Love the Boss: Billionaire Romance (Managing the Bosses Book 4) (14 page)

"I like you both." Jamie reached out and squeezed his hand as Alex walked in the door.

"I knew it! You do like him." Alex winked and took the only free chair at the table. "What are my best employees up to? Need me to sign something?"

Jamie got up and closed the door. "No, we wish. Paul, go ahead."

"Alright, well, I think Jamie told you that we've been working on the accounting files for the last few weeks."

Alex nodded. "I appreciate that. Remind me at bonus time that none of you are accountants, and yet have done a great job on this I'm sure."

"It's been painful." Mark shook his head and smiled.

"Right, well we found the new ID and Jamie checked and found out that you approved it, but there have been additional charges that aren't making much sense. After looking at everything, we think it was created by Gina as a way to put false charges through to your expense accounts," Paul finished and crossed his arms over his chest as he paled visibly.

"There was a large charge for lunch the other day that’s over three hundred dollars. It was the day that we went to La Grigila to scout out what she was up to." Jamie sat back down and let out a sigh. "The bill had to have been hers and Nicholas', because the three of us only spent a third of what their bill was, and I used my company card. This is a different card. I can call La Grigila to confirm if you want."

Paul waved his cell phone. “I already did. They’ve emailed to confirm it was a different card charged.”

"That's not good." Alex nodded toward the table. "Can I see the charges?"

"Of course." Paul picked up the packet and handed it to Alex. "The highlighted parts are the additional charges we're seeing from this ID."

"A candy store?" Alex glanced up at Jamie. "I wouldn't okay us spending money on candy."

"I realize that. I told you something was going on." She brushed her fingers by her lips as her heart constricted in her chest. "I think we have a low-level fraud on our hands, boss."

"What's your process for signing off on new IDs?" Mark asked.

"I usually review everything I sign my name to, but in the last few years I really haven't reviewed much. Gina's been with me so long that I just sign what she puts in front of me." He shook his head and studied the paper some more. "Shit."

"It's better to figure this out and be able to document that you've let her go, rather than have the auditors find the fraud and then call us out on our lack of controls," Paul offered; it was helpful, and yet felt so incredibly harmful.

"Why would Nicholas call for the audit, unless he didn't know about Gina digging into the accounts?" Jamie tried to think through how everything lined up. "He and Gina have been dating. If it's his fault and she's doing things for him, then why push us to audit our own files? It just doesn't make any sense, and yet it can't
not
be connected."

Alex stood up. "Only one way to find out. Jamie, come with me. I need someone in the room as a witness."

"Then Paul should go. He's not dating you, and you know that if something is said in there that needs to be repeated in court or something, he would be the better choice." Jamie turned to him. "You need to go."

"We can both go." Paul stood up and walked to the door. "I'm a fly on the wall. Don't drag me into this conversation. I'm a finance guy for a reason. I don't do people drama."

Alex chuckled and walked out. "That's a joke, right? Where there are people, there will always be drama."

Jamie gave Mark a look and walked to the door. "How did you get so damn lucky?"

"I don't know, but I'll take it," he chuckled, and Jamie walked out, moving into Alex's office as she heard him tell Gina to cancel the rest of his appointments and meet him in his office.

She questioned him, but he didn't seem to respond.

Jamie moved to stand at the window that overlooked the city, and tried to work through the horrible feelings pumping through her. The connection between Gina and Nicholas left everything in disarray and not making much sense, but it wasn't about their relationship.

The conversation was about her creating a false ID and stealing from the company. Those were the facts, and all of the evidence would back that up and support it.

"I can't imagine what's so important that you would cancel your whole afternoon and back yourself up again, Alex. You always tell me not to let you do this." She walked in and kept talking, though her volume dampened. "Did you want me in here, or are you in the middle of something?"

Jamie turned and pressed her back to the glass, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Have a seat." Alex nodded at Gina, and she took the seat next to Paul.

