He must have realized what she was thinking, because he shot her a wry smile as he reached into the pile of clothing she’d been holding to her chest, and pulled out the pink lace thong she’d put there. He crumpled it in a ball and deep-sixed it in the garbage can.
“Have a great day,” he said coolly, giving her one long, last smirk before disappearing out the door.
Chapter Six
Jack
Jack was used to the prickly atmosphere at the Fiorini Group. He’d always been a favorite of the ladies there, but the Fiorini Group was still very much a men’s club. When Antonio was at the helm, Jack was the Head Asshole, the guy who always got people by the balls. As a result, he was sure the water cooler gossip about him wasn’t the best.
So he kept his nose clean. He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t cut corners. And for fuck’s sake, he didn’t work banker’s hours.
At least, he never used to.
He slipped quietly into his office, trying his best not to call attention to himself. There were no outward signs that someone inside was gunning for his job, but his mentor Leonard had told him to keep his head down and an ear to the ground, and that’s what he’d planned to do. Little had he known that the last remaining Fiorini would make it so incredibly hard to concentrate on anything that didn’t involve her sweet, hot pussy.
Fuck, watching her get herself off had been indescribably hot. It was worth any amount of office fall out, though he still hoped to slip into his office unnoticed.
Unfortunately, the second he opened the door, Christof rounded the corner.
Busted. That asshole had to have a radar for this shit.
Jack threw his briefcase on his desk and put his hands up in surrender. “I know. I know. I owe you the report on the Continental properties. It’s in my inbox. I’ll send it over in twenty minutes.”
“I already got it from your assistant,” he said.
Jack flipped open his laptop and frowned. Marcy wasn’t supposed to be sending Christof anything without his go-ahead. How many times had he told her that? He hadn’t had time to give the report his third and final once over, and this concerned some of the most high-stakes properties in their portfolio. He’d have to have a talk with her later.
“Then what else can I do for you?” he said calmly. Other than give you plenty of reason to bust my balls for being late?
“Nothing,” Christof said with a satisfied smirk. “You catch that Islanders game?”
He shook his head. Like he had time to think of playoff hockey with Eva occupying his mind. “Didn’t have the time.”
“Epic,” Christof said.
The conversation ground to a fantastic halt. Oh, Jack could’ve thought of a thousand ways to keep it going, but at that moment, all he wanted was the brown-nosing slimeball out of his office. He fell into his chair and started to read an article from Business Insider someone—likely Leonard—had placed on his blotter. The title was Orion Industries Takeover of Fiorini Group Imminent?
Orion Industries. The name surprised him. There’d been talk that someone was feeling them out about making a bid, but Jack was taken aback that it wasn’t one of the big industry players. He’d never even heard of Orion Industries.
Christof clapped his hands together, stirring Jack from his thoughts. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” he said, backing out of the doorway.
Amazing. The guy can take a hint. “Hey, wait a second,” he said suddenly, still studying the article. “What do you know about these people?”
“Orion?” Christof jumped at the question, as Jack had sensed he would. The guy had a bit of a Napoleon complex. Barely five foot six, the only way he’d ever be able to stand over most men was by proving he was the smartest guy in the room, so he never hesitated to flex those muscles. “I know they’re big. Rumor is they’re European. German, probably. They’re keeping a low profile, definitely.”
&n
bsp; Jack stared at him, waiting for him to continue. But Christof merely shrugged.
The man prided himself on being the eyes and ears of this place. If that’s all he knew, Orion was truly secretive. Unless Christof knew more than he was letting on, something very strange was going on.
Jack was reminded of Leonard’s warning that the takeover might be originating from inside the company. If that was true, Jack couldn’t trust anyone.
After Christof left, Jack made an attempt to Google the mysterious Orion Industries, but he didn’t come up with much. In fact, what Christof had given him was a hell of a lot more than he was able to substantiate online.
There weren’t any corporations matching the profile he was looking for. He found several companies going by the name of Orion Industries, but none of them appeared to be involved in real estate in any shape or form. He replayed Leonard’s words in his mind, growing more unsettled by the moment.
Something’s very, very off about this. Nearly as off as a man going to all the trouble to break into Eva’s apartment just for a look around.