Chapter Six
Raina
My first day was going well, if I didn’t count the less than warm greeting I’d received from Simon this morning. I was starting to think he was just one of those men who naturally had rough edges. I could handle that. Who knew? Maybe he’d soften over time.
Although, honestly, I had a hard time imagining it.
But it didn’t matter. He was my boss, not my friend. He didn’t need to be warm and cuddly. I just needed someone who would pay me fairly and wouldn’t try to force me to compromise my ethics like my last employer had.
I had plenty on my to-do list, and I’d only left my desk twice, both times to use the fancy espresso machine in the break room because I needed the extra caffeine. Now, I finally had a moment to circle back to the task that had been nagging at me all day: reaching the man Simon wanted to meet with.
Harry Frazier was the CFO of a cybersecurity company that Simon and Liam had invested in over a year ago. My earlier message had gone ignored, so this time I placed a direct call, pulling Mr. Frazier’s office number from his digitized file.
“Thank you for calling Mr. Harry Frazier’s office,” a woman answered. “This is Ellen speaking. How may I help you?”
I smiled because I wanted her to hear it in my voice. I’d learned long ago that warmth could open doors that formality couldn’t.
“Hello, Ellen. This is Raina Seager from Mr. Powers’ office. I’m calling to see if Mr. Frazier has availability for a meeting, preferably in the next week?”
Speaking to his assistant seemed like the logical approach. Scheduling appointments was part of my job; surely it was part of hers too.
A brief pause. When Ellen spoke again, her voice had cooled several degrees. “Mr. Frazier is out of the office and isn’t available at the moment, so we can’t get anything on the schedule. Perhaps you could try again another day.”
My smile faded. “Are you saying you can’t schedule a meeting on his behalf?”
“Mr. Frazier is very hands-on. He prefers to handle these things himself.”
That didn’t ring true, but I wasn’t going to argue about how her office operated. “Is there another way I can reach him? Mr. Powers would like to get this scheduled as soon as possible.”
“As I said, he’s out of the office today.”
Ellen’s tone had turned glacial, and a bad feeling settled in my stomach. I was being brushed off. Before I could ask for an alternate number, I caught fragments of conversation bleeding through from her end of the line.
“I’m telling you, Harry, it’s worth the drive to Farmingdale to play at Bethpage Black,” a man said.
“You know I prefer the driving range at my country club,” another male voice replied.
My grip tightened on the phone. “Is that Mr. Frazier I hear? Has he returned to the office?”
“No.” The word came out sharp, almost defensive. “Good day, Ms. Seager.”
The line went dead. I stared at the phone in my hand, disbelief giving way to irritation. What the hell?
It was obvious now. Frazier was avoiding Simon. Why else would he ignore my message and have his assistant lie about his whereabouts?
Remembering Simon’s earlier impatience with me about getting this meeting scheduled, frustration coiled in my chest. This should have been a simple and straightforward task.
Instead, I was being stonewalled, and I refused to let that define my first day.
I was going to get this meeting on the books.
Today, if possible. I refused to let one stubborn scheduling conflict become my first failure on the job.
I pulled up everything the system had on Harry Frazier and his company, scanning through the files until I found the most recent financial report. It only took a moment to identify the problem.
The company had experienced a significant dip in profits last quarter.
According to the contract Simon and Liam had signed, they owned a portion of the company but would only see returns if its valuation increased.
Until recently, growth had been steady, but that downturn changed things.
The company wasn’t in serious trouble yet, but the CFO would still need to answer for the decline.
No wonder Frazier was dodging the call. The conversation he was avoiding with Simon probably wouldn’t be a pleasant one.
Too bad. It was my job to make it happen anyway. I needed a different approach. Something creative.
Navigating to the company’s website, I clicked through to the About section and scanned the management bios. It took only seconds to spot another Frazier—a woman named Melissa, listed as an executive.
Not a common surname, so it was unlikely to be coincidence and she was most likely related. A quick search on social media confirmed my suspicion. Melissa Frazier was Harry’s wife.
I didn’t love the idea of going around Ellen to reach her boss, but desperate times called for creative measures. I noted Melissa’s extension from the company directory and placed another call.
A different woman answered. “Hello, this is Melissa Frazier’s office.”
“I’m sorry—did you say Melissa Frazier?” I let just the right amount of confusion color my voice. “Oh, I apologize. I must have written down the wrong extension. I was trying to reach Harry Frazier.”
“That’s a perfectly understandable mistake. Their names are right next to each other in the directory. Melissa is Harry’s wife.”
“Is there any way I could be transferred to him? I’m Raina Seager, calling on behalf of Simon Powers. It’s rather important that I speak with Mr. Frazier directly.”
I hoped dropping Simon’s name would carry weight. The man had invested millions in this company.
“Oh, yes. I can help with that. I’m sure he’s in his office. Would you like me to transfer you directly?”
This time, my smile was genuine. “I’d like that very much.”
“Please hold.”
A click, a brief silence, then ringing before the call picked up.
