Page 37 of The Playboy's Most Unexpected Baby

“What would you know about it?”

“Well, I’ve got the same papers in front of me as the rest of you do. Samantha Benning has been at this company for fifteen years. She’s the most senior programmer we have. What’s your reason for not wanting her on the board?”

“Are you accusing me of something?” Thomas asked, leaning forward.

Charlie was bemused. “What would I be accusing you of?”

Cory snorted. “He thinks you’re saying that he doesn’t want Benning on the board because she’s a woman.”

“Well, we’ve never had a woman on the board,” Thomas said.

“Are you saying we shouldn’t?”

“I’m saying we shouldn’t add a woman just because she’s a woman. Just to make some kind of point.”

“But that isn’t why,” Charlie said. “She’s incredibly qualified. She might bemorequalified than some of us. She’s a hell of a lot more qualified than I am, I can tell you that.” He looked around the table. “I call the question.”

“Oh, come on,” Thomas said. “We haven’t agreed to vote on this.”

“We don’t have to have a quorum agree to call a vote, do we?”

“No,” Cory said. “Someone just has to call the vote. You have every right to do that. I’m in favor of her appointment.”

“Me too,” Charlie said, raising his hand. “Who else?”

He looked around the table, waiting to see what would happen.

At first, there were no hands. Everyone just stared, and Charlie felt a sense of unease in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he had been too hasty. Maybe no one would get on board with what he was proposing, and he would find himself alone. Maybe by rushing this vote, he had ruined Samantha Benning’s chances of joining the board.

But then another hand went up — and another.

Cory grinned at him across the table and mouthed the wordfour, and Charlie understood. They needed only one more.

He looked at the three people with their hands down. Thomas was immovable. That was obvious. And he didn’t think he would be able to get Bob Gleason either. But at the very end of the table was Jeff Raskin, his hands in his lap, fidgeting and looking uncomfortable.

“Jeff,” Charlie said quietly.

Jeff looked up at him.

“It’s a good idea,” Charlie said. “She’ll be good. You know she will. And we’ll be better if we have her here. We’ll be able to get more done. We’ll actually be able to get numbers on future votes — we’ll be able to make progressive choices for the company. I know you want that.”

Jeff hesitated a moment, and Charlie thought he hadn’t convinced him… but then he nodded and put his hand up. “You’re right,” he said. “She’s the right choice.”

“That’s five,” Cory said. “That’s enough.”

Thomas’s jaw worked. “Your father would not have approved of this, Coldwell.”

“My father’s the one who appointed me,” Charlie said coolly.

“He didn’t do that so you could go against the choices he would have made.”

“He did it so I could take a hand in the direction of this company, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I have no regrets. This was the right choice.” Charlie rose to his feet. “Is that the only business we had today?”

“That’s all,” Jeff said. “Thanks for making it, everyone. I’ll put together the offer for Benning.” He stood up too. “Have a good day.”

Charlie left the conference room quickly, not wanting to find himself face-to-face with angry members of his father’s board. He knew he had thwarted their wishes. The truth was that he felt a little exhilarated by what he had done here today — it was exciting to have made a difference in the future of the company, to have truly cast his own vote instead of simply following along with what others said he should do.

Cory caught up with him in the hallway. “Hey,” he said. “I’ve never seen you like that in a board meeting, Charlie. You seemed like you really cared about what happened in there.”

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