Free His Name Is Sir (The Power to Please #3) by Deena Ward Page B

telling you the truth.”
    I said, “So, I’m to believe that it’s some big surprise that you happen to be buying the company I work for, and you happened to discover that I work here, just now. It’s all some crazy, messed-up alignment of cosmic forces that has you sitting in my office right here, right now.”
    He grinned widely. Damn, the man was a knock-out when he grinned.
    “No,” he said, “I wouldn’t expect you to believe that.”
    “Then tell me what to believe, Gibson. Tell me you didn’t know I worked here before you got here today.”
    He said, “I can’t tell you that. I knew, I know everything, right down to your salary and benefit package and how many days of sick leave you’ve taken this year.”
    I glowered.
    He continued before I had the chance to say something rude. “In fact, I only came today because you work here. Normally, I’d just send my usual crew for an inspection of a minor acquisition like this.”
    A minor acquisition. He knew my salary and benefit package. He was here because of me. I asked, “Are you buying this business because of me, because I work here? What are you up to?”
    He didn’t even blink at my question. “How about, what would I like to be up to? Right now, I’d like to strip you naked, bend you over your desk, and spank your little ass until you apologize for the way you dismissed me at the club Friday night.”
    Kerthunk, the sound my heart made at his answer. Were my eyebrows still on my head, or were they stuck to the ceiling?
    He said, “As for why I might be buying this company, that’s been an ongoing discussion for a while now. Frank Linton approached my people about six months ago, wanted to know if we were interested in buying his family’s cosmetics business. So the answer is no, I’m not buying this company because you work here. I might not be buying Linton Cosmetics at all. That decision hasn’t been made yet.”
    I got myself back in hand and said, “I see. So it is, after all, something of a coincidence, your being here today.”
    “No, I told you. I came to see you ... mostly.”
    I took a deep breath. “This isn’t a game for me, for any of us here. We need our jobs, and we need this company.”
    “I’m aware of that.”
    “I hope so. If you do buy, what are your plans for us?”
    He looked at me for a moment, then answered, “I haven’t decided that yet.”
    “We just heard about this today, you know, that the Lintons want to sell.”
    He seemed surprised. “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”
    “Well, they actually told Isabel yesterday. The rest of us found out this morning.”
    “I see. That’s unfortunate.”
    “Yes.” I waited, hoping that now he might offer me some reassurance about his plans, what we could expect in the future. Anything. Anything at all.
    He said nothing. He only sat there and watched me.
    I was confused. I knew nothing about how Gibson did business. I could hardly remember the name of his company. I discovered it when I did an Internet search on him, weeks and weeks before. Something to do with trees. Rain tree maybe. No. Round tree. That was it. Roundtree Holdings.
    Remembering the name didn’t help with what I really wanted to know. A man like Gibson Reeves. So self-contained, unemotional and removed. And that was in his private life. I couldn’t expect him to have more compassion in his business life, could I?
    No, that was ridiculous.
    And then there was this other thing going around and around in my head. What, exactly, did it say about me that I couldn’t stop thinking about Gibson bending me over my desk and spanking me? Honestly. There had to be something wrong with me.
    I recalled Isabel telling me to give our visitor whatever he wanted. I swallowed my nervous laugh.
    Maybe I could get my mind out of the gutter if Gibson would quit looking at my lips.
    Okay, focus. Think about this. If everything I had heard about him were true, he was a very successful businessman. I didn’t know