janet maple 05 - it doesnt pay to be bad (28 page)

The sharp stinging of her skin brought clarity. With her now clear eyes, Ally saw the red blinking light on her answering machine. On the reading table next to the couch was her cell phone and it, too, was beeping angrily, bursting with tidings of bad news. No matter how bad, it was the news she needed to hear. Her father didn’t bring her up to be a babbling child; she was a grown woman now and she had to step up to the plate. “I’m all right now. Thank you.”

“You’re not mad at me? I don’t know why I hit you. I guess I panicked.” All of Madison’s toughness was evaporating as she babbled guiltily.

“I deserved it. Now if you don’t mind I’m going to need some privacy to sort through all of this . . . it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t want you to be in the position of overhearing things that could be compromising,” Ally said firmly. She was fully in control now.

“I understand. I’ll be home if you need me. I’ll let myself out.” Madison rose from the couch and headed for the door.

Allyson reached for her cell phone and hit the messages button. There were five messages, all from her father’s lawyer.

Please read on for an excerpt from
Baiting Trouble
(Book 2 of Sinful Business Series)

Excerpt from
Baiting Trouble

(Book 2 of Sinful Business Series)

By

Marie Astor

Allyson Roberts has risen from the ashes. She now has a career, a relationship, and a purpose in life. But as a new assignment comes along, Jake Morrissey, the man who helped her rebuild her life and has been her rock ever since might now become too dangerous for her to love. Will Ally and Jake find a way to be together, or will their ties burn them?

Delilah Jones has always been the odd one out with a wayward past. Now, she has a chance to shine by completing an undercover assignment that has her colleagues at a standstill. But what if getting a lead will cost Delilah her only chance for true love? Will she have to choose between her heart and career, or will she find a way to have both?

Chapter 1

Brad Weiss wanted to skip up the corporate jet’s ladder, but instead he kept his stride measured as he respectfully followed his boss, Peter Langman, to board Orion Inc.’s corporate jet. As he made his way into the cabin, Brad was yet again impressed by the lush accommodations of the jet. He had flown the company plane on many business occasions before, but the luxury of private travel never ceased to please him. Someday, hopefully someday soon, he was going to have his own jet that he would use whenever it pleased him. Brad waited for Peter Langman to take a seat and then took the opposite seat.

For the past eleven years Orion had been Brad’s life. He was only thirty-three years old, but already the company’s chief operating officer, the COO. His title elicited frowns and arched eyebrows from many of the gray hairs at the company as well as those at their competitors, but Brad remained as impervious to the old geezers’ scoffs as he would to the buzzing noises made by flies.

“Are you comfortable, Brad?” Langman asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you, sir,” Brad replied deferentially. He owed his success to Peter Langman, the owner of Orion Inc. In addition to being Brad’s boss Peter Langman was also his mentor.

Brad sank into the supple leather chair. The flight to Hong Kong from Oregon was over fifteen hours long, so it was comforting to know that the seats were expandable into perfectly horizontal beds. This was going to be a very important business trip for Brad—a trip that could make or break his career, and he wanted to look his best upon arrival.

A pretty stewardess greeted them. “Gentlemen, may I get you anything to drink?” She was wearing a uniform with Orion’s logo insignia. Brad noticed that her pencil skirt and form-fitting jacket hugged her body rather suggestively. He wondered if the girl had a tailor alter the uniform. Although most CEOs would gladly use a sexy stewardess as a ploy to achieve an edge in business negotiations, Peter Langman was a straight shooter and he would’ve never approved sexy uniforms for his corporate jet flight attendants.

“Just some water for me, please,” Langman asked.

“The same please,” Brad followed his boss’s lead. There’d be plenty of opportunities for drinks later, but right now he needed to have a fresh head for the negotiations they had ahead of them.

“I will be right back with your orders, gentlemen.” The girl smiled and walked away, her hips swaying.

Peter Langman’s eyes trailed after the girl’s figure. “Don’t you think her uniform is a little snug?” he whispered disapprovingly.

