Page 33 of Enemy Boss

“Of course,” he says with a smile. “Please, sit back down.”

I do as he asks, and he sits himself down across the table from Max and me.

“We’re both busy people so let’s not waste each other’s time with pleasantries and platitudes. You come highly recommended to me, but of course I need to see for myself what exactly it is you’re offering me,” Mr McPherson says.

I like his no nonsense attitude and I find that there’s something about him in general that I quite like. I think he would be a good person to work with, and my instincts for such things are usually spot on, a skill I have honed over the years, for the most part by ignoring it and ending up with clients who were more trouble than their business was worth to me.

I tap a key on my laptop and the screen on the wall springs to life displaying a list of things that I would suggest need to be included in a security package for the firm, and beside it, the cost for each individual item, with a total price at the bottom.

I spend the next ten- or fifteen-minutes talking Mr McPherson through each of the items on the list, explaining to him what it means in laymen’s terms and then telling him why I feel that McPherson Financial Solutions should have it in place. Most of the items are straight forward enough and are already used in one capacity or another by the company, but some of their technology was older and I have replaced it with newer solutions and a couple of the things are new to the company altogether and those take a little bit more explaining, and Mr McPherson asks me several questions about those as we go. He seems to have a good understanding of the subject though which definitely makes my job here a bit easier.

I finish presenting my proposal and wait to hear Mr McPherson’s thoughts on it. He takes a moment and then he addresses me honestly.

“That’s all well and good and if I thought for a second there wasn’t a catch, I would take your hand right now for this offer. But I am not a stupid man and I trust that you aren’t either, so why don’t you explain to me how much this package will actually cost me because that price is barely going to make you a profit,” Mr McPherson says.

“It’s not going to make me a profit at all,” I say and smile at Mr McPherson’s confused expression. “I’m going to be honest with you Mr McPherson.”

“Call me Steven,” Mr McPherson says.

“Ok, Steven it is,” I agree. “I’m not going to be the only cyber security firm you talk to, and I know that the price is going to be significantly higher than what it would be if you were continuing to do your own in-house cyber security. I can sit here all day and explain the reasons why it is better to pay the extra and have experts take over the hassle of it for you, but every company will say the same things, and do you really have any proof that it’s not just a sales pitch? So, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. We will come in and get set up and run it for three months at those prices. If you see the benefit of working with ITSafe, then from month four onwards, the price will increase by twenty percent, but by then, you will already know it is worth it and you won’t be taking any gambles.”

Steven looks at me for a moment and then he smiles.

“I must admit I like that concept. I like that you are confident enough to put your money were your mouth is,” Steven says. “I’ll need to discuss it with the board of course. Expect to hear from me within two weeks.”

He stands up again and it’s clear that we’re being dismissed. Max and I take the hint and stand up too and Steven shakes both of our hands.

“Can you see yourselves out? I have another meeting in five minutes,” Steven says.

“Of course,” I agree. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Steven nods to me and he leaves the room. Max and I smile at each other and gather our things up and leave the conference room.

“I don’t want to put a jinx on things,” I say, once we’re back in my car and headed back to the office. “But I really think that went well.”

“Well?” Max says. “It went amazing. He would have said yes on the spot if it was solely his decision.”

“Let’s just hope he has plenty of influence over the board,” I say.

We get back to the office and I pull up in the parking lot and Max and I head back into the building. We go up to our floor and I pause by her desk.

“I need the notes from that meeting typed up and to me by the end of the day,” I say.

“I’m on it,” Max says. “I’ve already emailed the audio file over to the computer. You’ll have them in the next few hours unless something more important comes up.”

I don’t know what she thinks could possibly come up that would be more important than this, but I trust her to manage her work load in order of priority and so I don’t say anything, I just nod my head and then I go into my office.

Chapter 24

Max

Iwake up to find Cullen laid with his head between my legs, his tongue on my clit. I love staying over at his place because of mornings like this where he wakes me up in the most delicious way imaginable.

I let him lick me, sending the stirrings of fire through me and once all of my senses have been well and truly awakened, I press myself tighter against Cullen’s tongue. I feel him smile and for a second his tongue moves away from me.

“Good morning,” he says.

“Oh yes, it most definitely is,” I confirm.

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