by C. J. Thomas
This morning, getting dressed, I didn’t have to decide whether to wear one of my few nicer outfits or sit through another day at the office in some knockoff piece I didn’t love. I had my pick of only top of the line clothes.
As I approached Ricardo de Lugo, I caught my reflection in the windows I passed. I looked good. I felt stronger. More confident. Sexy, too, which was a powerful feeling. I felt as though I could rise to the challenge of my new job, or any job put in front of me.
My new friend Jack, the security guard, seemed to notice the difference. “Well, well, Miss. Quite a change from yesterday. I take it you accepted the position—I kept expecting to see you come back down yesterday, but you never did.” He swiped his card in front of the sensor, calling the elevator.
“Yes, I accepted. My boss was generous enough to provide a new wardrobe for me since I could never afford something so upscale on my old salary.” My cheeks fanned red at my own admission.
“See what I mean? Generous to a fault, the man is. I’m so happy you got the job. You’ll enjoy it.”
I already was. I thanked Jack for his support before stepping into the elevator and using my own key card to select the top floor. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror along the back wall of the car.
The new me winked back.
I was on my way up, in every way possible.
“Good morning, Jeanine.” I beamed at Aaron’s assistant, looking forward to the day when I would have my own. “How are you today?”
“Just great.” Her smile was false, empty. I quickly noted that Aaron’s office door was closed—then again, he preferred it that way.
“The boss in yet?” I asked.
“He’s always here long before now. Sometimes as early as six o’clock.”
“That early, huh? Wow.” I shook my head in wonder at his discipline.
“Yes, the only day he ever came in at a so-called normal time was just a few days back,” she explained. “It struck me as odd, but even he can be unpredictable.” She shrugged, and I told myself it would be best to leave her to her assumptions.
I knew why he’d been late.
Me.
“Well, I’ll go to my office, then.” I loved the feeling of walking in, knowing it was mine. If Jeanine hadn’t been just down the hall, I might have walked out, then back in again just to relive the thrill.
My office.
My bright, natural-light-filled office.
All mine.
Because I deserved it.
My chest radiated a proud glow I’d been waiting to experience my entire professional career.
My roommates had agreed with Emery’s stance when I’d caught them up on my job situation. After telling me over and over how much they hated my good luck, they pretty much gave me the same line about deserving a break. It was easier to believe it when I had so much support behind me. After a while, I was sure, it would be a no-brainer to assume I’d be respected.
My email inbox was full, and I rolled up the sleeves of my new silk blouse and dove in. It felt energizing, knowing I could make a difference at Ricardo de Lugo.
I scheduled a meet-and-greet with my team members for late in the morning, agreed to have lunch in one of the break out areas—whatever that meant—with the creative director and her team, and answered a few questions on the build-up for the fall line. I’d spend the rest of the day acquainting myself with the company’s workflow, who was who, what they did, and how all the pieces worked together.
I liked how fresh and free-thinking everyone seemed to be. When Reed purchased Madison Media Group, he essentially sat at the top of a company which already existed. He didn’t make many changes, except to hire his buddies. Otherwise, it might have existed back in the eighties or earlier. No telecommuting, no common areas. I was surprised we’d had internet access, though we were under strict orders never to use it for personal reasons on company time. Social media had been blocked—which was hilarious, seeing as we should have been monitoring our social media presence—along with anything outside a website belonging to the company or one of its clients.
Still, I got the sense that Aaron ran a tight ship. I’d taken a walk around the place the day before, and I noticed one telltale sign no matter where I went: There was no messing around. Nobody chatting at the in-house coffee bar, unless they had work spread out in front of them. No groups of gossipers. The energy had been high, positive, infectious. People worked hard and got a lot more done than they likely did at Madison, which told me a lot about Aaron’s management style.
Everything about the company was a perfect fit for me. I was starting to believe Emery’s claims that something up there or out there had been looking out for me.
I left my door open—I preferred it that way, rather than feeling closed-off—and looked up as soon as I heard a noise in the hall. From the position of my desk, I could see straight through to Aaron’s office. What I saw nearly gave me a heart attack.
Reed Kingsley walked out, with Aaron behind him.
WTF?
I panicked. They hadn’t seen me, and I didn’t want the discomfort of a run-in with Reed. Not after the way Aaron left things for me at Madison Media Group.
I looked around, desperate for a way to avoid notice. Finally, I just sank behind the desk, crouching out of sight as they passed.
They didn’t say anything to each other—I’d have known Reed’s voice anywhere. It had been the stuff of nightmares for years, and it tended to carry even when he didn’t intend it to. I remembered joking with his assistant about his inability to control the volume. I would have heard it if he and Aaron were having a conversation, but nothing floated in my direction.
I scowled, wanting to know what they talked about but getting nothing.
If he wasn’t going to say anything, I wasn’t going to crouch there with the door open. I scooted out from behind the desk, hurrying to the open door and swinging it shut without a sound. I stood behind it, making sure Reed couldn’t catch a glimpse of me.
