by Holly Rayner
Lauren nodded. “I have a meeting this afternoon that I believe will result in a new investor. It’s probably not a deal I would have made if we hadn’t had this crisis, but I believe it will ultimately be a good deal for the company. I’ll let you all know as soon as I know more.”
She looked around the room. “Any other questions?”
They shook their heads, then Lauren said, “One more thing then before I let you go. I want to thank Kayla for her quick action and calm response over the weekend. She’s the one who noticed the issue in the first place and with my approval, ran down the problem. This situation could have been much worse if she hadn’t acted.”
That got a murmur of approval directed at Kayla as Lauren walked over and shook her vice president’s hand.
Lauren turned back to her team. “Okay, everyone. We’ll be sending out a note company-wide soon, too. Come to me directly if you have any questions. Thank you all.”
With that, Lauren’s team left her office and Lauren collapsed in her chair, hoping that her next meeting would be less painful.
Chapter 16
Lauren
Lauren remembered first walking into this building just over a week before, not knowing what she would find at the other end of the journey. Today, she wasn’t any less nervous, only more certain about what she was doing there.
Hakim would help her, she knew it. She just didn’t know what price she was going to pay for asking for his help, nor what would happen when her mother inevitably found out. But this was a business meeting. Lauren had the right and the responsibility to protect her company, to keep it operating by whatever means necessary. And if that meant cooperating with her mother’s rival, then that’s what she would do.
At least he was willing to meet with her. Lauren had asked his secretary to check with Hakim first instead of calling her back with a time, and had convinced her that the request for a meeting was time critical. Kayla had managed to keep things out of the news so far, but industry gossip being what it was, Lauren wouldn’t be surprised if he’d heard something already.
Because Lauren had shared her concerns about the books with Hakim, he was already aware of the background. He’d been so helpful then, and Lauren knew that even if he couldn’t or wouldn’t give her the money she needed now, he would have some solid advice on how to fix things.
To be honest, she was thrilled at the chance to see him again, even under the circumstances. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him everything that had happened, not just because she was going to ask for his help in fixing it, but because she wanted to share herself with him.
Once again, she checked in at the reception desk and was escorted upstairs, through the lounge, and into Hakim’s office. And once again, he was waiting for her, but this time he had an expression of concern on his face.
“Lauren, is everything okay?” He stood and walked quickly around his desk.
She thought he might have wanted to hug her, but instead he gestured to a chair.
“Please, sit. Can I get you anything?”
Lauren shook her head. “No, thank you. And thanks for taking the time to see me.”
Hakim waved his secretary out of the office and sat down in the chair next to Lauren’s. “I know with how we left things that you wouldn’t have called if it weren’t important. How can I help?”
She loved that he immediately understood that she was in trouble and that his first instinct was to offer assistance. Just being here felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders.
“Do you remember the accounting issue I told you about? The thing I asked an external auditor to review?” Lauren began, trying to figure out the best way to start the conversation.
The understanding on his face was instantaneous. “So, there was a problem.”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah. A serious one. The head of accounting was embezzling from the company. He stole thousands of dollars and fixed the books so that he was the one to sign off on the final numbers. If Kayla hadn’t looked over everything, we might not have caught it. The only reason we know it was him is that he found out we’d ordered the external audit and panicked. He fled the country Saturday night.”
The expression on Hakim’s face changed from concern to anger, and then to a disturbed understanding when Lauren mentioned the timeline. “When you had your phone turned off because I all but ordered you to.”
Lauren nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, but you were still right that I needed the break.”
“If you’d been in town instead of in Al Asaab, Kayla could have driven over and found you,” he countered. “You’d have been on top of the situation much earlier.”
“But I don’t know that it would have made a difference. It was Sunday morning before Kayla knew what had happened, and really all we know is that he’s gone and so is the money. I don’t think it would have changed anything if I’d been here.”
Lauren couldn’t believe she was defending him. She’d spent the entire morning yelling at herself internally for allowing him to talk her into the trip and turning her phone off. But as she said the words, she realized that they were true. Neither of them had any way of knowing that a problem of this magnitude was about to happen, and if her company couldn’t stand for a day without Lauren managing every little detail, then the company wasn’t very strong to begin with.
She could see that Hakim wasn’t assured, so she said firmly, “It’s not your responsibility. It was my decision, and I don’t think it was a bad one. I’ll certainly learn from this experience, but in the moment, I don’t think I would have done anything differently.”
“And yet, I feel like this is at least partly my fault. So, please tell me, what can I do to help you?”
Lauren took another deep breath. “I’m here to ask you to invest in the company. We don’t have enough cash right now to make payroll, and that’s due in the next few days. We can probably delay it a day or so, explain it away as some kind of computer glitch, but if we can’t pay our contractors, we don’t get any more work done. And then if we can’t pay our staff, the word will get out and our reputation will be ruined. I’m not sure BingeWatch will recover if we can’t get a cash injection quickly.”
