Page 8 of The Interview (Executive Suite Secrets)
Byron Graham
When I’d first begun working as the executive assistant to Sebastian Courtland at Courtland Enterprises, I’d thought my boss was a god. Complete with a shining aura and inhuman good looks, full of benevolence and compassion.
After a few months, I’d discovered he was more like Loki—a being filled with chaos and mischief, out to make my life a nightmare.
Three years later, he was still Loki.
“Stick close to me.” Sebastian leaned in as we walked, his cologne dancing past my nose like a cool breeze. His warm, honey-brown eyes met mine, twinkling and bright with laughter, causing my heart to skip and my breath to catch. He whispered with an enormous grin, “My bodyguards are prepared to take us out of here by force. Just be ready to run the second I tell you to.”
And this was his response to the merger meeting we were marching into like a pair of avenging angels.
It wasn’t a joke. He was serious. Shit was about to hit the fan in a huge way, and the maniacal lunatic who signed my paychecks looked like a kid who’d been sent on a shopping spree in a toy store.
For the past year, Courtland Enterprises and Bluepoint Industries had been in merger negotiations. The companies were roughly the same size, but Courtland Enterprises would have a slight majority after all the paperwork was complete. The one thing that had been slowing everything up was the due diligence conducted by Courtland Enterprises’ massive team of forensic accountants, managers, and God only knew who else Sebastian had hired to dig through Bluepoint’s books, hoping to uncover all their dirty secrets. Sebastian’s father had started Courtland Enterprises, and there was no way in hell Sebastian was going to allow it to be dragged under by someone who had a past with shady dealings. Sebastian might act as though he were insane, but he knew when to be cautious.
We arrived at Bluepoint’s thirty-five-floor headquarters, and two members of the executive team met us. Their smiles stiffened a bit at the sight of the four enormous men in suits who accompanied us, but no one said anything. They might have if they’d realized that Sebastian had another two waiting in the underground garage with his two town cars.
After some excited chatter and glad-handing, they whisked us to the top floor, which offered a near panoramic view of downtown Cincinnati. It was a breathtaking symphony of glass, brushed nickel, and cold marble. As we walked, I caught peeks of Courtland Enterprises’ tower just five blocks away. Ours was a beautiful glass-and-steel marvel with forty floors, a shining crown for our city.
But this was nice too.
At the top floor, more executives greeted us. It wasn’t until we reached the massive boardroom that we faced Chairman Oliver Danvers, CEO Wallace Barnes, and the board of directors. It had been a while since I’d seen such a group of wrinkly, saggy-faced white men. There was only one woman on the board, and the way the others seemed to talk over her and ignore her made me think she was nothing more than a token to trot out in the name of “diversity” while never acknowledging her intelligence and experience.
Now that Sebastian had reached his target, the light in his bright eyes appeared more manic and his grin even wider. The second he sat with a glass of iced water at the head of the table, I moved out of the firing zone to a set of seats placed along the far wall with two of his bodyguards. The other two were waiting at the elevators to protect our escape.
Danvers stood with a broad, fatherly look. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to have you here with us on this momentous day, Sebastian. I’ve known your father…”
Blah blah blah…
Danvers’s voice became a buzzing white noise under the grinding of my teeth. Pompous old egotistical asshole . I knew what was in the due-diligence report. I’d helped the various departments compile it. Listened as Sebastian had incredulously read parts of it out loud to me. Danvers wouldn’t be waxing poetic about the old days for much longer.
When the chairman of Bluepoint Industries was done, Barnes stood up and gave a similar speech about how this was going to create bigger and better opportunities for the combined company and how the employees were going to benefit. This was all overlooking the fact that the CEO’s proposal included laying off fifteen percent of his own workforce to “trim the fat.” Wouldn’t his newly unemployed workers love to know they were regarded as mere “fat”?
The entire time, I kept my head lowered as I typed on my phone. I sent messages to his bodyguards in the garage, keeping them updated on where we were in the meeting. There were also texts to Kaylan, who was technically my assistant, keeping him updated on what was happening. And, of course, there was the usual barrage of emails and reports that needed to be dealt with. Being away from my desk did not mean the chaos stopped for one second.
