Putting his car in park, he got out and opened the car door just as she reached the car. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she said, her gaze skimming over him in appreciation before she glanced away and slid into the car. “Thank you.”

Returning to the driver’s seat, he felt her assess him again before she turned her head. It was as if she had a hard time resisting the urge to look at him. The knowledge shot through him with a secret pleasure.

Emma Weatherfield intrigued him more with each passing day. He’d already intended to get information from her regarding Max De Luca and Alex Megalos. Now that he knew she was attracted to him, he’d decided to satisfy his curiosity and hers in bed. MD had no rules against fraternization among employees, so there was no reason the two of them couldn’t indulge.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, putting the car into gear and driving out of the parking lot.

She slid a quick sideways glance at him, but kept her head facing forward. “Well enough. I don’t require a lot of sleep.”

“Neither do I. That helps when you’re a workaholic.”

Her lips turned upward slightly. “I guess it would. Did you work more last night?”

“For a while,” he said. “Several things need to be in place when a company is making employee cuts, such as employment counseling, instructions for how to apply for unemployment, recommended programs for additional training and relocation information. Despite your belief that I’m a ruthless pirate with no consideration for human beings, I know there’s a right way and a wrong way to make cuts. The people giving the notices will also need to be properly trained.”

She gave a slow, reluctant nod. “If the cuts are absolutely necessary, then the employees need as many resources at their disposal as possible.” She grimaced. “I wouldn’t want to be the one delivering the news.”

“With your soft heart, it would be difficult. But there are ways that make it easier for the person being released.”

“I can’t imagine what,” she said.

“A matter-of-fact approach that offers the laid-off employee a measure of dignity is vital. There are even days of the week to try to avoid.”

“Terminations on Friday?” she asked. “To give people a chance to recover from the blow.”

“No, Friday is the worst day. The terminated employee is left to stew all weekend without an opportunity to receive support.”

“You almost make it sound humane,” she said, meeting his gaze with her blue eyes.

“I’m not out to destroy everyone’s lives,” he said, and thought of Max De Luca. He was just determined to settle a score with the family who had destroyed his.

Thirty minutes later, after he and Emma had arrived at the office, Damien was clarifying some figures with one of his assistants who worked from home when he heard a loud voice in the outer office.

“He’s a hatchet man. He’s going to destroy our lives. All I want is one minute with him,” a man said.

Damien immediately rose from his desk and rushed to open the door. Emma stood with her back to him.

“Mr. Harding, Mr. Medici is busy right now. He cannot take visitors without an appoint—”

“Let me at him,” the heavyset man said, his face gleaming with perspiration.

“I’m Mr. Medici,” Damien said, stepping in front of Emma, motioning her aside.

The man immediately turned his attention to Damien. “You,” he said, pointing his finger at Damien. “You’re going to ruin us.”

“I have no intention of ruining you. Excuse me, we haven’t met. My name is Damien Medici. And you are?”

The man blinked as if he were surprised at Damien’s politeness. “I’m, uh—I’m Fred Harding and I heard my name is on your termination list. How am I supposed to feed my family if you fire me?” he demanded, rubbing his damp brow with his hand.

“The termination list hasn’t been finalized. However, if your employment is terminated, then you will be given at least two weeks pay with employment and training counseling, plus you’ll receive assistance on how to apply for unemployment benefits provided by the government.”

Fred Harding met Damien’s gaze, then glanced away and took a deep breath. “It’s still tough.”

Damien nodded. “It is, but I have to tell you that plenty of people turn this situation into a good change. I don’t know if your position is on the line, but you can be one of those people who make this kind of change a positive one for yourself.”

“We’ll see,” Fred said, wearing a look of resignation.

“Good luck,” Damien said, extending his hand.

Fred accepted the handshake. “Thanks. I’ll take it.”

After the man walked out of the office, Emma audibly exhaled. Damien glanced at her.

“I thought I was going to have to call security,” she said.

