Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series

by Ainsley St Claire

  “Well, with your absence we had to, um… you know, we had to…” Victor falters.

  “Hmm… I don’t take a salary. There was no interim CEO to pay. My absence shouldn’t have affected the payroll. Did you make a financial decision to put Alex Tuberville on salary without my consent?”

  His shoulders drop. “He had board approval.”

  I’m still the major shareholder, and Mason wasn’t aware of any large expenditures. “I see. What about development costs?”

  “I can’t—”

  The door bangs open, and ten agents rush in with their windbreakers all clearly marked FBI in bright yellow. Jim strolls in behind them.

  “Mr. Mao, we have a warrant for your arrest on the charges of espionage and being a foreign agent.”

  His eyes pop as he looks around, as if he thinks he can get past the agents and run—no chance of that.

  “I didn’t do anything like that,” he exclaims.

  I lean in. “Victor, I suggest you shut your mouth and call a lawyer. You can try the Chinese embassy, but I doubt they’ll acknowledge that they know you. After all, the amount of data you breached is significant. And I’ll be chasing you in civil court, so make sure you find someone for that case too.”

  He’s led out in handcuffs, and they take him into the conference room with the frosted glass.

  Sarah comes in. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be after I get past the next meeting,” I tell her.

  “Mr. Tuberville is on his way up.”

  “Perfect. Send him in.”

  Jim stands with his arms crossed. “You did great. Just one more to go.”

  “I can do this,” I say, more for myself than for him. I’m so angry that it’s hard not to lose my cool and go off on these guys.

  The door opens, and Alex walks in as Jim walks out. “Mia! Good to see you back. I was getting rather comfortable in this office.”

  “I heard that.” I point to the chair. “Please have a seat. I wanted to go through the agenda with you for today’s board meeting.”

  He smiles and looks as slippery as a snake. “Well, I should prepare you. The board has decided to let you go. We’ll buy back your shares at a quarter of the market rate. Given that you’ve conspired with a Russian spy, the board feels you’re a liability to the company.”

  It’s my turn to look smug. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” he sneers.

  “Actually, you won’t be at today’s meeting.”

  He snorts. “You think? One phone call, and they’ll all back me. You can prevent me from going to today’s meeting, but this has been building for a while.”

  Four FBI officers walk in, and he’s so busy self-aggrandizing that he doesn’t realize it.

  “I don’t think you’ll want to waste your one phone call on that.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Mr. Tuberville, we have a warrant for your arrest.”

  “You can’t have me arrested,” Alex barks.

  I nod. “Trust me, I know. But I’m not behind this. You are. You see, the FBI has been tracking Victor, and they have you on tape scheming to defraud the company and commit corporate espionage.” I lean in. “You’re toast, asshole.”

  They cuff him and lead him out. I sit down at my desk and feel like I’m going to throw up.

  “You were fantastic,” Jim says, appearing in the doorway. “Mason’s blowing up my phone checking on you. I should warn you, he’s on his way over.”

  I smile. “Thanks for the heads up.”

  He steps out. I need my friends. I send out a group text to my Stiletto Sisters.

  Me: The Tiger Den 6:30 for drinks? It’s already been one of those days.

  Toni: I’ll be there.

  Elena: Count me in.

  Caroline: I wouldn’t miss it.

  Ryder: First round on me.

  Claire: If Ryder’s buying, I wouldn’t miss that!

  Ryder: That’s right, sister!

  Marci: Walker just told me. I’ll be there.

  Elena: What happened?

  Me: Just don’t be late. You won’t want to miss a second of this story!

  Mason bursts in with a giant grin. “I heard you were incredible!”

  I smile. “Thanks. I don’t think the urge to vomit has quite passed yet.”

  He waves that away. “The board will be relieved to learn Alex isn’t forcing you out.”

  “No, he’s not forcing me out.”

  We hang out in my office for a little while, and I feel pretty good by the time we need to leave for the board meeting. “I think it’s time to get to the Fairmont.”

  “Good idea.” Mason stands and groans. “My legs are stiff today.”

  “Old man,” Jim barbs.

  “My first mistake was thinking I could keep up with you and Nate during your workout.” He turns to me. “Do you want to celebrate tonight?”

  “I’ve called the girls for drinks. That’s probably enough.”

  “Okay.”

  After a quick ride with Jim and Mason in a Clear Security Cadillac Escalade, we walk into the Fairmont meeting room. As usual, despite it being twenty minutes before our meeting, most of the board is here. “I’m sorry, did Alex ask you here early?”

  Sandra Collins stands. “Actually, we were meeting without him. We want it clear that we’re not comfortable with his plan for this meeting. I’ve never felt so pressured. I fear Alex wants to take this company in the wrong direction, which is forcing me to resign.”

  One by one, my entire board submits their resignation leaving only me and Mason. My heart soars. “Before I accept these and you leave, I’d like to bring you up to speed on a few things.”

