“Not at all,” she had answered airily before leaving.
finished her tea and then went to bed. She was determined to get some sleep, time enough for questions in the morning.
*****
Lucinda Logan enjoyed her position as vice president of Communications Link and had enjoyed the perks that went along with the position for the past ten years. Before she had been in that position she had worked as an account executive but had slept with Lincoln in order to be promoted. She stepped out of her shoes and went into her living room to sit heavily on the sofa. She had overindulged and had encouraged Lincoln to take money out of the company account many times. She had held the power over him not caring that he had a wife at home and grown children but she had done it to further her own cause. She had been smart enough to put away several thousand dollars into an offshore account that could not be touched but she did not want to leave the company and she knew that she was going to be fired. She had consulted a lawyer about wrongful termination but he had advised her not to put up a fight or else she would lose big! A termination package would not be enough and she would not enjoy the perks that came with being vice president for a company such as Communications Link. She was closer to forty but did not look it as she religiously made sure that her skin was moisturized and she worked out regularly. Her phone rang as she was about to go into her bathroom. She looked at the screen and bit off a sigh of impatience. “Not a good time, Lincoln.”
“Are you with someone?” he demanded.
“Aren’t you with someone?” she countered maliciously, referring to his wife.
“You know the situation with her, Lucinda. I am in love with you.”
“And yet you are still with her,” Lucinda said spitefully. She was beginning to be bored by his constant declaration of love that she could never return. She had used him to get what she wanted and he had served his purpose. Now that purpose was over. “We are facing termination, Lincoln, so forgive me if I cannot think about what we have right now.”
“I will take care of you.”
“How? You have a wife and two kids, one of whom is still in college. I need to find a way to take care of myself.”
“Please don’t leave me, Lucinda. I have done a lot for you.”
“That’s not going to work with me, darling,” she told him with a hint of steel in her voice. “I will talk to you tomorrow.”
She hung up and went to the bathroom. Maybe Jason Collins could be seduced! And he was by far a bigger fish than Lincoln could ever be!
*****
Jason opened the door to his designated office the next morning to see Lucinda Logan sitting in his chair.
“Did we have an appointment?” he asked her mildly as he came in and left the door open. The woman was wearing a red dress that left half her cleavage out for the world to see. He knew exactly what it was, a clear form of seduction, and he was not moved. He had read up on them and done his investigation. She had seduced the weak and hapless Lincoln Rosewood and had practically bled the company dry.
“I just thought we could get to know each other better. The meeting we had in the conference room was not conducive to us getting acquainted,” she purred and leaned over the desk knowing that it would bring attention to her bosom. “I am an asset to the company, Jason, and I want to continue being an asset to you and the company.”
“You are in my seat,” he said pointedly as he placed his briefcase on the desk.
“Oh!” She smiled up at him prettily as she got to her feet. “I was keeping it warm for you.”
He looked at her in amusement. He was not even annoyed. She moved past him and managed to brush up against him as he went to take the seat she had vacated.
“Have a seat, Ms. Logan,” he said, indicating the chair next to her.
“Please, call me Lucinda.”
“Your expense account is more than what most people work for for the year.” He continued ignoring the request for him to call her by her first name.
“I had clients to wine and dine and you certainly did not expect me to do that in any old restaurant,” she said defensively.
“Of course not.” He pretended to look down at the file even though he had memorized the content of it. “You are given a clothing allowance as well. Why?”
“I am one of the vice presidents and I have to dress the part. We are required to attend a lot of functions.”
He leaned back against the chair and met her light blue eyes with his dark blue ones. Her dark brown hair was threaded heavily with a soft shade of red that was a very attractive combination and her white skin was flawless. He had seen from her file that she was close to forty, but she looked years younger. He could understand why Rosewood was besotted. “You and your boyfriend have run the company into the ground and you are here telling me that you are an asset. I have consulted my lawyers, Ms. Logan, and they advised me to offer you and the other directors a settlement. I wanted to offer you nothing but they advised against it. You are fairly young and as much as I think that you have not done a very good job of running the company I can give you a letter of recommendation. And might I offer a bit of advice? Actually prove yourself by doing the job instead of sleeping your way to the top. It is more fulfilling that way.”
She got to her feet, her face flushed with fury! “How dare you speak to me that way.”
“Close the door on your way out,” he told her coldly.
was just on her way into the outer office when she was almost pushed out of the way by the furious woman. Her eyes went towards the closed door and she wondered what that was all about. She had come in early to finish up a report for Jason Collins but wanted to check with him about something first. It was still early, so the receptionists and other support staff were not there yet. She wondered what had pissed Lucinda off so much!