Hard Limit (St. Louis Mavericks 2)

“Is it everywhere?” I asked.

She wrinkled her nose. “No, but the sports sites are playing it and it’s on Instagram.”

I rolled my shoulders, trying to relax. I probably should have gotten up and worked out, which was what Lars had inevitably done, but I wasn’t that energetic in the morning.

“Thanks for letting me know,” I told her.

“You want links?”

I hesitated. Normally, I did, but I didn’t want to replay it over and over, whether it was on social media or not.

“No.” I shook my head. “The press will probably start calling, but just tell them I have no comment at this time.”

She opened her mouth but closed it again. “I’m so sorry he’s doing this to you,” she said.

“Me too.” Nellie knew about almost everything in my life because she’d been with me since the start of the company. She’d been a freelance assistant I’d used on and off when I needed help during charity events and such, and when I’d started the lingerie company, she’d been my first choice for a personal assistant. “Hey, Nel?”

“Yes?”

“Things might get ugly going forward, so I totally understand if you want to cut your losses.”

She frowned. “And abandon you to the big bad wolf? No way. Fuck him.” She nodded and then turned and left my office, letting the door close softly behind her.

I smiled, even though there wasn’t much to smile about today. Nellie’s loyalty made me feel good, and I made a note in my personal log to give her a larger-than-usual Christmas bonus. Then I sent Marian an email telling her I was done fucking around with Hugh and what I wanted her to do.

There was a knock on the door and Vanessa stuck her head in. “Hey. You got a minute?”

“For you? Always.”

She came in and sank into the chair across from me. “What the hell happened yesterday?”

“You mean how Hugh spit on me and Lars lost his mind?”

She grimaced. “He spit on you? Jesus, it’s escalating.”

“Yeah, well, not for long. I’m done with this bullshit.”

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brows. “Sher, don’t do anything crazy. It always makes things worse, and you said your lawyer is handling it.”

“I’m not letting him go after Lars. This is my shit and I have to deal with it. Which is exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Does it have anything to do with this ten thirty board meeting?”

“Yup.” I drummed my fingers on my desk. “I had an idea and I’m going to run it by all of you.”

“Care to share?”

I smiled. “I’m going to sell you the company.”

“What?” She gaped at me. “What are you talking about? And I don’t have that kind of cash anyway.”

“I’m not going to sell it for what it’s worth,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “You can totally afford it. And the best part is, not only does Hugh only get half of what little I make from it, that’s it. He gets nothing else. Ever. I will literally work at Walmart before I give him what he wants. I won’t work another day until he signs those papers.”

Vanessa chewed her lip. “Girlfriend, I know you’re mad, but maybe the best thing to do is give him at least part of what he wants. I mean, we both know you’re not going to work at Walmart or whatever.”

I arched my brows. “Bet me.”

She looked startled. “Is it worth it? I mean, I know he’s been nothing but awful to you, but half of everything you make is better than not making anything.”

“Not to me.” I turned to my computer. “I have a few things I need to get done, but I’ll see you at ten thirty, okay?”

Vanessa frowned but got to her feet. “All right. I’ll see you then.”

I loved Sheri Lee and had handpicked everyone that worked here, with the exception of some of the warehouse crew. In general, though, I knew everyone sitting at this table, but the problem was that I had to be careful. I’d spoken to Marian earlier, and she’d warned me that I couldn’t trust anyone. Not completely. So while she was drawing up the papers for Vanessa to sign, she’d added some things I hadn’t thought of.

No matter what happened, Vanessa couldn’t fire me. As CEO, Vanessa could technically force me out, but whether I resigned or was asked to leave, I’d get a year’s worth of severance and my health insurance would be paid for two years. I didn’t care much about the severance, but the health insurance was important because of my ongoing back issues. I trusted Vanessa but Marian trusted no one, and when it came to health insurance, I hadn’t argued with her. Besides, Vanessa wouldn’t care about what was put in the contract because the sale was only intended to keep Hugh from getting anything else from me.