Page 150 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

DIXIE

I ’d been so focused on applying for the COO job that I hadn't really paid attention when Xavier talked about an interim VP of Mergers and Acquisitions. Three weeks later, on a rainy Monday morning, I realize my mistake.

I’ve already been at the office for three hours when my computer chimes, reminding me of the staff meeting.

My coffee is cold, and I detour on my way to the conference room to the kitchen, rinse my mug and refill it, adding a generous helping of milk and two teaspoons of sugar.

John Stone, Leforte’s CFO, finds me there.

“An interim VP,” he says, looking annoyed.

“I don’t see why Xavier doesn’t just hire someone outright. ”

I nod noncommittally.

“Do you know who it is?” he continues. “Elisa is treating it like some kind of state secret.”

John isn’t the only person who is curious about the new hire. We all are. “We’ll find out in…” I glance at my phone. “Five minutes.”

“We’ll have to bring this guy up to speed,” he grumbles. “What a waste of time.”

No doubt John thinks Xavier should have hired an internal candidate, but it’s obvious why he isn’t going that route. Pierre let things slip, and nobody here had raised the alarm. For his own peace of mind, Xavier will bring in an outsider to clean house.

John, having said his piece, stalks away, his attention on his phone. I take a sip of my coffee. Perfect—I need the jolt of energy that the caffeine is going to provide.

I better head to the conference room too. I quicken my stride, and then I catch sight of a tall, red-faced man.

Ugh. Kevin Hughes. Kevin heads up Zephyrus, which is one of Leforte Enterprises’ subsidiaries. Zephyrus is a wind energy company. They build and install wind turbines all over the world. I should love them—I’m all for renewable sources of energy.

Unfortunately, Zephyrus is also the source of the majority of my problems. Kevin Hughes has never met a contract he can’t screw up, and he’s extremely annoyed that I refuse to rubber-stamp all his decisions.

I’m in no mood for a confrontation with Kevin right now, so I wait until he enters the conference room before following him in.

Unfortunately, he stops dead in the doorway.

Unfortunately, I’m not paying attention; my phone chimes right then, and I glance down at the screen. My hands are full. An overflowing cup of coffee. Notepad. Pen. Phone.

I almost collide with his back. Coffee sloshes everywhere. And when I say everywhere, what I really mean is, all over my blouse.

And then I glance up and realize who the interim VP of Mergers and Acquisitions is.

It’s Eric Kane.

Kill me now.

I shouldn’t have been blindsided. Had I given it any thought, I would have realized that Eric Kane was the obvious choice.

My friends can’t stop talking about him.

He’s a financial wizard who manages Maddox Wake’s finances.

He’s also in charge of Adrian, Brody, and Fiona’s combined portfolios.

“He’s the best at what he does,” Adrian had said one evening at dinner when the topic of Eric had come up yet again.

He’s not exaggerating. After the dungeon fiasco, I’d looked him up. I didn’t know his last name, but I’d found Hunter’s social media, and from there, Eric’s. (I was snooping, okay? I admit it.) Neither of them posts much, but Hunter’s judo gym tags him on almost every post.

What I’d found was impressive. Eric had been the highest performer at his investment banking firm.

His rise through the ranks was nothing short of meteoric.

When he left them, he could have written his own ticket, but he branched out into business for himself.

He takes on very few clients, and he delivers excellent results.

To add insult to injury, he’s also involved in his community. He sits on the board of two non-profits—a woman’s shelter in Queens and an organization dedicated to teaching financial literacy to high school students. From all accounts, is very involved with both.

And he’s a close personal friend of Xavier’s. He’s going to help him find a replacement for Pierre.

You realize you can kiss goodbye to the COO job?

I shouldn’t have been blindsided. But I am. I’m sick to my stomach. If I could do it without ruining my professional credibility, I’d run away to the nearest washroom and burst into tears.

The conference room is packed. The entirety of Leforte Enterprises’ senior team is here, and the presidents of several of Leforte’s subsidiary companies have made the trip to be here in person.

