Page 3 of The Refusal

I groan inwardly as a tall man with peppered hair makes his way toward me. I’m damp under my arms, there’s a burning warmth in my body—right before one of the biggest meetings of my life.Great.

Be professional.

Be professional.

Be professional.

If I repeat it enough in my head, maybe it will happen. Then Bob is in front of me offering a welcoming hand and jerking me back to reality.

“Jo Williams!” His earnest face is all wide smiles. “Good to see you again! I hear your company is doing well. You come highly recommended.”

Doing well? My whole body tightens. He wouldn’t say that if he could see the emptiness of our bank account. But never mind that, someonerecommendedme to Bob? After the fiasco that I’m now going to callthe elevator incident, the very idea that I’ve somehow been selected … I feel queasy. Can’t I find some better behavior from somewhere? I paste on my best professional smile and hold out my hand.

“Me?” God, even my voice sounds false. “That’s nice to hear. It’s lovely to see you too, Bob. You were a legend when I was at college.”

Janus poached Bob from one of the top tech colleges in the country, and he’s got a reputation as a genius at managing both people and projects. He’s close friends with my former professor at NYU, so we’ve crossed paths once or twice before. He’s the kind of guy that hums as he walks down a corridor, tilts his head while he listens. A safe pair of hands. Lucky Janus. I have Des and James running my small team, and I love them to bits, but I also know that we’re all young and inexperienced.

His eyes drop down to the floor like the reception carpet holds hidden secrets, and then he shifts, giving me a broad dismissing wave.

“Okay, okay, enough with the mutual back-slapping stuff. Has anyone offered you a cup of coffee?”

“I’m okay thanks,” I say, and we set off through the desks and the walls, passing a large kitchen area where two guys are rapping balls over a Ping-Pong table. “Um, is Janus Phillips joining this meeting?”

Bob grins at me. “That man is a law unto himself. It’s in his calendar and he should be there. Whether he will be is another matter. Have you met him?”

Damn. “Uh, not officially. Actually …” I should say something about the elevator problem, right? If Janus arrives at the meeting and—

Bob gives a short snort. “He’s got a bit of a reputation, which is not undeserved I might add, but he’s an outstanding entrepreneur and boss. I like him enormously.”

Oh God, really? That’s high praise coming from him. I replay the smirking amusement from earlier, the bowed head, the knowing look in Janus’s eyes as he scanned over my body: Bobadmiressomeone like that? I’m probably not keeping the surprise off my face because Bob frowns, waving his hand again.

“The media print a lot of nonsense. The gossip about him is terrible.” He grins. “Oh! To be thirty and single again.”

This makes me laugh.

“Bob, I’m sure you don’t really think that. You and Mandy are the stuff of legend.”

Mandy is his wife, and the story of how they supported each other through the early days of their careers is tech industry folklore. They’re totally dedicated to each other. No one has ever tolerated my quirks like that. Bob’s eyes twinkle at me.

“Good to know I’ve got a bit of a reputation myself, albeit a different one. But to answer your earlier question, Janus didsayhe was intending to join us, to meet you.”

His last sentence makes my stomach curl in on itself. I just met him, I think, and it didn’t exactly go well.

Bob’s smile fades and a small frown appears. “We’re worried about the security breach, Jo. We need to get to the bottom of it and fast. We’ve got global clients relying on us.”

We stop by the open door of a meeting room, sunlight spilling across the light-gray carpet. As I walk over the threshold to three pairs of curious eyes, I breathe a massive sigh of relief when Janus’s aren’t among them.

2

Jo

Bob sits up straight and taps his pen on the polished table. “Okay, guys. Let me introduce Jo from Williams Security.” He slides me a half smile. “She’s going to take us through a short presentation about her company, and then we’ll chat about how she might be able to help us. Jo, we talked a bit on the phone about the people here. This is Matt, our Head of Internal Security.”

I take in the mop of blond hair, the ubiquitous band T-shirt and ripped jeans, and he winks at me as he leans back in his chair clasping his hands behind his head. I do an internal eye roll.

“And this is Delia, Head of Systems Management.”

“Hi, Delia.”

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