He had no idea how he could find out the truth about that salacious file. Until he did, though, he had to banish the sexual images and urges that popped into his head every time he thought about Lilliana. And to protect himself, he needed to crush any misguided feelings he had that she could be trusted.
She must have heard the short exhale of disgust that escaped his lips, because suddenly she looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Kaine! What are you doing down here? Aren’t you supposed to be on that videoconference?”
“It ended early.” He really didn’t have an answer to why he’d be down in the Vault besides checking up on her, so he turned the question back around on her. “What are you doing in here?”
“Oh, you asked me to compile the Stelton forecast report. I’ve never done one before, so I decided to check out some older ones so I could follow the same format.”
He looked around at the dusty volumes with some skepticism. “And you found one down here?”
“This one is from two years ago.” She glanced down at the stack of papers in her hand. “The forecast report for the Braxton merger.”
He nodded. “Braxton. We bailed on that one after extensive research. Good thing, too… I didn’t realize you were familiar with the Vault Room.”
“Oh, I used to come down here a lot.” She smiled with pride. “I prepared a lot more official reports and filings for my previous employer.”
There she was again, implying that she needed more work - or more important work. Was it even possible that such an outstanding employee actually existed or was there something more sinister to it?
Jesus, he couldn’t think straight around her. She was inside his head and doing a number on him. He couldn’t figure her out. “Well, then I better not disturb your hard work.”
He turned to leave; he needed to get out of the stuffy room and get some air.
“Wait, Mr. Kaine!” She looked uncertain. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I haven’t seen you much and you’ve been so busy…”
He hesitated, almost afraid of what she would tell him. “What is it?”
She began to wring her hands. “I’m not really sure if it’s my place to mention this…”
“What is it? Tell me,” he demanded.
“You have that upcoming appearance on that business show – Markets Today. Do you find out ahead of time what they’re going to ask you?”
He frowned. “No. It’s usually a panel discussion on general market conditions. Nothing specific.”
“Well, I follow the host of Markets Today on social media.” Her cheeks grew pink. “After I schedule your appearances, I usually follow the outlets or personalities on various social media outlets, just to keep an eye on things.”
He raised an eyebrow. She certainly was keeping track of him. “And? Did you find something?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It would be better just to show you. There’s a computer at the back of the room.”
He waited while Lilliana re-shelved the binder and then led him to the back of the Vault Room. She sat down at a computer station located at the end of a long table and began booting it up.
He hovered awkwardly behind her, not wanting to sit so close to her, while it seemed to take forever to get onto the internet site she wanted to show him.
She finally clicked to a page and turned to him. “This is Bryant Kenbridge’s social media page. He made this post last night. It’s getting a ton of traffic.”
“Is Jason Kaine destroying Kaine Industries?” He read the posting out loud. “Jesus Christ! What is he talking about?”
Anger and shock coursed through him. He pulled up a chair and sat so he could read the rest. “Will reckless decisions made by the infamous playboy run the company into the ground?”
Lilliana nodded sympathetically. “It gets worse. And if you look through the comments from his followers, they’re expecting a juicy ambush-style interview.”
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “But this is a serious business channel. Markets Today isn’t a tabloid show.”
“In today’s world scandals equal ratings - even if they have to manufacture the scandals.” She put her hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry.”
He knew by the look in her eye that she was sincere, but that innocent gesture had an explosive effect on him. This time, all the will in the world couldn’t stop his cock from reacting. He had to resist the urge to pull her close and kiss her. Hell, he wanted to fuck her brains out.
Hastily, he stood up. He needed to put some distance between them. “I need to cancel this shit-show. Damn! Don’t cancel it yet, though, let me talk to PR first. I’ll probably have to issue a statement.”
Lilliana was silent while his thoughts were racing. It was strange how his public relations manager never mentioned this to him. She had insisted that he make all these appearances, but how much was she vetting the media and following up? Was she keeping up with the social media? How the fuck was his admin giving him more information than the PR department?
“Thank you, Lilliana. Looks like you saved me again.”
Feeling disgusted about his earlier suspicions, he left her in the Vault Room. It was really stretching it to think that there was anything valuable information-wise in the musty company archives. And she’d just saved his ass from a complete PR disaster.
It would have been a nightmare if he’d gotten caught up in that. Members of the board were already questioning his judgment. This would have given them all the ammunition they would have needed.
He remembered Lilliana’s face – unsure whether she should tell him. Thank heaven she had. If she had been out to get him with some kind of lawsuit or blackmail situation, letting him walk into this debacle unawares and getting his reputation trashed would have only bolstered her upcoming case. If she were out to get him, why would she warn him?
Nothing made sense anymore. Everything was upside down. He had lost all control and perspective. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to.
Corporate Secrets
I was already on probation at work. My only excuse for what I did was that I was desperate. This job seemed like the last best chance of straightening out my life. And it seemed like such an insignificant lie.