There are only two unoccupied chairs in the room.

I let Kevin Hughes take the seat next to John Stone—the two of them have an inexplicable bromance going on—and make my way next to Hira Birkan, the VP of Human Resources.

She takes a look at my blouse, grimaces in sympathy, and hands me a stack of napkins.

“If you wash it right away, the stain might come out,” she whispers, as I dab the excess liquid as discreetly as I can. “Do you have a spare blouse?”

“In my office. No time to get it now.”

“You’re probably right. Come find me after this meeting. I have some stain remover in my office.”

I murmur my thanks. I can feel Eric’s eyes on me, and I do my best to avoid his gaze. I’m feeling sorry for myself. Blouse, ruined. Dream job, out of reach. And now, I’m going to have to work closely with Eric for however long he’s here.

Pierre was bad—Eric Kane is going to be a disaster.

A couple more people file into the room, there’s a scramble to get extra chairs into the room, and finally, Xavier gets to his feet and closes the door.

The chatter dies down. “Thank you all for attending,” he says, polite as always.

“The last few months have been difficult for all of us. Everyone here has worked incredibly long hours. I deeply appreciate it.”

He looks around the room. “I’ve been filling the gap after Pierre’s departure.” A smile flits across his face. “With mixed success. I have no doubt I’m failing more often than I succeed.”

He’s selling himself short.

“I don’t need to tell any of you that this situation is unsustainable.

Enter Eric.” He glances down at the man sitting at his right.

“Eric Kane went to school with me. He has an undergraduate degree in finance and a graduate degree in business. He worked for six years with Sterns, Baker & Cox before leaving to start his own company. He’s the best at what he does.

I’m exceedingly lucky he’s here.” His lips tilt up in another, more genuine smile.

“I didn’t really give him much of an out, to be honest. I might have imposed on our friendship. ”

“You did,” Eric quips.

Xavier grins. “I have no regrets.” He picks up his mug from the table and takes a sip of his coffee before continuing.

“While Eric’s title is the acting VP of Mergers & Acquisitions, he’ll be playing a much broader role.

He’s going to help us get back on track while I search for Pierre’s replacement.

I expect he’ll be working closely with everyone here.

” His eyes sweep the room. “Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. ”

John leans forward eagerly. Of course. “My name is John Stone,” he says. “I’m the VP of Finance. I’ve worked here for over ten years.” He gives Eric a condescending smile. “I know Leforte’s finances inside and out. If you have any questions, I can help you out.”

I inwardly shake my head. John is trying to dominate Eric, and from the blandness of Eric’s smile, he’s perfectly aware of what the other man is trying to do.

Kevin clears his throat, ready to go next. I go back to moping. First Pierre, and now Eric. I can’t seem to grab a break.

Eric Kane had been actively hostile in our first meeting, but to be fair, he has good reason to dislike me. As much as I want to stew in my indignation, I can’t deny that I was in the wrong that fateful afternoon. Had there been any cell phone reception in that room, I would have called the police.

And it would have been a complete train wreck. Word would have gotten around about how the Congresswoman had been seen in a BDSM club. That she’d been in a scene with two men. Her career would have been ruined.

Because I jumped to conclusions.

All things considered, Eric’s reaction was perfectly justified.

I really wanted the job though. I’ve spent the past three weeks researching it.

I’ve talked to former colleagues. Refreshed the finance skills I haven’t used in forever.

I’ve stayed at work even later than normal, pouring over Xavier’s various businesses, making sure I understand each and every company that’s part of Leforte Enterprises.

Now, it’s all for nothing. After witnessing my catastrophic error in judgment, Eric will not recommend me for the COO position. Sigh.

Lost in my thoughts, I don’t realize that Hira has introduced herself, and it’s my turn, not until she nudges me. The entire room is staring at me. “Dixie?” Xavier prompts.

Wonderful. I’m making a stellar second impression. Every time I think this day can’t get any worse, the universe laughs at me and cranks up the dial.

“Hi,” I say, pasting a fake smile on my face.

