Page 25 of Forty, Flirty & Fired

"Essentially. The salary structures were established before my time, and?—"

"Oh, don't give me the 'I inherited the problem' excuse." She folds her fingers together. "You've been CEO for how long?"

"Eight years."

"And in eight years, you never thought to examine whether women were being paid fairly compared to their male counterparts?"

There it is.

The direct challenge I've come to expect from her.

Yet somehow, outside the office, without the audience of board members and executives, it feels less like an attack and more like... clarity.

"I delegated compensation reviews to HR and the board," I admit. "A mistake, in retrospect."

"A convenient one."

"Perhaps." I meet her gaze head-on. "But I'm acknowledging it now."

The appetizers arrive, providing a momentary reprieve from our conversation. I watch as Mac studies the presentation of the oysters, a small smile gracing her full mouth.

“So you did get my preferences from Emma after all, huh?”

I shrug. "Thorough preparation."

Her laugh is light, genuine, and for the first time, I feel seen—not as the ruthless CEO or the man she threw alcohol on at that gala—but as someone who's trying to do better. Trying to do right by the people who deserve it.

"You're full of surprises tonight, Alex." Her gaze softens. "I wasn’t expecting... this."

"What were you expecting?"

"A power move. An ego trip. Maybe a lecture on how I’m too outspoken."

"I’ve been listening to you for months, Mac. You’re one of the smartest voices in the room. I’d be a fool not to."

For a moment, she just looks at me, and I wonder if she sees how much I mean it. How much I’ve always meant it.

She selects one oyster, adds a drop of mignonette sauce, and tips it into her mouth.

And God help me, something about the way she closes her eyes in appreciation makes me forget what we were discussing.

"You were saying about delegation?" she prompts.

"Right." I clear my throat again. "I've directed my team to prepare a comprehensive analysis of all salary data, broken down by gender, experience, and performance metrics. I want to see exactly where the discrepancies lie."

"And then what? Reports don't fix pay gaps, Alex. Actions do."

"Which is why I've set aside budget for immediate adjustments where discrepancies can't be justified by performance or experience."

"And the board approved this?"

"The board doesn't know yet."

Now she really does look surprised. "You're going against your board?"

"I'm doing what's right for the company. The board will see the business case once we have the complete data. Until then..." I shrug. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

"Alexander Drake," she says, eyeing me like I'm a particularly interesting specimen, "are you actually telling me you're planning to secretly adjust women's salaries without board approval?"

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