Page 10 of Bossy Trouble

It was an unusual childhood, but my father was right when it came to most things, which was why it was so confusing to me when he did what he did.

In his defense, it had been when we’d been on the verge of bankruptcy. Again. Loan sharks were at our doors daily, and we needed help to get out of the hole. This was the second business my father ran into the ground. The first was a restaurant he’d inherited from my mother. It was doing well until my father tried to turn it into a multinational chain. It flopped and landed us in debt.

The second business attempt was Dresden Inc., then a small telecommunications company focusing on processing systems and products. And once again, it did well in the beginning. I remember hearing the news of the company’s collapse while at college and then trying my best to wrap my head around it.

During that time, I began to hunt for potential investors, spending every waking moment trying to figure out how to save the company. I eventually raised the funds we needed, but by then, it was too late.

My father had, without my knowledge, sold vital company shares to key members of the mob.

I hadn’t met any of these people or even known about their existence until after my father’s passing. I got a bad feeling at our first official meeting, after which I told my PI to look into them. That was when I discovered just how dangerous they were. And then came the even more unfortunate news.

They’d been silent investors at first but now wanted to legitimize themselves and publicize their attachment to the company.

That absolutely could not happen.

If anyone ever found out our link to these people, our stocks would plummet and may never recover.

I rubbed my skull slightly, feeling like pins were being pounded into my skull.

“Are you okay?”

I looked to the side to see Sasha glancing at me in concern.

“I’m fine, beautiful,” I said. “Just thinking about how much I missed you.”

She blushed, falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Sasha was a sweet girl…if a little ditzy. She was one of the few people I didn’t mind being around because while she didn’t talk much, she also didn’t engage me in dull conversation. She didn’t need me to entertain her either. She simply allowed me to be alone with my thoughts. If I had a conscience, I would feel somewhat bad about using her like this.

Although, I would say we were using each other at this point.

I’d never explicitly told her that this relationship was anything more than casual, and she was enjoying the perks of everything I could give her, especially since her father insisted on setting her up with bozos for the past few months of her life. He’d never made it a secret that he didn’t want me for his daughter, but it didn’t matter.

Sasha was the key to saving my company, and she would be with me for as long as I needed her.

My headache progressed to a dull throb as the dinner progressed. Between Sasha’s antics of avoiding taking big bites and her father’s intrusive questioning, I was about ready for the whole thing to be over.

Sasha and her father headed out earlier with the promise to meet up in a few days. Sasha kissed me before she left, and while it was nice, it didn’t have even half the impact of the kiss I had yesterday with Georgia.

Georgia. The name whispered in my mind. Why was she back?

I hadn’t seen her in years, since a few years after I left college. At first, when she disappeared, her brother refused to tell me where she was. He never approved of our relationship in the first place, so I let it go, knowing she would reach out to me when she wanted to.

And now she did.

Which now permitted me to find her when I needed her.

I smiled at the thought as I made my way out of the restaurant. The smile disappeared when I saw him.

Lupin. Stupid name for an odious individual.

Lupin was an old friend turned business rival who often fancied himself as some kind of investigator. He came from old money, but Lupin wasn’t your average rich guy with more money than sense.

He also had a keen eye for business and had doubled his family fortune in just a few years of taking the helm of the company.

He was standing there, lurking as usual. His blonde hair and sharp eyes were crafted into a carefully staid expression that did not hide the disgust in his eyes.

The feeling was very mutual.

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