“How quickly?” Hakim was already moving to his desk, pulling out a folder from a drawer.
“Today, if at all possible. It’ll take at least twenty-four hours for any transfer to clear.”
“Who is handling your accounting right now?” Hakim asked as he scribbled a note on a piece of paper.
“Greg, the auditor who looked over the books. He’s a friend and he was willing to step in for a week or so to provide a steady hand. The accounting team is pretty rattled. None of them saw it.”
Hakim snorted as he typed something into his phone. “They should be rattled. You probably need a whole new accounting department.”
Lauren nodded in agreement. “That may be, but I need to get through the next few days first.”
“Agreed. Do you have numbers with you, how much you need right now?”
She pulled a binder from out of her briefcase and held it up as Hakim’s phone chimed.
“Good,” he said. “My lawyer is going to be here in a just a minute; he’s only at the opposite end of the floor. Would you rather I invest as the Khalif Group or as myself? I can loan you the money directly, or we can create a business arrangement.”
Lauren’s head was spinning. She hadn’t expected it to be quite this easy. Did this mean there was a catch?
Hakim moved back around his desk to sit next to her. He leaned over and took her hand.
“Lauren, it’s going to be okay. However we structure the agreement, I’m not going to let you fail. You can have the money, but I’d like one thing in return.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to offer the funds without some kind of deal,” Lauren said. She meant it, too; she didn’t want a handout, and she fully intended to pay back his investment.
Hakim ran his thumb over her hand in a caress.
“The only thing I want from you is for you to defy your mother for one night and go on a date with me.”
Lauren was stunned, but she didn’t pull back.
“What happened to it being easier to not see each other?”
He shrugged and gave her a devil-may-care grin. “Oh, that would definitely be easier. But I don’t want that. I want to see you, even if it’s for a single date. A real date. I won’t ask for more than that, just one evening.”
Lauren thought about it. She wanted that date with him. She wanted more, if she was being honest. And if he were willing to defy Patricia, to risk her wrath, could Lauren do any less? Her heart leaped at the thought of spending more time with Hakim, especially on a real date. She made up her mind.
When she smiled and nodded, Hakim looked both joyful and stunned. The kind of feeling when you get everything you’ve ever wanted, but aren’t sure what to do with it. So, she grinned at him mischievously. “You know, I don’t have any money, so you’re going to have to pay for everything.”
That surprised him into a laugh. “I would insist on doing so anyway.”
There was a knock on the door and Hakim let go of her hand so that he could stand. “Now. Let’s get this money transferred and save your company.”
Chapter 17
Lauren
Lauren left Hakim with his lawyer and his accountant, handling the transfer. He knew that Lauren wouldn’t be able to access the money until the next day, but promised to call her anyway just to let her know when everything on his end was done.
She got his call just as she pulled back into the garage under her office building. After earnestly thanking him again, she hung up the phone, leaned her head back against the headrest, and closed her eyes. This had been bad. Over the three years BingeWatch had been in operation, Lauren had dealt with her share of crises, but this one was by far the worst.
The moment of quiet helped her. A tiny part of her wished she could hide in her car for the rest of the day, but it was her company and her responsibility. And she relished fixing problems, even bad ones. She was going to fix this, and she was going to make sure it couldn’t happen again.
There was a knock on her car window and she jerked her eyes open to find Kayla standing there giving her a worried look. Lauren waved at her, and Kayla walked around to the passenger side and climbed into the car.
“Hey,” she said, sounding as tired as Lauren felt.
“Hey,” Lauren replied. “I got the money. We’re going to be fine.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Can I ask who we owe our everlasting fealty and first-born children?”
Lauren snorted. “You’re going to love this.”
Kayla gave her a puzzled look and Lauren took a deep breath. “Hakim Khalif.”
Kayla’s mouth fell open. “The billionaire that bought you at the auction? The one who’s mortal enemies with your mother?”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh. Well. Of course. That’s makes perfect sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. But it’s making it possible for us to live to fight another day, so I’ll take it.”
“What do we owe him for it?” Kayla asked, her voice filled with concern.
“He’s now an investor in the company, using his personal fortune instead of his company’s money. I plan to pay him back, but there’s an option in the contract for us to open up talks about some sort of long-term agreement. He knows we’re turning a profit and that we’ll be even more solid with his financial backing, so it’s a good deal for him.”
“Huh. So, not what we expected, was he?”
Lauren smiled to herself at the many ways that comment was true. “Not so much, no. Come on, Kay. Let’s go reassure the troops.”
As they walked to the elevator, Kayla asked, “Drinks after we clear things out? I feel like I need something to take the edge off.”
Lauren hesitated. “I would, but I, um, have plans.”
Kayla took two steps then stopped suddenly. “What plans?”
Lauren didn’t answer, and Kayla peered closer at her. “Who, exactly, are these plans with? A certain billionaire who just bailed us out?”