Brad looked up from his papers distractedly. “Oh, apologies, sir, I wasn’t looking.” He pointed at the papers.

Langman chuckled. “Never mind.”

Brad could barely keep a straight face. Under a different set of circumstances he would’ve asked for the girl’s number. Hell, he probably wouldn’t even need to go that far. He could see himself getting down and dirty with her right there on the plane, and judging by the way she was acting he wouldn’t be met with much resistance. Too bad that his boss was right there.
Focus
, Brad thought,
focus
.

The girl returned with two bottles of Perrier and poured them into glasses with slices of lemon in each. Brad took his glass, keeping his eyes fixed on his papers the entire time. He wanted Langman to see how dedicated he was.

Langman took a long drink of his water. “Brad, you’ve been poring over this pitch nonstop since last week. You must have it memorized by now.”

“You’re right, sir. I do, but practice only makes perfect. Tomorrow is a big day for us and I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Oh, I don’t think you could do that even if you tried.”

“You’re very kind, sir.”

“I must admit I’m a little nervous.”

“Nervous, sir?”

Langman nodded. “Yes. Not nervous about the deal, but nervous about what it will do to the company if the deal goes through, which I’m pretty sure it will.”

Brad stared at him momentarily. “It will undisputedly establish Orion’s position as a liquefied gas provider of international importance.”

Langman nodded. “Precisely.”

“But isn’t that what we’ve been working toward, sir?” Orion had recently completed building three gas pipelines in China where it had contracts with three leading manufacturing companies. Impressed by the deal Orion had struck with China, Hong Kong too wanted a piece of the action. At first, Langman had been hesitant. He wanted to make sure that Orion had the capacity to deliver on these obligations and wanted to wait on the Hong Kong expansion, but Brad had done a detailed assessment of Orion’s facilities proving that Orion was more than capable of meeting these obligations. Now months of planning were going to come full circle. Brad and his boss had two meetings planned during their trip. The first meeting was going to be with a major Hong Kong bank to secure a loan Orion needed to build a gas pipeline to transport gas to its newest client, a major utilities company in Hong Kong. Once the loan terms were signed, they would then meet with the client to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s.

“It is. But heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

“You’re absolutely right there, sir,” Brad replied solemnly. “High rewards bring high levels of responsibility.”

Langman nodded approvingly. “That’s right, Brad. I’m glad you understand that.”

Brad pretended to busy himself with the presentation. Beneath his cool, studious exterior he was filled with excitement. Peter Langman, President and CEO of Orion, Inc. had been talking about cutting down on his work for some time. The old man looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin seemed more lined than usual. Langman had made it clear that he wasn’t ready to retire yet, but he’d been talking about stepping down from his role as the CEO and only staying on as the president. There had been speculations about Langman’s replacement for months. The CEO role was the role that Brad coveted. If he got it, he would be one of the youngest among his peers in the industry. When they had been going over the presentation earlier, Langman had confused some of the figures and Brad had discretely corrected his boss. “Take the lead on this, Brad,” Langman had said, “you have my full authority.” That was exactly what Brad intended to do. If he played his cards right, a few months from now he might be sitting in Langman’s chair.

***

It was ten o’clock at night local time and Brad was starting to feel the hard day’s work take its toll on him. Today had felt like the longest, yet the most thrilling day of his life. Despite the fatigue creeping in, he was still bursting with excitement. Both meetings had gone off without a hitch. The bank had approved a massive loan for Orion with very favorable terms. Additionally, the bank officials would personally assist Orion in securing all the necessary permits from the local authorities to build the pipeline. Orion’s newest Hong Kong client had been immensely pleased with the news and signed all the paperwork, finalizing the details of their contract.

Now Brad was seated in Peter Langman’s suite, both of them ready to unwind after a very long day.

“How about a drink?” Langman asked. He had briefly gone into the bedroom to change and had replaced his suit jacket with a silk robe. He still had his shirt and tie on.

“Yes, please.” Brad was about to get up, but Langman motioned for him to stay seated.

