isn’t exactly blackmail,” she pointed out. “This girl just wants to ruin him, no compensation necessary.”
Across the table, Carter flipped through the papers Jade had passed to him, frown lines creasing his brow.
“This is blatant bull,” Carter said drily. “Jaxon is a lot of things, but he’s not a thief. The first app he created made millions. It’s doing better than the one this girl claims to have had the idea for.”
“Unfortunately, in this instance, truth doesn’t matter. This girl—” Jade flipped through the file for her name “—Nessa Bannon, looks great on camera and has something to say about the so-called rich playboy who stole her idea and just plain took advantage of her. The world is practically salivating to get more of her story.”
Within a matter of hours, social media had latched on to the few details Nessa Bannon tossed out there. The fires were being lit to roast Jaxon Diallo alive, and his family’s reputation along with him. Not good news as far as the IPO was concerned.
“We need to shut all that down. Fast.” Kingsley steepled his fingers. “Which is why we’re here this afternoon—”
“Instead of in Las Vegas, enjoying the showgirls and casinos,” Carter grumbled.
“Is that what we pulled you away from?” Kingsley didn’t sound sorry, showing instead a brotherly lack of care about the relaxation he’d taken Carter away from.
Not that Jade cared that much either but neither one was her brother.
“That damn kid...” Carter muttered across from her. The tightness at the corners of his eyes betrayed his worry.
For what, Jade couldn’t tell. The IPO? The scorned woman lashing out at a man she thought betrayed her? His lost all-you-can-eat Vegas buffet?
“I’m sure you’ve had your share of romantic roadkill from back in your younger days.” She arched an eyebrow at him. Jade didn’t have any proof but she mentally put a point on her side of the game when Carter flinched.
But he didn’t stay down for long. “You already have the details of our planned IPO offering and about Jaxon and this mess. Do you think you can help us? Be honest. If it’s too much, let us know and we’ll find someone else.”
It was like he’d thrown down a gauntlet, and the glint in his eyes told Jade he knew exactly what he was doing. But what he asked wasn’t impossible. Of course, she could help them.
The situation had the potential to be an easy fix but she could also see why Carter had lobbed this potential bomb into her lap. The last thing the Diallo family wanted to do was seem like they were covering for an opportunist who stole from a girl trying to do better for herself.
Nessa Bannon was raised poor, was now working to pay her own way through college, and had an Instagram account filled with gorgeous selfies and intimate details of her everyday life, including her desire to get into fashion one day. Obviously, a beautiful and driven girl.
Jaxon, at barely nineteen years old, was a proven genius and already one of the leading minds in tech. A young and very attractive member of the superrich Diallo family of Miami, he had every advantage growing up. Good schools, resources, people paving the way for his success.
Which of these nineteen-year-olds was more likely to have come up with the idea for the million-dollar app in question? The answer was clear.
But news bites were everything. The right set of headlines read by the right people could crush the Diallos’ dreams of taking their company public at a profit.
Jade wouldn’t let that happen, though.
She closed the manila in front of her. “Yes, I can take care of this.”
Kingsley leaned back with a relieved smile. “That’s usually Carter’s line. But I’m glad you have the same amount of confidence as my brother.” He flicked a smile Carter’s way.
Oh really? Jade flashed both of them her teeth. “More,” she said. “I have much more confidence than Carter. After all, you guys came to me, right?”
“Lord, not another one!” Kingsley rolled his eyes but he was smiling. “At least when you two get this thing sorted out, I can save myself the trouble and just thank you both at the same time.”
What? “Both?”
“Yes. It’s your call how you handle this but I need you to work closely with Carter on it. He knows what the company is doing. And he knows the family. He’ll be your shadow while you handle this.”
Just great. She clenched her teeth but managed a smile. “Sounds good.”
“Perfect!” Kingsley glanced at his watch then clapped his hands once. “Now, I need my office back. I have a very important lunch date in about five minutes.”
Just then, the intercom buzzed on his desk phone. “Ms. Palmer-Mitchell is here to see you, Mr. Diallo.”
“Ah, she’s early.” His face lit up like the sun.
If this was a business meeting, Jade would eat her blue Manolo Blahniks. She lazily swung her foot, wearing said shoe, and watched the door to see who would come in.
“Send her right in, Charmaine.” Like a kid expecting Santa Claus, Kingsley hopped up from the conference table and opened the door in time for a slender woman with wide eyes and amazing skin to walk through it. She carried a picnic basket.
“Am I early?” she asked.
“No. You are exactly on time.” Kingsley pressed a kiss to her cheek, just within breathing distance of her lush mouth, and although it should have been chaste and sweet, the passion between the two of them practically scorched Jade where she stood.
Okay then. Time to make her own exit.
“I’ll leave you two to your lunch meeting,” Carter said with fond laughter in his voice while Jade held herself back from making any sort of comment. After all, she’d just met Kingsley.
“I’ll be in touch,” she said, briefcase in hand, and headed for the open door. She deftly avoided shaking Carter’s hand again, walking the long way around the conference table just so she wouldn’t have to.
She knew she’d made a mistake when she saw Carter move up behind her. With every breath, she was aware of him following her.
For such a big man, his footsteps were light, nearly silent. Her shoulders prickled and smoky desire woke in her belly, twining its way between her legs then up through her breasts, her throat, her very fingertips. Jade quivered from the familiar longing.
Dammit. And she’d only been in the same room with him for an hour. She needed to get out of this building. Fast.
“Before you leave, let’s have a quick talk in my office,” he rumbled in his deep voice and she could practically feel his breath at the back of her neck.
Do we have to? She shoved down that whiny part of herself and clasped both hands tight around the handle of the briefcase. If this were any other man, Jade would tell him where to shove his offer of a conversation. But this wasn’t any
