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“No. I mostly show, rather than tell, and Kyle knows that.” Kyle scoffed. Falk’s hair was completely white, and his face was lean and etched with years of hard dealing, but he still had that sharp mind. He stepped forward, a calculating glint in his eyes. “Winner takes all. No hard feelings on your part, Jack. We leave everything in the past. Agreed.” His tone was clear. This was his way of giving her what she wanted, getting her out of Dallas, and saving face with his cronies.
Hmm, her mom was adamant that Jack had Falk where she wanted him, and it seemed her mother had been right. This whole winner-take-all contest had come on the heels of Jack’s mention that Falk had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. A criminal offense. She could press charges if she was so inclined.
Jack braced her feet in a gunslinger stance, her jaw set at a determined angle. “Granted that relations between the US and Venezuela have taken an upswing, isn’t that country still unstable?”
Falk’s smile faltered just for an instant. “They just allowed the US embassy back into the country. There’s money to be made.” He shrugged. “Besides, there’s nothing to fear. You’re a US citizen. They know not to mess with America.”
She wasn’t convinced, like Raymond, Falk was just a bit too accommodating. He frowned when she simply crossed her arms over her chest. “If you don’t go, you lose, Jack. The Venezuelans are eager for our three-tier packages. It’ll mean a huge bonus, too. How’s that?”
She just stared at him with her Erin Brockovich bitch face, but inside she was in turmoil, panic rising at the thought that she would lose. That challenge couldn’t go unanswered, even though there may be some danger. She couldn’t let Kyle win.
“You drive a hard bargain, woman.” Mitchum waved his hand at Raymond in an impatient gesture. “Go on. Tell them the deal.”
The lawyer shuffled through some papers on his desk. “Mr. Falk is prepared to make whoever gets the contract a full executive with your own department, stock options, and that corner office on the sixteenth floor at our brand-new New York office.”
“And all I have to do is close a deal in Caracas withTelevisión Paga?” It sounded way too good to be true, and her mother had often told her if it was too good to be true, then it most likely was. Her tone was flat. “What’s the catch?”
Raymond made a conciliatory gesture. “You don’t file any paperwork that doesn’t need to be filed.”
Aw, so it was the threat of her pressing charges. “Okay, three days—”
“Five,” Mitchum said.
“Four,” Jack countered.
Jack met Mitchum’s gaze, her fury controlled. He didn’t like losing, especially to her, but that was too damn bad. They owed her. “All right, four,” he said.
“I want security.”
“No. You don’t need security.”
The lawyer’s gaze flicked to Mitchum, then he glanced at Jack and Kyle, a nervous tic appearing at the corner of his eye. He offered a placating smile. “He’s right, Jack.” There was something in the lawyer’s tone that caught her attention, and she paused, trying to figure out what it was. An artificialness…no, more like an evasiveness. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze assessing. Jack studied Raymond, and a tiny piece fell into place. She smiled a dangerous smile. “Security, Mitchum or I walk,” she snapped. She was so tired of his bullshit.
He gave her a stiff, reluctant nod. The attorney gave her another politician’s smile and backpedaled. “Security it is.”
“Good. I’ll expect a five-star hotel and an expense account. You can order me a car.”
“Ditto,” Kyle said.
Mitchum growled under his breath, and Jack said, “Don’t screw me over when I come back with your fat deal. I’d hate to have to file any kind of unnecessary paperwork.”
Mitchum stared at her, his gaze cold and unyielding, a sneer in his tone when he said, “I hope you enjoy getting transferred to New York.” She heard what he didn’t say.Good riddance.
She was now convinced this was the price he was willing to pay to get her out of Dallas and appease her. It rankled. She just wanted this all to be fair and square, but now she would always have this concession nagging at the back of her mind.
Was it just the price of success in the real world?
After her subtle influences, he had finally broken. He made advances, she feigned outrage. He’d been humiliated and he’d made her pay since. His bruised ego had anyway. She couldn’t give a shit. He never should have treated her the way he did. She would fight tooth and nail for the recognition she deserved, and she refused to accomplish that on her back. But, apparently, to her shame, there were some lines she would cross.
She didn’t intend to just bring a lawsuit for unlawful employee practices, but she would change him with sexual harassment, and that would cripple the company. Then they could all bend over and kiss her ass.
She headed toward the door and let it slam behind her. With thoughts of just going back in there and quitting outright, following through with her plan, heavy on her mind, she stopped walking, warring with herself.
If she did what they wanted, she could hold her head high, get her due, and move on with her plans. So, her conscience took a hit. It wouldn’t be the first time…and with a churning in her gut, probably not the last.
The next day, packed and ready to go, she ran into Rosa Montoya in the kitchen. She was her housekeeper…but that wasn’t quite accurate. Rosa was more than that, but Jack didn’t want to define Rosa’s role in her life. It felt too…confining. The woman was the same age, and they were close. That’s all Jack allowed herself.
Loneliness was something that Jack struggled with a lot. She didn’t see her family often because her mother’s, sister’s, and Jack’s schedules were so busy, she spent her holidays solo. Rosa wouldn’t hear of that. Over Christmas, she had come over and cooked a full meal, gifting Jack with a gorgeous Venezuelan orchid from her native country. She pointed out that it needed very little care, just sunlight and water once a week.