"Okay. What's going on?" She glanced over at Jamie, who stood in silence, not saying anything or giving anything away. Her façade was in place, and this was Alex's dance to dance. They were there as viable witnesses and would talk if he wanted them to. Otherwise, she was going to be quiet and still. A fly on the wall.

"Paul, Mark, and Jamie have been going through the various reconciliations to prepare for the audits that Nicholas asked us to engage a year early. I was pissed about his timing, but it would almost seem that he knew something I didn't." Alex dropped the file on the table in front of her. "See that ID that's highlighted ten times on the page?"

She glanced down and back up as she stood. "Alex, I can explain."

"Good. I'd like to hear why the employee I trust most in my company is stealing from me. Did you think I wouldn't find out that you were standing behind me as I mulled through everything we do and not notice that your hands were out, catching coins as they fell from me? Do you think I'm stupid?" His voice was even, and deep. It was almost more terrifying than if he had yelled.

"Of course not. It wasn't me, though. Nicholas put me up to it. He's been trying so hard to pull your company from you, and I was never a part of that..." she dropped her head and pressed her hands to her face, "…until recently."

"Why? Why would you help him do anything that would hurt me? What did you need that I didn't supply?" He moved back as anger filled his face.

"Alex." Jamie forced him to look her way by simply saying his name.

He nodded and turned back to Gina, taking a sharp breath. "You're fired. I'll be filing a lawsuit, and we'll be looking into Nicholas' part in all of this."

"What?" Gina shot up. "No. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. It was maybe a total of five hundred dollars."

"Seven thousand," Paul added in a monotone. “And counting. We don’t have this month’s financials.”

"No. It couldn't be. It was only a couple of times, and it was more to prove the point that you were too busy to see something happening right under your nose. Nicholas figured if he could prove that, then you would be forced to slow down. He's just worried about you." She stood and reached for Alex as he moved back.

"Have a nice day, and I hope you enjoy your new job with Nick. He should treat you just about as well as he treats everyone else once they've overstayed their welcome." Alex nodded toward the door. "Grab your purse and don't touch anything else. It's part of an upcoming investigation."

Tears streamed down Gina's cheeks as she turned around and looked at Jamie. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I have kids at home. I need this job."

"I know. I kept trying to figure out how to not make the evidence point straight to you, but it does."

Jamie's eyes filled with tears, too.

Alex walked to the door and opened it. "I'll be in touch, Gina. Time for you to go; I'll see you out."

She nodded and walked to the door, pausing and looking Alex in the face. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake, and I'm willing to pay for it. I'm so sorry."

He pursed his lips and nodded, taking a long time to answer. "Yeah. Me, too."

Chapter 15

Jamie tried to work through the rest of the day, but the funk that rested on her after watching Alex having to fire Gina was almost too much. She had a million questions that she would have to work through with him later, but, for the time being, she was hoping to make him feel a little bit better.

She poked her head into his office and knocked softly. "Can I come in?"

He glanced up from staring at his desk. "Yeah. I'd like that. Close the door?"

"Sure." She walked in and closed the door before moving across the room toward him.

He turned his chair and let out a long sigh. "I don't remember ever feeling this bad in my adult life. She has kids at home, Jamie. There should have been a warning or something, right?"

Jamie sank down onto her knees in front of him, not concerned about her tight grey slacks getting dirty. She could run home and change before dinner if needed. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him, pressing her cheek to his chest. "I don't know. I think the situation was pretty bad, but I feel like shit too." She snuggled against him as he wrapped his strong arms around her. The scent of his cologne caught her attention, and she breathed in deeply, pulling it down into her lungs and letting it bring her back down to reality.

He kissed the top of her head. "I should cancel dinner. I'm really not up to entertaining anyone."

"No, don't do that." She looked up at him and reached up to touch the side of his face. "It's going to be okay. We'll work through it. Gina can't just have her hand slapped for theft, Alex. As much as I hate for us to lose her, when trust is broken like that—"

"I know. You're right." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers as his fingers slid into her hair and tightened a little. "You taste good. Smell good, too. Get on my desk and help me forget about all of this."

