7. Garrett

I’d never been so glad to get out of a meeting room. Sabrina was something else. Something dangerous. I couldn’t handle being around a firecracker like her for long without something—mainly me—getting burned. I sank into the corner of the private elevator and scrubbed both hands down my face as I attempted to regain control. “We can’t do this.” I glared down at the semi tenting my pants. “She’s too young, and she’s an employee. Chase’s free pass is not our free pass.” I loved the man like a brother, and even though we were CEOs together, he founded the company. I looked up to him. The way Sabrina challenged him in the meeting was hot as hell. It did not give me the right to think about getting her into my bed. “Fuck.” I palmed my dick and groaned when the elevator doors opened.

The tantalizing scent of coffee permeated the air. I drank it in like it might save my life and forced my feet to move from the safety the elevator provided.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I snatched it up, waiting until I’d poured my coffee before I answered Russell with a low “What?” as I grabbed a lid.

“We’re leaving in ten minutes. Leon has moved up the appointment. Something about a conflict later this afternoon. He wants to meet now.”

“I’m getting coffee.” I slid around the tall counter and ducked into the quiet nook in the corner where we kept all the best coffee syrups.

Russell huffed. “Get it to go.”

I eyed the paper cup in my hand and snorted. “Obviously. I’m not going to sit down here and drink it.” My voice was too low, too tense. Any minute now Russell would hear it and call me out on the bullshit mood I found myself in since leaving the meeting room.

“It’s ridiculous.” The low hiss traveled around the corner, the sound catty and feminine and decidedly pissed off. “You can’t tell me a woman like that is qualified to be Mr. Grady’s assistant.”

I stilled mid-pour and ended the call with Russell. I needed to hear this. My pulse raced as a surprising surge of anger engulfed me. What did they mean, a woman like that? Like what? Smart, beautiful, sexy? Sabrina was all those things. I’d looked at her resume and spoken to her professors before Chase ever conducted the interview. Sabrina was top of her class, with a good head on her shoulders. Her professors sang her praises, and from how she spoke this morning, I understood why, and it had nothing to do with how sexy she looked in her black business suit and pumps.

I leaned into the corner and focused on the two female voices.

“She shouldn’t be in a business like Grady. We’re top of the line, not lower-class trash where anyone could walk in off the street and get a job.”

“Exactly. Who does she think she is, anyway? You and I both put in for that job. One of us, a loyal employee, should have gotten the chance to work with Mr. Grady.”

I hated the way they said Chase’s name, all saccharine sweet and fake as their eyelashes and tits. A quick look past the edge of the wall and I knew exactly why they were talking about Sabrina like she didn’t belong. Courtney and Olivia, not that I gave a flying fuck what their names were as long as they did their jobs, but I did know they were part of our marketing team and had worked for Grady for less than a year. They were good at their jobs, but shit with anything outside of marketing.

Bitches. They had no idea who they were dealing with, or talking about. My grip on the cup tightened, crumpling the material and spilling hot coffee across my hand. I ground my teeth and cursed under my breath while cleaning up the spill.

The two women continued grumbling and badmouthing Sabrina, a woman they’d never met and judged based on their own shit performances. Enough. I tossed everything into the trash bin and rounded the corner. Sabrina sat at a table not far away from Courtney and Olivia. They couldn’t see her thanks to the potted plants lining the half wall, but from the look on her face, she’d heard every word.

Fucking damn them and their bitchy insecurity. This was not going to stand, not as long as I was here. I met Sabrina’s eyes and smoothed my tie into my jacket as I marched over to the table. Both women looked up, their mouths dropping open. They snapped them shut and smiled coyly.

“Mr. Smith.” Courtney sat back and pushed out her chest.

I ignored the obvious display and leaned over the table. “It’s appreciated if complaints like this are brought to management, not discussed here. If you have a problem with our hiring process, I suggest you talk to Laura in HR. This is not high school, ladies. Act professional or get the fuck out.” I stopped there before I lost control. Anger burned hot enough to set the whole place on fire. No one deserved to be talked about like that, and I would never stand by and let it continue. It wasn’t just because Sabrina was the accused but because it was decent human behavior to keep your fucking mouth shut. I fisted my hands and pushed back from the table.

Sabrina looked up at my approach, and I swore I saw a sheen of appreciation and thanks in her brown eyes.

I hated office politics and how interoffice dynamics affected the entire business. They all needed to get their acts together. Their reaction to Chase choosing the best candidate for the job should be respect and understanding, not petty bitching and moaning. I had to get out of this place before I marched right back over there and told them to get the fuck out.

“Come on.” I held out my hand toward her and was surprised when she took it, letting me pull her upright. “Our meeting with Leon has been moved up. We need to leave now.” My phone pinged a series of text messages. I read them as I wove my way through the coffee lounge toward the front door. “Russell and Chase are waiting for us outside.”

“I can’t.” She stopped in her tracks, the sudden lack of movement yanking my arm back before I realized what had happened.

I spun to face her, taking in her pale face and the sheen of sweat on her brow.

Her free hand clenched around the hem of her jacket, and she pulled in a slow, deep breath. “I feel sick. I …” She pulled free of my grasp and took a step back. “I’m not feeling well.”

They did this to her. My gaze darted to the two women who’d made short work of leaving the lounge after my reprimand. My teeth ground together. “You can stay in my office.” I turned on my heel. “Come on. I’ll show you where it is. Can you make it?” Concern washed through me when she stood rooted to the same spot. Bright spots of color flooded her cheeks.

