Getting Dirty with the CEO

by Mia Sosa

  Her entire body turned hot. She opened her mouth to rip into him, but then she stopped herself. What would that accomplish? The damage was done. And going off on Ian wouldn’t help her bid to make partner. “I have work to do, Ian.”

  She registered his shaky laughter as he turned to leave.

  “Such a conscientious employee. See you tomorrow.”

  With Ian gone, Mimi searched for a piece of chocolate in her desk. When she couldn’t find anything, she slammed the drawer shut and went to find Nina. Seconds later, Mimi stormed into her friend’s office and paced.

  “Damn, woman. What’s got you so fired up?”

  “Ian.”

  “Yeah. That’ll do it.”

  “Do you have any idea what he just said to me?”

  “Nope.”

  Mimi blew out a harsh breath, ruffling her bangs. “The fucking prick invited me to join him for a client dinner and suggested that I wear a skirt because, and I quote, ‘flashing a little leg never hurts.’”

  “Oh, the little shit. Did you tell him to kiss your ass?”

  Mimi stopped pacing. “Of course not.”

  “So what did you say?”

  “I said nothing.”

  “I don’t get it. You’re a firecracker in every aspect of your life except here. What exactly are you accomplishing by taking his shit?”

  “Look, you know what we have to face here. So I’ve tried to lay low until I get that promotion. Then I won’t be under his thumb anymore.”

  “And you’ll have lost yourself in the process. You say nothing when he acts like a jerk. You dress as though you’re Amish. News flash. I’m pretty sure Ian knows you have a vagina no matter what you wear. And that’s not going to magically change when you become a partner.”

  “My choice of work attire has nothing to do with this.”

  “It doesn’t? Let me ask you this. If Ian were to make a sexist comment about the length of my skirts, would you think I had it coming? Would you think I’d asked for it by not dressing like you do? Because that’s what it sounds like. He’s the asshole, not me, not you. But you’re playing into his bullshit. Mimi, there’s always going to be an Ian. A boss, a colleague, a client.”

  “I’ve just had to fight the dumb blonde stereotype my whole life.”

  “And I’ve encountered all kinds of stereotypes my whole life. I can change my clothes all I want, but I can’t change the color of my skin, nor do I want to. So I deal with it. Because they’re the problem, not me.”

  Mimi collapsed into the chair facing Nina’s desk. She’d spent most of her professional career downplaying her sexuality, desperate to achieve success without her femininity inviting harassment or sabotaging her advancement. All because success guaranteed her independence. Guaranteed that she would be okay if someone hurt her. And where had that gotten her? In the exact place she’d been running from. Her relentless pursuit of freedom had actually become her cage. Now she felt stupid and small. Ridiculously naïve, too. “I’m an idiot.”

  “Stop.”

  “No, really. How can I be so self-aware in certain aspects of my life and such a nitwit in others?”

  Nina stood and rounded her desk. “Oh, I wasn’t disagreeing with you. I just want to be closer to you for this talk.” After taking Mimi’s hand, she sat next to her. “Okay. You were saying you’re an idiot. Continue.”

  “I’m a mess.”

  “Yes. Yes, you are.”

  The corners of Mimi’s mouth quirked up despite her best efforts not to crack a smile. But the lighthearted feeling dissipated when she remembered how she’d treated Daniel. “Oh, God. I rejected Daniel like he was an inconvenience, because he threatened the sham of a professional life I’d developed over the years. And all because I wanted to protect myself against the very thing I’m dealing with now anyway. I was always preparing for the worst. And because of that, I threw away the best thing that’s ever happened to me. How could I have been so stupid?”

  “Listen here, sweetie. Men and women have been acting stupid around each other since time immemorial. The thing is, it’s only a problem if you don’t fix it.”

  “So I wear my nicest pair of slacks to this dinner, and if Ian says anything about it, I tell him to kiss my ass.”

  Nina nodded. “Right.”

  “And I make sure HR knows about Ian’s asinine comments.”

