Page 47 of Enticing the Fixer

She rests her head against my chest and sighs. Her contentedness makes my heart swell in my chest. I inhale the scent of her shampoo. I want this, so I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it. Including putting up with an in-your-face best friend, an ex that sucks, and a board that wants to screw her over.

I’ll win over her friend, make her forget every second of her life with her ex, and get the stakeholders off her back. I’m not called the fixer for nothing.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Next Day

Kinsley

I settle behind my father’s desk. Or my desk–now. Probate was granted this morning, but it still doesn’t feel real. I scan the room. Everything is still the same. My dad’s university degree certificate and his first dollar earned in the company are in a shadow box next to it. It’s the one thing my mom gave him, besides me, that he kept when she left.

Do I redecorate? Claim the space as my own? I can’t. It still feels like my dad’s company.

The light on my desk phone flashes, and Valeria buzzes my number. I stash my ink pen behind my ear and poke the intercom button. “Yes?”

“A Mrs. Langley is on line two.”

Fuck.I glare at line two and then at the intercom button. Why does life have to be so complicated?

Last night with Leo was amazing. We returned to his place after the bar, and I didn’t get home until midnight. Before I’d even reached my door, he’d sent me a message and another before I woke up this morning.

The man is proving to be perfect boyfriend material. Except that’s not in the light of day. Now we’re at work where I’m his boss, and Mrs. Langley is on the line to ream me for the data breach. At least there’s not been a whisper about the missing money. It’s bad enough the media has gotten wind of the client data being compromised.

I square my shoulders. “Patch her in.”

“No problem. If you need me to rescue you, send me an email. That way, she doesn’t know you’re attempting to ditch her.”

“Thanks, Valeria. But everything will be fine.”

“Just tossing it out there.” The phone clicks.

“Hello, Mrs. Langley.”

“Yes, hello.” Her voice is clipped. “You realize that nothing like this ever happened when your father was in charge.”

I inhale and count to ten. It did a few years ago but telling her that isn’t going to instill her trust. It would give her another reason to go with someone else.

“I realize this is an unfortunate situation that we should have worked harder to keep from happening.”

“I’ve had to hire an identity repair company to restore my name and good credit. I can’t believe it’s come to this.”

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Langley. Please, send me the invoice for the company. We’ll pay for your troubles. We’ve also hired a company to scour the internet and dark web for any hint of client PPIs being shared or sold.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we’re dedicated to restoring our clients’ good names. And we’re diligently searching for the culprit. Once the person is found, we’ll prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Well, Dear, that’s so nice of you. If this had happened when your father was in charge, which it didn’t, I don’t think he would have gone to that extent to support his clients.”

“I’m not letting this happen again.” I press my palms against the edge of the desk and shove backward. The need to pace but not be able to is driving me crazy. I glance down at the earbud holder.

“I must admit, when I called, I intended to pull my contract with you. I’ve already contacted my attorney. But….” She pauses as if she’s still weighing her decision. “I plan to stay now. I appreciate your responsive reaction to the breach.”

“I appreciate that. Your business is integral to our future success.” I can’t afford to lose any of our clients.

“You’ve explained what you’re doing to fix the problem. What are you doing to prevent a repeat occurrence?”

“My….” Boyfriend is on the type of my tongue, but I bite it back. At work, he’s my accountant, not my boyfriend. Saying that my boyfriend will upgrade our software system will instill as much confidence as getting an email that their private information was stolen. I clear my throat. “I’ve hired someone to investigate the breach occurrence and install enhanced security to prevent it from happening again.”

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