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“You pledged celibacy for two years?”
He snagged the paper out of her hand and tucked it back in his coat pocket. “None of your business.”
“Can’t unsee that pledge.” Emersyn’s eyes lit up with the spark that had been his undoing so many times as they grew up. “This, I have to watch unfold.” She laughed, a low, throaty chuckle that turned into an all-out guffaw. Emersyn Barrett only managed that kind of glee when she had him backed into a corner.
“It’s not any big deal.” Gerard hated explaining himself. “We’re just tired of being taken advantage of.”
That only made Emersyn laugh harder. “You are so screwed,” she said between gulps of air.
“Why?” Another question he hated asking, especially when it came to personal shit.
Her laughter died off, and she composed herself…or tried to. “I have a very promising interview this morning for director of the Global MegaCorp Division. Hoping we can hire her today and she can start work ASAP.”
“I thought we were going to discuss all the applications first.”
“I vetted her, and I like her a lot, so I don’t want to lose this opportunity.” Emersyn shrugged. “I jumped on it and scheduled her for first thing. She’s got a great resume and, from what I can tell, some great instincts.”
“I can’t sit in. I’ve got a meeting first thing.”
“You can interview her after I’m done.”
“That’s not normally how we operate.”
“I know. You’ll just have to trust me on this one, brother dear.”
Gerard almost rolled his eyes. Trusting Emersyn was tantamount to jumping from a horse at a full gallop. “Who is the person?” The candidate would need strong communication skills to oversee the supervisors and portfolio managers.
“She’s been working at Murdoch Financial for the last year.”
Gerard stopped short and grasped Emersyn’s wrist. “Murdoch? You hired from Murdoch? Are you aware that they just undercut us on the Smithson project? Besides, she’s probably got a non-compete clause. How can she come to work for us? You’ve finally gone over the edge, Emersyn. What in hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking”—Emersyn pulled her wrist from his hand—“that we need some new blood and that having someone who knows a bit about Murdoch might be a good thing. That company must be doing something right the way they’re winning contracts these days.”
“Something underhanded, more likely.” Murdoch was their fiercest competitor and a company that didn’t necessarily play by the rules. “Where was this new hire before that?”
The elevator stopped on the top floor, the doors opening to the executive suite where beiges, blues, and plants added a softer edge to the all glass office walls. His sister’s design and one he’d thought insane, but it worked. A good atmosphere made for an excellent camaraderie among the execs, unusual for this level of business.
Side by side, they walked down the hall to their offices.
“Before Murdoch?” he prompted.
“College.”
He stopped mid-stride, staring at his sister who walked a few more steps before turning back to him.
“You hired somebody barely out of school to manage our most profitable division? What were you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we don’t need some old lecher who will proposition every woman in the department, like Cranshaw tried to do. I’m thinking we need to show those women they’re safe. Our interviewee was top of her class. Literally, brother. The absolute number one top. We need a director, and she deserves a shot,” she said, her eyes on fire with the don’t-mess-with-me look he’d learned to walk away from growing up, though a bit of mischief crinkled the edges. What was Emersyn not telling him?
“Did you do the usual deep dive into her background?”
“Don’t I always?”
“And you’re sure she’s not a corporate spy?”
The wide grin returned to Emersyn’s face as they resumed walking. “As sure as I can be.”
Through the clear glass office walls, he saw someone sitting in Emersyn’s office. The woman was turned away from him, so all he saw was a mess of curly hair cascading down her back. Definitely not neat and tidy, like he preferred. Was that an indication of how she worked, with no rhyme or reason? “Seriously? First thing Monday, you want to hire someone for one of the most important divisions in the company?”
