“My mother’s a unique woman.”
“So you mentioned last night.” There it was, out in the open. Laurie’s stomach clenched. “What’s your game, Ms.
Kennedy?”
“What are you accusing me of?”
“Why did you lead me to believe you live in Ireland?”
“I did no such thing!”
“You did. Telling me your mom was from Dingle and all about your cousins sleeping with cows. The gin was a nice touch to sell the story. But, I can’t figure out your angle because you must have known it’d blow up in your face.”
“Are you insane?” Jack stuck a palm indignantly into the air. “Not once did I say I lived in Ireland. All I said was my mom’s currently in Ireland, visiting. It’s where she was born.
She goes every year to stay with relatives. And it was my uncle who woke up with cows, not any of my cousins.”
“I’m not in the mood for games.”
“That’s good, because I’m a straight shooter.”
“Hardly,” Laurie hu ed, but she did her best to compose herself. “Take a seat, please. You look like you’re about to tip over, and I don’t need even more trouble with you.”
Jack eyed her with caution before moving away from the door and heading toward an empty chair at the far end of the room.
“Not there. That’s my wife’s chair.”
Jack swiveled, a horrified expression on her face. “You’re married?”
“My late wife. She’s deceased. How long have you worked here, anyway?” Laurie snapped up the personnel file and fanned through the pages.
Jack lowered herself into the chair closest to Laurie’s desk, quirking an eyebrow as she studied the outside of the folder. “I thought you hadn’t received that yet.”
Laurie set the file on her desk. “Are you an idiot?”
Jack looked taken aback. “Me?”
“Yes, you. I’ll tell you right now that I have the best team of lawyers on the east coast at my beck and call. The minute you try to profit on this scheme of yours, you’ll see what they can do.”
“Scheme?” Jack’s mouth fell open. “I had nothing to do with any of this. Andrew came to me with the assignment, not the other way around.”
“Do you not value your job?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Then, again, I have to ask, are you an idiot, or did you really think seducing your boss before you’d even started on the project was the smart approach?”
“I had no idea who you were, I swear. Do you really think I would’ve gone to the hotel with you if I had? I already put up with enough shit around here.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that even though I was hired as a portfolio manager, since I’m the only woman in my department, I’m assigned all the jobs no one wants. Even so, I never skimp on my e ort or enthusiasm.”
“Yes, I did notice that about you last night.” Laurie was rewarded by the sight of Jack’s cheeks turning a wild shade of fuchsia, whether from anger or embarrassment she neither knew nor cared. Either reason o ered her enjoyment.
“Look, I work harder than anyone else in my department for half the recognition. And I have integrity. I would never want even the suggestion floating around that I had tried to sleep my way to the top.”
Though she didn’t want to, Laurie felt a certain a nity toward Jack. After all, she knew exactly how hard it could be for a woman working in finance. That didn’t mean she was ready to trust Jack’s self-proclaimed integrity. She picked up the file again and scanned the top page, locating the woman’s hire date. It was shortly after Laurie had gone on sabbatical. At least that gave some credence to the possibility that Jack really hadn’t known who she was.
“You’ve been here a little under a year, I see.”
“Yes. I came here from Bay State Bank and Trust after I finished my MBA.”
“Harvard?”
“No, Dartmouth.” Jack paused for a moment and then flashed a crooked smile. “UMass Dartmouth, that is. Online program, part-time.”
Laurie suppressed a chuckle at the woman’s clever response. In an o ce full of Ivy-leaguers, it took a certain level of scrappiness for a graduate of a humbler program to hold her own. Laurie liked that quality in a portfolio manager and wasn’t so narrow-minded as to believe that a state school couldn’t o er a fine education if one were motivated to learn. A glance at the stellar transcript in her file
suggested Ms. Kennedy had been such a student. Good performance evaluations, too. It appeared Andrew had, against the odds, brought Laurie the ideal candidate for the job.“You’re perfect.” Laurie shut the file and sighed. “I’m afraid this isn’t going to work.”
