He slowly slips his phone from his back pocket and places it in my hands.
“Good boy,” I say as I hurriedly scan his phone and work my magic, syncing Veil and giving him my contact information. Then I grab the company phone from my desk— the one Ihave my assistants use—which is synced with my phone and my calendar.
“You will not need your phone to conduct business here, however, you will be protected with Veil should you use your phone in this building or outside of it.”
“Protected?” he asks, his voice almost far away.
“As an employee of Veil Technologies, it is standard practice, and yes. Every employee here receives the same protection. It’s protocol. Can’t be too careful, nowadays you know.”
It takes all of five minutes before I give him his phone back and offer him the company phone. He takes it, our fingers brushing against one another quickly.
“Now, where was I?”
Chapter Six
Oliver
My heart remains in my damn throat all day. Not because I’m nervous—although, there is that—but because nothing could have prepared me for what it would be like to be up close and personal with Sloane Pierce, CEO of the hottest tech security company in the country.
If I thought his photos online were sexy, they don’t do him justice.
He’s much more attractive in person. Truthfully.
But it’s not just his expensive suit or his expertly trimmed facial hair and shaped eyebrows.
It’s the sharpness behind his icy blue stare, it’s the tenor of his deep, smooth voice. It’s the authoritative air that surrounds him that feels bigger, like some invisible aura.
Robbie told me upfront what to expect—a heartless bastard with no thought to his words and no care for those beneath him. To Sloane Pierce, everyone was expendable.
Even those closest to him. I need to remember that. I need to remember that no matter how good he sounds, or how hot he is, he is the one thing standing between me and financial freedom, the only thing between me and my boyfriend’s justice.
Part of me still worries somehow, some way, I’m going to fuck this up and walk out of here screwed. But I do my best to shove that festering worry down and focus on myjob.Because if I am going to get through this, I need to focus on that, above all else, or I’ll lose my mind.
My phone burns a hole in my pocket, and I think about texting Robbie to check in with him, but it’s too risky, so I won’t.
Robbie made sure to wipe my phone of anything and everything that could tie us together. I guess it makes sense, being as Veil is about security and technology. Thankfully, I’m not a social person—I never have been, to be honest. Everyone I’ve ever known who uses social media seems to be anxious and depressed and so deeply engrossed in it, it seems like an addiction. I’ve got enough anxiety on my own; I don’t need to add any more FOMO than I already have. Though, I will say not having an online presence helps when it comes to applying to a job where confidentiality and security is of the utmost importance.
At least, that’s what Sloane is raving about right now to his employees while I sit beside him, taking notes about the policy change he is discussing.
“Are you telling us we can’t access social media on these servers?” George asks, his voice damn near shaking.
“I’m saying that unless you have clearance from me, due to your job duties—” Sloane looks at George, his gaze full of fiercecommand, “—unauthorized usage of social media is grounds for firing.”
The collective groans in the room tell me this isn’t going to go over well, but Sloane doesn’t seem to care.
“If doomscrolling is more important to you than your damn job, you know where the door is,” he bites.
I watch as he glances down at his list of topics—something I was surprised to discover he’d madehimself.I’m sure he doesn’t have to give these employee meetings. After all, I’m pretty sure that’s why companies like Veil have human resource departments to begin with, but Sloane—Mr. Pierce—assured me he would rather the information come from the horse’s mouth rather than its ass.
His words, not mine.
“Alright, now that that’s done, we need to talk about the Gala.”
“But, Mr. Pierce…” another voice echoes.
Chickadee clears her throat, casting a glare at the employee—a young woman with vibrant blue eyes and fiery red hair—and speaks.
“Any housekeeping questions you have can be directed to Sarah in HR. We have more important things to discuss.”