“Thank you so much for your warm and enthusiastic welcome,” Sebastian said, pulling my attention away from my phone. I finished up my last text and tucked my phone into the interior pocket of my suit jacket.
“When the idea of the Courtland Enterprises and Bluepoint Industries merger was first floated to me, I was skeptical. We’ve been in competition across several fields for a couple of decades. Sometimes, we came out on top. Sometimes, you did. But I saw the synergy that would result if we became one company. The efficiency we could achieve. The lowered costs that could be passed along to our loyal customers. It was all brilliant.”
I lifted my gaze to the boardroom table and watched as Sebastian smoothly pushed out of his seat to stand. Sebastian was a pacer, particularly as he talked. The man had to be moving constantly. It was his only way of burning off the endless amounts of energy he possessed. I bit the inside of my cheek as I watched him grow more animated about the merger while he threw out all the business buzzwords he hated.
He stopped behind the chairman’s seat, his hand resting on the back as he released an extravagant sigh. “But…we had to conduct our due diligence, for the safety of all our people.”
“Formality, formality,” Barnes said, waving a hand as if Sebastian shouldn’t worry about insulting him with such silly nonsense. “Both companies had to run their checks.”
“Yes, and I apologize for us taking so many months. It was my fault. I needed to be sure that all t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted.”
That was my cue.
I stood up, straightened my jacket, and walked to the box one bodyguard had carried into the building for me. Within it were two large stacks of two-hundred-page binders. I grabbed as many as I could comfortably carry and began handing them out to the people seated around the table.
“My findings should not come as a shock to most of you. The surprise is likely that we found what your people tried so hard to hide.” Sebastian paused and flashed them a grin that would have befitted a great white shark. It was all I could do to maintain my stone-faced expression. A heady mix of fear and excitement was bubbling through my veins. He was going to drop the hammer.
Turn them into dust!
“In our six months of research, we found evidence of rampant embezzlement, fraud, trade violations, dangerous working conditions, and employee harassment. Your books are so cooked, they’re extra crispy. Not even the Colonel would touch your books. If Enron and Worldcom had a baby, Bluepoint would be that embezzle-baby.”
Barnes launched to his feet, his entire body shaking as his face turned so red he looked as if he were about to explode. “How dare you!”
“How dare you !” Sebastian shouted back. “Not only did you spearhead this illegal behavior, but the point of this merger was to bury all your secrets within Courtland Enterprises while you walked away with your oversized payoff and the marketing manager you’ve been sleeping with.” Sebastian lowered his voice to a fake whisper. “By the way, I forwarded the spicy video we came across of you and her ‘trapped’ in the elevator to your wife’s private investigator.”
Barnes fell into an apoplectic fit, hissing and gasping, his face looking more purple by the second. But it wasn’t just him. Everyone at the table was turning new and interesting shades, ranging from very pale to ghastly green to eye-popping red. I stepped away when I finished handing out the binders detailing all the information we’d uncovered.
A firm hand grabbed my elbow, and I glanced up to find Neil, one of Sebastian’s part-time bodyguards, pulling me a little farther from the table and closer to our exit. The entire time, his gaze never wavered from Sebastian, who had resumed his pacing. Unfortunately, the lunatic was on the far side of the room, the giant wooden board table between him and the bodyguard. Thankfully, he kept moving as he spoke, leaving the board of directors to flip frantically through the binders with horrified expressions.
“Oliver Danvers, Wallace Barnes, and probably other executives before you spent decades creating this house of cards, creating lie after lie to hide your shady dealings. As you reached a point where it was on the verge of toppling, you decided to sweep all your dirt under the rug, and the rug you chose was Courtland Enterprises.”
At last, Sebastian worked his way around the table so that he was within feet of his bodyguards, and I could breathe again. Now we just had to get Loki Jr. out of the building.
Sebastian grinned and clapped his hands together. The sound was like a shot above the gasping and seething. “To show my appreciation for choosing Courtland Enterprises as the company you wanted to turn into a dumpster fire, I have shared all the information that I’ve uncovered with the SEC, IRS, FTC, and the federal Department of Labor. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from all of them shortly.”
There was a heartbeat of pristine silence. No one moved. Only the wind as it howled past the windows as it rose off the river.
