What mischief could he get done today? And could he resist the damage she might do him? If she intended to continue the sex kitten routine, he might need to have her switched with another intern before anyone charged him with sexual harassment.
He settled into his desk and prepared to resist Selena’s obvious attempt to come on to an older man, idly wondering if he could pull that off in total secrecy.
Selena,
Hey - that sounds like a fun night, however I’m going out with the group tonight. If you want to join us, we’ll be going over right after work to the same bar we went to last week. And if you really want to, we can talk about Dodd-Frank.
Anthony
Geraldo,
This detective work feels shady. All I’m doing is irritating people who haven’t spoken to Dane or Val in years. Nothing I’ve learned comports at all with the things you’ve warned me about. Granted, I have personal reasons to mistrust Dane, but from a professional standpoint, I have no reason to think I’ve fallen into—what was it you called it? A nest of vipers?
Noelle Constance | CEO Fleetwood Capital LLC
Noelle,
They’ve clearly traced over their tracks to make sure they left no enemies behind. If you’re willing to dig a little more, I am positive you’d discover those two are up to no good. They can’t help it.
I’d be willing to give you firsthand knowledge, but I suspect you’d write it off as grievances from a spurned lover, so I’d prefer you figure it out on your own. Or not. It’s no difference to me. I’m just looking out for your best interest as always.
Do you have an internal auditor? Hire him to follow them if you have to. Have their emails and mail intercepted. Tap their phones. They’ll eventually show their true colors. Do not trust them.
Geraldo
Geraldo,
I do appreciate your warnings. But you’re suggesting I spy on emails and tap phones? That seems extreme, and that would make me worse than anything I can even imagine I might find out about either of them.
But we do have an internal auditor who seems willing to do a little investigating on the side.
I confess I find it hard to take your apprehensions seriously when you sent your daughter here to work under them. I understand Dane’s currently mentoring Selena. Can you explain to me why you’re comfortable with that arrangement? Do you think I’m less capable than a twenty-year-old?
Noelle Constance | CEO Fleetwood Capital LLC
Dane found another orange envelope on his desk and shook out the memory stick within. There were several files on this thumb drive from earlier this morning. He considered everything he’d read. The first thing he needed to do was put an end to his investigation. He had enough information, and if Noelle started snooping through his interoffice mail, he’d be done.
Was she reading his email? Was she going to have him followed? If she hadn’t already, who had? Nobody? Was he being paranoid? Should he be paranoid?
He slipped a note into the orange envelope.
Thank you for your hard work. I have everything I need.
He considered adding a fifty but thought better of it. The note by itself had nothing incriminating. He could have been asking for the sys admins to mount a shared directory or install a Linux library for him.
Selena returned with her laptop and started to come around the desk to his side, but he pointed to the chair facing him. She crossed her legs, showing smooth, brown knees and a thigh that disappeared under the skirt. He mentally dragged a finger along the skin, then closed his eyes and counted to five.
“So a group of us are going out tonight. I know you probably never hang out with the younger people, but it would be cool if you came out. A lot of them idolize you.”
He rubbed his temples. She’d just made sure he’d never say yes to that. “I don’t think that would be appropriate, Selena.”
“And why not? Get to know the interns. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
The idea of someone following him to a bar only to find him regaling the interns with war stories amused him. “Maybe. But let’s get back to work. We’re going to talk about—”
“Can we talk about Dodd-Frank? I was up late last night reading about loopholes in the regulation.” She uncrossed her legs, then recrossed them the other way. “I couldn’t believe how defanged the law has become through lobbying efforts. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that investors would find ways to profit from the laws meant to regulate profits.”
Dane had to consciously wipe the look of shock from his face. He easily replaced it with one of pride. She was a hell of a student. He wondered what she looked like with her hair down, with her glasses off.
