Lisa

I gave Jennie an hour to play catch up and used the time to deliver her father's wallet to Yuna, the attentive, ambitious assistant.

I perched on her desk, turning on my charm, and quizzed her on Ms. Kim's daily habits. I got very little out of the woman and nothing but smug looks from Haruto, the other assistant.

I approved. These were the kinds of people someone like Jennie needed to surround herself with. Loyal, sharp, immune to a gorgeous stranger's sly charms.

Alison returned after terrifying the Bluewater security team, and together we commandeered a small conference room to debate—argue loudly—Jennie's new schedule since I'd taken the liberty of adding a few of the necessary appearances and activities into The Boss's calendar.

"I'm telling you, Tea and Crumpets," Alison said, kicking back in her chair at the head of the table. "She's not going to go for this. You want her making an appearance Wednesday night at some concert. It's not happening. And what billionaire CEO has time to sit through a fundraiser luncheon for—" She paged through her phone. "Oh, hang on, STEM Girls? She might actually do this. The boss loves this shit."

"Have a little faith in me, Alison," I insisted, drumming my fingers on the glossy wood tabletop. "And who wouldn't want to see Beyoncé live?"

She snorted. "It's not the Beyoncé part. It's the Wednesday. No plans on Wednesday nights."

"Why?"

Alison shrugged. "Ask her yourself."

Alison was cagey, rude, and unapologetic. I liked her immensely. Plus, her not telling me things told me just as many other things. She was another loyal follower of Jennie's, which meant there was an interesting woman who earned loyalty from her team under that very shiny layer of polish.

The door opened, and the room filled with the lovely cool breeze that was Ms. Jennie Kim. "Lisa," she said, shooting Alison a look that said you better not be telling secrets. "Irene has time to meet with us if we head over now."

"Head over?" I asked, catching the flash of annoyance in Alison's eyes.

"Yes. To her office," Jennie explained as if I were a pesky five-year-old. It pleased me that I could annoy her so easily.

I rose and buttoned my jacket. "Alison, I trust you have enough to get started working out transportation and security."

"Yeah, yeah. Pip pip cheerio," Alison called after me.

"I like your Alison," I told Jennie as she led the way back toward the reception desk.

She shot me a wary look over her shoulder.

"What?" I pressed.

"I don't know what you mean by that."

I laughed. "I meant just what I said. I like her."

"Hmm."

We passed reception. Jennie was warmer with her greeting on this pass—I took the credit for alleviating some of her stress—and I noticed the receptionist all but bloom under the fraction of friendliness.

"While I have your undivided attention," I said, handing Jennie a folder. "This is for you."

Frowning, she flipped it open as we walked. "You already wrote a speech for the luncheon?"

"Just the highlights."

She closed the folder with what could only be described as a growl and knocked briskly on a glass door before opening it.

This was the office I would have expected for the CEO. Spacious, plush, and the enviable corner. Irene could take in views of Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami with one swivel of her chair. It was easily three times the size of Jennie's office and decorated in a rather garish fashion. The eclectic world traveler vibe had somehow missed its mark. There was something just slightly off about the dark, imposing furniture and colorful Eastern art.

"I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw the headlines, Jennie. That outfit." The woman behind the desk was curvy and glossy like a pin-up model. Her hair hung in a dark cascade over one shoulder. She wore a red dress that paid special attention to all the right places. Dark lipstick over subtly filled lips, thick lashes, long nails.

Irene Bae wasn't afraid of showcasing her looks.

"I decided it was a casual day," Jennie said breezily. "I wanted to introduce you to Lisa Manoban. Lisa will be working with us to contain the situation."

Irene offered me a bright smile. "Lisa. From what I've seen all over the gossip blogs this morning, you're an excellent purse carrier. I've heard a lot about your work with the fallen," she said, offering her hand.

"The fallen?" I shook her hand.

"The mighty. The ones who take tumbles off their pedestals."

"Don't tell me that's what you think of Jennie," I said.

