price?”
“It’s a good start.” Alex picked up her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “She’ll know who you are and refer to you as a ‘knowledgeable source.’ Then you might want to have lunch with someone you know at one of the company’s competitors. Ask about the job market, sound anxious and vaguely refer to ‘lawsuits’ being able to bring an entire company down. But don’t be specific.”
“You’re really good at this,” she said, her voice tight in an effort to keep her bitterness at bay. His determination to takeover Michele Cosmetics wasn’t personal, she knew, but he’d crossed over into personal territory when he started dating her with an agenda.
Alex looked at her, his gaze searching her face. “Are you okay with this? I need you to be okay with it.”
A verbal denial crowded in her throat, barely held back. She knew she had to play this carefully, but deceit at this level didn’t come naturally to her. White lies were not even her usual preference, but she had to play a part and play it well to satisfy him. In the natural course of things, she’d be a little skittish, even a little tearful. She had to get it right or Alex would smell a rat and if he spilled his information too quickly to the board, she was screwed.
He’d already bruised her pride and threatened her heart. She was damned if she’d let him kill her company.
“I—I am conflicted about selling Michele out,” she said, delivering the words as a reluctant admission. “She’s really been a role model for me. I felt like I could trust her completely…but I know I can’t let her run over me. I don’t really have a lot of choices here.”
“True,” he said, the doubts she’d seen in his eyes disappearing.
“So, will an article and a rumor be enough to bring the stock prices down?” Her stomach churned in her effort to stay visibly relaxed—comfortable with him, yet uncomfortable with the course ahead of her.
She’d never yearned to be an actress. This double-dealing didn’t quite sit right, but dammit, she’d do what she had to do. Getting to the top of the heap in any business took some scrambling. She’d done a little on her way up the ladder at Michele Cosmetics.
“No, the article alone won’t be enough,” he acknowledged. “We’ve got to get a major stock holder in our corner. I’d like to convince one of them to vote with us. That’s where you come in again. I told you I need to know everything personal you have on your major stockholders. We can then proceed to get them behind us.”
Immediately, Eden’s mind sprinted into action. Who were their biggest stock holders outside of Michele herself, the board of directors and the top-level executives? The short list of really major stock holders registered inside her head silently. Which of them would be most vulnerable to sell? Most resistant to Alex’s snake oil manipulation?
“I can get you a list of the major stock holders,” she said doubtfully, forcing herself to stay open and innocent-sounding. “But that’s public record, isn’t it? Hasn’t your…study of the company yielded those names?”
“Yes. It’s all public record, of course, but it’s not enough to know who owns how much. I need to make sure we can swing them into line with our plans. I need personal info.”
“Oh,” she said, her thoughts racing. “You need me to tell you about the big stock holders. What exactly do you mean? I don’t really know all their dark secrets.”
Alex chuckled. “I’m not asking you to blackmail them into siding with us. I simply need your assessment on who’s more vulnerable and may need to sell their stock. Who is in conflict or in bed with Michele? Who holds strong opinions on what company issues? That sort of thing.”
“Oh,” she said, “I can get you that info.”
Apparently he drew the line at blackmailing board members. Was it possible that he didn’t think he was doing the same to her? He’d never actually
“It’s a good start.” Alex picked up her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “She’ll know who you are and refer to you as a ‘knowledgeable source.’ Then you might want to have lunch with someone you know at one of the company’s competitors. Ask about the job market, sound anxious and vaguely refer to ‘lawsuits’ being able to bring an entire company down. But don’t be specific.”
“You’re really good at this,” she said, her voice tight in an effort to keep her bitterness at bay. His determination to takeover Michele Cosmetics wasn’t personal, she knew, but he’d crossed over into personal territory when he started dating her with an agenda.
Alex looked at her, his gaze searching her face. “Are you okay with this? I need you to be okay with it.”
A verbal denial crowded in her throat, barely held back. She knew she had to play this carefully, but deceit at this level didn’t come naturally to her. White lies were not even her usual preference, but she had to play a part and play it well to satisfy him. In the natural course of things, she’d be a little skittish, even a little tearful. She had to get it right or Alex would smell a rat and if he spilled his information too quickly to the board, she was screwed.
He’d already bruised her pride and threatened her heart. She was damned if she’d let him kill her company.
“I—I am conflicted about selling Michele out,” she said, delivering the words as a reluctant admission. “She’s really been a role model for me. I felt like I could trust her completely…but I know I can’t let her run over me. I don’t really have a lot of choices here.”
“True,” he said, the doubts she’d seen in his eyes disappearing.
“So, will an article and a rumor be enough to bring the stock prices down?” Her stomach churned in her effort to stay visibly relaxed—comfortable with him, yet uncomfortable with the course ahead of her.
She’d never yearned to be an actress. This double-dealing didn’t quite sit right, but dammit, she’d do what she had to do. Getting to the top of the heap in any business took some scrambling. She’d done a little on her way up the ladder at Michele Cosmetics.
“No, the article alone won’t be enough,” he acknowledged. “We’ve got to get a major stock holder in our corner. I’d like to convince one of them to vote with us. That’s where you come in again. I told you I need to know everything personal you have on your major stockholders. We can then proceed to get them behind us.”
Immediately, Eden’s mind sprinted into action. Who were their biggest stock holders outside of Michele herself, the board of directors and the top-level executives? The short list of really major stock holders registered inside her head silently. Which of them would be most vulnerable to sell? Most resistant to Alex’s snake oil manipulation?
“I can get you a list of the major stock holders,” she said doubtfully, forcing herself to stay open and innocent-sounding. “But that’s public record, isn’t it? Hasn’t your…study of the company yielded those names?”
“Yes. It’s all public record, of course, but it’s not enough to know who owns how much. I need to make sure we can swing them into line with our plans. I need personal info.”
“Oh,” she said, her thoughts racing. “You need me to tell you about the big stock holders. What exactly do you mean? I don’t really know all their dark secrets.”
Alex chuckled. “I’m not asking you to blackmail them into siding with us. I simply need your assessment on who’s more vulnerable and may need to sell their stock. Who is in conflict or in bed with Michele? Who holds strong opinions on what company issues? That sort of thing.”
“Oh,” she said, “I can get you that info.”
Apparently he drew the line at blackmailing board members. Was it possible that he didn’t think he was doing the same to her? He’d never actually
Similar Books
