Page 18 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
“Yes, please.” Grit in Eli’s voice. Though Eli had managed to sit far from the other CFO at dinner, it was apparent Eli wanted to throat-punch the man halfway through the meal. He wasn’t the only one. Even Dr. Sandra had looked annoyed at the braggart.
They ended up at the same booth. This time, Eli ordered a Moscow mule and Fazil chose a different regional beer. If this kept up, he’d go through their entire list before they left.
“So,” Eli said. “Lunch?”
“He took me to a Turkish place. With an obnoxiously cute waiter.”
Eli raised a brow. “And?”
“We talked around everything. But...” Fazil eyed his bottle and took a drink. “I think our pasts aren’t the same. I mean, how he sees things.”
“Well, of course not.” Eli’s copper mug glinted with condensation. “Every event is different for everyone.” He drank.
How different? He had the weirdest creeping sensation that perhaps Todd had been hurt more back then, and he didn’tunderstandthat. Todd had cheated onhim. “He’s going to show me around Seattle over the weekend. Then we’ll talk.”
“I’ll have the room to myself?” He nodded in the direction of the elevators.
Fazil rotated his beer. “Yeah. Probably.” He looked up. “Is that going to be a problem? I know Sam’s lenient, but thisiswork.”
“Sam won’t mind.” Eli looked down at his hand—at his wedding ring, Fazil realized. “But I’m the last person you should ask for this kind of relationship advice.” He met Fazil’s stare. “I’ll just tell you to go fuck him. Literally.”
Fire rose from the soles of Fazil’s feet to the top of his head. “You think I should—”
Eli cocked his head. “You want to. Why not? Not like he’s a stranger. I’m assumingex-boyfriendmeans you did a lot more than justtalk.” He paused and sipped his drink. “I was a teenager once, too.”
Oh yes. They hadn’t doneeverything, but they’d done a lot. “I’m not sure how smart of an idea it is hooking up with him, considering...” He waved at the hotel bar. “I mean, we’re here for a reason.”
“Fazil, I married my boss’s assistant because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”
Maybe hewasasking the wrong guy. Fazil hiccupped a laugh and drank more of his beer. “I don’t want to screw up this assignment.”
“You won’t.” Eli contemplated his drink. “Just be discreet while on the job?”
“You mean like you and Justin were?”
This time, Eli blushed. “No. Notat alllike we were.” He gulped part of his drink.
“So, what’s the issue with the finances?”
“Don’t get me started.” But he pushed aside his drink and told Fazil anyway. Most of it went over his head, but not the part where they were out of compliance on a lot of things related to compensation, stocks, and taxes. Things that probably kept Eli up at night.
“You think you can fix it?”
Eli nodded slowly. “If that fucking ass of a CFO lets me. I’m very much regretting the promise I made Sam.”
“What promise?”
Eli took a good, long, hard look at him and shrugged. “I promised him I’d leave my crops and floggers at home.”
Oh.Oh. “That might have been too much information.” He already tried very hard not to wonder about Eli and Justin. The image now? He shook it out of his mind. “Yeah. Too much.”
“Sorry.” But he wasn’t, because his smile said the opposite.
“Liar.” Fazil drank the last of his beer.
Eli shrugged. “So now you know. I hate hiding it.” He paused. “I hate hiding in general.”
Fazil had been dreading working with Eli on this trip because he knew so little of the man other than he had a habit of being exacting about everything. Now? Hereallyunderstood what Justin saw in the guy, and why Sam put up with him. “Did you do that a lot? Hide?”
