation to whatever this Madison thing was this weekend. “But maybe you could donate some of your medications to third-world countries or poorer communities.”
He stared at me in a way that made me uncomfortable as if I was missing something I should have known.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he sat back in his chair. “If you could get me this information on Madison before the end of the day, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes, sir.” This time, his lips didn’t twitch. Recognizing I was being dismissed, I stood, “Anything else?”
He already had his head down looking at a spreadsheet, “No. Thank you.”
I left his office and headed back to mine, passing his secretary as I did.
She piped up, “Hey, Hallie, I’ve got a message from your insurance company.” She handed me a pink message slip.
“Thank you, Clair,” I took the paper and went to my office. I’d deal with the insurance company at lunch. I took my job seriously. I wasn’t going to take care of personal issues while I was on the clock. So I started on my research about Janine Madison and her upcoming charity event.
Janine Madison was an heiress that liked to use her money for good, but also, for flaunting her wealth. She was stunning looking and probably the reason people said that forty was the new thirty. She was forty-five but looked at least ten years younger. Her major investments were in tech and pharmaceuticals, which is probably why Dave was sending Nate to her event. I couldn’t help but wonder if Nate planned to use more than an investment report to woo Ms. Madison. Although the rumor was, Nate never mixed business with pleasure, so maybe not.
I pulled together all the information and headed back to Nate’s office. He was out, so I set it on his desk. It was close enough to lunch that I could take a break. I’d start with a call to my insurance company.
My house had been fairly well insured, but that didn’t mean the insurance company wanted to cover the extensive damages the fire had done to my home. Added to that was my desire to make changes to my home that would make it easier for my parents to come and live with me.
Since the fire, I’d been living with my parents, and I realized that my mother's multiple sclerosis and my father’s age were impacting their quality of life. It was time I moved them in with me, but my home wasn’t conducive to the wheelchair my mother would soon need. The problem was, insurance definitely didn’t want to cover those changes. So I needed to find the money before I could start the rebuild on my home. I didn’t want to ask my parents to help because I hadn’t yet told them of my plans. They’d reached an age where they seemed to say no to anything and everything that they thought would make them a burden.
After dealing with the insurance guy, I went to the breakroom where Clair and a few other staff were having lunch.
“Nate says you’re going with him to the fundraiser this weekend,” Clair said. She sat at one of the tables with her lunch.
“He sees it as an investment opportunity,” I said sitting across from her.
“You should see it as a-gawk-at-Nate opportunity,” Jolene, an admin in the accounting department said as she sat down next to Clair.
Clair nodded.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Nate in a tux is like heaven on earth,” Clair said, cutting the crust off her sandwich.
“Oh, how I’d like to have a piece of that heaven,” Jolene sighed dreamily.
I snorted, “You’d have to wait in line.”
“It would be worth it,” Jolene said. Then she looked at me. “You have to get a picture and text it to me.”
“What?” I liked hanging with the girls and doing girly things, but sneaking a picture of my boss to text to my friends seemed a little too much, especially since there was nothing private about today’s technology. What would he think if he learned I had a picture of him? “I can’t do that.”
“Why not? Who will know?” she asked, popping the tab on a soda.
“What could it hurt?” Clair asked.
“You want one too?”
Clair shrugged, “I kicked Danny out, and now I have to take care of my own needs - a picture of Nate would make that oh so satisfying.”
I gaped. Did she just say she was going to masturbate to Nate? “I might have done it, but sending you a picture so you can get off feels exploitive.” Besides, they shouldn’t need a picture. I could conjure Nate up just fine when it was just me and my battery-operated boy toy, practically the only thing I owned not damaged by the fire.
“You’re naughty, Clair,” Jolene said.
“Tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing,” Clair took a bite of her sandwich, her eyebrows raising up and down suggestively.
Jolene laughed, “Well, of course, I was, I just wasn’t going to say it out loud.”
“What are you going to wear?” Clair asked. I was glad for the change of subject.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to go shopping.” I opened my own lunch. One of the benefits of living back at home was that my mom made my lunch just as she had when I was in school.
“Be sure to turn in your receipt,” Jolene said.
