The Seduction 3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

leave
before she follows him out.
    Weird.
    * * *
    I don’t have time to
think about the strange scene with Brent and Isabelle for long. As
soon as I get in the limo, I tap a quick text to Vaughn to meet me
later, and then dive into the first of a dozen thick reports on
Ashcroft Industries. I read as quickly as I can for the drive into
New York, but by the time we draw up outside a towering skyscraper in
Midtown, I’ve still barely got my head around the company.
    “Right this way, Miss
Ashcroft.” A perky secretary greets me in the lobby, ushering me
past security to a glass elevator.
    “It’s Fawes. My
name,” I add awkwardly. “I was never an Ashcroft.”
    “Of course.” The
secretary gets out a palm pilot device, and I swear she’s sending
out a memo about my name even as we speak. “Everyone’s excited to
meet you.”
    I think she’s just
exaggerating, but when the elevator doors open on the thirty-fifth
floor, she hasn’t lied. People are lined up in the hallway to greet
me, a blur of faces all shaking my hand and welcoming me to the
company.
    “Thank you,” I
mumble, my head already spinning. “It’s great to meet you too.”
    “We’re like a big
family here,” the secretary explains. “If Ashcroft trusted you to
take the reins, then that means we’re all happy to have you.”
    Not everyone.
    As we make our way
across the office floor, I notice a few people hanging back, scowling
in my direction. I remember that Brent has been a part of the company
for years, and has probably built up his own loyal following too. No
matter what the secretary says, I’m sure there are plenty of people
just waiting to see me fail.
    I don’t know yet who
I can trust.
    “I’ll leave you
with Cameron McCullogh.”
    I’m deposited in an
impressive corner office, decorated with modern glass and chrome
furniture, and with drop-dead gorgeous views of the city.
    “A pleasure to meet
you, Keely.”
    I turn. A handsome man
in his thirties gets up from behind the desk, and comes to shake my
hand.
    “Mr...” My mind is
already blank, but the man just flashes an easy smile.
    “Call me Cam. I was
Ashcroft’s second-in-command here. Did you meet everyone outside?”
    “Yes.” I nod. “I’m
afraid I can’t promise to remember all the names...”
    Cam chuckles. “Don’t
worry about it. This is all a lot to take in, but you’ve got all
the time in the world to get to know us all. Cynthie?” He turns to
the secretary. “Hold my calls for the rest of the afternoon. I’m
sure Keely here has plenty of questions to get us started.”
    Cynthie nods, and
withdraws, closing the door behind her.
    “Take a seat.” Cam
gestures to the couch by the windows. “Can I get you a drink, some
iced tea? Twenty years in the States and I’m still not used to it,”
he adds with a grin. “As far as I’m concerned, tea should be
drunk steaming hot with milk and sugar.”
    “No, thanks, I’m
fine.” I sit down, relaxing a little. There’s something about
Cam’s smiling blue eyes and faint Scottish accent that sets me at
ease. “I’m sorry you have to walk me through all of this. I know
you must be busy.”
    “Nonsense,” Cam
insists. “I’m here to help you with whatever you need.”
    “Well,” I start,
pulling out my legal pad and a pen. “Maybe you could start at the
beginning, with Ashcroft’s different subsidiaries?”
    * * *
    Three hours, and two
cups of ‘real’ tea later, and I’m getting a headache. Despite
Cam patiently talking me through the set-up and day-to-day
operations, we haven’t even begun to touch on the real business of
the company.
    “What about the
investors?” I ask, closing my notebook for a moment and stretching
out my writing hand. “Brent says there’s a takeover bid, another
company wanting to buy up the business. Do you think I should
consider it?”
    Cam leans back. “It’s
certainly an option. The share price has dropped since Ashcroft died,
and this would be one way for you