A deep crease formed in Jack’s brow. “I don’t understand.
You said I was perfect.”
“You are, which is why it’s such a pity we bumped into each other last night the way we did.”
“It was a little more than a bump.”
“My point exactly, Ms. Kennedy. Much like you don’t want your reputation ruined by anyone finding out you were sleeping with the boss, neither do I want to become known as the Harvey Weinstein of the Boston financial district. I simply can’t keep you on.”
Jack slid to the edge of her seat, looking like a cougar ready to pounce. No, I’m the cougar, Laurie reminded herself.
Jack was more like an eager cub.
“When you say you can’t keep me on,” Jack said with what looked like tears glistening in her eyes, “do you mean on this project, or are you firing me?”
“I’ll make a few calls. I’m sure we can find you a suitable position at another firm.” Laurie’s eyes rocketed to her desktop, not wishing to witness any waterworks. Crying was something that required privacy. She’d just as soon use a glass-walled toilet than be seen getting all weepy in public, and she firmly believed others should feel the same.
“Silvio Othonos.” It was not the response she’d expected from Jack upon learning of her termination, and when Laurie looked up, all trace of tears had disappeared. “This project you wanted me on has something to do with Othonos?”
Laurie glanced down and realized the article on her desktop had shifted to reveal a photo of the silver-haired
tycoon, though not his name. “You know who he is?”
“That’s my mom’s future husband.”
“You’re trying to tell me your mother is engaged to one of the richest men in the world?” Laurie stuck out her leg from behind the desk. “Here. Go ahead and pull the other one.”
“I didn’t say that.” Jack chuckled. “First, you have to understand that my mother is obsessed with the Kennedy family.”
“Really? I never would’ve guessed, Jackie O.”
“My name’s not even the half of it,” Jack replied. “But speaking of Onassis, you’re on the right track.”
Laurie looked at her potential client’s photo and nodded.
“He does look a little like him.”
“Yes, plus he’s Greek and a billionaire. It was love at first sight as far as my mom was concerned.”
Laurie leaned forward, her breathing growing shallow.
“She really does know him?”
Jack sighed. “My mom is—”
“Unique,” Laurie supplied. “We’ve discussed this before.”
“She’s always admired the Kennedys, but I think she lost touch with reality a bit after my dad died.”
“That can happen,” Laurie said, not unkindly. After all, she knew more than she’d ever wanted to about the side e ects of grief.
“It went from being amused by sharing a last name to honestly thinking we were somehow related to them, finding any connection she could, however tenuous or imaginary.”
“So, she doesn’t know Silvio Othonos?”
“She spent a few summers cleaning houses on Nantucket, years ago. There’s an o chance she may have cleaned a place he stayed once, but that’s about it.”
“How does this help me?�
� Laurie was growing impatient.
“Unless you happen to know Othonos.”
“Not to say hello, but I did spend my last year of business school authoring a case study on Othonos Industries. Go ahead, ask me anything.”
Laurie thought for a moment. “How many freighters in the Othonos fleet?”
“Technically, none. While he operates the largest shipping company in the world, he’s made a killing by leasing space from troubled local operators at a fraction of their value.” Jack sat back, looking smug.
“Largest real estate holdings?”
“By value, his block of high-rise apartments in Manhattan’s upper east side, but by acreage, I’d have to say the Amazon rainforest venture.”
Laurie frowned, unfamiliar with that one. “Why did he buy that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not alone in that. It showed up on the books several years back, and despite a lot of speculation, he’s never done anything with it.” Jack clasped her hands together, forcing Laurie to try not to remember all the amazing things those fingers had proven capable of. “Did I pass the test?”
Laurie stared at those delicate hands. Giving her the job would be such a dangerous mistake. She’d have to think of a real stumper. “What’s his mother’s name?”
“Fotina.”