“The company isn’t going to buy me a dress,” I pulled out a sandwich, apple, and homemade cookies. I’d need to buy a drink from the vending machine.
“Would you be buying it if you weren’t going to this event?” she asked.
“No.”
She pointed her carrot stick at me, “Are you going to this event because of your job?”
“Yes.”
She shrugged and made an I-rest-my-case gesture as she bit her carrot.
“Do I have to give the dress to the company when I’m done?” I pulled a dollar bill from my purse and went to the vending machine to get a drink.
“No and chances are you’ll have to wear it again. Nate likes to have his assistant with him when he’s business schmoozing.”
I frowned as I brought my drink back to the table.
“But don’t worry, Hallie. He’s not a perv boss. He sticks by his no touching the staff rule, so you’re safe,” Clair said.
“Bummer, huh?” Jolene said.
It sort of was.
Book 2: Chapter 3—Marry Me
Chapter Three: Marry Me
Nate
I enjoyed getting out and being with people. I didn’t even mind schmoozing very much. But I definitely didn’t like asking for money. Since I had success and lots of money, it felt odd to be asking other rich people to give my business money. But that was why I was at this event tonight - to see if Janine Madison would be interested in investing in Sloane Labs’ IPO.
In most cases, when I was doing business with a woman, it was strictly business. While I might have a reputation as a ladies’ man, I never mixed business with pleasure. However, it wasn’t a rule that Janine Madison seemed to adhere to, if I was reading her signals right.
Janine was a beautiful woman, and perhaps in another place and time, I might have considered taking her up on her offer. According to the information Hallie had brought me, Janine was in her forties, but to look at her, it was difficult to tell. Her skin was smooth, her body firm and tone, and her hair was a shade of blonde that I’m sure only came from a bottle. I’d have pegged her in her thirties.
“Your donation to the Madison Fund’s work in Africa was very generous,” Janine said, leaning close to me as if the ballroom of the five-star hotel was loud and I wouldn’t hear her otherwise. While there were many people attending the event, I didn’t need to be close enough to see the flecks of gold in her hazel eyes.
“I want to be a part of the wonderful work you do,” I replied, taking a sip of my drink while resisting the urge to down it and then leave to get another one.
“I’m interested in the work you do too, Nate,” her fingers wrapped around my bicep and lightly squeezed. “I understand you’re about to go public.”
“That’s right.”
“I suppose you’ve heard I like to invest in pharmaceuticals.”
At least she was to the point, “I had heard that.” I scanned the room, wondering if Hallie had arrived yet. I’d trusted her to bring the information about my IPO, so I could give it to Janine.
She laughed, “I’ve been following you, Nate.” The gleam in her eyes told me she hadn’t just been following my business. “Maybe we could take this discussion somewhere more private? I’ve reserved a room in the hotel for the night. We can go have a drink, and you can tell me about Sloane Labs. Show me your prospectus.”
Why did prospectus all of a sudden seem like a euphemism for dick? And where the hell was Hallie?
I scanned the room one more time. As my gaze passed the entrance to the hotel ballroom, it immediately came to a screeching halt. Hallie stood in the entrance, her eyes scanning the room for me. I needed to lift my hand to signal her, but my brain had stopped working as it took in the sight of her. She was stunning.
She wore a green halter dress which accented her smooth, creamy skin and brought out the beauty of her auburn hair, which she wore up on one side and down on the other. The dress dipped just enough in front to create tantalizing cleavage that I imagined running my tongue along. The gown tapered at her waist and clung to her curves. If there was anyone I wanted to show my prospectus too, it was Hallie.
“Nate? Is something wrong? Why don’t we get that drink?” Janine nudged closer, her breasts pressing against me. It brought me back to the moment, and my need to figure out how to ask Janine for money without having to fuck her.
I lifted my hand and waved to Hallie. It took a moment before her gaze caught my gesture. When it did, she made her way to me. I turned my attention back to Janine, my mind scanning for ways to say no. I hadn’t told a woman no very often, so I was having a hard time finding the right words.
“I’ve heard some good things about you and your zest for life,” Janine whispered and licked her lips as she looked up at me.