“Your office? What about the meeting?” She took a step to follow me, then stopped, looking beleaguered and shy all at the same time. “It’s my first day and I’m already fucking it up.”

“You’re not.” I strode back to her and cupped her elbow. “You’ll be fine once you forget about those women.”

My phone pinged again. I ignored it. Chase, Leon, and Russell could wait. Leon especially. He’d been yanking us around for a while now, trying to avoid this conversation. Then he changes it, saying it had to be right now, in the next hour? Something fishy was going on, and I wanted to find out what, but Sabrina took priority. I didn’t even want to try and figure out why when I’d just met the woman.

“What about the meeting with Mr. Adams?” She tripped over his name. The shaken look turned to one of fierce pride, but her chin quivered and her hands never released their tight grip on her hem.

“Don’t worry about it.” I led her to our private elevators and passed my keycard over the screen. “I’ll record the meeting. You can type up notes later to put in our files.”

“I thought you said no recordings?” She followed me into the elevator and crossed her arms over her stomach, hugging her elbows tight.

“Here.” I unbuttoned my jacket and slid it off, then draped it over her shoulders. She should look ridiculous wearing both our suit coats, but she pulled off the look with finesse. “You’re not allowed to record the meetings between Russell, Chase, and myself. Meetings with Leon are different. We usually have a transcriptionist there to document, but a recording works in a pinch.” I’d damned well make sure it did. Leon liked to be the one holding all the cards. It was time he learned to compromise.

I took Sabrina’s cold hand in mine as we left the elevator and emerged on the sixteenth floor. My floor.

Sabrina paused, her step faltering as she took in the space. “It’s very … colorful.”

“Eclectic,” I corrected gently. Vibrant paintings hung on every wall, the bold colors and abstract shapes drawing attention even when you tried to look away. A leather sofa took up half a wall, and my desk the opposite side.

“Compensating for something?” She lifted an eyebrow at the desk, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It’s none of my business.”

A chuckle rolled out. I released her arm and stepped back. “It’s fine. Stay here and rest. If you get bored, I have a stack of files on my desk that need organizing, along with my calendar and the appointments I need to work in.”

She nodded and bit her lower lip. “Thank you.” Her words were so soft and sweet that I almost missed them.

I turned and walked away. Things felt too raw and emotionally charged for me to do anything else. And Chase was blowing up my phone with texts and calls that I’d ignored. I jabbed his name on the screen on my way back to the elevator. “On my way.” I ended it without waiting for his reply. I loved him like a brother and respected him as my boss and fellow CEO. But I drew the line at being harassed over being late to a meeting we agreed should start later anyway.

By the time we made it to Leon’s office and were shown into the plain glass and chrome room, my anger had reached a boiling point. We’d been shuffled in like criminals and even told to wait in Leon’s outer office.

Chase fumed beside me, his body radiating enough heat to roast a chicken. I’d had enough drama for one day. After my reaction to Sabrina, I was ready to call it and go home to a fifth of whiskey. I’d never reacted that way to a woman before. Why Sabrina? Why had it happened today? I’d always been quick-tempered and protective, but not over a complete stranger. It made zero sense.

“Sorry.” Leon stepped into the room and shook hands with all three of us like we hadn’t been friends for years. “Crazy day. We’re about to launch a new app and the design team found a problem with the logo. Apparently, some punk kid in the IT department thought it would be funny to hide a dick in the logo. We didn’t catch it until this morning.”

I snorted a bark of laughter and settled into one of the executive chairs spaced around the room. “Been there.”

“So, what’s going on?” Leon took his seat and kicked back like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“You tell me.” Chase made it clear it was an order and he expected nothing less than complete compliance. “How are things with the contract on the Super Speedway game?”

He mentioned the stolen tech with the kind of casualness that belied his tension.

Leon’s brows furrowed. “It’s fine. The lawyers went over the contract with a fine-toothed comb. There are no concerns.” He leaned forward, his expression intent as he locked onto Chase. “Why the interest?”

I mimicked Leon’s expression. We’d decided to keep it quiet, but that couldn’t last much longer if Leon continued this line.

“Who brought the tech to you? I’d like the name of the person or company on the contract.” Chase’s intensity never wavered. “What you’ve told me of the app is remarkably similar to something we’ve had in development for almost a year.”

Truth but not the whole truth. Chase managed to reel Leon in without giving away the theft at our company.

“I can’t share that information. The contract has a confidentiality clause. I’m borderline crossing that by even discussing it this much with you.” Leon rocked in his chair, his concerned expression believable as he looked us over. “You said you’ve been in process for a year? Can you give me the name of your designer?”

Chase shook his head and stood. “Sorry. Same problem. All our designers sign NDAs and we’re not at liberty to discuss upcoming projects.”

Stalemate. Fuck. But Leon didn’t throw us out of his office, so I count it as a win. We’re not any closer to finding the culprit behind the thefts. We’ll find them. A bastard like that can’t stay hidden forever.

“I’ll have my lawyers continue to investigate.” Leon stood and walked around the desk. “Maybe we can get together next week for drinks?”

“Sure.” Chase smiled. It had a hint of coldness to it that Leon missed.

Was someone trying to sabotage Grady International? How does Leon fit into the whole thing?