Page 56 of Dragon Her Heels

Interesting. I liked interesting, especially in the corporate world. Espionage wasn’t something I did often, but I found dipping my toes into the secrets of other companies to be rather illuminating.

“That’s excellent. Here is the situation. Several of our secretaries were engaging in embezzlement within the firm and were let go. We need replacements, and we need replacements quickly. We are prepared to offer you a twenty percent increase to your base salary along with a performance bonus opportunity.”

I raised a brow at the twenty percent increase to my base salary, which would be considered generous by most everyone. Lucifer gestured for me to continue the conversation, which I assumed meant he wanted me to nibble at the bait. “Tell me more about the performance bonus opportunity, please.”

“We would be modeling it after your old arrangement but with a fifty percent increase of all figures and with the same performance targets.”

I raised both brows at that; the previous performance bonuses had been good enough, with my dedication to my budget and my drive to have my slice of heaven. A fifty percent increase would have made a huge difference to the me from three years ago.

It had a long way to go to come anywhere near what Lucifer offered.

The Devil presented a slip of paper to me, which consisted of a phone number in smoldering letters.

I smiled. “I have located the number for you, sir. Are you ready to write it down?”

“I’m ready.”

I relayed the number. The instant the last digit left my mouth, Mr. Mortani thanked me for my time and hung up. I scowled and returned the phone to its cradle. “That offer doesn’t even come close to yours, by the way.”

The Devil laughed. “He lied to you. The secretaries were not engaging in embezzlement, and they found out, the hard way, that you were the glue that was holding their operations together. When he calls, which will be in the next few minutes, just listen. I will be representing Mr. Durant for this call. While you’re technically my employee, I’m cultivating you for him. This makes me sad; if I could keep you, I would. Alas, you will do the most good containing your dragon.”

“He’s my dragon now?”

“He really is.”

“I am not being paid enough to have to babysit an entire dragon. Handling his secretarial matters is one thing. Handling him is another.”

Lucifer laughed. “Just stay quiet, because what you hear may change your perspective on certain things.”

“That’s usually how this works. I’m guessing their performance dropped because I wasn’t streamlining negotiations, they got overwhelmed, started making mistakes, and he concocted embezzling, hoping to use former company loyalties against me.” It was the only theory that made sense to me.

Mr. Mortani would get a nasty surprise, as if I had truly held any loyalty to my previous employer, I wouldn’t have fled the instant my plans could come to fruition.

“I’m going to make your barn so beautiful you cry when you see it,” he informed me in a solemn tone.

Before I had a chance to reply, the Devil’s cell rang. With a wicked smile, he put the phone on my desk, accepted the call, and tapped the icon to switch it to speaker. “Lucifer speaking.”

“I surely have the wrong number,” Mr. Mortani spluttered.

“Oh, no, Mr. Mortani, I assure you, you have the correct number. You are calling me about Crystal Culling.”

“She works for the Devil?”

The blurted words, full of shock and consternation, put me on edge. On their cat tree, my kittens stirred, and their little heads turned to regard the phone, their ears twisted back.

At my feet, a warm and fuzzy body pressed close, and I could feel her purr.

I suspected the tiny beast did her best to comfort me.

“I am currently a liaison for her actual employer, Mr. Durant.”

“I do not know that name.”

“That is quite all right, most mortals do not. Mr. Durant is an older name for the dragon who paid Georgia a visit a while back. He was in need of a mortal caretaker, and Miss Culling was selected. Her neighbors call it sacrificed, as the job is not precisely voluntary, but she is the best person for the position. I must compliment you on your training of her; she is simply spectacular at handling executive level affairs.”

“I need to hire her back,” Mr. Mortani announced.

I had to give the man credit; he had more courage than sense to speak to the Devil in such a fashion, especially during a negotiation. I wondered how Lucifer would handle the man’s disrespect. When I had been in the company’s employ, I had ignored the comments, the looks, and the jeering and leering. I’d pretended enduring harassment hadn’t been a daily burden. I’d worked to leach away as much money from their coffers and into mine as possible.