by Marie Astor
Chapter 3
Alex Kingsley watched Janet Maple storm out of his office on her long, shapely legs. Once the door slammed behind her, Alex leaned back in his chair, locking his hands behind his head. He did not care for people who crossed him, and he always made sure that the culprits learned not to repeat their mistakes. In this case, however, he could not help feeling guilty about his past with Janet. To say that he had wronged the girl would be an understatement of gigantic proportions, but then again it was not his fault that Janet never understood that you had to keep your superiors happy. Take this job, for instance: there was no way Alex would have been appointed as the head of the Investigations department had it not been for Cornelius Finnegan’s glowing recommendation.
“Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Finnegan is on the line for you,” Alex’s assistant informed him through the intercom.
“Put him right through.”
Even though Finnegan could not see him, Alex straightened up in his chair. “Mr. Finnegan?”
“Alex, my boy! How many times do I have to tell you to drop this Mr. Finnegan nonsense?”
“How are you, Cornelius?”
“I’m well, thank you. And how is your first day on the job?”
“It’s going well, sir, thank you very much. Settling in; I’ll be meeting with the staff shortly.”
“Yes, that would be a very good idea. Make sure to keep an eye on that Dennis Walker character. Make sure that he doesn’t pull any more stunts like he did with Wyman’s laptop. It’s a good thing Wyman didn’t press charges—just imagine the liability!”
“I’ll make sure that nothing of the kind ever happens again, sir.”
“Good. That’s why I recommended you for the job. Hamilton Kirk clearly was not up to it. At least the Enforcement Division had enough sense to reject the evidence and dismiss the charges against Muller. It was clear that Bostoff was the culprit.”
“Yes, sir, I agree completely.”
“I’m glad that you do, Alex. Tell me, is Janet Maple one of the investigators who helped Walker on this case?”
“Yes she is, sir,” Alex replied laconically, thinking it best to omit the details of his earlier altercation with Janet.
“I remember her from when I was the New York County district attorney. She worked on the Borrelli Capital investigation, didn’t she? A bright young thing. Too bad she got downsized. I’m glad to hear that she’s doing well now. I understand that she, too, was involved in that whole Wyman escapade. You’ll make sure that she doesn’t get into any more trouble, won’t you, Alex?”
“Yes I will, sir. You needn’t worry about anything, sir.”
“Oh, I’m not worried. It just pains me to see scum like Walker break the rules and think that he can get away with it. But even worse than that is the effect he has on other employees—it could be downright toxic. Before you know, you’ve got the whole organization going rogue. But look at me carrying on. I know that I’ve got nothing to be concerned about because I’ve got you there to put things back in order.”
“Absolutely, sir. That’s what I’m here for.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ve got to get going. We’ll talk soon, Alex. You keep an eye on that Janet Maple girl.”
“I will, sir.” Alex hung up the phone. Just how was it that Janet always managed to get in the middle of it, was beyond him: first Borrelli and now David Muller.
Alex closed his eyes. Janet Maple. While most women were nothing more than a paragraph, or at most a page, in his life, Janet had been an entire chapter. They had started dating toward the end of his senior year of law school. At the time he had just broken up with another one of his girlfriends and needed a quick replacement. With final exams only a few months away and the tedious bar exam looming before him, he needed a girl with substance. When Alex took a second look at Janet’s long chestnut hair, the luster of which could not be diminished even by the drab ponytail she usually trapped it in, her green eyes surrounded by full, long lashes that were lowered studiously, while her long, elegant fingers gripped a pen with furious determination and frantically scribbled every word uttered by their boring professor, he had decided that Janet Maple was the girl for him. They studied for all the exams together. Alex’s grades soared, and he aced the bar exam.
After graduation, both of them got positions as assistant district attorneys at the New York County District Attorney’s Office. The job did not pay much, but then it was mostly nine to five and Alex did not relish the idea of long hours that young lawyers were subjected to in private law firms. He would much rather try his hand at politics, and the DA job was the perfect launching pad for his ambitions. All he had to do was play his cards right.