  I walk them through the arrests of Victor Mao and Alex Tuberville this morning. “The case is solid against both of them,” I explain. “I know I’ve been gone, but I hope you’ll reconsider your resignations and join me to right this ship.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Jennifer Wisk says.

  “You have my support,” Mason says.

  As the meeting begins in earnest, I turn to Mason. “I’d like to engage Emerson Healy’s team to begin the search for a qualified CFO and CEO for Diamond Analytics.”

  Mason’s eyes go wide. “What are you saying?”

  “I think over the next year, I’d like to transition to just being the majority shareholder and a board member. That forced break showed me that I miss being an entrepreneur. I want to be here for Diamond, but I have other ideas I want to work on, and Flirt was just the start. I think if we find the right CEO—someone who can step in with me still here so our stockholders become comfortable with them—we won’t have a sell-off.”

  Sandra drops her pen on her pad of paper. “You’re probably right. If I could kick Alex’s ass, I would. You got that scrappy taste back, and now you want it again.”

  I shake my head, laughing. “That’s right. Although I will admit, it’s not quite as scrappy as it was the first time.”

  I update the board about all the attempted breaches to the company website, and then Jim explains to everyone that once Clear figured out Victor was the only person who had access to my computer, they were able to match him to a video of someone on the floor when the trojan horse was planted. It was feeding information to an outside source. They then broke into his email and discovered he was communicating with someone who has been linked to the Chinese embassy. Hence his field trip with the FBI this morning.

  The board then has a variety of reports for me, and after four hours of meeting, I think I’m mostly up to speed with what’s been happening at Diamond. Now I’m more than ready to get to the Tiger Den. As the board members file out, I send Jim and Mason off, and Jennifer remains with me.

  When I open my phone, there’s a text I missed from Axel that warms my heart.

  Axel: I know you’re going to do great today. I’m thinking of you and I love you. I want to take you to the Cit
y of Love. Please?

  Paris? Who can resist Paris with the man you love? I call, and he answers on the first ring.

  “How did it go?” he asks.

  “The arrests went off without any issues. I have to admit, there is a level of satisfaction in putting your enemy behind bars.”

  “Are you ready for the press release dealing with Russian and Chinese spies?”

  I snort. “Funny you should mention—I have our PR team working on that very messaging. But then my board greeted me by resigning.”

  “Ohhhhh shit.”

  “It all worked out. The board members felt they were being pressured—which they were—and once I explained the arrests and things going on, they felt better. They agreed to stay on, but I also gave them a year’s notice.”

  “Notice of what?”

  “I’m going to step down as CEO. I know we didn’t talk about it, and we probably should have, but I didn’t know I would do that until I got into the office today. I don’t want to work at Diamond anymore. It will always be my baby, but I loved building Flirt. And I have several other ideas I’d like to explore. Do you mind?”

  “Are you kidding? No way! I love it. You’ll have the freedom to join me for Spring Training camps and games all over. We can work on your goal of seeing a game in every stadium.”

  “I love that idea!”

  “When will you be home tonight?” he says softly.

  “I’m going to meet the girls for drinks, but maybe afterward we can grab a bite.”

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll be the naked man in your bed when you get home.”

  When I walk into the Tiger Den with Jennifer, the girls are ready with a round of lemon drop martinis.

  “This is perfect.” I take a big sip. “I swear, these are the best in the City.”

  “Well, don’t leave us hanging,” Toni says.

  I regale everyone with the tale of what has happened over the last three weeks and the wonderful feeling I had when my shady chief financial officer was arrested.

  “After Clear handed the video of Victor over to the FBI and got wiretaps, the rest is history.”

  “Holy crap! That’s huge,” Claire says.

  “Well, that and because my most difficult board member thought it appropriate to collude with Victor, they caught him in an attempted coup while stealing from the company. So, we said bu-bye to him today as well.”

  “Damn, girl. You sure do like to do it big,” Ryder says.

  “I’m done doing it big.” I twirl the stem of the glass and try hard not to look at the girls. “Axel and I are making plans to go to Paris for a few days, and I’m going to forget about all of this.”

  “Wait. What? You’re going to Paris?” Elena asks.

  “Well, not tomorrow or anything.” I drink the rest of my drink. “But he wants to get away.”

  “Do you think he’s going to propose?” Caroline asks.

  I can’t let myself think that. We’ve not been dating long enough. “I think it’s a little early for that.”

  Caroline shrugs, her eyes dancing. “If he does, you can always do a long engagement…”

  Chapter 34

  Axel

  “Are you ready?” I ask. Because I certainly am. This trip has been a long time coming.

  Thank goodness we’re taking a chartered jet to Paris. Mia has spent the last two months nearly nonstop setting up a framework that will help Diamond Analytics prepare for a new CEO. So right now, the first order of business is to make sure the Wi-Fi on her phone is disabled for the flight. No calls. No texts. No email. I want her to decompress.

  She pulls her luggage behind her. “I’m ready. But is this a good idea to escape while your sister is moving?”

  “She has movers,” I remind her. “Kelly is there to help her, and the kids are with Nina. If I were there, I might be supervising, but the pros are doing the heavy lifting.”

