Val sat back in her chair. “Just remember that the interns compete to earn a guaranteed job offer for next year. If you do take that honor, we hope you’ll at least consider us. Of course, if that’s not something you’d be interested in, we’d be happy to give you a recommendation.”
“Thank you. I came here because I want to learn everything there is to know about digital trading, and who else would I want to work with other than the two tech wizards who took the world by storm before—”
Selena closed her mouth on the faux pas. Val’s eye twitched, but she recovered from the unintentional slight enough to pretend she’d only heard the compliment.
“That’s very flattering. You will learn here if you work hard and keep your eyes and ears open. I’ll expect you to follow my direction, or another trader’s should one take an interest in your training. For now, I’ll be pairing you with another intern.” She glanced at her notebook as if to confirm the assignment. “Anthony Knight.”
Corrupting Selena wouldn’t bring down Geraldo’s operations. For that she needed information she hoped Noelle could provide. Still, she wouldn’t resist the opportunity to subvert the girl. After all, a little vengeance was more satisfying than none.
With or without Dane, she planned to lay the groundwork by getting Selena to start breaking little rules, and what better motivation was there than a summer crush? Of all the interns, that hapless fool Anthony seemed the most tractable. He might be talented in finance, but he had about as much social intelligence as Dane had at that age.
Selena’s eyes grew wide for a beat. She’d clearly noticed the attractive, albeit inept, young man.Perfect. “Of course. Thank you. I’ll work hard and learn everything I can.”
“And Selena. Please come to me directly if you have any questions at all.”
Selena stood and headed toward the door, hesitating only a moment before turning back. “But will we eventually be working with mentors this year?” She twisted her hands. “When I researched the internship, I noticed that last year—”
Val held up a hand. “Oh, yes. We will make sure you’re each partnered with an experienced trader. I have big plans for you.” At Selena’s grin, Val added, “For all of you.”
Sophie,
Of course I realize that using my work email could infringe on corporate policy, but I read through the handbook last night, and I don’t think I’m breaking any rules. They discourage abusing the company email for personal business but allow that it is occasionally necessary, as long as it remains appropriate. And since I’m not supposed to play on my phone or browse the Internet while I’m here, you might be getting a few more emails than usual. At least if I have free time.
Guess what I found out today? If I win some intern competition, I’ll have a guaranteed job waiting for me right here. After this internship, I’m going to be able to get a job anywhere, and Dad won’t be able to make me come work with him. I know you think I’m trying to get back at him, but you’re wrong, Ms. Psych major. Not everything is a Daddy issue, you know. I barely know him anymore, anyway. I just want to choose my own path. To be the best you need to train with the best, right? Doesn’t that fit in with your feminist theory? You should be more supportive, my friend.
I’ll talk to you later.
Selena
The invitation slipped in between a series of change request notifications. Dane nearly missed it as he held his delete key down and watched the unread emails scroll up and disappear into the ether.
Dane,
Please come to my office at 4. We can discuss your inventory needs then.
Best,
Noelle Constance | CEO Fleetwood Capital LLC
He read the message several times for any hidden meaning. An invitation in the late afternoon could lead to a proposition to an early evening. But Dane doubted Noelle was making any overtures. She’d been far too skittish the day before, and she had a long history of saying no to him. It had taken him months of slow, purposeful courting to wear her down before. God, he’d brought her right to the brink of saying yes. He’d manage it again.
Perhaps the late hour would give her an excuse to cut the meeting short if she needed an escape. She’d only recently settled into the position. He hadn’t been able to discern a pattern to any of the one-on-one meetings she’d held. Mostly just getting to know her staff. Maybe she wanted to reconnect with him. She couldn’t avoid him indefinitely.
He closed his laptop at three fifty-seven and headed to Noelle’s office. When he entered the hallway, he overheard a burst of laughter coming from the open door. Before he could stop and knock, he realized every chair in the room was occupied by the heads of other groups. His shoulders dropped. Of course. It was one ofthosemeetings. He’d avoided them for the past three years but had walked right into this one. And it was too late to turn and leave. Hal from QA stood and waved him over. “Take my chair, Dane.”
With no other choice, Dane slipped in but stepped around Hal’s proffered chair. He leaned against the wall as he always did in group meetings—the easier to slip back out without drawing too much attention. Hal sat back down and chatted with Julie from Sales. “It’s about time she held this meeting. I need automation servers.”
Servers. Dane was supposed to be asking about hardware. She’d called his bluff. He hadn’t overseen the machines since he’d laid the network at his own company. Back then, he’d watched server load like a hawk. If their new systems had gone down before they’d reached maximum traffic, they might as well have gone home. What customers would trust their trades to an unreliable system? But even at his own company, a dev ops division had been created to monitor the day-to-day needs of the operation. That freed him to focus on software design, his real genius. He missed that work. He wasn’t so bored when he was solving the myriad crises that arose in those days.
Stifling a yawn, he scanned the room. Noelle was punching the numbers on her conference phone with the help of Margo from Customer Support. There were two product managers here—Andre and Ernst. But Val was noticeably absent. Maybe Noelle hadn’t heard how instrumental Val had been in forcing out the last CEO. Or maybe she had. It was possible, though unlikely, that Val had been invited and chose not to show.
Dane rubbed his chin, trying to find the angle that profited him best.
If he could use one attack to capture two castles, so much the better. It made for a tricky end game, but Dane enjoyed the sport of playing as much as winning.
If Noelle had snubbed Val so quickly and openly, she risked creating a dangerous enemy. And a pissed-off Val would make an excellent accomplice—for him. Intent on destroying Noelle, Val would throw her full support behind Dane’s attempts at seduction. He could never underestimate Val’s acumen in matters of simple sexual attraction. She rarely kept her toys for long, but she certainly knew how to lure them in. He’d watched her in action, and even so he’d fallen victim to her charms, once. A willing victim to be sure, but he’d actually believed her when she’d coaxed his heart out of his chest.
But what if Val’s absence revealed some jealousy toward her rival? Surely, Val was beyond such weak emotions. Then again, a jealous Val might lower her formidable drawbridge. She was too cunning to let him past her defenses, suspecting a Trojan horse intent on breaking her from within. And she thoughthewas paranoid. In reality, he’d forgiven but never forgotten her decision to abandon him years ago. She’d proven her loyalty lay with Dane, not the company they’d built, when she took a dive and quit. He could never forget that decision either.
