Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Valerie
Lucas wasn’t in the office when I returned from lunch.
Cassie and Emma had opened my eyes to a few things, and this gave me more time to think.
I knew Lucas was a dominant man, and it didn’t bother me at all.
What did bother me was that darn panic attack.
Putting aside for the moment that he made his declaration under very awkward circumstances, I was finally beginning to understand that, no matter what he said, I still had reservations about his sincerity.
I believed that he believed what he was saying right then, but had he really, truly changed.
Could I bring myself to trust him again? Was I strong enough to try again?
I had trust issues, and it all had to do with my family.
The way my parents favored my sister, basically ignoring me.
I’d learned from early childhood on not to trust them or anyone else for that matter.
This was especially true when it came to my sister.
Bringing any guy I happened to be dating home was an ordeal.
My sister flirted with them and did everything she could to undermine any relationship.
The thought of bringing Lucas home to meet my family?
Definitely a panic attack just waiting to happen.
But I was not a teenager anymore. Nor was I as vulnerable as I’d been five years ago.
What the heck was wrong with me? Lucas apologized for walking away, and I accepted it.
Time for me to put my trust issues with my family aside. It was also time to truly accept Lucas’ apology, open my heart and mind to the possibility that he truly had changed, and concentrate on a possible relationship with him. Was the benefit worth the risk?
Who was I kidding? I fanned my face with my hand. He had always been a very physical lover, always attentive to my needs and my pleasure. Yes, it was time to stop hiding in the past and step into the sunlight.
Glancing at the clock, I saw I’d lost half an hour to my musing. It was time to get some work done, time to look through some of FI’s financials. I would review the transactions with the furniture company, Rustic Delights to see what, if anything, matched Rustic’s books.
Shit. I didn’t have access to those files; I’d been concentrating on Rustic’s books.
I never thought of asking Lucas about giving me access to FI’s books.
I should have thought of it earlier. And I probably would have if I hadn’t been concentrating on Lucas, our relationship, and my insecurities so much.
The subject of my thoughts walked into the office. “Did you have a good lunch?”
“I did. I see you took yours to-go.” I motioned to the bag in his hand.
“Yeah. I talked with Miles, and he’s emailed me another NDA for you to sign.”
That’s right. The tour. Liability issues. Made sense.
“Why don’t you come over here so we can talk?”
Talk? Had I inadvertently done something wrong? “What’s up?”
“A couple of things.” He unwrapped his sandwich and took a big bite. I watched in fascination as he chewed and swallowed. Why was the action so sensual?
You’re at work; behave yourself.
“Sorry, I’m starving. Anyway, I talked with Josh and Dean and our president.” He took another bite.
“Oh? What’s going on?” I took a seat in front of his desk. Something must have happened for him to go to the president.
“Apparently, there has been more than an issue or two with the equipment we rent.”
“Oh?” I leaned forward. This could be one of the reasons the books for Rustic were off. If they were sending out shoddy equipment. Or could it be another supplier to Rustic? Everything was on the table until I could figure out what was going on.
“Josh and Dean gave me more insight.”
While I didn’t know all the inner workings of Fantasies, Inc.
the department directors seemed to be a close-knit group.
I thought about that for a moment. Why wouldn’t they be?
This wasn’t like other companies I’d done forensic accounting for.
They all worked hard to build the company as it was today.
“After that, I talked to John. I told him about us touring the company and asked if it would create a major loss if we decided not to acquire them.”
“But there’s nothing yet to indicate a major problem.
These transactions might have logical explanations.
” I stroked my forehead. Even though I was hired to do a deep dive, in the back of my mind I worried that, if this acquisition fell through, how would it impact FI.
Not that I wasn’t going to do my job, it was just something I thought about.
“I know.” His voice was calm. “It was a cover your ass type of talk. John is quite aware there is nothing concrete yet. I still wanted to give him a heads up. This is a delicate situation. If Rustic isn’t doing something above board, then we’ll have to deal with it.”
“That makes sense.” I relaxed in the chair. I’d done enough of these deep dives to know some companies had standard operating procedures that didn’t match up to my standards or others. I also had to agree: if Rustic was dealing under the table, the consequences could be dire for them.
“I’ll give the owner a call in the morning and see what I can arrange for a tour.”
“Okay. Is there an issue giving me access to your financials?”
Lucas polished off his sandwich and stared at me. “Why do you want access?”
“If it’s an issue, I can have you look. I don’t want to step on any toes.” I didn’t. While it would be better if I did the matching up, I could let Lucas do it.
“You’re not. I need to know why.”
At least he wasn’t shooting me down. “I want to compare what you’ve paid Rustic Delights to what they’re showing on the books. Here’s the thing: they know you want to acquire them, and they know you’re looking into the financials.”
“Yes. While we’ve been paying them for the rentals, we’ve kept news of the acquisition quiet, so no one else tries to buy them before we do.”
“Right. So why the accounting discrepancy?” I’d been pondering that question. Most companies would make sure their books were pristine during this period, when another company was looking to acquire the business. Unless they didn’t want to sell, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“You think someone got sloppy?”
“Maybe, or it could be honest mistakes that have been fixed, and I’m not seeing it yet. But being able to match up your company transactions to theirs would go a long way in finding a pattern to any potential discrepancies and possible criminal activity.”
“I’ll get you access.”
“Thank you.” I let out a sigh; Lucas was taking this well. I’d had other financial managers who refused to give me access to do my job. “I’d also need to review the invoices from Rustic to see if I can figure out what exactly is going on.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem either.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’ll get back to work now. Let me know when I have access to FI’s files.”
“Valerie,” Lucas said.
“Yes.” I paused.
“I’m glad you went to lunch with Cassie and Emma. You need more friends.”
My cheeks grew warm. “Quit being so damn observant.” I didn’t need him to point out my lack of friends, even if it was true.
“Hey…” He stood and took my hand in his. “I didn’t mean it as a criticism; I’m glad you’re enjoying their company. You always seemed alone, except for me.”
My shoulders dropped. As much as I hated it, he was right. “Yeah, I was.” Hell, I still was. Well, maybe not so much now. “I like Cassie and Emma. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better.”
“Good.” He squeezed my hand before releasing it. “Let me get you access to our files.”
I turned and went back to my desk, my brain on overload, processing what Lucas said. We’d gotten a little personal here at work, but it wasn’t anything that crossed the line. Maybe I was a little too uptight. Something else I needed to work on, because I liked Lucas’ concern and his touch.