  “Sometimes just having your big brother near is what’s important.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “Nice guilt.”

  Mia scrunches her face. “I don’t want her to think I’m going to come between you two.”

  “I promise she doesn’t think that. Kelly helped her pick out plates, glasses, silverware, and pots and pans. And they’ve made arrangements for beds.” I pull Mia close and embrace her. “She’s going to be fine.”

  I did tell Alana my plan for this weekend, and I know she’s entirely comfortable with me taking off for a few days. Jeremy and the guys are also in on what’s going on. The team has a week off, so I’ve shipped them all home before they give my plans away.

  We board the private plane Jim insisted we take, and there’s a bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for us with a note.

  Mia opens the envelope and chuckles. “That’s not saying much.” She shows me the card.

  To the happy couple. Enjoy your trip. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.

  XOXO

  Caroline & Mason

  “That’s very thoughtful of them.” I’m amazed that everyone in the tight group Mia is part of has been so welcoming, and they’ve started to include me in activities even without her. Trey Arnault has met me a few times to go surfing, and he’s not only good, but he’s fearless.

  Mia and I talk during takeoff and prepare to watch a movie together as the plane jets its way across the globe to Paris. It will be evening when we arrive, and we’re staying at the George V. I have dinner reservations tonight that include a surprise.

  For now, I’ve stocked the player with romantic movies that have a special meaning, and none of them were made after 1945.

  We get cozy under a blanket and watch Casablanca.

  Mia rubs her hands together. “God, what an awful choice. If he helps the woman he loves free her husband, he can’t have her. What a killer.”

  We then work our way through several films—A Night at the Opera with the Marx brothers, Singing in the Rain about living life together in full view, the original The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1938… Mia may not know that I see her as a Robin Hood, but even if that makes me Maid Marian, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And we finish with An American in Paris, which I hope tells her that no matter what, I will put her love and happiness ahead of my own. She’s my world.

  I’ve come a long way to be able to say that. I never thought I’d feel the way I do about Mia. I didn’t know I was capable of this kind of love, but I’m so grateful for the ways she’s opened my heart.

  Eventually she falls asleep in my arms, and I’m content. Before she was in my life, I had a constant underlying nervous energy—always humming. But Mia calms that. She channels it into something better. I love her, I want to have children with her, and I want to grow old with her.

  When we arrive, a car takes us to the hotel, and I can see her watching the late-afternoon sky.

  “Are you thinking about all the things you want to do while you’re here?”

  She turns to me and smiles. “You know, you could have picked a long weekend in a small town in northern Minnesota—or really anywhere. As long as we’re together. That’s all I care about.”

  I pull her close. “I agree. But I’ve always wanted to be in love and explore Paris with that person—and that’s you.”

  We pull up to the George V, and the doorman opens the door and ushers us out of the car. Another one opens the front door of the hotel, and we approach the front desk and check-in before being escorted to our suite. Peter walks through the room before heading off to his own.

  We pull the drapes wide, walk onto the patio, and take in the view of the Eiffel Tower.

  “I’m so grateful for the life that brought us together,” she says.

  “Tomorrow we have a private tour of the Louvre,” I tell her. “I hope we can get up that early.”

  “Lots of French coffee will help.”

  “I also set up an appointment for you at La Perla. They’ve offered you a fitting, and you can model for me.”


  Mia gasps and hugs me tight.

  “Our dinner reservation is in a little over an hour,” I tell her. “Let’s change and go downstairs early for drinks at the bar.”

  I dress in my dark, summer-weight wool suit with a light blue shirt and matching tie.

  When Mia exits the bathroom, she’s breathtaking. Her dress fits her perfectly. The front plunges to her navel and buttons at the back of her neck. My dick stands at attention.

  She stops when she sees me. “You look so handsome.”

  “I’m just hoping my hands don’t slip inside that dress during dinner.”

  “What happens in Paris stays in Paris,” she purrs.

  “Let’s go downstairs. The sooner dinner is over, the sooner I can enjoy peeling you out of that dress.”

  “Too bad we don’t have another chocolate fountain.”

  I smile. She has no idea what I have planned for tonight. It isn’t a chocolate fountain…

  Men turn and look at her with appreciation as we make our way down to the restaurant. We take a seat at the bar, and she leans in.

  “Every woman envies me here with you.”

  I place my hand on her thigh. “Every man here wishes he was the one with you.”

  After our cocktails, we move to a table and enjoy a beautiful eight-course meal. Our conversation always seems to turn to baseball, and Mia lights up as she talks.

  “I love you,” I tell her.

  She drinks from her glass of Sambuca. “Maybe we should have dessert in the room.”

  “That was my plan.”

  When we return to the room, the staff has prepared my presentation. We walk in, and immediately Mia wraps her arms around me. We kiss for a few moments and then I lead her out to the patio where hundreds of candles showcase the petals on the ground, and soft music plays.

  “What is this?” She turns to me, eyes wide.

  I bring her close and kiss her softly before I get down on one knee.