“I’m Dixie Ketcham. I’m the General Counsel.

I’ve been with Leforte Enterprises since February.

” I gulp down some of my now lukewarm coffee.

“I provide legal advice to the corporation, both for routine contracts as well as during mergers and acquisitions.”

Eric looks like he’s trying not to laugh at me. “Good to see you again, Dixie.”

John’s head snaps up at that, and his eyes narrow. He’s trying to assess what me knowing Eric means for his chances at the COO role.

I’m pretty sure I’m out of the running, John. You have nothing to worry about.

John’s not the only one looking curious. Kevin Hughes is giving me an assessing glance. Even Hira glances over at me.

But that’s not the worst thing. The worst thing happens when I catch sight of Xavier’s face.

He’s smiling.

Oh, God. He knows everything.

Hot embarrassment sweeps through me, anger swiftly on its heels.

Yes, I interrupted Eric and Hunter’s scene.

Yes, I screwed up. But I hadn’t succeeded in calling the cops, Congresswoman Cordero’s privacy wasn’t violated, and most importantly, none of it had been deliberate.

I’d made a mistake. I’d apologized for it. Camila Cordero had accepted my apology.

Eric Kane couldn’t have let it go? He had to tell Xavier? No doubt, the two of them had a nice laugh at me. Poor Dixie. So sheltered and uptight that she mistook the BDSM scene for assault. Hardy har har.

I’m seething as the meeting winds down. Eric announces that he’ll be meeting with all of us individually this week.

Then it’s over. Everyone files out of the room.

Hira looks at my blouse with a rueful shake of her head.

“I think the stain has set,” she says. “But why don’t you come to my office? Let’s try to rescue it if we can.”

I make a sudden decision. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Xavier is in a low-voiced conversation with Eric. I wait for them to finish, and thankfully for me, Elisa pats her boss on the arm, reminding him he needs to be elsewhere.

Eric turns to leave as well, his attention on his phone. “Mr. Kane,” I speak up, my voice vibrating with rage. “Can I have a word with you?”

He glances up. Surprise flashes on his face when he catches sight of me. “I didn’t realize you were still here,” he says. “Of course, Ms. Ketcham. What can I do for you?”

I close the distance between us. “You know what,” I hiss between clenched teeth.

“I shouldn’t have interrupted your scene, but even though I did the wrong thing, it was for the right reasons.

I really thought I heard someone scream for help.

” I grip the edge of my notepad. “You had a choice. You could have let it go. You didn’t have to tell Xavier about it. ”

I imagine the two of them laughing about it—poor, na?ve Dixie, stupidly blundering into things, clueless and confused—and my jaw tightens. I feel a stress headache gathering in the margins. “I made an honest mistake. You didn’t have to badmouth me to my new boss.”

Eric’s looking at me with a very strange expression on his face. “What?” I snap.

He tilts his head to one side. “You seem to be making a habit of jumping to conclusions,” he says mildly. “I haven’t told Xavier anything, and neither has Hunter. As far as I know, he doesn’t know the circumstances of our first meeting.”

He didn’t? Okay, this is the point where I’d like the ground to open up underneath my feet, please.

“Umm, I?—”

He doesn’t wait for me to finish. Can’t say I blame him. “I look forward to working with you, Dixie,” he says. “Elisa is going to book a meeting on your schedule. You’re new here, and so you have a fresh eye. I’d like to discuss what’s working well at Leforte and what isn’t.”

He nods politely at me and leaves the conference room. I stay frozen in place. What is wrong with me? Do I have some kind of subconscious self-sabotaging urge?

I can’t believe I screwed up. Again.

As much as I hate to admit it, I need to loosen up. I leaped to conclusions about Camila Cordero. I did the same about Eric. I’m still not sure what my girlfriends get out of BDSM.

I used to pride myself on keeping an open mind, but somewhere along the way, I’ve lost that. I’m not as live-and-let-live as I think I am.

That stings.

I need to do something big to shake myself out of this rut, and I think I know what it is.