  Nina tapped her nose. “Exactly.”

  “And I go after my man.”

  “Yup.”

  “And who gives a shit if that screws up my chances for partnership, right?”

  “It won’t. You’ll make sure of it.”

  Mimi contemplated how that would play out. It could blow up in her face, but it was a chance she was willing to take. She’d start over somewhere else if necessary. It would probably mean she’d have to wait a few more years for partnership, but the sacrifice would be worth it. If given the choice between keeping her job and loving Daniel, she’d choose Daniel every time. “I’ll try not to botch this, at least. And listen, to make this work, I’ll need a favor.”

  Nina nodded. “Anything.” Then she raised her index finger in the air. “Within reason.”

  “It’ll mean more work for you.”

  “As I said, anything—within reason.”

  “Your unconditional support warms my heart.”

  “Do you want my help or not?”

  Mimi smiled. “I do. So here’s what I’m thinking…”

  * * *

  Ian was already sitting at their table when Mimi arrived at Ruth’s Chris. He rose and glanced at her lower body.

  She held her breath, wondering if they were going to come to blows this early in the evening, but he said nothing about her pantsuit.

  “Mr. Burke’s running late,” he explained as he sat down again. “Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It’ll give us a few minutes to talk before he arrives.”

  A server filled her water glass, and she thanked him. Pulling out her phone, she pulled up the Google search she’d run on Jackson Burke. “I agree. I have some ideas.”

  As usual, Ian gave her a dismissive wave. “Let’s table your ideas and talk about the e-mail you sent to the partners this afternoon.”

  Shit. She hadn’t anticipated that he’d want to talk about it before their meeting with Burke. “What do you want to talk about exactly?”

  “The unprofessionalism of it all, frankly. You’ve been dating one of our clients? Hardly demonstrates that you’ve got the firm’s interests in the forefront of your mind.”

  Mimi’s cheeks flushed, but she refused to cower anymore. “It’s not what I would have wanted, yes, but I’m trying to deal with the situation as professionally as possible.”

  “By suggesting that Nina replace you as the main client contact while you get credit for the account as a supervising partner? You have cojones, lady.”

  She curled her lip, no longer caring whether she pissed him off. “More than you do, I’d say. Is that why you have a problem with me, Ian? Because my balls are bigger than yours?”

  “Watch it, Mimi.”

  She leaned forward. “No, you watch it. I’ve worked at Baxter for seven years and you’ve been an ass for six point nine of them. Say what you want about my professionalism in this one instance in seven years, but you can’t say I don’t know how to do my job.”

  “Don’t try to convince me. You won’t get my vote.”

  “That’s fine. Luckily for me there are four other partners who aren’t out to tank my career.”

  They glared at each other until Jackson Burke arrived seconds later. Thank fuck. She’d do her job and get as far away from Ian as possible.

  Ian stood, pasted on a smile, and gave Burke a firm handshake. “Good to see you again, Jackson.”

  Mimi rose as Ian made the introductions. “This is Mimi Pennington. One of our senior associates. Mimi, this is Jackson Burke.”

  Jackson was around her father’s age. The sides of his thick hair were graying, and he s
ported a small paunch that suggested he had an affinity for beer. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pennington,” he said with a tight smile.

  “Call me, Mimi.”

  Their server returned and handed them their menus. “Good evening, all. Can I start anyone off with a cocktail?”

  Jackson spoke first. “A Founder’s Reserve Whiskey for me. Neat. Mimi? Ian?”

  Since she had no more fucks to give, she asked for what she really wanted. “I think I’ll live a little tonight. A Lemon Drop, please.”

  Jackson beamed at her. “Well, all right.”

  Ian closed his menu. “A glass of Chardonnay for me.”

  Mimi made a snoozing sound and waggled her eyebrows at Burke. “As you can see, he’s the life of the party.”

  Jackson roared with laughter, and Mimi nearly jumped out of her skin. The man was a bear in human clothing. Ian used his menu to hide his grimace from Burke. Mimi simply smiled at him.

