Page 31 of Sex, Lust & Lingerie

CHAPTER 19

Gloria

Throughout the night, I kept reliving my nightmare, tossing and turning. My insomnia had at last given way to sleep when my phone rang. My eyes glued shut, I flung my arm out from under the duvet and fumbled for it on the nightstand. I put it to my ear. My eyes flew open. Kevin! I glanced at the time; it was just a little after 6:00 a.m. Kevin calling me at this still dark hour signaled bad news. My brain snapped awake, and I bolted to an upright position.

“Glorious, all hell has broken loose. The stock market opened, and there was another big sell-off. Shares have dropped another twenty points…and it could get worse as the day goes on.”

“God fucking dammit!” The word “fuck” was going to be on the tip of my tongue all day long.

“The Wall Street Journal wants to do an interview with you later this morning.”

“Tell them NO!” My voice was harsh.

“What about Forbes? Business Week? Or the Financial Times?”

“Tell them all NO!” I hurled the words at him.

There was a moment of silence on Kevin’s end before he said, “Glorious, you’re going to have to issue a statement.”

My eyes narrowed with rage; my face heated. “Simply tell them that Gloria Long assures all her stockholders that Gloria’s Secret is poised for growth. She will not be stepping down as CEO any time soon.”

Kevin sighed into the phone. “Got it. I’m heading into the office now.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Nausea rose to my chest. “One last thing, Kev…could you please set up a company-wide meeting in the theater at eleven o’clock. Our employees need to hear what’s going on from me. And let’s be sure it can be streamed live to stores around the world.”

“Will do. I love you, Glorious.”

“I love you too.” I ended the call and mentally picked out the black power suit and shoes I was going to wear today. Armor was what I really needed for the battle ahead.

Before showering, I quickly checked my iPhone calendar. My breath hitched. I had one other major meeting in the afternoon. Fuck. How could I forget? Jaime Zander was coming by at two. Not only did I need armor to get through the day; I also needed a chastity belt. Unfortunately, that was the one item you’d never find in a Gloria’s Secret catalogue.

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