She stands. “If you’re not firing me, I need to return to work. You have a meeting with Mason Sullivan in—” She looks at her Apple Watch. “—less than an hour, and I need to get the proposal printed and bound.” She looks at each of us. “May I be excused?”
She asked for permission. Now my dick is standing at attention. My lips feel parched, and all I can do is nod and watch her walk out the door. For the first time, I wonder how her tits feel—what it would be like to bend her over my desk and have her beg me to fuck her. This is so not good. She’s forbidden fruit. I need to clear my mind.
Jim turns to me. “I’m not sure she’s taking this seriously. I’ll reach out to SFPD and see who’s assigned to the case.”
“Is the FBI involved?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll make sure.” He shakes his head. “She’s really embarrassed.”
“Do you blame her? First her asshole boyfriend breaks up with her on the news, and then his new girlfriend sends her the mammoth load—literally. The person who did this is completely unhinged.”
“I agree.” Jim looks at me. “Are you going to Cecelia Lancaster’s funeral?”
I nod. “What a mess for Nate. How’s he doing?”
Jim shakes his head. He may be the head of a private security firm, but he’s in this business because Nate is his best friend. Nate’s wife went missing while we were in Vegas a few months ago and was just found murdered.
“Do they know anything?” I ask.
“The FBI is working with the Las Vegas and San Francisco police, but nothing much yet.”
I scrub my hands over my face. “I really liked Cecelia. She was smart and funny and had a great way of getting people to be generous. I gave a quarter of my earnings last year to the Lancaster Foundation. Corrine was working a lot with Cecelia; I was going to ask her to come with me.”
“Nate would like that. It’s a small group, relatively speaking.”
“Relative to what?”
“They’re expecting maybe two hundred guests. If we opened it to the public, we might see two hundred thousand trying to pay their respects. She was beloved by so many. Nate’s getting mail and condolence cards by the sack, and the letters are overwhelming. It’s taking both his and Cecelia’s assistant to go through each note and catalog them. He’s heard from two presidents, the British royal family, and tons of strangers. He’s also had a few threats and multiple marriage proposals.”
“That’s just gross,” I say.
“Her parents are distraught,” Jim adds. “This is the second child they’ve buried in the last three years.”
“That’s awful. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Jim leaves, and I finalize my prep for my meeting with the investors. Mason is a dynamo when it comes to numbers, and I will need to be ready with my A-game.
As I look everything over one last time, Corrine appears with the proposals in hand, my overcoat, and a cup of coffee.
“You need to leave if you’re going to be on time,” she says. “Your car is waiting downstairs. Ben is driving. Would you like Brian to come up and walk out with you?”
I shake my head. “Are you going to be okay alone?”
Corrine seems startled by my comment. “I’m not alone. I’m surrounded by people working. I’ll be just fine. You’re scheduled to return calls when you’re back, and I have the foundation work and a project with marketing. I’ll be working all afternoon and most likely into the evening.”
“I should be back at two thirty. If you leave, make sure someone from Jim’s team drives and escorts you wherever you go.”
“It’s not necessary,” Corrine says again.
“But it is. Promise me you won’t go anywhere alone.”
Corrine holds up her hands. “Okay, fine.”
“Before I forget, Cecelia Lancaster’s service is next week.”
“Yes. I have it on your calendar. I figured you’d attend.”
“Would you like to join me?”
I feel like I’m asking her on a date. What is it with me? Jeez.
“It’s invite only,” she reminds me.
“Yes, but you knew her well, and we can go together.”
It’s absolutely reasonable for her to attend with me. It wouldn’t raise any suspicions. She worked with Cecelia.
“I’d love that.” She puts her hand on my back and pushes me softly to the door. “Now go knock Mason Sullivan on his ass with your proposal. Go get us some money for your phenomenal idea.”
I walk out of my office feeling like a million bucks. Corrine’s incredibly dedicated to my company. That Sanders ass may be a hero to many in this town, but I’m glad Corrine’s rid of him. She can do much better than some dumb jock who can’t see how great she is.
After a short drive, we arrive across town at Quince. They rarely do a lunch seating, but Mason knows the chef, and this gives us the chance to eat alone. When I walk in, he’s waiting with Cynthia Hathaway, a salesperson from his office. This is my time to shine.
Unfortunately, I’m not even halfway through my presentation when Cynthia gets a call.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I need to take this.” She steps aside and mostly listens for a moment before she returns. “I have a mini emergency I need to attend to. Jackson, Mason has gone through your numbers, and we think you’re too conservative in some of your startup costs. We’re seeing much higher numbers from some of your competitors. We like your approach—translucent solar film panels that attach to windows are a brilliant idea. This is a no-brainer for us. We’ll offer you twenty-five million and bring up our stake to twenty percent in the new venture.”
I’m stunned. It’s ten million dollars more