Crap.
“It also happens to be the name of his favorite yacht.”
Double crap.
Laurie folded her hands on her desk, vaguely hoping the sight of them had the same e ect on Jack as hers had on Laurie. After all, she was not without skills. She ticked o the seconds in her head as silence hung heavily in the air. “What happened last night—we never speak of it.”
“I agree.”
Laurie cocked her head. “I can’t believe you let this happen.”
“Me?” Jack squeaked, splaying her fingers over her heart.
“Have you ever heard the saying it takes two to tango?”
“Have you ever heard the saying the boss is always right?” Laurie countered. “It happens to be my number one rule.”
“I thought you told Andrew your number one rule was always hand deliver important papers.”
Laurie crossed her arms in front of her. “My number one rule is whatever rule I deem most important at any given time.”
“Glad we’re clear on the rules,” Jack muttered, but her expression seemed more amused than annoyed by Laurie’s nonsensical response.
Laurie said nothing, pretending to be busy shu ing the papers on her desk into neat piles. “You can go now.”
“One more point of clarification. Am I returning to my desk or reporting to HR to collect my final paycheck?”
“You’re returning to your desk, to pack.” Laurie felt an evil thrill as Jack’s face fell. “I’m relocating you to the twenty-fourth floor. I assume you can be ready so the movers can grab the boxes at lunch.”
Jack’s dejected look morphed into one of elation. “I’m getting my own o ce on Executive Row?”
Laurie laughed heartily. “Waking up in the President’s suite has clearly gone to your head. You’ll be seated at the spare desk outside my o ce, next to Marian’s.”
Jack’s face scrunched like someone had fed her a sour lemon. “An admin’s desk?”
Laurie shrugged. “Technically, I suppose. What’s the issue?”
“I’m a portfolio manager. If I sit outside next to Marian, people will assume I’m your admin.”
“And if I give a first-year PM her own o ce on Executive Row, how many minutes do you think it will be before someone suggests you fucked the boss to get it?” Laurie nodded as Jack’s lower lip protruded in an adorably dainty pout. “Yes, you see the problem now.”
Jack pointed toward the other side of the spacious o ce.
“You have a spare desk in your o ce. If we’re going to be working together, why don’t you sit me there? Temporarily, of course. Surely that wouldn’t start tongues wagging.”
It was a sensible solution, but as Laurie’s gaze followed the woman’s finger toward the empty desk—Bonnie’s desk
—the pit of Laurie’s stomach grew cold. “No one sits at that desk.”
“But—”
“That’s enough, Jackie O. Now go.”
Taking the warning, Jack retreated from the o ce but not before Laurie overheard her mutter, “Hoarding desks. Such a Blair move.”
When the young portfolio manager had departed, Laurie leaned back in her chair, lacing her hands behind her head and giving her back muscles a gentle stretch. Here and there, she could detect spots that were still raw from fingers raking across the skin during her fireplace tryst. She banished the memories, ordering them to go with the same clear sense of authority she’d used on Andrew and Jack. Unlike her subordinates, they failed to obey.
What am I going to do?
She was walking a fine line, and Laurie knew it. Sex with a subordinate was an ethical quagmire—a total no-go zone.
Not to mention one who was so much younger. Sure, firing Jack—though a classic maneuver not unlike many that had gained her the moniker of Laurie the Hatchet—would’ve been an unjust overreaction to the unpleasant discovery of her intimate history with her new PM. On the other hand,
there were a million ways she could’ve acted fairly without appointing a key role on her team to a woman whose fingers had been inside her—who had, in fact, given her the first non-self-induced orgasm she’d had in well over a year.
Not that I’ll ever let her know it. It had taken every bit of self-control not to scream out in the hotel room as she’d come. She still wasn’t sure why she’d insisted on keeping it hidden. Maybe loyalty to Bonnie’s memory, or because she needed to be in control. Whatever the reason, it was a point of pride now that Jack should never know the full e ect she’d had.
