Page 25 of Enticing the Fixer

“Now, Dear.” Marge places her hand over mine. “Don’t be hasty. Listen to what Ethan has to say.”

“I’ve listened the last four times he’s brought it up.”

“Selling is the best resolution to the situation. You weren’t prepared to take over the company, and we have no idea if he even wanted you to take over.” Ethan pins me with a glare.

Asshole.I straighten my shoulders and tip up my chin. I’m not letting these people intimidate me. “I realize that my father’s death was untimely, and I wasn’t fully prepared to assume the helm. However, I’ve done a good job since taking over.” I’m not giving him the satisfaction of being passive again.

“You are, Dear. You’re doing a great job.” Here goes Marge again.

“Don’t placate her.” Ethan shoves his plate across the table in front of him. “It’s not a matter of who’s doing a good job or not. We all have a lot invested in this company, and no one here feels that Kinsley is the right choice.”

All the blood drains from my face. That’s bullshit. I want to say it’s not true, but I can’t. None of them feel I’m qualified.

“Ethan, you’re wrong.” Samantha lays down her pen. “She wasn’t anticipating her father’s death.” She shrugs. “I mean, who did? Under the circumstances, I feel that she’s doing a good job.”

“Stock prices are down.” Ethan shakes the pages in his hand. “And if they continue to go down, our buyer will undersell us, or even worse, they might opt out completely.”

“Stock prices aren’t down.” My heart sputters in my chest. “They’re going up.”

“No, they’re not.” He hands me a handout. “Take a look at page ten.”

I stare at the letters and numbers as they swim before my eyes. This can’t be true. On Friday, the numbers Valeria sent to me weren’t this low. No. They weren’t. I’m not losing my mind.

“There’s rumblings that we’ve had a data breach.”

“What are you talking about?” My heart sputters in my chest. That isn’t possible. It can’t be. I would have heard about it. Wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t the press have contacted the company for a statement? Wouldn’t the culprit have contacted us for money? This can’t be happening.

“Where were you all weekend?”

Chapter Eleven

Leo

Why is it that I have a 160+ IQ, but when it comes to women, I do stupid shit? I walk down the hallway toward the accounting department. Thankfully, my mapping genes are better than my dating genes, or I would regret dropping my tour guide to get a second alone with Kinsley.

When I reach the office I saw for a total of two minutes before I was whisked away to the personnel department, I shove open the door and take stock of the space.

My office is the first one inside the room. It’s more of a cubical space than a singular office. It has a door, but when you get to the top of the wall, they went cheap, leaving it open a couple of inches, eliminating any semblance of privacy.

“Well, there you are.” The blonde woman who’d stared at me like I was a slab of chocolate cake when Arlene brought me around, leans her backside against one of the chairs around the community conference table. Her office is opposite mine. The woman is good-looking with a curvy body and an enormous smile.

“Hello.” I nod, but I don’t make any movement toward her. There’s no reason. Here she is. Not six inches from me.

“I’m Carla. Carla Leitner.” She shoves out her hand and leans forward, thrusting her chest toward me.

“Leo Peng.” Just get it over with because she’s not going to leave. I take her hand and accept her greeting before hastily dropping her hand. I don’t need her getting any ideas. The last thing I need is another fuck up on my resume. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” She bites her bottom lip and eyes me up and down. “What brings you to Monroe Pharmaceuticals?”

“A job.”

“Funny.” She gives me goo-goo eyes like she’s used to laying down the charm and getting her way. “Let me get you settled in.” She grabs my bicep.

Fight her off or go? Following her seems easier than resisting. She clearly takes great pride in being the welcoming committee. “Shannon and Keith had to leave, so it’s just the two of us.”

“I see.” My shoulders bristle. For some reason, I question whether it was their idea to leave or Carla’s. I walk beside her, giving her a wide berth.

The office is small. Too small for the two of us. But that doesn’t stop her from taking over the room. She pulls out my chair and pats the top of the headrest. “Go ahead and have a seat.”

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