The employment ad was looking for an administrator specifically with at least five years of experience working for an executive. I had worked for two years and a few months for Mr. Grady. Not exactly the five years they were looking for, but it didn’t seem to be too much of a stretch. And Mr. Grady wasn’t quite the big wig they were looking for; he was just a department manager.
I had been out of work for over two years at that point and found myself in desperate straits. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel too bad beefing up my credentials slightly. To my surprise, I landed that job – my dream job.
The lies didn’t catch up to me for months. Then one day, I was summoned into my boss’s office. He told me that my performance wasn’t quite up to snuff and he’d determined the reason why. He’d called my previous employer, Mr. Grady, who had gleefully ratted me out. The jig was up. He knew I’d lied.
With tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, I listened as Jackson explained that lying on my resume was grounds for immediate termination. But miraculously, I wasn’t fired that day. I was put on probation.
Overcome with gratitude, I promised Jackson Cane that I’d do whatever it took to make it up to him and keep my job.
Chapter 9
Only a few minutes before I was about to head out to lunch to meet Becca, my phone vibrated in my purse. I searched through the jumbled contents, finally locating it amongst the stuff at the bottom, and frowned when I saw who was calling.
“Hey, Becca. Are we still going to meet for lunch?” I whispered into the phone, glancing anxiously in the direction of my boss’s office. I cringed when I realized that Mr. Kaine was staring directly at me. I was busted talking on my phone. But as soon as I caught his eye, he quickly looked away. It was almost
as if I’d caught him.
“No, I can’t. Sorry it’s so last minute – an important meeting just came up that I can’t miss.”
I picked up my purse and began walking toward the ladies room, away from the always watchful eye of my boss. “Oh, that’s too bad! I was looking forward to getting out of here for a bit.”
“Is your hunk of a boss getting on your nerves again?” I could hear the teasing lilt in her voice. “What is it this time – did he give you too much of a raise?”
I failed to hold in a chuckle. “Very funny, Becs.”
She continued on, “Speaking of your boss, have you heard anything back about your book?”
I arrived at the ladies room, pushed open the door and verified that it was empty before I answered. “Nothing. I e-mailed out hundreds of query letters. I’m getting rejected all over the place. That’s okay, though. I never planned on publishing it anyway. I wouldn’t have even tried if you didn’t mention it.”
“What? After all that work you did? You haven’t even gotten a nibble?”
Her outraged indignation on my behalf, made me slightly defensive. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect anything different.”
“Are you sure you didn’t forget to replace the p-word in the final copy?”
I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “No, I’m sure I replaced all the kitties and roosters. I checked and double-checked about fifty times. They were definitely all out.”
“Hmmm.” Becca was quiet for a moment. “Did they tell you what was wrong with it?”
“Most of the rejections were form letters. Otherwise, they said it wasn’t hot enough, not original enough, scattered plot, stuff like that.” I tried to shrug off the sting of rejection. “Look, Becs. I just want to forget about it. It’s not a big deal. Really.”
She didn’t take the hint. “You know, I was thinking about you and your darn paperback books – you really need to get caught up to this century. E-books are the way to go nowadays. You should self-publish. Who needs stodgy old publishers anyway? What do they know?”
“What do you mean, self-publish? How do I do that?”
“I don’t know exactly.” She laughed. “But I hear it’s not too complicated. You should look into it. Have you thought up a pen-name yet?”
“A pen-name? Is that necessary?”
“Absolutely. And luckily, I’ve got one for you. Portia Wainwright.”
As usual with Becca, I was having trouble keeping up with the conversation. “Portia Wainwright?”
“That’s it! Okay, I’ve gotta get ready for this meeting. Sorry I had to cancel. Let’s reschedule soon, so you can tell me all about the e-book when it comes out.”
We said our good-byes and I exited the bathroom. Did it really matter if Corporate Secrets was published? I’d had fun writing it, but I wasn’t really an author. It was probably better that I gave up on it.
As I headed back to my desk, I could feel the idea slowly cementing in my head. It was useless to deny. I wasn’t going to give up on this book. I was definitely going to look into self-publishing.
The smile that had just cracked my lips as I contemplated my future success melted as my desk came into view. Jason was waiting for me. Was I about to be reprimanded for using the phone? Bristling with annoyance, I tried to come up with a quick excuse, but my mind was frustratingly blank.
“There you are!” His hair was slightly mussed and his tie slightly askew as if he’d been tugging on it impatiently. “I’ve got an emergency situation here. I’m going to need all hands on deck.”
I fought the urge to adjust his tie and smooth down his hair. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve got to plow through the Stelton numbers and compile a quick counter. Assemble a team to help you – whoever you need – to run an updated projection report. I need this completed today.”
“Today?” I knew by the set of his jaw that it was pointless to argue. Usually it took days, sometimes weeks, worth of work from several different departments to prepare a projection report.
