Page 27 of Dirty Little Secrets
I suck in a deep breath. Lord help me. “Hello?”
“Em! Where are you? Mark just came by my office to tell me that you quit. What the hell?”
“Yes, I quit,” I mutter in a monotone voice, the painfrom my nose traveling to my head. “I decided that I’ve grown as much as I could at Piers, and it was time to move on.”
“Listen, Em, I know you’re upset about being passed up for that promotion, but don’t you think quitting is a bit…” He pauses. “Irresponsible? Not to mention impulsive. If you were truly unhappy, you could’ve waited until you found a new job instead of?—”
“Idohave a new job,” I snap, irritated at his holier-than-thou attitude.
“What?” His voice falters. “You got a new job? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It just…” I glance over at Damon, whose stone gaze is locked in on the road. “Fell into my lap.”
“Oh,” Tom hums. “I see. Um, okay, well, what is it?”
“What’s what?” I mumble. Why is he so angry? I’m the one being held hostage!
“The job, Em,” Tom reiterates. “What’s the new job?”
“What’s my new job?” I repeat his words, tone squeaky. Damon looks over at me.“What do I say?”Damon shrugs, indifferent. I suppose it’s not a secret. I’ll be in their directory. “It’s, umm…” I pause, trying to remember the job title. Wait, did he say CFO?!Who’s the boss now, Mr. K?!That’s going to be a learning curve and a half. “I’ve been hired as the new, uh, CFO at,” I cringe, “at Cavanaugh Industries.”
“What?!” Tom chokes out. “CFO? Em, I don’t understand…”
Me neither. “I’ll explain later.”
“Em?” Tom whispers. “Isn’t Cavanaugh Industries headquartered in Manhattan?”
“Mhmm,” I hum awkwardly. “It is.”
“But you live?—”
“Can we talk about this later, Tom?” I cut him off, unable to continue this conversation until I’ve processed the situation myself first. “I’m in the middle of something.”
“Oh, umm, sure, yeah. Just, uh, give me a call when you’re free.”
“I will,” I say, hanging up and throwing my head back. “God! This is a nightmare.”
“Let’s not be dramatic, Miss Jones,” Damon says, sounding slightly offended. “You’re being appointed the chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 Company. You’ll get a corporate apartment, vehicle, and let’s not forget an expense account. This is hardly a nightmare.”
I glare at him. “Working withyousounds like a nightmare.”
“Please.” Damon rolls his eyes. “If anything, it’s a dream come true. Can you honestly say you would prefer working forLars Kenneth? That man runs Piers like it’s still the 90s.”
I glower at him. “You’re just sour because he refused your father’s acquisition proposal four years ago, which I might add, was woefully offensive given Cavanaugh Industries’ lack of experience in investment banking.”
Damon frowns. “You know about that?”
I give him a knowing smile. “I was the one who suggested we decline.”
“Really?” He perks up a brow. “My father always said it was Lars himself that made that decision.”
My smile fades. “Yeah, well, Mr. Kenneth has a hard time giving credit where it’s due.”
“See?” Damon smirks. “I knew you’d be the perfect candidate for this position. You’re welcome. I’m glad I can offer a professional environment in which you can flourish and get the praise you clearly deserve.”
“Yes, thank yousomuch for blackmailing me into taking a job in a different state and uprooting my entire life,” I jeer. “How can I ever repay you?”
“I can think of a few ways.” He tosses me a wink. “Even with tissues in your nose, I still find you surprisingly sexy.” I gasp, covering my face. I forgot they were still there. Turning my head, I pull out the Kleenex. He grins at me. “Awe, you care how you look in front of me.” Damon reaches over and places his palm on my knee. “Don’t worry, Miss Jones, there’s nothing you could do that would change the way I feel about you.”