And then the room exploded into outraged shouts, fervent denials, and even a couple of people desperately trying to strike bargains. It was too late for all that. I’d been there as Sebastian had made some of those phone calls. When he’d handed over that information, he’d made one request: let him drop the news on them prior to any of the agencies moving in. If there was any justice in the world, representatives from the IRS and SEC would be entering the lobby as we left.
“Go,” Neil snapped, giving me a push toward the double doors.
I wanted to drag my feet and wait to make sure that Sebastian was right behind me, but I couldn’t be a distraction today. Neil needed to have his full attention on Sebastian, to concern himself with his boss’s safety.
However, I took only two steps, and there was a light touch on my shoulder. I glanced to my left to find Sebastian walking beside me, a broad smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. His hand was a warm weight on my shoulder, guiding me forward while also reassuring me that he was right by my side.
“You okay?” he asked as if I freaking mattered in the middle of this insanity.
“I’m fine. Thank you. We should get going, sir.” It was a struggle to keep the incredulous horror out of my voice and maintain a professional tone, but I managed it.
Flanked by bodyguards Neil and Carl, we dashed to the elevators as hell continued to break out behind us. There were shouts for security, the police, lawyers, and more. Phones were ringing madly, and the few assistants and management who lingered on the top floor all looked lost and terrified. My heart went out to them. They’d started the day thinking that they were a step away from a new future with Courtland Enterprises, but tonight, they were all going to be updating their résumés while chugging their beers.
“Do you think that was over the top? Too much? It was too much, wasn’t it?” Sebastian inquired, his grin brighter than the sun glinting off the silver elevator doors.
It was over the top. So incredibly, ridiculously over the top.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” I inquired in return.
Carl jogged ahead of us and held open the final glass door that would take us to the elevators. Even with that door wide open, I still had to grab Sebastian’s arm and pull him toward me to keep him from walking into the clear glass wall. God help me, the man was a magnet for those walls. I felt like I spent a quarter of my time keeping him from smashing into them every time we visited a place that used them.
Sebastian sighed, not even blinking at the fact that I’d physically moved him out of harm’s way. “I did. I really did.”
“It wasn’t over the top, sir.”
When we reached the elevator without further incident, Sebastian leaned against the back wall and flashed me a smirk, as if the man knew what I was thinking. He closed his eyes, and some of the joy drained from his face. “It was over the top, but they deserved it for all the people they hurt and lied to. Because they planned to destroy Courtland Enterprises to hide their evil. Yep. No regrets.”
Silence fell over the elevators as we rode it to the garage. We were ushered into the sleek black town car with plush leather seats. God, I loved this car. I loved every second I got to ride in it with Sebastian. It was the most comfortable thing I’d ever sat in. Then it moved, and I was floating on a cloud.
But enough nonsense.
We were safely on the road, away from the Bluepoint Industries disaster with our integrity intact, but Courtland Enterprises was in danger.
“We’re screwed,” Sebastian mumbled beside me. He leaned his left elbow on the door and rested his head on his hand while stretching his long legs out in front of him. I had reached for my phone to check for any small fires that might have developed while I’d been escaping with my boss, but I returned it to my pocket. Sebastian looked at me and gave a half smile. “Sorry. I shouldn’t say that. It’s not fair of me to put that weight on your shoulders.”
“Sir, I see many of the same reports you do. I’ve sat in on your meetings with the CFO. You wouldn’t have hired me if I wasn’t smart enough to see that we’re losing money.”
“True. True. But I’m supposed to be upbeat and positive.”
“You are, but I appreciate that as a leader, you’re also realistic. No one would want to run to the helm after the Titanic has hit the iceberg to hear the captain say, ‘It’s fine. Everything is fine.’ ”
A surprised bark of laughter jumped from Sebastian’s throat, and I dutifully ignored how the sound warmed my heart. “Hell, Byron! I don’t know what I’d do without you. I don’t think we’re the Titanic yet, but you can’t abandon me. Not for a while, at least.”
“Courtland Enterprises is not the Titanic, and I have zero plans to leave the company. Period.”
