“Let me know if you need anything,” she huffed, spinning on her heel and stalking from the room. A yawn escaped me again because frankly, it didn’t matter. Whatever Penny was pissed about, I didn’t have time to deal with it. She could have her moods, but they didn’t concern me for the most part.
Besides, it was time to face the music. Taking a deep breath, I sifted through the reams of paper. Pictogram’s stock price had taken a nosedive after the recent security breach. I’d lost billions of dollars as a result.
Ten percent! Fuck. My heart sank. But it wasn’t the money, to be honest. I had dough rolling out of my ears. It was more the loss of users than the cash. What would it take to get them back?
Mia was at the center of this, and I wanted to strangle and kiss the beautiful brunette at once. She’d caused havoc in my business, and yet we’d be better for it, I was sure. Once the breaches were patched, we’d build a fort so strong and invincible, that no hackers would ever get through again. Especially not with the best computer genius of all on my side – Mia Smith.
The orgy pictures were an issue. The Board of Directors was on my back, and for good reason. Their aim was to attract more users by promoting a family friendly image. Obviously, that goal was in jeopardy due to the numerous leaked photos of me with dozens of different girls.
Again, it all came back to Mia. She was the source of my pleasure and pain, the well from which everything originated.
Fuck. What was I going to do? Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair, mussing the black strands.
After all, Mia had exposed the real me, or at least who I used to be – fucking multiple girls and never really committing. Some people drink. Some people abuse drugs. My vice? Using beautiful women.
Somehow though, it felt different since I’d met Mia. She was the only woman on my mind now, and I couldn’t get enough of her curves and her tight little pussy. The way she purred and moaned when I was inside her was incredible. The woman was an amazing combination of brains and a strong work ethic all packaged in a gorgeous plump body.
A dream come true amidst the brewing nightmare that was my current life.
On my computer, I idly scrolled through the latest new articles about me. Business Insider said my days were numbered as CEO of Pictogram. Forbes echoed the same forecast. BuzzFeed’s “Twenty Ways Theo Wainwright is Having a Worse Day Than You” was, by far, my favorite article. Morbidly humorous, despite the subject matter.
Plus, all the news outlets were taking bets on how long I would last as CEO. My image as a philandering playboy wasn’t great, and the orgy photos only confirmed what everyone suspected. Still, who I slept with had nothing to do with my ability to lead. Right?
Besides, none of the women I’d slept with ever complained of sexual harassment or any wrongdoing whatsoever. Instead, the opposite was true. Many approached me, begging for a chance with the powerful Mr. Wainwright. So why did it matter who I slept with? It wasn’t like I was running for political office or looking to curry any favors. My personal life shouldn’t have any bearing on my role as CEO.
Dammit. This was a fucking witch hunt. A growl escaped my throat.
If I or any of my employees wanted to have orgies on our time off, we should be entitled to do it. It was our right.
Still, my anxiety reached a boiling point. Pictogram was all I had in the world. It grew from a simple idea of sharing photos to an entire community filled with users. And yes, I could get sappy about my baby because this company was my pride and joy, my family when there was none. Gazing out my window, I watched my employees at their desks. They needed to know that their CEO wasn’t going to let their company, and what we’d created, go down without a fight.
On intercom, I buzzed Penny.
“Call a mandatory company meeting in the atrium hall,” I growled.
Penny’s voice sounded surprised. “When? Now?”
“Now,” I affirmed. There was no use in delaying. I couldn’t let my employees work under the fog of anxiety of whether or not they’d have jobs next week. I needed to step up as a leader in charge right now.
When I walked out on stage, people were waiting. The Pictogram engineers and marketing people thronged the space, faces turned my way expectantly. You’d think it’d be noisy, but instead the hall grew eerily quiet as I approached.
Yeah, we needed an uplifting message from the CEO. Looking out at my workforce, I gripped the microphone. “I’d be a coward to not address all of you head on about what’s going on within the company.”
How to say this? My brain searched for words, but in the end, all I could do was speak from my heart.
“I don’t want any of you to worry about the future of our community. I love what we’ve built here together and we’re not going to let it go without a fight. There have been problems, but it’s a part of running this place.”
“We support you, Theo!” someone cried from the back.
A chuckle arose from the crowd, relieving the tension. I laughed as well.
“Thanks so much, whoever you are.” Pausing, I took a deep breath. “The security breaches are being handled delicately and with the utmost care. We are making changes. And we are going to recover from this, I assure you.”
My employees began to clap politely, but I could feel they weren’t wholeheartedly convinced, so I continued.
“Our security weaknesses have been exposed. Pictogram was caught...” I paused, looking frankly at my community and pointing to my chest. “I was caught with my pants down.”
The crowd roared with laughter and I laughed with them before going on.