Club Prive: Un-Leashed (Kindle Worlds Novella) (A Bad Boy Crime Family Romance Book 1) (4 page)

Paige

My sister spent the afternoon blowing up my phone with a bunch of text messages. Did Sophia suddenly forget this was my first day on a new temp job? After the sixth message, I told her I would finish up after six p.m. tonight, and she could text me to her heart’s content from then on. She didn’t reply, but phoned me instead. I shut off my phone. I needed this job, dammit, and sitting at a cubicle in an open concept section of the office did not offer any privacy to accept a personal call.

It was a small workstation, but more than enough for what I’d be doing. I’d had a chance to take in the floor, including the bank of offices that lined the outer perimeter of the entire level. The dividing walls of the offices were all glass, allowing me to see right through them to each senior staff, manager or director, and to the breathtaking views all around Manhattan. My cubicle was lined up with the other temps, secretaries, entry-level analysts and junior staff. I couldn’t complain. I had a job for at least a few weeks, and maybe something else would come my way by the time this one wrapped up.

A temp could dream.

In the afternoon, Victor Neville stopped by my desk.

Victor Neville.

VP of Strategy.

Of Neville Industries.

The multi-billion dollar conglomerate that held a majority stake in two airplane manufacturing companies, half of the real estate in about one hundred obscure cities across America, two department store chains, and a publishing house. They had a hand in practically every industry, from aeronautics to household manufacturing and retail, and everything in between.

Ahhh!

I noticed him long before he made it to my cubicle, and immediately knew that he had to be one of the higher ups, even if I didn’t already recognize him from his picture on the company website. It was the way he strutted down the wide hallway toward me, confident and poised like he owned the place. Because he actually did—or at least his family owned it, but that was semantics. It was also how the staff all straightened up and stopped whatever they were doing as he passed them at their desks or in the hall, and from the way he gave each one of them a friendly yet formal nod. By the time he was halfway up the hall, I knew exactly who he was.

He stopped at my cubicle, which I wasn’t expecting because he had walked the entire length of the floor without stopping for anyone else.

“Paige? Hi, I’m Victor Neville,” he said, giving me a wide, relaxed grin.

I jumped out of my seat and took his hand. Had I known he was going to talk to me, I would have been more prepared, and I would have definitely stuck my feet back into these murderous stiletto boots.

“Hi,” I said nervously. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Neville.”

“It’s Victor.”

“Right. Great to meet you. Victor.”

“Welcome aboard. How was your morning at the new gig?”

“Great, sir. I’m excited to get right into prioritizing these legacy database systems…and whatever else Zoe needs.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Tell me a little more about what you mean by prioritizing the old databases.”

“Well…I don’t want to bore you with the details. I’m sure you’re busy.”

“I am busy, but I asked. Feel free to bore the hell out of me for…” he looked at his watch, then he added, “…for another four minutes.”

“Okay.” I took a breath, then I launched into it. “From what I’ve learned so far, the company went through a technology modernization, yet some staff are continuing to use several pre-existing systems. Usually that happens for one or more reasons. First, force of habit. They’re used to the old systems. Second, data migration issues. Users sometimes aren’t able to bring their data to the new system, so they keep their data on the old stuff. Third, functionality differences. A good example is one employee or a team may not be able to generate the same reports, find the same features or to put it simply, to do the same things with the data on the new system as they had before.”

He nodded insightfully, so I continued.

“There are a lot of other reasons, and I would guess that an organization this large has similar legacy systems in each department and subdivision. All of those old solutions are probably not talking to the shiny new technology, so there’s some duplication, redundancy and definitely that means it’s costing the company to maintain it all… not to mention the other threats to old systems. Viruses, security breaches and such.”

“So you’re saying they’re an exposure.”

“Possibly.”

“And it’s the same thing across all departments.”

“That would be my guess.”

“So how do we fix it?”

“Usually someone in the technology department would run an integration project… you know, figure out what old solutions are still being used, by whom, and whether the functionality is available in the new system. That’s a step the tech folks would take before and after modernizing enterprise-wide solutions. If some of the old tools aren’t available in the new system, then it’s a matter of deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. And there’s definitely a training component. I should mention, sir, there’s nothing very innovative about what I’ve just said. I mean, it’s pretty standard procedure. Textbook stuff.”

“Maybe so, but you can bet that if Zoe flagged this, the tech people have not covered it completely.” He looked at his watch again. “I’m out of time. Glad to have you on board. Your sister and Angelo put in a good word for you, so my only advice is to make sure you impress the hell out of Zoe. If you can do that, you’ll be laughing.”

“I’ll do my best, sir.”

“Sir? Seriously?” he asked, looking at me for clarification.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“I’m twenty-five. That’s younger than Angelo. Do I look old enough to be called
sir
?”

“No,” I said apologetically. “You really don’t.”

“Call me Victor…or Vic.”

“I will.”

“Sweet.” He pulled out his buzzing smartphone from the pocket of his slacks. “I’ve got to get to a meeting, so have a good rest of the day. Let Zoe know if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you…Victor.”

It was after he continued down the hall to wherever he was going that I noticed the impressed and mildly surprised expressions of some staff as they popped their heads out of offices, and prairie-dogged up from their cubicles. The only face staring back at me with a genuinely pleasant look was Zoe’s. Thank God for that. The last thing I needed was to report to someone who felt I was their boss’s buddy.

A few hours later, I was finally finished for the evening. I said goodbye to Zoe and Marie, and I left.

Holy hell.

Sophia was waiting for me at the elevator bay in the lobby downstairs.

