AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sir, if I could just—”
“You have one minute to make me change my mind.”
“If I can have one more meeting with you in one month, I can come back with a new app, new idea, everything. I know that you don’t take interviews easily and I had to wait a year for my last one, but if you can give me a month—”
“Stop. I didn’t tell you to beg for an interview with me. I told you to tell me what the app is.” I cut her off. If everyone found out that I was letting people just sit outside my office and wait for me to see them, there will be hundreds of people out there.
“I’m working on a safety app for girls, an app that, if they are in danger a signal will go to the police. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll work hard for a month if you agree to see me.”
“What’s in the folder?”
“The very first rough draft of the app.”
"Leave that here and go," I tell her. She stares, wide-eyed at me for a moment; a moment longer than anyone else has.
"My number and email are in here. Thank you." Placing the folder on the table, she doesn't say another word and leaves the office.
Picking up the file, I add it to the pile of things that I have to read today.
“I can feel you watching me.” I look over at Hope then back down at the papers. “They need to know that they have to work hard to get the money.”
“Didn’t say anything.”
"I know, but you're looking at me." I look through my eyelashes at her as she looks back at her reader. I do wonder what she's thinking, and I don't want her to fear me. This side of me is just the business side of me, not the man she is at home with.
* * *
Hope sat in with us on the meeting with We Are Loved. She took her reader with her and sat at the table as we met. Jackson was happy to join the group and the team was pleased to have Jackson on board. I told them about the building and how the doctor was going to take part as well. The team was a little taken back by it, saying that it was going to be a lot bigger than they had planned and that they weren't prepared for all of this. Jackson and I informed them that they will be working with a few members that we have hand-picked to help them, so now they will have to add everything together and make a new plan. We'll be looking for someone to make the building safe for this charity to work.
Sitting in the office, Jackson tells me about some of the hotels that look good for where Jack might be staying. We’ll go tonight. I glance at Hope as she keeps glancing over at me.
“Can I read through this please?” She points to the We Are Loved file.
"Sure." I turn back to Jackson. "I'm taking my shot the second I see him, and I don't care who's around me."
"About that, as your friend, I agree, but as your lawyer, I think we do have to play this right. You kill him in front of people, and you'll be in prison for life.LifeLeo.” He glances over his shoulder at Hope. “Do you really want that?”
“Then what other option do we have?” I’m not leaving Hope, I have a plan set for us after all this is done and me being behind bars is not one of them.
“You’re not going to like it—”
“Spit it out.”
"If Hope is around, you can shoot him in public, and I can fight that her Uncle abused her and was trying to kidnap her and you were protecting yourselfandyour girlfriend. With all the doctor's notes, the court will see the trauma that she's been through. You'll be fine, and nothing will happen."
Throwing my files on the desk, I lean back in the chair and look at Hope.
“I agree with Jackson,” she says without even looking up from the file.
So, they both want me to use Hope as bait? Now I don't think that's the best idea and I would prefer to do this without using her. "No." My tone must have been firm as they both stay quiet. My eyes lock with Jackson, and I shake my head, telling him that will never happen,ever.
He shakes his head and hands me a paper with the list of hotels on it. I close my eyes for a moment as just the thought of last night still has me on edge. To make things worse, I didn’t sleep at all.
Without opening my eyes, I already know who is walking through the door. "I've told you enough times, when this dick is in the office you're not allowed in here, Katie," I tell her. She flirts with him way too much for my liking, and he's just as bad, as he teases her. I won't let him fuck her as she's good at her job, but I'm at that point that if they do—because I know him well enough to be sure he won't call her or even look at her again—I'm going to let them.
“You can be a dick,” I hear Jackson say.
I open my eyes and glare at them both. "Just fuck each other and get it over with. And Katie, the next time I see you here when he's here, you might have to find a new job."
