Page 103 of Nailing the Billionaire

I liked this version of Larry better than gala-night Larry. Perhaps all it took was Dennis setting him straight, or for him to be sober.

“Wasn’t she an actress before?”

He pulled his finished cup from the machine. “She was on a series for three years, but she only got that job because Daddy was the show runner. Daddy’s retired from the business now, and I heard she developed such a reputation as a diva that she’s not likely to get another gig as good as that one.”

“Dennis called her crazy.”

“No. She’s crazy like a fox. She’ll act crazy or nice, depending on what it is she wants. She’s a manipulator, and with someone as logical as Dennis, crazy works for her because it gets under his skin.”

I sipped again from my cup. “I’ll go with total bitch.”

A nod was his only response. “You and Dennis looked pretty cozy out there on the dance floor.”

I had to nip this in the bud. “Dennis’s idea. He wanted to act that way to piss her off.”

“It worked.” Larry’s expression indicated he bought my line.

“Yeah, more than I expected.” This topic wasn’t a good one to linger on. “How’s the dog?”

He added sugar to his cup. “We’ll see about tonight, but yesterday no mistakes, thanks to your advice about the mats. I owe you one. He was driving me crazy.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and Binky.” I stirred my cup and walked toward the door with a much better feeling about Larry this morning, especially his devotion to Dennis. Once again there was a chance I’d jumped to a premature conclusion.

I turned around before I reached the door. “Hey, I know this is going to sound sort of stupid…”

He chuckled. “Go ahead. I majored in stupid.”

“I need to find some files for the Stoner deal, but the filing system is so confusing here with all the numbers. How do I navigate it to find something specific?”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. Each of us has an index for our department, but if you need something broader, talk to Cindy. She can set you up with a company-wide index.”

That company-wide index must be what Hydra had.

“Thanks. I’ll do that.”

Back in my office, I tried to stay awake while taking notes on the endless Stoner documents. The ringing of my cell provided a break. The screen had a name from long ago—Suzanne from college, a person I hadn’t heard from since graduation.

I answered hesitantly. “Hello?”

“Jennifer. It’s Suzanne Murtog from Pepperdine.”

“Hi, Suzanne. I remember. How have you been?”

“Good. I’m new—well, not new in town, reallybackin town, and I wanted to see if we could get together at lunch to catch up.”

The request seemed a bit odd in that we hadn’t been very close at school.

“Sure.” I needed a break from the monotony of my reading, and all my work friends had relocated to the Pasadena Hydrocom building.

“You’re at Vipersoft, right? I’ve got an interview in a building near there tomorrow. How about eleven thirty tomorrow at the Panera Bread near you?”

I agreed, and we ended the call. Lunch out would be a welcome change, and with my raise, I could finally afford it without feeling guilty. Plus, I deserved it.

Chapter 27

Dennis

In the coffee room,Jennifer had asked to talk, and I’d almost let something slip before I noticed Larry.

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