#57
“'Cause you're too sexy, beautiful and everybody wants a taste. That's why I still get jealous” Jonas Brothers
I could kill Giorgia. I truly could.
The nerve of that woman—inviting Megan to dinner and then calling me to gloat about being rejected, all while lecturing me on the stupidity of letting my wife walk the streets as if she were single. Single, my ass. Megan Woods is, and always will be, mine.
Vanessa burst into the office, breathless. She’d been operating at a frantic pace ever since we initiated the move to D.C., coordinating teams across state lines while simultaneously spearheading the internal audit to uncover the embezzlement.
A month ago, the opportunity of a lifetime had finally materialized when one of the Supreme Court justices decided to take an early retirement.
It was a decision he made "entirely on his own"—a choice that had absolutely nothing to do with the private Caribbean island
I’d offered as a retirement gift.
"They're moving up the confirmation hearings," Vanessa announced, her chest still heaving. I raised my head, my eyebrow already arched. I wondered if my Kitty had heard the news yet. "They want the vote held in two months."
"February, then," I noted, my fingertips tapping a rhythmic, thoughtful beat against my temples. "Where do we stand with our internal cases?"
"The audit is digging deeper into the board members. We’re keeping our hands off their little scheme for now. We don't need them making our lives difficult until the move is finalized."
"And the company transfer?"
"Almost a hundred percent complete. The girls are dying because they can't tell Megs yet, but everything is moving according to plan. I’m actually thinking of asking them to marry me next year... on Cozumel."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked, a small smile tugging at my lips. "You're already picturing the giant family, aren't you? Three moms and five kids?"
"Yes! And a massive garden for them to run around in with a big dog named Bob," she beamed. Then her expression softened. "What about you, Kels?"
"For now, I just want my girl back. Once she’s where she belongs, everything else will fall into place. We can plan a future then, one without Giorgia Fognini breathing down my neck."
"She’s definitely enjoying the view of you squirming," Vanessa teased, invading my personal space to pick up the phone and order two coffees. "But what about Megan in all of this? How is she holding up with the pressure?"
"She’s still wonderful. My job is to convince that cluster of idiots who are still on the fence that they’re the lucky ones just to breathe the same air as a judge of her caliber," I said, my voice softening for a fraction of a second. "She wins everyone over, Vanessa. It’s inevitable."
"You’re hopelessly in love," Vanessa concluded with a definitive smirk.
I responded with a sharp middle finger, which she ignored as she leaned into my desk.
"Changing the subject drastically, your CFO is restless. We’ve been using the 'system instability' excuse to swap out the accounts payable software, but he’s starting to ask too many questions. "
"Let him have a heart attack for all I care.
It would save us a lot of paperwork," I countered, my mind already moving to the next move.
"And as for your sister... honestly, she deserves a kick in the teeth, but the funding she’s pulling from the ESG branch is justified.
Her proposals are bold, even by my standards. "
"Being an environmental activist is a profitable hobby for her," Vanessa agreed, glancing at the project files. "I actually liked the initiative on ballast water treatment and the coral reef restoration. It’s good for the company’s new image."
"It’ll be excellent, Pumpkin. Beyond excellent. It’s the perfect shroud of legitimacy for our arrival in D.C."