Chapter Ten
Lorelei
I am sitting at my desk typing when my office door comes open. I glance up and smile when I see that it’s Remy. “Hey. I am almost done,” I say as I resume typing. He walks around behind me to look at my screen, resting his hands on my shoulders.
“How long have you been sitting here typing?” he asks as he starts to knead my shoulders.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I sigh and slow down. “I’m so close, Remy. Please let me finish.”
“Go on. I’m not stopping you,” he says, working my tired muscles. I fight through the final few lines before dropping my head and pushing my keyboard away. Remy chuckles and presses in on the knots in my neck, making me groan.
“It sounds like you are getting fucked in here,” Cam says from my doorway.
“Shh,” I say, shooing him away.
“Meeting is in five,” Cam laughs. Remy leans down and kisses my shoulder, and I whine when he stops massaging my neck.
“Come on. I can massage your back when we get home,” Remy says.
“My home or yours?” I ask.
“Our home, and your things are being moved over today,” Remy says as I stand.
“Wait. What?” I ask, turning to him.
“Uh oh,” Cam laughs.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I know you,” Remy says. “You’ll never willingly take that step because you’ll think you are intruding, which you aren’t considering I’m now making you move in with me.”
“Oh,” I say. “Well… Okay.”
“Ready?” he asks, kissing me.
“Uh,” I say, turning around to grab my laptop and phone. “Yep.”
I walk with Remy and Cam to the conference room.
Tris is already here, but we are still missing a few clients and board members.
This meeting happens four times a year. It is essentially a time for everyone related to the company to get together and give one giant update.
It lasts hours, so I am going to be typing a lot of notes today.
I am also going to be covering a few of our updates, but I already have everything typed out for us.
I’ll just have to add in any commentary from others if it seems notable.
I am getting everything set up when I hear more people come into the room. “We will get started in just a few minutes, everyone,” Cam says. “Ready, Lorelei?”
“Yes,” I say. I glance up but do a double take when a man across the large table is staring me down. He leans back in his seat with a smirk on his lips. I know him… but how?
“Oh fuck,” I say. A few people look over, and I get glared at by both Cam and Remy, but they both instantly flip back to brother and boyfriend, rather than my bosses, when they see the panicked look on my face.
“What’s wrong?” Cam asks softly, but I don’t answer. Everyone else is lost in their own world, but this man… Matthew Hernandez… He is staring me down just like he did in that club. Just like he did every time he sat in the front and watched me before eventually ending up in one of the back rooms.
“Lori,” Remy says, making me look at him.
“Everything okay?” Tris asks as she comes over and squats down.
“Why is Matthew Hernandez here?” I ask softly.
“He is a new client,” Cam says. “Why? Do you know him?”
“He… He came into the club maybe twice a month,” I say.
“Fuck,” Remy sighs.
“It’s no big deal,” Cam says to me. “We will talk to him after. Okay?”
“He’s paid me, Cam,” I say, ready to burst into tears. “Since I first started there.”
“Just breathe,” Cam says. “Whatever happens, we can fix it. Okay?”
“If the media…”
“Then we will stand by your side and defend you no matter what,” he says. “Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper.
We turn back to the table, and Tris moves her things down to sit with us. Matthew is still looking at me. “Want me to give the update?” Remy asks.
“No, it’s fine,” I sigh.
“Okay,” Remy says before turning to everyone else. “Lorelei is going to give some basic updates before we get into our quarterly plan.”
“Who is she?” Matthew asks simply.
“She is my younger sister and Remington’s partner. She is our COO and handles all administrative dealings,” Cam says, and Matthew nods.
“Just wondering. She’s not been in meetings before,” he says.
“She has always been privy to the meetings. We’ve just adjusted her schedule so she can attend,” Cam adds before looking at me.
The conference room hums with the quiet murmur of anticipation as I stand at the head of the long, polished table.
Every pair of eyes is on me, and I take a deep breath and pick up the remote to the projector.
I am forcing myself to not look at Matthew; otherwise, I will meltdown in front of everyone.
“Good morning, everyone. Let’s dive straight into the numbers,” I say, clicking the remote in my hand.
The first slide appears, and their eyes shift from me to the screen.
