My mother constantly accuses me of trying to be the female version of Robin Hood. She thinks that I look for ways to punish men like these two for the sake of all womankind. I, on the other hand, always correct her and tell her that I simply won’t allow jerks like Alexander King to gain the upper hand with me.
I will never allow a man to use me again. Once was enough of that bullshit.
Besides, someone needs to put these guys in their place from time to time.
I give Jack my most flirty smile, doing the best I can to win him over. God knows I don’t need him breathing down my neck for being here like Alexander did earlier. “It’s been a real eye-opening experience. There’s obviously a lot for me to learn since this is my first job, but I tend to catch on to things very quickly.”
Jack’s eyes dart down to my mouth for a split second before he reconnects his gaze with mine, and he grins. “I love a woman who’s a quick study. Where did you graduate?”
“Harvard,” I answer, and it causes him to raise his eyebrows.
“Really? Wow. That’s impressive. What was your major?”
“I double majored in finance and pre-law and graduated with honors. I wanted to keep my options open.”
“Wow. I must say, Ms. Buchanan, that’s amazing. Old King here had better be on his toes when it comes to you. You seem like a highly intelligent woman.” I revel in his compliments as I thank him because I’m damn proud of my education. I earned that completely on my own merit.
I love my mother to pieces, but I never wanted to be like her when I got older. She’s beautiful, which is exactly what caught my father’s eye years ago. My mother married into wealth, became accustomed to the lifestyle, and when my father divorced her, she was desperate to find another wealthy man to take his place. I always told myself that I wanted to be a woman who stood on her own two feet—a woman who didn’t need a man to complete her or her bank account.
And believe it or not, in this day and age, a determined woman intimidates the shit out of most men.
My deep-seated drive to succeed came out in full force today. It gave me the courage to rattle the unshakable Alexander King this morning. Of course I knew the little show he put on for me with the skanky bottle-blond hooker was meant to send me running for the hills, and while it turned my stomach to see such a disgusting display, I decided I wasn’t going to make getting rid of me so easy for him.
“Do you think you’ll make a permanent home with us at King, or are you using the position as a mode to gain experience?” Jack asks, jerking me away from my thoughts.
I glance over at Alexander, who is watching me intently as if he’s studying his prey. It’s as if he’s just waiting for me to say the wrong thing so he can attack.
“So far I love how kind everyone has been to me. This would be an amazing company to work for long-term. I guess we’ll have to wait to see if I screw up around here before I can make any predictions on how long I’ll stay. Mr. King may fire me.”
Jack chuckles. “I doubt he’ll be allowing you to go anywhere anytime soon. You’re already far too important for him to ever entertain the idea of letting you go over simple on-the-job mistakes.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I tell him as I glance over at Alexander again. “Hopefully, he decides to keep me around for a while.”
The cool smile playing on Alexander’s lips is difficult to read, but if I had to guess from our previous conversation, that annoyingly charming expression only reiterates his feelings from earlier. He won’t get rid of me, but he’s going to do his damnedest to make sure I leave on my own. Well, I have news for him.
Game on, motherfucker.
Alexander
SITTING ACROSS FROM DAN BUCHANAN in this upscale restaurant, I take in his stern expression that’s intended to intimidate me and smile. Buchanan means to display worldly knowledge with his gray hair and multitude of wrinkles, but I know better. This man may have been a shrewd businessman at one time in his life, but not anymore. Being the sole contractor for building mini-bird helicopters for the U.S. military? he’s allowed the wealth he’s earned over the years to cloud his sound judgment making in both his personal and business finances, which is exactly what landed him with a company that’s about to fold. I’ve done my homework on him, just like I do on all my targets. It makes the kill that much easier when I know their weaknesses.
Jack slides the contract across the table to Buchanan. “Here’s the contract of sale, as requested. I figured we’d get the paperwork exchange out of the way so we can enjoy lunch.”
Buchanan’s weasel-dick attorney, Seth James, picks up the document and examines a few lines of it. “We’ll look over it and let you know.”
“Keep in mind,” I interject, “that I already own nearly half the stock in Buchanan Industries. I’m close to being a majority shareholder, and I assure you that will help sway the board in my favor when they see my plan of action to save this sinking ship of a business.”