Sebastian’s smile returned, and I didn’t want to think about how powerful it made me feel. It was as though I’d ascended to the heavens and shoved aside those clouds so his light could shine through. What I did for him might not seem like much. Most people would have thought that I just balanced his calendar, fetched his coffee, and made sure he had all the papers he needed for each meeting, but it was more than that. I was a sounding board, a safe place for him to vent, and the person who kept him focused. He was the captain, and I was his navigator, searching for the smoothest course through choppy waters.
The ride to the office was a short one. Normally, the extra bodyguard would have been released for the day, but after the splash Sebastian had made at Bluepoint, I’d asked them to stay at the office to keep their eyes out for trouble. I didn’t expect any of the executives or directors of Bluepoint to make physical threats, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
On the way up to Sebastian’s office, we made four detours through different departments. Sebastian believed in showing his face to all the workers so that he felt more approachable. As a result, he got to sign a birthday card, sing “Happy Birthday,” and eat cake while he directed me to find two appropriate baby shower gifts and send flowers to the wife of Janitor Patrick for her post-foot surgery recovery. I also helped him dodge two more walls.
“That helped,” Sebastian announced as he strolled into his palatial office with me on his heels. I took his suit jacket and hung it in his closet while he rolled up his sleeves. “I am ready to get back to business. That merger was supposed to cut our supply chain costs. If things don’t improve from their current levels, we’re looking at layoffs by Christmas.”
Which I knew was the very last thing he wanted.
“Byron, how about an old-fashioned after-hours brainstorming session? We need one big new product to get us over the worst of the slump.”
As I turned toward his desk, he dropped in his swivel seat and spun to face me, his hands behind his head. I pulled out my phone and opened a blank page for notes.
“Of course, sir. Who would you like me to invite?”
“No, no!” He waved his hands. “I was thinking just the two of us. We can bring in others at a later date. Too many people in the early planning stage make it too noisy. I can’t think. My head is most clear when it’s only you.”
I would not blush. I would not blush.
He said crazy things like this all the time and didn’t mean a damn thing by it.
“We’ll order in some dinner. We haven’t tried that new Korean restaurant that opened up in OTR, and I know how much you love bibimbap . I could go for some bulgogi . Good food, quiet atmosphere. We’ll get this all worked out.”
If only it could be so easy.
I opened my mouth to agree, but a call appeared on my screen that stopped my heart. Sheriff Dan Wheaton. This was never good.
“What’s wrong?”
Sebastian’s sharp question snapped my head up and for a second, I was tongue-tied. I wasn’t sure how to explain that it was likely that my mother had been arrested again or found dead. Those things didn’t seem good to drop on your boss’s head.
“Umm…I…personal call…I…” I stumbled and stammered as if I’d forgotten the English language.
“Oh. Don’t worry about it. Take the call, and we’ll make plans later this afternoon.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled as I nearly ran out of his office. I answered my phone, slipping into a nook where no one could overhear me.
“Hey, Brian,” the sheriff drawled in a thick accent, making my eye twitch. The man could not remember that my name was Byron, not Brian. I’d think he did it on purpose, if I didn’t hear him regularly call his coworkers and other people by the wrong name. The only thing that saved me from losing my shit with this man was his compassion and patience.
“How bad is it?” I sighed.
“Whelp, I got her locked up in the drunk tank. She was arguing with the neighbors about them letting their dog crap in her yard.”
I rolled my eyes. Why she even cared was beyond me. Her yard was barely larger than a postage stamp and filled with dirt and crabgrass. She never went outside.
“I’m guessing she was swearing loud enough to disturb all the neighbors.”
“Yep. That and she dropped trou and took a shit in the neighbor’s yard.”
I lowered my phone, took two steps, spun, and walked back to where I’d been standing while clenching my fist hard enough to make the protective plastic case creak. Why? Why did she have to make my life a living hell? Why would she do this?
“How much?” I bit out when I could unclench my jaw enough to speak.
The sheriff huffed a breathless laugh. “Well, I talked her neighbors into cutting a deal. They picked up the poop in her yard and she picked up her own poop before I hauled her to jail to sleep it off. She’s been with me for a couple of hours. I need you to come pick her up.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in about an hour. Maybe sooner.”
No bibimbap for me tonight.