Chapter Three | Connor

"You trust me, don't you?" Ken says as he pulls back the chair and sits down, crossing his legs.

"I do," I reply, skimming through the pages of the document in front of me. "But you have to be certain that the person you decide on isn't someone I have to put a leash on because they don't understand what an NDA is."

He laughs. "I understand, but you have a hard time trusting anybody, Connor. Everyone thinks you are this fun-loving, light-hearted man, but you are just a grumpy thirty-year-old who thinks nothing will go according to plan if he isn't the one making the plan."

"Then you don't communicate why you want to do things a particular way, leaving me in the dark and left scrambling to cover for you."

I shrug, losing interest in the content of the document. I make a mental note to rewrite the things that don't sit well with me before giving Ken my full attention.

"Why should I give anyone an explanation? It's my company, isn't it? And I make changes as I see fit. Either they trust that I know what is best for what I built, or they don't."

Ken tutts.

"Connor Everest, billionaire playboy and CEO of one of the largest tech companies in the country," he says, standing and adjusting the lapels of his jacket. "You are not living up to your image."

I glare at him.

"I would give anything to be somewhere else, but guess who decided that they would go ahead and hire a cybersecurity specialist without my knowledge, schedule a meeting, and then inform me about it just hours before the meeting?"

He grins and points to himself. "Guilty as charged."

"Damn right, you are," I say, not letting him off the hook. "I have a half-mind to let you sit through this meeting alone—"

"But you won't do that because you will always wonder if I chose the right person," he cuts in.

I roll my eyes, but I cannot help the smile that curves my lips. It's uncanny how Ken knows me so well, but I guess that is to be expected since we've been friends for nearly ten years. We met in our first year of college, paired up in the same room. He persuaded me to come with him to a freshman party, and we have been friends ever since, partners in crime.

The party life became my scene, but I knew how to balance it with school. Since Ken had a good head on his shoulders, I hired him to be my VP when I created the company.

"You're lucky I have trust issues," I say.

"I don't know if that is something that should be associated with luck because it sucks for you, but I'll take it," he replies. Then, he checks his phone. "The meeting should start in thirty minutes. I'll let you know when she arrives."

My eyebrows crease.

"She?"

"Yeah, she," he replies as if it's not a vital piece of information.

"You didn't tell me she is a woman?"

He shrugs. "I didn't think it was important. What? You have a preference?"

I shake my head. "What good is having a preference? I need someone who knows exactly what they are doing, that's all. And where is her file I have nothing on her. I'm not going in there blind."

A mischievous grin touches his lips.

"Oh, believe me when I tell you, she's good. You won't believe the trouble I went through to find her, but she's worth it. Her name is Evelyn Lockhart, and she's an independent cybersecurity consultant."

"She's worked with some of the big boys out there, and she doesn't come cheap. But for you, my friend," he rounds the desk to pat my shoulder, "I pulled out all the stops. That's all you need to know about her for now."

"What, that's all?"

I'm intrigued. She sounds exciting, but—

"Have her file sent to my secretary," I say as he walks to the door. "I know you gamble a lot, but my company isn't on the table."

He turns to me when he gets to the door.

"Who owns your company?" Ken asks.

"Me?"

"And that is your name plaque on the desk, isn't it?"

I nod.

"Then isn't your company on the table?"

It takes me a good minute to get the joke, and by the time I do, he's out the door. But he isn't wrong, so I grin.