Free Dalton, Tymber - Contractual Obligation (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Tymber Dalton Page A

waitress took their orders, “any questions so far?”
    “Millions. But I see what you meant about her being really intense.”
    Gorden smiled and nodded. “Yes. She is a natural for this business. Why do you think her father turned the company over to her without a fight when he lost the bet? It wasn’t a lucky win on her part. She took calculated, well-educated risks that paid out.”
    “And yet she wants me to play a role in this charade. Why doesn’t she just stand up to her dad?”
    Gorden grinned. “She could, but she’s got a stubborn streak as wide as her father’s. She could also easily go to another technology company and make the same or more than she’s making here. He knows that. She really doesn’t want to engage in a game of boardroom chicken with him to see if he’ll blink first. Instead of playing by her father’s rules, she’s changing the game and playing by her own. The trick is, she’s done it without him knowing he’s now in her court instead of his own.”
    “That sounds like a lot of passive-aggressive gamesmanship to me.”
    “Not really. She did need a replacement for me. She wanted someone who could, conceivably, work with her during the span of her entire career here. Someone close to her own age, so she wouldn’t have to have someone else trained. It’s a bonus that she can shut her father up in the process.”
    “But my contract is only for a year.”
    “Oh, don’t worry. She’s counting on you liking the job so much, as well as the pay, that you’ll want to stay on.”
    “She’s that confident?” Something about that irritated him a little.
    “No, she’s that hopeful.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Just be honest with her. Play straight. Don’t lead her on. Feel free to disagree with her. But if you think you’ll pull one over on her and turn her into a meal ticket, think again. She’ll rip your balls off in the process.”
    Doug hoped he hadn’t looked guilty at Gorden’s accidental choice of phrase. Play straight. “No problem.”

    * * * *

    Harper worked through lunch in her office answering e-mails and reading reports from the other offices. It kept her mind off Doug.
    She liked the way he paid attention and didn’t look bored throughout the morning meetings, although he had to be almost completely lost at this point. Still, it was only his first day. She hoped after a couple of weeks, once he knew his way around and had settled in, that Gorden would report to her that he’d been a good choice all around.
    And if her father grew to like him even more, all the better.
    The next morning, Harper had just sat down at her desk when Gorden walked in. “Sorry to bother you, but I need to add a last-minute lunch date to your schedule for today.”
    She silently grumbled to herself as she pulled up her calendar on her computer. “Who, when, and where?”
    “Bill James, one o’clock, at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor.”
    She sat back in her chair, frowning. “Bill James? As in Keisler Aeronautics?”
    “Yes, the one and the same.”
    “What’s he want?”
    Gorden shrugged. “I don’t know. He called me a little while ago. He’s in town and asked if you had room in your schedule today to see him.” He gave Harper a pointed stare. “Knowing you, this way at least I’ll be sure you’ve had lunch.”
    She rolled her eyes and waved Gorden out. “Okay, fine. I’ll be there. Do I need to bring you a receipt as proof of what I ate?”
    “No,” Gorden said before he walked out the door, “just take a picture of some food porn and post it on your Facebook wall.”
    She laughed. He almost always managed to get the last word in.
    Still, she made it through her morning meetings and was at the Columbia restaurant fifteen minutes before the scheduled time. She left her name with the hostess and sat down to wait in the foyer.
    Bill James arrived a few minutes later. She vaguely remembered what he looked like from a picture she’d seen in a