“They might be.”
“He’s making you go out with him? That jerk! I take back every nice thing I thought about him just now.” Kayla was all but yelling.
Lauren put a calming hand on her friend’s arm. “I want to go out with him, Kay. I really do. I want more, too, but my mom would be furious, so I’m going to have one awesome date and then let him go.”
“Just like that?” Kayla asked.
“Sure. Just like that.”
She said it so confidently she almost believed it.
Once she and Kayla knew that everything was taken care of, Lauren rushed home to get ready for her date. Greg was handling the transfer into the payroll account and, after going through the books with a fine-tooth comb, had assured Lauren that the stolen money was the only financial problem BingeWatch had.
Lauren had held a short all-hands meeting at the end of the day to talk to her employees. She had reminded them that it was how they reacted to challenges that defined them as individuals and as a team, not the fact that they faced challenges. She had encouraged them to pull together and emphasized that the problem was with one person, not a department. She’d been gratified when several employees stopped her after the meeting to tell her thank you.
She had promised Kayla that she would leave her phone on, just in case.
Every time she’d spent time with Hakim, she’d been wearing that terrible maid’s uniform or travel clothes or something more work appropriate. That night, she wanted to knock his socks off, so she picked out her favorite dress, the one with a deep V-neckline and almost no back. She left her hair down in artfully messy waves and added gold jewelry. Taking a quick look at herself, she changed earrings and then nodded at herself in the mirror; if she only got one date with him, it was going to be a good one.
Hakim picked her up right on time. Lauren didn’t even give him time to knock on the door before she had it open. He was carrying a giant bouquet of pink and white daisies, which he handed to her quickly.
“I thought about flowers and chocolate, but I didn’t want to appear over-eager,” he said grinning.
“They’re lovely.” Lauren breathed in the smell of the flowers, holding them carefully. “Let me put them in some water and I’ll be ready to go.”
When she came back, she was carrying a wrap that matched her emerald-green dress and tucking her phone into a small clutch purse. “Okay, I’m good.”
“Yes, you are that.”
A note in Hakim’s voice made her look up sharply. His look of open admiration sent a thrill through her. She smiled a little shyly and he shook his head.
“I don’t think I’ve said this out loud before, but you are a stunningly beautiful woman, Lauren Sanders. And tonight, I think you outshine the stars.”
Spontaneously, Lauren leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Seeming a bit nonplussed, Hakim escorted her out to his car and helped her into the passenger seat. “Dinner first, if that’s all right?”
Lauren nodded. “Sounds good. For what it’s worth, I’ve barely eaten all day.”
“In that case, let’s get going.”
By now, she was used to Hakim’s extravagant gestures, so it wasn’t that surprising when they pulled up in front of one of the most exclusive restaurants in Los Angeles. Lauren had always wanted to eat here—the chef was a culinary legend—but it was one of those places that she would have felt weird showing up to eat at by herself. And the vibe was romantic enough that eating here with a group of friends didn’t sound like that much fun.
They were led all the way through the restaurant to a table set on a dais off to one side. Sheer curtains interspersed with chains of giant glass beads fell in long drapes behind a long-backed booth, giving the space a romantic, intimate feel, but at the same time showing them one of the best views in t
he house.
Being Los Angeles, dinner was as much theater as it was a meal. The wine was presented with a flourish, the meal with a choreographed staging that rivaled Olympic-caliber synchronized swimmers, and their dessert was actually on fire. The chef deserved every bit of praise he got, and Lauren told him so when he came out to their table to say hello.
Lauren tried to take it all in, but what she kept coming back to was that she was on a date with a man she was falling for. Had fallen for already, really. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she knew that Hakim was someone she could see herself with permanently.
Even though they’d been out to dinner before, this time both of them were hyperaware that it was a date. Hakim brushed her fingers with his when he handed her a glass, and Lauren leaned into him to point out something on the menu. They held hands and stared into each other’s eyes.
By the time they were having dessert and port, Lauren knew that it was going to be difficult to say goodbye at the end of the evening. And since that brought her back to the one-date-only foundation of the evening, she tried very hard not to think about it. Sure, they might see each other for business from now on, but in many ways, that just made things worse.
Over dinner they talked about everything. They traded stories from their time at university, and talked about growing up with or without siblings. They even talked a little bit of business, Lauren bouncing some of her ideas for strengthening her company’s financial controls off of him. Finally, she started laughing at the absurdity of their inability to not talk shop.
“Look at us. I know a lot has happened today to do with business, but we can’t even go a few hours without bringing it up.”
“Hey, I learned my lesson. You want to focus on your company, I’m not going to stop you.”
Lauren bumped his shoulder. “No, I need to learn to take time off. But I have to admit, I like talking about work with you. Not because we don’t have anything else to talk about, but it’s such a part of who we both are, it’s nice to have someone who understands that.”