Only when there was a big slab of wood between us did I relax, breathing a sigh of relief with my eyes closed.
Why would he be here?
I searched my brain for any connection Madison Media Group had with Aaron’s company. Ricardo de Lugo didn’t advertise with them—I would have known for sure if they did. They’d never made a deal together that I was aware of.
There had to be something else.
I might have been over-thinking it. It could have been a regular old business meeting. Nothing more. Nothing less.
No, scratch that—Aaron didn’t like him. I couldn’t help remembering what he’d written in my “resignation” letter. How insulting he’d been. There was history between them, I just didn’t know what or how.
Business partners didn’t have to like each other, I reminded myself. They didn’t have to be friends to do business together. It happened all the time, I was sure. Certain concessions had to be made for the sake of capitalism.
I shook my head at all the rationalizations pouring out of my brain.
I decided to let it go. It was none of my business, anyway. If Aaron thought it should be, he would tell me about it. It would be best if I pretended I hadn’t seen them out there. I didn’t mind the idea of forgetting all about Reed.
Jeanine called just as I sat back down. “I have something for you—a new assignment from the boss. Do you have a few minutes to go over it?”
“Of course.” I made sure I still looked okay after my game of hide-and-seek. Jeanine walked in moments later, holding a file.
“What’s this?” It was heavy, for sure. Filled with pages of information, segmented by city.
“Those are the potential locations for the Ricardo de Lugo fall shows.”
“Oh, how exciting!” Paris, London, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Miami, LA . . . I flipped through, each option more exciting than the last.
“And you’ll choose the city, as well as the theme we go with.”
My head snapped up fro
m where I’d just been reviewing the file. “You’re not serious.”
“Boss’s orders.” She shrugged with a grin. “Think you can handle that?”
“Um . . . yes. I think so. Jeez, this is a lot at once.” I rocked back in my chair, hands on my head. “I mean, what if I choose the wrong city? The wrong theme?”
“If Mr. Bello didn’t think you could handle it, he wouldn’t ask you to. Trust me, he has a very keen instinct when it comes to potential. He saw yours right away—I know, I was there, helping him put your portfolio together. Besides—” She glanced behind her, making sure Aaron’s office door was still closed, then leaned closer to me. “I felt the same way when I first started working here, though I don’t have half the responsibility you do. But I was young, just out of college, so I didn’t have the first clue as to what a job like this would entail. He had faith in me, and that was enough to make me have faith in myself. Now, I’m his right-hand gal. It’ll get easier, I promise.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a grateful smile. “It’s nice of you to take the time to help me.”
“Anything I can do, all you have to do is ask. I mean that.” Before she closed the door, she poked her head back into the room. “Oh, and to answer your question—there’s no wrong city or theme. Trust me. Anything goes.”
Anything goes, huh?
It was a thrilling prospect, holding the line’s next fashion show in my hands. Would I get to go along? In that case, I’d pick a city I wanted to visit. But they all fit the bill!
I laughed at myself for getting so worked up over it, even as my heart raced with excitement. I just wanted to do the right thing. I didn’t want to mess things up, then take the blame as the new girl.
And I didn’t want to ruin Aaron’s reputation—what if somebody found out we were sleeping together and assumed that was the only reason I’d gotten the job? It would be easy to explain away a major screw-up if I was seen as just some floozy the boss picked up in a club.
No. Enjoy this. Take advantage of the responsibility and enjoy it.
I gave myself a stern pep talk, then nodded resolutely as I did my research on each city and went through past show themes to get ideas.
To think, if I were still working for Reed, I would have been editing puff pieces and fielding calls from advertisers.
Aaron had faith in me. Look what he was asking me to do, and on my second day! If this was what I could expect so soon in the game, I wondered how much more exciting my job would get the longer I stayed with the company.
I sure couldn’t imagine leaving. My job. Or him. They were both perfect.
CHAPTER 22
Aaron
Not long after the so-called meeting with Reed, which left a bad taste in my mouth I didn’t shake until hours afterward, I went into defense mode. How could I block him in time to prevent the offer? How could I keep him away from Kenzie?
It wouldn’t be hard to distract her. She was so young and innocent, for all her worldliness. She might have gone through a lot of hard knocks, thanks to Reed, but she could still be dazzled.
I liked that about her. There were already too many jaded people in the world.
How would I distract her, though? How could I do it long enough to keep Reed away from her?
He was a rich man, a powerful man. A conniving, thieving, backstabbing man. He would go to any lengths.
Just like I would.
I had underestimated how much she meant to him—then again, I reminded myself, it probably had nothing to do with her. It had to do with me and our rivalry. He couldn’t let me win, even if that victory only meant losing an employee. A single person.
Not the woman who’d been rocking my world in bed these last few nights.
It reminded me of hours-long games of Monopoly that I used to play when I was a kid and we were all sent away to live with our aunt after Mom died. There was always that one player who had to have everything, who wouldn’t accept another person forfeiting the game when it was clear they’d never win. No, the game had to be completely theirs. They had to bankrupt the losing player, take everything from them in order to feel satisfaction.