He had kept his relationship with Janet secret at work. The DA’s office did allow coworkers to date, but not in the same department, and he sure as hell was not transferring out of Investigations, which was the most prestigious department in the organization. Besides, he had liked being assigned to the same cases as Janet. The girl had killer instincts. She had cracked every single investigation that she and Alex had been assigned to. Alex was happy: not only was Janet great in the sack, she also did his work for him. All he had to do was report to his boss and wait to be noticed.
Jake Andrews, Alex’s boss, had begun to take a real liking to him, often inviting him to drinks after work. Things had been going really well when Janet began investigating Borrelli Capital. Shortly afterwards, Jake Andrews had summoned Alex into his office. “Alex, you are now the lead on the Borrelli Capital case. It’s imperative that you keep me in the loop on all the latest findings,” Andrews had said.
Alex got the hint immediately. As per his boss’s request, he reported each and every finding that Janet dug up.
Then one afternoon Alex was surprised to find Andrew’s boss, Cornelius Finnegan, at the meeting. “Jake’s been telling me about the wonderful job you’ve been doing on the Borrelli Capital case, Alex,” Finnegan remarked.
Cornelius Finnegan had an oblong-shaped bald head and a hefty body that made him resemble a giant potato, but when Alex felt Cornelius’s narrow blue eyes fix on him, he immediately understood that Cornelius Finnegan had not reached his position by being a dimwit. “Thank you, sir. I’m glad to be of service.”
“I am glad to hear that.” Finnegan rubbed his chin. “How would you like to have Andrews’s spot?” he asked.
Alex shot a worried look at Jake Andrews: Andrews was still his boss. Andrews merely nodded benevolently.
“Relax, Alex,” Finnegan grunted. “Jake and I have already discussed the matter. Jake is being promoted, and I need a man I can trust to take over his spot. What do you say? Are you the man for the job?”
“Yes, sir,” Alex replied calmly. “As the head of the group, I will ensure smooth and efficient operation.” He could barely contain his excitement: finally, he was graduating to the big leagues.
“And most importantly, you will keep your superiors appraised,” said Finnegan. “Let’s cut to the chase, Alex. We’re going to close out the Borrelli Capital investigation with no action.”
“And by the way, our budget has been reduced. We’ve been told to make cuts. You need to select one person to downsize,” Andrews added. “As the new head of the group, the decision will be yours to make, Alex, but I hope that you will heed my input. My opinion is that we should downsize Janet Maple.”
Alex felt his throat tighten. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice his principles to get to the top, but kicking Janet out would be a new low even for him. “Perhaps we could consider a warning or a performance improvement plan?”
Andrews shot a fleeting look at Finnegan.
“Alex,” Finnegan said, placing his hand on Alex’s shoulder, “I think that you’re a very talented young man. You could have an excellent career here. Now, please don’t make me think that I’ve overestimated you. Do you have what it takes to get the job done?”
As Alex looked into Finnegan’s eyes, which had turned into mere slits, he knew that his prospec
ts were hanging by a thread. This was his chance, but it could also turn out to be his undoing. Judging by the way Finnegan and Andrews planned to dispose of Janet, they wouldn’t think twice about doing the same to Alex. In an instant Alex made his decision. “Yes, sir, I most certainly do. I realize that ability to make tough decisions is part of being a manager, and I can make these kinds of decisions, sir.”
The next day, Alex got Andrews’s job. His first decision as the group manager had been to downsize Janet. At least he did not have to tell her himself: Human Resources did the dirty work for him. Getting to the top was not for the squeamish.
Several weeks later, Alex found out from Andrews that Nicholas Borrelli, the owner of Borrelli Capital, had given personal loans to half of Washington. Needless to say, Borrelli was getting off the hook.
Alex cracked his knuckles. For reasons he did not know and had no wish to find out, Muller had Finnegan’s protection. Alex’s task had been made clear to him. He was to ensure that the individuals responsible for the investigation were either frightened into silence or dealt with accordingly, meaning fired. Alex had already requested background files on all of his subordinates, and Janet Maple’s file, along with that of Dennis Walker, were right at the top of the pile.
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Read on for an excerpt from Thirsty for Payback Book 1 of the Sinful Business Series