Langman poured himself a double scotch and examined the bottle. “Twenty-five-year-old Glenlivet,” he observed, “not too shabby if you ask me.” He poured Brad a drink and handed it to him.

“Thank you.” Brad took a long swallow, savoring the smooth liquid trickling down his throat. “I thought it went well today,” he prompted, impatient for Langman’s accolades.

Langman nodded. “You did a terrific job today in both meetings. These contracts are going to be revolutionary. Simply revolutionary. It’s about time Tian Wang stopped controlling the gas supply. The amount of pollution that his plants are generating is deathly. No one would put up the capital necessary for production, but I knew it had to be done. Once the initial investment pays off we’ll make a hefty profit, but most importantly we’ll keep the planet safe for our children and grandchildren. I, for one, don’t want my grandchildren to worry about a hurricane every week. And even if I never live to become a grandfather,” he chuckled. “I’m glad to know that I’ve done something to make a difference for the rest of the humanity.”

Brad stayed wisely silent at Langman’s allusion to his free-spirited daughter whom Brad had dated at one point in his life. “Yes, sir. That is a wonderful example of corporate citizenship, sir.”

“I didn’t do it alone. You’re largely responsible for the plant expansion and ensuring the capacity for the increased output. All those nights you were in the office, burning the midnight oil, didn’t go unnoticed.”

“Thank you, sir.” Brad took a sip of his scotch to conceal his excitement. Was the old man finally going to say it? Today had been his test and Brad had passed it with flying colors. Now it was time for his reward.

Langman stretched his legs out on the ottoman. “Ah, this feels nice. I’ve got to admit today kicked my butt. I keep forgetting that I’m not twenty-five anymore.” He raised his glass. “To your success, Brad.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I suppose I should get right to it. I know there’s been a lot of speculation about the CEO role,” Langman paused.

Brad felt his heart thump. Finally, he was going to get what he wanted.

“I’ve decided that Orion will benefit from new blood,” Langman continued. “After a careful consideration I’ve hired Steven Wright as the new CEO.”

Brad merely stared back at his boss, mute. At first he thought that he’d misheard things, but then it dawned on him. He wasn’t getting the job.

“Steven Wright?” Brad asked in a hollow voice. “I thought the whole reason behind the management change was to infuse Orion with fresh blood.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best comment to make under the circumstances, but he was boiling inside. Brad studied Langman’s face for signs of irritation, but years spent in corporate boardrooms had given Langman the perfect poker face.

“I’m sorry my decision took you by surprise, Brad. That wasn’t my intention.” Langman rubbed his forehead. Suddenly he looked tired. All those years of hard work were beginning to show. He was now in his mid-sixties and he looked his age. His closely cut hair was almost entirely white and thinning on top. His mustache was white too, but he insisted on keeping it although a much shorter version that the one he wore in his younger years. And even though he still spent an hour at the gym religiously every morning, his body was starting to acquire a pear shape. “Steven Wright brings a lot of experience, and I think you could learn a great deal from him.”

Brad wanted to choke the old man. Learn from Wright? Brad had been with Orion since he was twenty two, not counting the three summers he’d interned there while in college. He knew Orion from the inside out, and now he was supposed to learn from Steven Wright, who knew nothing about the company and would most likely look to Brad to give him all the essential facts and figures.

“This news may be frustrating to you initially, but this is truly for the best. Once you think it over, you’ll see what I mean,” Langman said.

“Frankly, sir, I don’t see how that would happen.”
To hell with it
, Brad thought. For over ten years he’d danced to the old man’s tune. He was going to speak his mind now, and if that meant the end of his career at Orion then so be it. “I’m very grateful for all the opportunities you’ve given me. I’ve worked hard to meet and exceed your expectations. Orion is my life. I started as a college intern and was very fortune to work my way up through the ranks. I know all the facets of the business from corporate to production, and I don’t see how an outsider, granted a very experienced executive, but an outsider nonetheless, can bring more to the CEO role than what I have to offer.”