I imagined Reed would be that kind of player.
I had to out-think him. Out-maneuver him. That was one thing I was sure was possible. He was too obvious, too hell-bent. I didn’t know what he held against me—wasn’t it enough that he took what was supposed to be mine?
I should have been the one looking for revenge, not him.
Maybe he saw me as a bug, something to squash. He’d referred to my company as being a young one, hadn’t he?
He’d find out what a young company could do.
I knew who I needed to call: Stephanie Childs. It had been a long time, but I didn’t think she would have forgotten me. Not after what I did for her. Without my help, the girl would have been in serious trouble—maybe even in prison.
She owed me one.
“Hello?” It was clear from the sound of her voice that she was surprised to hear from me.
“Don’t say my name,” I told her. “I don’t want anyone knowing I’m calling.”
“Are you all right? Are you in trouble?”
Right, because I would call you if I was in trouble.
“There’s a little problem I hoped you could help me with. Are you alone?”
“No, but I can be. Give me a second.” I waited while she went somewhere I hoped was confidential. She was my only hope. I couldn’t have her screwing things up. “Okay, I’m alone. What’s up?”
“You still working for Reed Kingsley?”
“Yes, I’m at work now.”
“Good. I need you to do a little digging for me.”
“Uh-oh. On what? You know there’s a limit to what I can find out for you. It’s not like they leave files out in the open.” I hadn’t even asked yet, and already she had cold feet. I had to get her to come around.
“I leave it all in your capable hands,” I said. “I know you have your ways when there’s something you want badly enough. Like when you looked up all those financial records and got caught doing it. You found a way then, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, and I was almost thrown in prison for it,” she retorted. “You remember that? I’d rather that not happen again.”
“And who helped you out of it? Refresh my memory. Who gave you the money to hire the city’s top lawyers to get you off? I don’t remember the man’s name . . .”
A heavy sigh. “You did.”
“Exactly. I know an ex-hacker like you can find anything she wants.”
“That was a long time ago, and you know it. Besides, I’ve gone clean. I don’t do that anymore.”
“You can do it for me just this once, can’t you? I mean, I think I more than paid for your services. Those legal bills were no joke.” I kept my voice smooth, cool. I had no doubt she would fall in line.
Another sigh. “What do you want me to find out?”
I closed my eyes, pumping my fist in victory. “I need all the dirt you can find on Reed Kingsley.”
“Whoa, whoa. That’s asking a little much, even though I owe you a favor. I mean, the man is my boss. My top boss. I can’t pry into Madison Media Group. Especially not while I’m working here.”
“Why not? You’ve done worse.”
“I told you, I don’t do it anymore.”
“And I didn’t have to get you off the hook for something that would have gotten you a hefty prison sentence, not to mention the way I paid to have your record expunged. Without me, you never would have gotten your job at Madison to begin with. So who are you really loyal to? Who deserves it more?”
Silence. “What do you want me to find?”
“Anything you can, but specifically anything about Kenzie Olson. I have a feeling he’s got his eye on her and he wants to put together an offer to get her back in the company.”
“Who is this person?” I remembered that Stephanie worked in the legal department. Irony never ceased.
“You wou
ldn’t know her. Don’t worry about it. Just keep an eye out for her name and anything else in his emails or anywhere that might be interesting. I mean anything. I’m looking to cut him off at the knees.”
“Okay. I’ll do what I can.” She let out a heavy breath. “What’s my time frame?”
“Five minutes ago.”
“Of course.” She snorted. “I’ll get back to you soon.”
I didn’t love blackmailing, though technically that wasn’t what I was doing. I hadn’t threatened the girl. I only reminded her of what she owed me. I didn’t think a little snooping around was too much to ask after everything I’d done for her.
And if she had any trouble, I would gladly help her again. It would be the least I could do.
It wasn’t easy, keeping myself occupied while waiting for Stephanie’s call. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Not even Kenzie, since every time she came to mind I thought about Reed taking her from me. And that had my blood red-hot.
I could imagine the smug look on his face when he won, and my fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned bright white.
No way I could let that happen.
Not that asshole.
When my phone rang, I nearly jumped on it. “Yeah? Find anything?”
“You’re not going to like it,” Stephanie said. She didn’t even have to tell me the details. The sound of her voice told me it was going to be worse than I’d expected.
“What is it? I can take it.” If he was already set to go with the offer, I would have to think of some way to get around him.
“It’s about you.”
“Me?” Well, he hated me. I could imagine my name being bandied about via email, especially if Reed had managed to put two and two together on who did the resigning.
“Yes. It’s not good, Aaron.” She took a deep breath, then whispered, “Do you have stock in MangaCorp? Or Triton Industries?”
“Sure. What’s that got to do with anything?”
“He has evidence of insider trading.”
I froze, shocked. I’d never seen it coming. Of all the ways he might have come at me, that was one I couldn’t have imagined in a million years.