Jack had certainly been right about one thing. Women in their industry had a rough time of it. Laurie had learned early on to keep her cards close to her chest, never let on a weakness. Was having an orgasm weak? Of course not. But letting someone in, letting them see how much power they had over you, made you vulnerable. She’d only let one person in like that in her life—her wife—and now that she was gone, Laurie knew she could never let anyone see that side of her again.
C H A P T E R E I G H T
“GET IN HERE!” LAURIE BELLOWED FROM DEEP WITHIN HER
cavernous o ce.
Jack stared at her computer screen, her blood inching closer to a rolling boil as she tried to blot out the sound of her new boss’s voice long enough to focus on her job. Poor Marian. Jack didn’t know how she functioned under such terrible working conditions.
No matter how hard Jack tried, it was nearly impossible to keep her attention on the matter at hand when the woman she reported to was needier than a potty-training toddler. It was only one of many surprising facts she’d learned in the past two weeks from her vantage point at the second admin’s desk, right outside of Laurie’s o ce.
An admin desk! Jack grumbled to herself as she leaned closer to the monitor and rested her head in her hands, using her palms to block the sound from her ears. She’d only been tasked with figuring out how to land the biggest client in Emerson’s history, but apparently the Mighty Mrs. Emerson didn’t think that was worth an actual o ce or even a cubicle.
No, Jack was seated on display for the entire world to treat as if she were nothing but a receptionist.
Not that Jack had anything against receptionists. She’d started her career in finance answering phones and making
co ee when she interned at Bay State Bank and Trust during college. She’d been grateful for the opportunity, but then she’d worked her ass o in business school. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have been asked to cover the phones the night of the blizzard, Laurie Emerson had elevated her to a key position on her team only to treat her like some kind of o ce temp.
“Where the hell are you, Jack?”
Oh, shit. The old battleax wasn’t calling for Marian after all.
Jack locked eyes with the admin sitting across from her and thought she’d detected the source of at least half her gray hairs. Marian gave her a sympathetic smile and looked as though she wanted to say something to Jack but opted not to. “That’s the fifth time today,” Jack muttered under her breath as she rose to her feet and shu ed toward the corner o ce.
What would Jack have to do to earn the respect she deserved? It had seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime, but between the whole sleeping with the boss snafu and the fact the woman was a nightmare to work for, was being on Laurie’s team the right call? Sure, the Othonos account would be an amazing win, but despite her commanding ways, Laurie was only half the power at Emerson. Toby had his own team in place, and once they’d returned from their extended stay in Britain, who was to say that Laurie’s vision for the pitch would gain any traction? Brilliant though she was, Laurie Emerson had been away from the game for a long time. Would holding out for a junior spot on Toby’s team be the better choice?
As she shot a look toward Toby’s o ce, its door shut tight and lights turned out, Jack couldn’t hide her grimace. No matter how hard the cocky, rich bastard tried to downplay dumb decisions and heinous takeovers, there was no denying
that under Toby’s stewardship, his family business had taken a turn for the worse. It was a remarkable feat, really, considering that all the while he was coming up short, the stock market as a whole had seemed to set new records every single day for a stretch that no one had believed possible.
But, the guys on Jack’s floor idolized Toby. Either Jack was missing something they all saw, or Toby was just another snake-oil salesman.
Maybe she was better o with Laurie, after all.
Either way, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Jack had been asked to be on Toby’s team. She was so far o his radar she might as well be invisible. Plus, Jack’s gut warned her to be wary of the man. All indications were that he was your typical grade-A asshole. Unfortunately, in this business, it was those types that wielded the power. Laurie the Hatchet was a notable exception, or at least she had been, once upon a time.
Did the woman still have it, or was she all washed up?
Jack strode to Laurie’s desk, keeping her chin up and game face on, clutching a yellow legal pad. Like a frickin’
Heart of Ice Page 9