“Today, Lilliana. Hold everyone’s feet to the fire until it’s done. I’m counting on you.” He ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up even further, but flashed me a dazzling smile before stalking back to his office.
So much for lunch. Groaning, I dropped my handbag to the floor by my desk and began making phone calls to assemble a team.
It was nearly eight hours later when I had the finished report in hand. After I had thanked the team for their hard work, they had scattered to leave for home faster than I could blink. I stood up in the now empty conference room that I had appropriated as a command center and stretched my stiff muscles.
The room was a mess. Stray papers littered the large table, remnants of hasty dinners were left behind and chairs were left strewn about the room haphazardly. I felt bad about leaving the room in such disarray, but didn’t have the energy to straighten it up.
I gathered up the final report and wearily headed back to my desk. It was after 8:00 and my grumbling stomach reminded me that I had missed lunch. I couldn’t wait to get home and put my feet up. I’d make myself a microwave dinner because I was too tired to cook and too hungry to wait.
Jason got up from his desk when he saw me coming. “Tell me it’s done.”
I dropped two stacks of papers onto his desk side by side. “Done. This is the report and here’s a copy for you.”
He offered a distracted “thank you” and immediately picked up the phone to call someone. “I’ve got it.”
I left his office, too tired to be annoyed that he didn’t seem to appreciate all the effort I had put in. I grabbed my purse and jacket and quickly made my way to the front exit. The cleaning staff seemed to be the only people left in the building.
I had spent the entire afternoon holed away in the conference room, so when I stepped outside, I was momentarily surprised that it was already dark out. I walked briskly across the empty parking lot, which was thankfully well lit with street lamps.
My car seemed inviting when I slipped into it. Fifteen minutes and I’d be home. Except that, when I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. Frowning, I tried again. The car made a few soulless clicking noises, but no sputtering attempt to start at all.
Despair mounting, I pulled the key out of the ignition and then tried again, this time giving it a little gas. Nothing. I knew the gas tank wasn’t empty, so why wasn’t it starting?
I fought the urge to cry as I tried to figure out what to do. I stared at my phone. Who could I call? I had been too cheap to get roadside service. And my father lived too far away to help me. I’d have to call a tow truck to get it towed to a garage and find a taxi service willing to pick me up. It would probably take forever waiting for them.
Desperately, I tried one last time to start the car. It was useless. I was banging my hands on the steering wheel in total frustration when headlights swept over the car briefly illuminating me.
An oversized black SUV pulled up besides my car. The window lowered and Jason leaned out. “Are you okay, Lilliana?”
“My car won’t start.”
He shut off his car and stepped out. “Is the battery dead?”
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t do much of anything when I turn the key.” Just his presence alone was making me feel better.
“Try it again.”
He stood and listened while I tried unsuccessfully to start the car again. “The interior lights are working fine, so it may not be the battery. It could be that the starter is shot or maybe it’s just a dirty solenoid connection.”
“Oh.” I was beyond caring too much at this point. I just wanted to be home and have this day behind me.
“Hop in my car. I’ll drive you home.”
I hesitated. “That’s okay. I’m going to have to call a tow truck-”
Jason cut me off impatiently, “I’m not going to abandon you in the parking lot all alone. Just get in!”
I grabbed my purse from inside my ca
r and then made my way around his car while he started it up. I climbed up into the giant car feeling butterflies dance in my stomach. Being confined in the car with him made me slightly nervous, which was completely insane considering I’d been around him almost every day for the past half a year.
“Where do you live?”
Before I could answer, my stomach made a long and very loud growling sound.
Jason cocked an eyebrow, “Sounds like you’re hungry. Did you have dinner?”
Embarrassment tinged my cheeks pink. I bet his girlfriend’s stomachs never made such inelegant sounds. “I didn’t have time.”
His fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “Come to think of it, I didn’t notice you take a break for lunch either.”
“I was about to-”
He turned in his seat toward me. “No wonder your stomach’s rumbling like an earthquake. I know just the place to take care of that.”
I squirmed in my seat praying that my stomach would keep quiet. “Really, you don’t have to-”
He waved aside my protest. “Don’t worry about it. What kind of employer do you think I am? Besides, I’d like to thank you for the great job you’ve been doing.”
I knew the matter was settled. Jason Kaine was taking me out to dinner. Wait until I told Becca. I surreptitiously glanced at his handsome profile. I was suddenly feeling giddy. While I knew this was just a friendly dinner between boss and employee, I couldn’t help but think about a much naughtier dinner scene that took place in Corporate Secrets.
Corporate Secrets
Keeping my job secure meant keeping Jackson Cane satisfied – and satisfied not just with my work performance…
And, it turned out that he was a very demanding boss.
Impossible (to Resist) Boss: Billionaire Romance Page 6