“We have once again exceeded expectations this quarter. Our revenue for quarter three hit $2.3 billion, which is a 15% increase compared to the previous quarter. This marks our sixth consecutive quarter of growth.”
I glance at Cam, and he nods, telling me to keep going.
“The growth was driven by the remarkable performance of our Sentinel line of cybersecurity products. We saw a 22% growth in subscriptions, largely fueled by our new AI-driven threat detection module. Early adopters are already reporting a 35% decrease in security breaches, which translates into strong retention and positive feedback.”
I click to the next slide, showing a chart that highlights the rise in customer satisfaction scores.
“Speaking of feedback, our Net Promoter Score has jumped to seventy-eight, the highest it’s been in company history…
On the innovation front, we’re gearing up to launch the beta for PinnacleOS, which we anticipate will revolutionize cloud integration for mid-size enterprises.
Pre-launch interest is already double what we projected, so we’re entering the next quarter with strong momentum. ”
I click the remote, and it brings up my portion of the updates.
“On the administrative side, I want to share some updates to keep everything transparent. Our employee turnover has dropped to 8%, which is down from 12% last quarter, which started changing after we revamped our retention initiatives as far as benefits, insurance, incentives, vacation and sick time pay, and general office activities that allow everyone to bond and get to know management better. The new mentorship program has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with over 70% of participants noting improved engagement and career satisfaction. Additionally, our hybrid work model continues to thrive as it allows us to cater to the employees with children. We noticed a trend that when employees went on maternity leave their feedback, when they would ultimately quit, indicated concerns surrounding childcare. Allowing them to work from home meant that we were able to retain them as employees, and they didn’t have to search for something new to accommodate their home life.
“On the topic of home life, over 85% of employees surveyed reported increased productivity and work-life balance under the new structure. We’re also proud to announce that our DEI efforts have led to a 20% increase in diverse hires across all levels of the company.
Lastly, our investments in upskilling have yielded measurable results, as over 60% of employees have completed advanced training certifications so far this year.
We do have incentives in place for those who complete the training before its ultimate due date, and it results in minimal lapses of certifications. ”
“Thank you for that,” Cam says. “Does anyone have any questions?”
“Were the numbers driven up by the efforts of the employees… or the actions of upper management?” Matthew asks, his eye shifting from Cam to me and then back to Cam.
“Every person involved has helped shaped this company and influence the growth that we are seeing,” Cam says simply. “Without our employees, we simply would not be where we are today.”
“So, you’re not partnered with any other entities that would allow for easier growth?” he pushes.
Fuck… He is suggesting that I am fucking people to help the company grow.
“No,” Remy says coldly, understanding. “I think that covers our updates. Cameron?”
For the remainder of the meeting, I focus entirely on listening and taking notes. I don’t look up because I don’t want to get distracted. I can feel him watching me, even when he gives his own update. It’s not until Cam ends the meeting that I look up.
“You did well. Good job,” Cam says as people file out of the room.
“Thanks,” I say. I glance over and see that Matthew hasn’t moved. “He’s going to bring it up. This is bad.”
“Just breathe,” Cam says. “I promise, we have your back, no matter what.”
When there is no one left but us and Matthew, he finally speaks. “I must say, Ms. Belmont. You look much different with clothes on,” Matthew says.
“What do you want, Matthew?” I ask. “That’s why you are still here, right? Get something for nothing?”
“Nothing? You think others won’t see the connection between this company and you fucking business executives for money in an exclusive strip club?” he asks.
“What do you want?” Cam asks. “Are you trying to tattle on her, or do you have a legitimate concern?”
“You see, I feel as though I was forced into a sexual interaction with Ms. Belmont in order to secure a contract between my company and Saltz-Belmont Technologies,” he says with a smirk.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I snap. “You knew the entire fucking time who I was, didn’t you? If anything, I should be the one to have an issue with your creepy ass following me around like a lost puppy when you came in.”
“Oh, I came alright,” he says. “Over. And over. And over. You remember, right?”
“Is this necessary?” Remy asks.
“How do you feel knowing your girlfriend has done what she has?” Matthew asks. “Will you visit her in jail when she gets charged with soliciting?”
“What do you want?” Cam asks. “Money, right? How much?”
“Ten million,” he says seriously, and I laugh.