"Let me lock the door." She nipped at his lips and got up with his help. After locking the door, she slipped her shoes off and sank back down between his thighs.

"I said on the desk, woman. Why is it so hard to get you to mind?" His lips turned up in a sexy smile. The sadness still clung tightly to him, but she could feel his need to forget about all of the drama for just a little while. It wasn't about lust, but about comfort and warmth.

"To mind? That's never going to happen. I always go against the grain. I'm a nonconformist. Didn't you know?" She licked at her lips and worked on his belt, then dragged his zipper down.

"I like what you're willing to conform to." He brushed her hair back. "Just watching your hungry expression leaves my body aching."

"Good. Let me help relieve you." She moved up and tugged his slacks open before sliding her hand into the slit in his boxer-briefs and pulling his cock out to lie against his stomach.

She let out a sound of pleasure and brushed her nose up the length of him as he groaned.

"Be easy with me." He worked her hair into a ponytail and held it as she glanced up at him.

"Easy? Never." She smiled and moved back down, licking along his erection until he wrapped his hand around it and positioned it toward her.

"I love watching you suck me. It's so fucking hot." He ran his teeth over his lower lip and bit into it. The look on his face drove her wild. She pressed her lips to his tip and moved down slowly, taking as much as she could into her mouth.

He tugged on her hair, pulling her back up carefully as she started to gag. He grunted loudly as his thighs tightened.

She ignored his desires and pushed his hand out of the way. She wrapped her fingers around him and pumped his swollen flesh as she took her time with him, working him to the edge of orgasm, and stopping long enough to cause him to cry out. She played with him for a long while, but upon rising to his peak the third time, he wouldn't let her play games anymore.

"Not again, baby. Not again." He tilted his hips and gripped her hair tightly as he pressed his hips up fast and hard, losing himself until he came. His release was accompanied with several short cries that left her entire body on fire for a long night beneath him.

She drank him down and moved back only when he beckoned her to.

"That was incredible. Damn." He caressed the side of her face and smiled down at her. "I'm going to marry you one day. Did you know that?"

"Just ‘cause I sucked your cock?" she teased. She moved back as he worked to put himself together again. “Probably not the right moment to pop the question,” she laughed, but her heart raced at the thought of him even mentioning marriage.

"You’re probably right.” He grinned like a goofy boy and then anxiety crept into his eyes. “But you are looking forward to the day I pop the question, right? One day would you consider becoming Mrs. Alex Reid?" He got up and pulled her into the strong circle of his arms before pressing wet kisses up the side of her neck.

"Absolutely. I'm looking forward to that, and every day after that I can call you mine." She stole a sweet kiss from his lips and pulled away from him. "I want kids, too. Did you know that?"

He chuckled. "I imagined you did. We'll have as many as you want. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say no to you in bed."

"Sounds like a conversation for another day." She wiped her fingers over her lips and smiled. "You tasted like desire."

"I can imagine what you'd taste like right now," he growled as he took a step toward her, stalking her.

Jamie turned and pressed her back to his door. "Like sticky wet need."

"Fuck." He started for her as she spun and unlocked the door, jerking it open, giggling. "I'll see you in an hour for dinner. We're riding all together, leaving from here, right?"

"Tease." He stopped just in front of her and let his eyes move across her. "My sexy little tease."

"Shhh... don't tell anyone. I'll be the office favorite. I'm too tired for all of that."

He popped her butt as she turned, pulling a soft yelp from her.

*  *  *

"You guys are so sweet for agreeing to this." Kristen spoke from the backseat of Alex's Lexus. She sat beside Mark, and Jamie sat beside Alex in the front. Alex had offered to use his chauffer, but Jamie had whispered in his ear that, if he drove, they could leave for an early bedtime. He didn’t argue.