  They made small talk until their drinks arrived. After their server had taken their orders, Jackson set his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I’m not going to bullshit you. I have half a mind not to hire any PR firm at all. I just don’t think you can help our situation.”

  Ian’s eyes widened, obviously surprised by Burke’s imminent defection.

  She’d done some preliminary research on Burke’s business that afternoon. He owned a dozen pet boarding kennels in Virginia and had come under fire recently for having substandard accommodations for his clients’ pets. Simply put, pet owners worried that their beloved animals wouldn’t be treated well at one of his kennels.

  Burke’s solemn expression suggested he’d given up on trying to resuscitate the business. “I started my company because I love animals, but I can’t be everywhere at one time, and the business is bigger than I’d ever intended. It might be time to sell it.”

  Mimi had a few ideas, though. “Mr. Burke—”

  “Call me Jackson.”

  “Jackson, I’ve taken a look at the press you’ve gotten, and I understand your concerns. I’ve been at Baxter for seven years, and we’ve always operated on three pillars: show, tell, or bury. You might be inclined to think the right strategy is to bury this story, but I think the opposite might be true.”

  Ian cleared his throat. “I’ll take it from here, Mimi.”

  She gnashed her teeth and leaned back.

  “Now hold on a minute,” Jackson said. “I’d like to hear what she has to say. She’s piqued my interest.”

  Ian’s face turned crimson. “Of course. Go ahead, Mimi.”

  She sat up and folded her hands on the table. “Well, it’s clear that some of your potential customers don’t have confidence in your kennels, but if you were responsive to those concerns, they might give you another shot. Let’s face it. In the social media age, negative reviews get around fast, and customers will go elsewhere if there’s a better alternative.”

  Jackson closed his eyes. “Are you trying to cheer me up here?”

  Now that she knew Jackson’s troubles stemmed from mismanagement rather than malice, she wanted to help him. She gave him a lopsided grin. “So if customers will go elsewhere if there’s a better alternative, be the better alternative.”

  “How do I do that if they won’t bring their pets to my kennels?”

  “Bring them into your kennels, that’s how. I’ve seen stories about childcare centers that allow parents to monitor their children while they’re at work. From behind their computers, they can check in to see how their kids are doing.” She leaned in. “Do that for pets.”

  Jackson rubbed his jaw. “Sounds expensive.”

  “Charge for it, then. It’s an added expense for the owners, for sure, but the fact that you’re even willing to provide the service will bring nonsubscribers in. And then we sell the heck out of that service in the press, explaining how it came about and what you’re willing to do to address clients’ concerns. Pet lovers will eat it up. And you’ll have a way to monitor your staff. I’m sure there are a host of issues you’ll want to consider, but that’s one idea.”

  Their food arrived, and Jackson dug into his steak with enthusiasm. In between chews, he said, “You’ve given me a lot to think about, and you’ve shown creativity. That alone makes me want to hire your firm.”

  Ian the deadwood chimed in then. “We’d love to have your business, Jackson.”

  Jackson swallowed. “I think that can be arranged. I have just one condition.”

  Ian gave him a shit-eating grin. “What’s that?”

  “I’d like Mimi to run the account.”

  This time Mimi beamed. “I’d love to, Jackson.”

  “Think that can be arranged, Ian?” Jackson asked.

  Ian’s face fell for a second, but he regrouped quickly and faked a smile. “Sure, Jackson. Whatever you want.”

  Mimi, meanwhile, was laughing inside. Take that, jackass.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Daniel rubbed his jaw and winced at its rough texture. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone this long without shaving. And the dark circles under his eyes he’d spied in the bathroom mirror this morning matched his dark mood. As Mimi would have put it, he was a fucking mess.

  Two weeks.

  Two weeks since she’d broken his heart.

  Two weeks since he’d felt whole.

  He’d get beyond it. He was better than most at rising out of the ashes and finding a way to channel his hurt into something productive. He’d do it again. Just not today apparently.