“Harry Frazier.” He sounded confused, as if he couldn’t fathom why a call had bypassed his assistant. “Can I help you?”
“Mr. Frazier, this is Raina Seager from Simon Powers’ office.” I kept my voice pleasant but let a slight edge creep in. “I’m so glad I was able to catch you at the office.”
Silence stretched for a beat too long. He’d caught the implication. Good. I wanted him to know I was fully aware his assistant had lied about his availability.
“Um… yes, Ms. Seager. I actually just returned and was planning to call you back.”
Liar. “Well, I’ve saved you the trouble. I’m sure you’re a busy man, so I won’t take much of your time. I simply need to get a meeting scheduled between you and Mr. Powers.”
Another pause. I waited, curious how he’d handle this. Would he double down on his lie? Manufacture some excuse for why a meeting was impossible?
It didn’t matter. I was getting this done, and he was about to learn I didn’t give up easily.
“This call was transferred from within the building,” Mr. Frazier said, suspicion sharpening his tone even as he tried to deflect. “Who connected you?”
Ah. He was annoyed I’d found a way around his gatekeeper. “Does that really matter? What’s important is that we conduct our business. Mr. Powers wants to meet with you.”
“Well, sure, I know that. But you can’t just bypass my assistant. There’s a protocol here, a way we do things—”
He was blustering now. I let him ramble until he ran out of steam.
“Mr. Frazier, you have an obligation to meet with your primary investor. And it’s my job to facilitate that. All the hemming and hawing in the world isn’t going to dissuade me.”
“I won’t be pressured into scheduling a meeting.” He was trying to sound authoritative, but I caught the nervous edge beneath his bluster. “I’m a very busy man, and frankly, I don’t have time for this conversation.”
I sensed he was about to hang up so I spoke quickly. “If you don’t have time for a phone call, I can’t imagine it will be convenient when I show up at your office in person.”
“What?”
I smiled at the shock in his voice. He was starting to realize he’d underestimated me.
“The last thing I want is to inconvenience you, Mr. Frazier,” I said, keeping my tone professional.
“So I hope we can resolve this now. It might not reflect well on you if I have to make an in-person visit. The other executives at your firm, and Mr. Cooper, might question why such lengths were necessary just to schedule a simple meeting.”
Dropping the CEO’s name was a calculated move, a pointed threat wrapped in politeness. I was walking a fine line, and I hoped Simon wouldn’t think I’d overstepped to accomplish this task.
“No—don’t come here.” The bluster had evaporated, replaced by resignation. “Just… give me a moment to pull up my calendar. We’ll get something scheduled for next week.”
I leaned back in my chair, listening to the clatter of a keyboard on his end. Five minutes later, we had a meeting confirmed. I updated Simon’s calendar immediately, a small thrill of satisfaction warming my chest.
The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it, it was five o’clock. While I knew my hours would fluctuate based on Simon’s needs, he’d told me this morning I could leave at five today.
Before shutting down my computer, I headed to his office to give him a rundown of everything I’d accomplished.
“Come in,” he called when I knocked on his closed door.
He was behind his desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled up again—exposing those forearms that had no business being so attractive. I stepped inside and launched into my summary, trying to keep my focus on the information I was delivering rather than the way his green eyes held mine.
His face remained impassive as I worked through the list, until I reached the end. “And if you check your calendar, you’ll see I’ve scheduled a meeting with Harry Frazier for next week.”
Finally, a reaction. His eyebrows lifted, and something flickered through his eyes—too quick to identify, but I wanted to believe it was surprise. Maybe even a hint of being impressed.
“You completed everything I assigned you today?” he asked, as if I hadn’t just rattled off the entire list.
“Yes. Of course.”
This time, the surprise was unmistakable. Had he really expected me to fail on my very first day? Yeah, I wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Good,” he said, glancing down and shuffling papers on his desk.
I told myself not to be disappointed by the lack of praise. I’d known him less than ten hours, but I could already tell Simon Powers wasn’t the type for abundant positive reinforcement. He probably doled out compliments like they cost him money.
That was fine. I didn’t need a gold star for doing my job. I’d operate on the assumption that if he wasn’t complaining, he was satisfied.
“Is there anything else you need today?” I asked.
“No. You can go.”
A clear dismissal. I turned toward the door but abruptly paused with my hand on the knob. I glanced back and caught Simon watching me. Something in his gaze made my pulse skip—an intensity I couldn’t quite read.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” I said, meaning it. “For the job. I’m not sure what Kurt said to convince you to hire me, but I won’t let you down.”
His expression didn’t change, but he gave a single, short nod.
As I turned to leave, my eyes caught on the plastic container still sitting on the corner of his desk. It was empty. Every single cookie, gone.
I walked out of the office with satisfaction blooming in my chest, along with a good dose of happiness, which was something I hadn’t felt in months.
My new boss wasn’t warm and fuzzy, not by any stretch of the imagination.
He was demanding and gruff and clearly impossible to please.
But he’d eaten all my cookies and seemed to enjoy them, and he hadn’t asked me to compromise my integrity.
For now, that was more than enough.