“So did I,” Damien said. “This is crazy. I’m speaking to a board member today. The VPs have wanted to keep the reorganization quiet, but the uncertainty is just making everyone nervous. Productivity will go into the toilet. This kind of thing can’t be kept secret. An assistant, cafeteria worker or janitor could find out and start spreading false rumours.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want an announcement to go out to all MD employees that a reorganization is taking place and what the minimum severance package will be. The first cuts should be taken no less than three weeks after that.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that fast?”

“According to Fred, apparently not fast enough,” Damien said. “I’m also going to get security on this floor. I’m not going to have you providing guard duty. If you get even a hint of a threatening attitude in a call or e-mail, then I want you to let me know immediately. In the meantime, the open door policy is over. From now on, lock the door and you and I both will use a key. Do you understand?”

Emma bit her lip. “Yes.”

Damien returned to his office and Emma sank into her chair. She hated to admit it, but she had begun to feel a bit frightened by Fred Harding’s desperation before Damien had intervened. From her experience with her mother and her mother’s lenders, she’d learned that desperate people used desperate measures to protect themselves. Or irrational ones.

She was amazed at how quickly Damien had diffused the man’s blustering, threatening demeanor. He’d stepped right in front of her. What if Fred had been carrying a weapon? The possibility made her break into a cold sweat.

His protectiveness did something to her, sent her into a whirl of confusion. She tried to remember when a man had been so blatantly protective of her, but she couldn’t. Sure, Alex and Max had gone to bat for her professionally, but she couldn’t recall when a man had come to her defense so readily.

Determined to collect herself, she poured a cup of coffee and booted up her computer, her mind speeding a mile a minute. The image of his strong back and the low but authoritative voice he used with Harding was stamped on her brain.

Damien was the kind of man who made other men back down simply by virtue of being. He oozed confidence and clarity.

She took a sip of her coffee as he returned to the outer office. “Have you locked the door?”

She shook her head. “No, I—” She didn’t want to show how much the incident had affected her. “I’ll do it right away.”

She rose and he snagged her wrist. “Are you okay?”

“It just took me off guard,” she said. “It’s not something that happens every day.” She forced a little laugh. “Well, there was that one woman who stalked Alex for a while…” When he lifted his eyebrow, she rushed to correct herself. “Just kidding.”

He looked into her eyes with deadly intent on his face. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said.

A tremor shook her all the way to her toes. She knew with certainty that he could and would protect her. It tripped off wishes she’d kept locked away for years—the fantasy that a man would stick with her through the rough times.

He was talking about work, she reminded herself. It wasn’t personal, but his hand wrapped around her wrist certainly felt that way. Maybe she secretly wanted it to be personal.

Appalled at the direction of her thoughts, she pulled her hand from his. “Hopefully, it won’t be an issue.”

He nodded. “It won’t be,” he said in a crisp voice. “If you’re recovered—”

“I am,” she quickly said, stiffening her spine against his effect on her.

“Then I’d like you to draft a letter for all of the employees informing them of the reorganization plans. After it’s finalized, I’ll discuss it with a board member and we should send it out no later than tomorrow.”

Taken off guard yet again, she forced a nod. “Okay. I’ll just need the details.”

“I’ve already e-mailed them to you,” he said. He walked to the outer office suite door and turned the lock.

The room immediately seemed to shrink, and as he walked closer to her, the oxygen seemed to disappear. Was she trapped in here with the devil or the man in her fantasies?

“I’ll be on the phone for the next hour, but if you run into any problems, don’t hesitate to interrupt.”

Fighting the sense that she was aiding and abetting a slasher, Emma constructed the letter and revised it twice after suggestions from Damien. Her stomach remained in a knot the entire morning. She knew she had to inform Max or Alex about this latest development, but the earliest she could manage it would be during her lunch hour.

Scooting out of her office a few minutes early, she left a note for Damien and rushed to Max’s office, but he wasn’t there. She tried Alex, but he was also out of the office.

Fretting, she went outside for a walk and called Max’s personal cell phone number as he’d asked. When the call went immediately to voice mail, her frustration spiked. Her lunch hour nearly over, she visited Max’s office once more, only to find him still gone. She swung by Alex’s with matching luck and, despairing, headed for the elevator.

Tags: Leanne Banks Billionaire Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net