Page 18 of Hers to Love
And here she was again. Only this time it was a bribe.
Marshall hated the idea of going to see the company’s therapist—she’d heard it in his voice when he’d asked her about the appointment. Every time she mentioned it, he would groan. He had stormed into Kori’s office right before today’s appointment to declare he wasn’t going unless…
Unless she had dinner with him after.
Dinner.
Dinner?
Kori had been so stunned she didn’t respond. He wanted to have dinner. Why? She was his daughter’s age. He couldn’t think…No.Kori had laughed it off after he’d left, all the while fear invaded every part of her being. She hadn’t stopped shaking since.
She figured the dinner was to discuss her future with the company. A future that wasn’t meant to be. After all, she did give him a long list of tasks to do before he too would be fired. Who wanted to finish strong when they had already left?
Or maybe the board had finally made a decision and now it was time to face the music. Well, she had enjoyed her hotel—and this street. It was really all of Italy she had seen. She’d told herself this job would be different; that she’d take more time for herself. But the state her duties were in when she took up the mantle had left her little time to explore her surroundings.
Maybe…just maybe if her lawyer won the case, Kori could return to Italy on vacation.
She saw Marshall enter the restaurant. If she didn’t know he was over forty then she would’ve guessed thirty-five. His sandy hair barely had a touch of gray, and she only saw wrinkles around the corners of his eyes when he smiled or laughed. Even now, he looked amazing with dark shades on, light linen pants, and a comfortable light green top, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder like he’d stepped out of some ’80s television show.
He could get any woman at any age.
Marshall took a seat across from Kori and removed his shades. His light eyes briefly assessed her, but didn’t reveal his thoughts. “Thanks for meeting me here,” he said. Then he ordered a glass of water.
“You didn’t give me much choice.”
He smiled easily. “I wondered if you were all talk or not.”
“Sir, before we start, I’d just like to say how uncomfortable I am right now.”
Marshall frowned. “I know, and that’s my fault. I thought if I didn’t make this dinner a condition of my going to see the therapist today, then you wouldn’t accept the invitation. I didn’t know how else to thank you.”
Kori blinked. “Thank me, sir?”
Marshall’s easy smile appeared. “Yes. Thank you for what you’ve been doing these last couple of weeks. I know we haven’t interacted much. I blame you for that, by the way. My schedule has been packed, thanks to you. But, in all honesty, I owe you”—he looked around the table—“more than dinner.” He had a devilish look in his eyes. “I’m going to give you an increase in salary.”
“Uh…” Kori didn’t know what to say. Already? After two weeks? She’d only be here three months anyway.
“You can’t say no, or I’ll fire you.” He laughed, seeing her shocked expression. “I’m sorry. I won’t fire you. You can refuse, but since you can’t cut your own check, you have no way of giving it back.” He winked.
“Sir, that’s too much. I’m only doing my job.”
“No, no. I appreciate initiative. You’ve shown that since day one.” His look turned serious. “We’re going to have a lot of work ahead of us because of me. Because I put this company behind. We’ve made progress, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. That’s going to mean you’ll be working even more than what’s required—and I know you have already. That’s my fault. I’ve put you in this position.”
“Sir, I don’t mind,” Kori said swiftly. “I just want to work.”
“And you should be appropriately compensated. That means a bump in salary. I’ve already had it approved. That’s what took me so long in getting here. I practically had to threaten a board member that I’d shut down the whole company tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened on him. He had to be joking. They were supposed to be proving themselves to the board. “You didn’t!”
He chuckled. “I did. Dramatic, I know. But they’ve come to expect that of me. And I know I could’ve told you this at the office, but that’s so impersonal—handing you an official document and saying ‘congrats, you’re doing better than everyone else.’ You’re my assistant. I can pay for a well-deserved meal.”
The waiter came back and took their orders. Marshall placed a napkin in his lap and gestured toward the bread that was placed on the table. Kori wordlessly nodded her permission, and Marshall took a piece and dumped it into the oil and vinegar mix he had swirled on his bread plate.
Kori couldn’t believe what he’d said. She wasn’t here because he wanted to make a pass at her or fire her. She was getting a pay raise. That meant extra money for her legal team. How often had Brigham offered her a raise? Once or twice in five years? And he had worked her like a dog.
She didn’t want to appear rude and ask how much. Instead, she calmly ate her bread while excitement brewed in her. Perhaps she had misjudged her boss. Her heart skipped a beat.
“How did the therapy session go today?” Kori asked, curious about what was discussed.
