by M. S. Parker
Chapter 7
Curt did indeed have a name. Jenna Lang. And she wasn't just a name, he informed me. Apparently, she had her own company and glowing recommendations from a professor Curt and I had taken classes from in college.
“Why would someone with their own company want to leave it to come work as a security tech here?” I asked.
“I'm thinking you might want her to be more than a security tech,” Curt said. “You've been doing this by yourself for a year and a half. You need someone who can take on more of the responsibility. Someone you can trust and who'll do a good job.”
“You want me to hire some stranger to be my partner instead of replacing Truman?”
I could almost hear him rolling his eyes at me. “No, dumbass. I want you to hire her for the security position, but give her some extra responsibilities until you can see that she's as good as I'm saying. See where things go from there.”
“I can't afford to take the time to train someone,” I said. “I'd be taking a serious risk hiring her without knowing what she can do.”
“It doesn't matter who you hire,” Curt said. “You're going to have to wait to see how they handle things either way. It's not like you can just bring someone in when something goes wrong and hope they know what they're doing.”
An idea popped into my head. It was a little crazy and would mean lying to people, but it might actually work. I didn't tell Curt though. I wasn't sure he'd approve.
I chatted with Curt a few minutes more, then turned my attention to the job ahead. I figured I might as well start with Curt's recommendation, so I pulled up her site on my computer.
Well-designed. No frills. Also no picture of her, which I thought was interesting, if not a bit strange. When Archer Enterprises had gone public, Curt had insisted my picture be on the website. When I'd asked why, he'd bluntly stated that I was better looking. Did the lack of a picture mean that Jenna didn't have anyone working for her attractive enough to be featured on the site? Not that it was important, but it did say something about her personality if she worried about things like that.
I began to read through the site. There was practically nothing personal about Ms. Lang other than the fact that she was a CSU graduate like me. I didn't remember a Jenna Lang in any of my computer classes, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. I checked the company address first and that's when things started to fall into place. It was an apartment building known for housing non-traditional and recently graduated students. She worked out of her home, which meant she probably had only one or two people working with her, if any. And she was probably young, hence the lack of picture. I'd had to fight to prove myself and I knew it'd be even harder for a woman, as unfair as I thought it was.
Was that why Curt had mentioned her, I wondered. Since I'd technically started Archer Enterprises out of my dorm room freshman year, did he think I'd be more likely to hire someone who reminded me of myself?
While I doubted I'd be inclined to such a thing, I had to admit that I was intrigued. I'd do a background check a bit later, but at the moment, I wanted to put a face to the name.
I started to get up, then remembered that everyone on the floors below were probably trying to figure out what was going on with Truman. I had to admit that I was a bit surprised that no one had come up to ask. Relieved, but surprised.
I quickly typed out an email to the whole company. I kept it simple, saying that Truman had been arrested for work-related crimes and that he was no longer employed here. I assured them all that no one had been in danger and that things were to progress as normal. I supposed it sounded a bit terse, but I wasn't exactly in an eloquent mood at the moment.
I hit send, waited a couple minutes to make sure that everyone had time to get their email alerts and then headed straight down to the lobby. I waited until I was outside and heading for my car before I called Christophe to let him know I was out of the building for a while. I could hear people buzzing in the background and got the impression that my email was making the rounds. To his credit, Christophe didn't ask any questions, but rather acknowledged what I'd said and ended the conversation.
I pulled up in front of the building not too much later, but I didn't get out of the car. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go in and introduce myself, then ask her to come in to interview, or if I wanted to take my time. I needed someone soon, but I also needed to be thorough. I could do the background check this afternoon, then put into motion the plan I'd come up with while on the phone with Curt.
It was actually pretty simple, aside from the deception part. I'd contact a potential employee and hire them to fix a problem. I'd spruce up Truman's backdoor, make it harder to find, and then tell the person a half-truth about what had happened. I'd make it sound like the program was already installed in my system and I only had a couple hours to get it fixed before Truman's client knew my company was vulnerable. I'd have to say someone else had found it to make it seem like I couldn't fix it myself. I didn't like the idea of anyone thinking I couldn't spot something like that, but it would be the only way the lie would work.
With this plan, I'd be able to see how someone would react in a high pressure, time sensitive situation, how thorough and fast they were and how dedicated. If they were good enough, I'd tell them the truth, and their reaction would tell me a great deal about their personality.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the number for Lang Tech Consulting. If Curt thought she was good, I’d start with his recommendation. As I dialed, I looked out the window. A figure caught my eye, and it was no wonder.
She was about average height with an athletic build that was worth a second look, especially in her short skirt and fitted shirt. And her hair was blue. Like bright blue. I could see some piercings glinting in the sun as well as some impressive ink. Definitely the kind of woman people looked at.
The phone in my hand started ringing and I watched as the blue-haired girl pulled hers out of her bag.
“Lang Tech Consulting.”
Of course that would be her, I thought to myself with a smile. “Hi, I'd like to make an appointment,” I said. “It’s a big system job, so it'll need to run late when everyone's out of the office.”
I watched her bend over and dig through her bag, pull out a notebook and ink pen. The skirt rode up her thighs, exposing the sleek muscles there. “That's fine,” she said as she stood back up.
Her voice was a bit huskier than I'd imagined and my stomach twisted. I wondered what she would sound like in bed. Moaning. Calling my name...
“Sorry, could you repeat that?” Heat rose to my cheeks as I realized I'd completely missed what she'd said.
“What's the company name?” she asked again.
“Archer Enterprises.” I watched as she disappeared into the apartment building. “And the sooner, the better.”
I was tempted to drag out the conversation, but I decided against it. I'd have plenty of time to talk to her when she came in for her 'interview.' I fully intended to stay and watch her through the whole thing. Aside from needing to see how she worked and processed difficult situations, I also wasn't about to let some stranger anywhere near my system without me hovering over them. If she was as good as Curt claimed, she could do serious damage if she wanted to.
I watched the building for a few more minutes, then headed back to the office. I couldn't quite get her out of my head though. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about her intrigued me. Maybe it was because I wanted to know the story behind her appearance. The hair. The tattoos and piercings. The clothes. Who was this girl? What was her story?
– The End –
Don’t miss the captivating final installment, Pure Pleasures; release May 26th.
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Acknowledgement
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big “th
anks” goes out to all my Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of my series.
I have to thank my PA, Shannon Hunt. Without you my life would be a complete and utter mess. Also a big thank you goes out to my editor Lynette. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
About The Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privé and Chasing Perfection.
Living in Southern California, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing on her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor or author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing. ☺
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Book Description
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Acknowledgement
About The Author