  The ding of his computer alerted him to a new e-mail. No surprise there. The firm’s business had increased fourfold since Mimi had rebranded their website and client communications. Knowing that their recent successes were largely her doing seemed cruel in the extreme. Everywhere he looked, she was there. Even the mock-up of their new client brochure that sat on his desk awaiting his approval had been her idea.

  He swiveled in his chair and his stomach dropped at the sight of Mimi’s name. The subject read: “Potential New Personnel on Board.”

  What the hell does that mean?

  He clicked on the e-mail, which she’d addressed to the Cambridge Group partners. It read:

  Gentlemen,

  In light of your firm’s continuing needs, I’ve proposed to the partnership that Nina Walker, another senior associate at the firm, serve as your primary contact going forward. Nina is one of Baxter’s finest publicists, and I have complete confidence in her ability to assist you with any public relations projects. I would serve in a supervisory role but would not handle any day-to-day concerns. The partners have indicated a willingness to accept my proposal, but as you might imagine, they’re interested in your feedback and obviously would not move forward should you have an objection. I’d like to meet with the members of the firm at your respective conveniences to discuss the matter and to give you an opportunity to meet Nina. Please let me know whether you are amenable.

  Best,

  Mimi Pennington

  Fuck. He shoved his chair back, and a stack of papers on his desk went flying through the air before landing all over the floor. He stood and paced his office, his steps so heavy he’d probably get a noise complaint from the tenants of the office below.

  So now she wanted nothing to do with the firm? Was she that desperate to avoid him? Where was the ultraprofessional woman who wouldn’t back away from a challenge? Hiding from him obviously. He’d never been the kind of man to throw objects in frustration, but today he considered doing just that.

  His cell phone vibrated on his desk. It was from a number he’d committed to memory.

  Mimi: Check your e-mail again.

  He didn’t want to. A short note explaining herself would only anger him more.

  Buzz.

  Mimi: Please.

  She couldn’t have known that he hadn’t opened the e-mail yet. But she knew him. That alone made him curious to read her explanation.

  He opened his e-mail account and saw the second e
-mail with the subject line “Operation Grovel.” This one had an attachment: an audio file. He tapped the Play icon, and the sounds of “Bohemian Rhapsody” filled his office.

  Then his speakerphone buzzed, and he couldn’t hold back his smile. “Yes, Felicia?”

  “You have a special delivery, Daniel.”

  He jumped up. “I’ll be right there.”

  A bouquet of blue orchids rested on the ledge of the reception desk. His heart thudded in his chest. He grabbed the flower-filled vase and spun around. “Anything else?”

  Felicia glanced at him and dropped her head. “That’s it.”

  He returned to his office and placed the flowers on the side table by the window. His phone buzzed again.

  Mimi: Is any of this working?

  Daniel: Depends on your goal.

  Mimi: I’m trying to orchestrate a reconciliation.

  Daniel: Where’s the Puerto Rican food?

  Mimi: OMG. It’s hard to find Puerto Rican food in D.C. Who do I have to bone to find it? I’m on it, though.

  He threw back his head and laughed. Only Mimi would describe sex as boning in a text.

  Daniel: You better not bone anyone but me. Just come see me.

  Mimi: Will do.

  He paced his office while he waited for her. Ten torturous minutes passed. She’d come back to him, and he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again.

  What the hell is taking her so long?

  After smoothing his hands on his slacks, he hit the speakerphone.

  “Yes, Daniel?” Felicia asked.

  “When Mimi arrives, send her straight back.”

  “You got it,” Felicia said in a singsong voice.

  A few minutes later, Mimi herself peeked into his office with a smile that made his chest ache. Her presence alone tilted his world back into place.

  He strode across the room and pulled her inside. After closing the door, he pushed her against it, and her purse landed on the floor with a thud. With his arm bent above her, he used his other hand to caress her cheek. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  She threw her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you, too. And I’m going to grovel, I swear, but first I need to kiss you.”