Again.

My face fell. “I know you want to celebrate my getting the job, but really? You couldn’t wait for me to get home?”

“Stop being so damn righteous. If I phone or text you, it means it’s important. Plus I have to work tonight, or did you forget it’s the weekend?”

“I didn’t forget, but what the heck is so important that it can’t wait an hour?”

She scowled at me for a second, then a broad grin crept up her face. “We hooked you up!” she shouted, pulling me in for a hug. “Did Zoe or Victor tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“You didn’t just get the temp job. Victor’s going to find a place for you. Like long-term. Like a real job! I told you I had a good feeling today.” She pulled back from the embrace and looked down my body. “And my outfit didn’t hurt your chances either.”

Sophia strutted out the revolving doors of the building in the opposite direction from the subway, wearing some stilettos that probably doubled as a weapon. That was when I noticed she was all dolled up. Her hair was pulled up in a cute braided messy bun, she was wearing a royal blue facsimile of the same fuchsia winter coat I had on, and she must have had a dress under her coat, because her legs were bare.

“Hey, do you mind telling me where we’re going and why aren’t we using the subway?”

“We’re celebrating. I’m taking you out for dinner and drinks. My treat. I still can’t get over it. Angelo and I hooked you up!”

I ran to catch up with her. “Wait. Hold on a minute. Did you just say you and Angelo?”

“Yep,” she said proudly. “He said he saw you this morning, but don’t you remember him? The Salvatore kids? It was four of them. Three boys and a girl. Dominic, Angelo, Lia and Franko.”

“From where?”

“Back when Dad had the shop.”

“That was more than ten years ago, Soph.”

“True, but I remember them.”

“Did we even go to the same school?”

“Yes, and we all went to mass together. You and Lia were in the same first communion class.”

“Lia… the name is vaguely familiar…but I don’t remember much. You kept in touch with them?”

“Kind of,” she said demurely.

“You have that look in your eye. I know that look. What are you hiding?”

“Me? Nothing. By the way, Angelo is bringing one of his friends, plus Franko and a few of his college friends. They’re meeting us at Rinaldi’s in…let me check.” she took out her phone from her shimmering silver party clutch. “In twenty minutes.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“If you had bothered to take my call earlier, you’d already know. Come on. It’s a five-minute taxi ride over, but there’s no way we’ll get a cab in this crazy part of town. Let’s just walk.” She looked down at my boots. Well, they were her boots, but I had to admit they were growing on me. “Try not to ruin those.”

“I would have taken them off, but you put my outdoor boots in your bag this morning.”

“It’s fine.” She stopped for a second to put her phone back in her clutch purse and gave me a once-over. “You can keep the outfit. It really suits you. The boots too.”

“Really? Thanks sis.”

“Anytime…hey, before we meet up with the guys, I need you to promise me something.”

“What?”

Her expression went from light-hearted to stern. “Stay away from Angelo Salvatore and his brother too, if you like them young.”

“Huh? You’re about to take me to meet them for dinner and you want me to stay away?”

“He and his brothers are…family friends. Well-connected friends, but it’s all business. They can be your friends too. Just nothing more. The slight hitch is, well, Angelo is interested in you. That seemingly harmless fact makes me tense…and you know I never get tense. Never.”

I smiled at the new information. “He’s into me?”

“Christ. You couldn’t tell when the two of you met?”

“Well, maybe a little,” I admitted, then I blurted out, “I gave him my number.”

“You did what?” she shrieked.

“What’s the big deal? I gave him my number. So what?”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” She pulled out her phone again. “I’m canceling tonight. You and Angelo in the same space…it’s just not a good idea.”

“Oh, come on, Soph. I need to let loose a bit. You said it yourself.”

“I did, but not with this guy.” She stared at me again. “You and Angelo Salvatore? Awww, hell no. Mom and Dad would turn over in their grave if the two of you…God no. Plus… No. Just no.”

“Why would you bring up Mom and Dad? Is Angelo…” I looked around to make sure no one was nearby when I asked if he was a mobster. “Is he in the family or something?”

“It’s not even that, though, yes, his father is one of the top guys. See? That’s yet another reason to stay the hell away from him.”

“But it’s not the main reason…which was what exactly?”

“You don’t need to know right now, okay? He’s just not the kind of guy you want to get too close to.”

“This morning you told me I needed to get laid. Now you’re telling me to stay away from him? Enlighten me, sis. How would you know what kind of guy he is?”

“I work the club scene. I see him everywhere…with different women every time. He’s my friend, but he’s a man-whore, okay? And that’s not even the half of it.”

“Okay. Man-whore. Got that part. What else?”

“He has certain…tastes, but I’m not saying another word. You’re going to have to trust me on this. He’s not your kind of guy. Hell, he’s not my kind of guy, either. That should tell you something.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I have a kind of guy, now? When was the last time I went on a date? Do you even know? It was back in college, Soph!”

“No it wasn’t. You went out with that guy…I forget his name…wait…no, that
was
back in college. Crap. Girl, you really need to get laid, don’t you?” All I could do was glare at her. “Sure, okay. We’ll go out and we’ll get you a nice one-night stand or something, but
not
with Angelo Not with anyone in the family.”

“You do realize you’re my sister and not my mother, right?”

“Damn straight, because Mom wouldn’t agree to fixing you up on a flipping one-night stand!” Sophia turned quickly and hurried off in the direction we had just come from. “We’re not discussing it anymore. We’re taking the subway home. We’ll do takeout, and then you’ll come to the club with me, and that’s all.”