Irene let out a silvery peal of laughter and clasped my hand in both of hers. "Don't be ridiculous. Our Jennie is impeccably perfect. In fact, I'd be willing to bet this will be your easiest job. The entire thing was a misunderstanding, one I feel completely responsible for," she added, releasing my hand and placing a hand theatrically over her heart.

"Let's not rehash all that," Jennie said briskly. "Lisa has been hired to un-tarnish my image. Which means I'll be making more public appearances rather than less."

I noticed that she left out the part where the board had gone behind her back. No commiserating here.

Irene pursed her lips. "I see. I assume you've run this past Helen," she said, addressing me.

"Helen and I have spoken. I'm the point person on this," I cut in.

"Well, whatever I can do to help, I'm yours, Lisa." Her lips curved in a feline smile.

Flawless's chief marketing officer was an expert flirt.

"I do have something I need," Jennie cut in. "I need you to take the temperature of the board. Reach out to a couple of the directors and see how they're feeling about this mess."

"Happy to," she chirped. "I'm always telling you I can handle more. You don't have to do all the work yourself, Lady Kim."

Jennie rolled her eyes in that familiar way female friends do. "Speaking of, are you still available to swing by the lab today?"

Irene winced. "Today's a little tight. I'm in back-to-back meetings. What's happening at the lab?"

Jennie paused for the slightest moment. "We're removing the biobandages today. It might be good to have marketing there," she said. I thought I detected an edge of testiness in her tone.

Irene frowned, but her forehead remained unmarred. The modern miracles of science. "I have that in my calendar for next week," she said, scrolling through her phone.

"It's today. At three," Jennie said.

"It's that damn Roderick. He doesn't know how a calendar works," Irene groaned.

"I told you not to hire an assistant based on looks," Jennie reminded her.

"I didn't hire him for his looks," Irene argued unconvincingly.

"His nickname is Ram Rod, and he can bench press you," Jennie pointed out.

Irene grinned shamelessly. "Yeah. I guess he can. Look, I'll send a VP and a photographer over today."

"If this goes well, I'm going to want another look at the draft of the press kit for the product," Jennie explained.

"Of course you will," Irene said with an eye roll that ended in a friendly wink.

"I just want to make sure everything is right," Jennie said lightly.

"Lisa, you'll find that Jennie here has difficulty trusting people to do their jobs. But it's one of the things we love best about her," Irene teased.

Before Jennie could respond, we were interrupted by a knock.

"Knock knock, ladies and Tea and Crumpets," Alison called from the door. "Boss, it's time to leave for the luncheon."

"Lisa, like I said, if there's anything you need at all, don't hesitate to call me," Irene said, following us to the door. She slipped a card into my hand and gave me a meaningful look. "My cell is on the back."

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to working with you." I pocketed the card and followed Alison and Jennie out with the distinct sensation that Irene was staring at my ass.

"Me-ow. She didn't even get to see her schlong like we did, and she's already going after her," Alison mused, punching the button on the elevator.

"I give off a big schlong vibe," I explained.

Jennie snorted indelicately. "Can we please stop discussing Lisa's penis before we have an HR scandal to deal with, too?"

We stepped into the elevator car together. Jennie pulled out her phone and dialed. "Yuna, I need you to reach out to Bill Haddad in marketing. Have him arrange to be at the lab with a photographer at three. Thank you."

She tucked her phone back in her bag. "Irene has a lot on her plate," she said.

"Yeah, Tea and Crumpets's schlong," Alison said.

Jennie elbowed her.

"Why is your chief marketing officer's office three times the size of yours?" I asked.

"Because she's an important asset to this company and a valuable friend to me," Jennie said. It sounded like she'd given the answer before. "And I trust her."

I smiled at the jab.

Turning to me, she looked up. "Why did you carry my purse this morning?"

I glanced down at her as she slid her sunglasses on. "In addition to being perfectly secure in my manhood—should you need an emergency tampon run, I'm your man—I was making sure the world knows who's the boss."

She pursed her lips, but they fought back, curving ever so slightly. "Do you ever do anything without an ulterior motive?"

"I like to think of it as multi-tasking."