Tymber Dalton - Contractual Obligation

“Mr. Holt? I’m Harper Wells, CEO of Wells Technology.” She extended a hand across the desk to shake, and he stepped forward and took it. Firm grip, but not like she was trying to prove something.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Wells. Doug Holt. I really appreciate this opportunity.”

She indicated for him to take a seat across the desk from her as she retook hers. “Please, feel free to call me Harper.”

Hot damn, I’ve hit the jackpot , she thought when he walked in. He was definitely in shape, that much she could tell from the way his khaki slacks fit him and the cut of his long-sleeved dress shirt. He even had a cheap but decent-looking tie.

Style on a budget, good. She sensed more than just the normal anxiety from him.

“As you know,” she said, “I listened in on your initial interview with Carmen.” He nodded but didn’t interrupt. Good, he wasn’t overly pushy. “Now, I want to give you some background information before we start serious discussions.”

Here’s where she had to tread carefully. Carmen had told her the basics of how to phrase her questions so as not to run afoul of someone who wanted to cause trouble later. “This job, if it’s offered to you, will involve a lot of travel, including overseas. Sometimes for weeks at a time. A lot of nights, weekends, even holidays spent working, with me. Is there any situation in your life that would prevent you from being able to fulfill that obligation?”

He frowned, and she felt her gut roll. Damn, he probably has a wife or girlfriend. She looked but didn’t spot a ring on his left hand.

“I don’t have a passport, but I could apply for one. Will that be an issue, waiting for it to come through? I don’t know how long it takes.”

She relaxed a little. “That’s fine. Not a problem.” She tried to phrase the next question even more carefully. “Your position will also include you having to accompany me to social events and business functions. Sometimes overnight. Locally and out of town. Again, are there any issues in your personal life that might arise to prevent you from doing that?”

He shook his head. “No.”

She smiled again. “My current assistant, Gorden, has been with the company for twenty-five years. When I took over as CEO from my father, he was assigned to me. He’s at my beck and call, literally twenty-four-seven.” This is where it would get dicey. “He will train you on the paperwork end of things, institutional knowledge. There will be situations that come up where you’ll have to think on your feet to handle them. You’ll have three months to work alongside him until he retires. Then you get thrown into the deep end of the pool.”

She stood and rounded the desk, perching on the corner of it. “I need the person I hire to be of impeccable standards. Able to be self-sufficient, aggressive in the business world when I require it, tenacious in following orders, detail oriented, and not distracted by having to juggle any personal issues that might interfere with this position and its heavy work load. Does that sound like you?”

He nodded.

“I will also be running a very extensive background check. Not just criminal, but financial. Is there anything I need to know before I do that?”

That frown again. “What?” she asked.

He studied his hands. “How extensive?”

“Unpaid student loans?”

He laughed. “Yes, but I wish it was that simple.”

And now she suspected she had stumbled onto the source of his anxiety. She took the seat next to him, facing him. “Go ahead and tell me. I need to know anything that would be a source of distraction.”

He threw his head back and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you want to hear the gory details.”

“You’d be surprised.” Damn, damn, dammit! She didn’t want some stupid adolescent car-hopping charge to sink the possibility of him working for her. He was neat in appearance, and he obviously had brains to graduate near the top of his class.

He looked down at his hands, which rested on the brown, imitation leather portfolio in his lap. He picked at his cuticles. “I found out yesterday that my parents are about to lose their house. My mom’s had some pretty bad health issues the last year. She’s been in and out of the hospital a lot. In fact, she just had surgery. She’s still there now, was supposed to come home yesterday, but they held her another day.”

He looked up. “I’m not trying to give you some sob story here, but you said extensive, and I’d be living with them, so it might come up. They got a certified letter yesterday from the mortgage company. They’re going to lose their house if they can’t get caught up.”

She didn’t sense a bullshit story from him. If that was the sole source of his worry, even though it was a big deal to him, she knew she could easily fix it for him.

If she hired him.

She had an idea. “How much are they behind?”

“Several months. But as hard as they worked for us kids over the years, I won’t let them lose their house.”

Bingo . Maybe it was predatory on her part, but she didn’t care. In the grand scheme of things, it would get her father off her back, it would keep this man’s family in their home, and everyone could win.

“What you’re basically telling me is you’re trying to get the best job possible so you can support your family. I think that’s very noble.” He hadn’t asked about salary yet. “So, just how flexible are you with your situation?”

Huh? “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question,” he said.

She smiled at him. “I’m going to be quite frank. Ideally, I want the candidate to move into my house after a couple of months. You don’t have to share a bedroom with me, or even sleep with me. You see, I have a family issue of my own. If you’re willing to help me out, I will guarantee your family won’t lose their home.”

He froze, feeling a chill settle in. “Are you kidding me?”

She shook her head. “I’m dead serious, but I need assurances from you that if you walk out right now and say no to the job that there are no hard feelings, and no lawsuits about sexual harassment.”

Despite a warning in his gut, he nodded. “I’m listening.”

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “My father, despite being the owner and former CEO of this company, is still my father. I’m catching grief from him about not having a social life. You would, after a very short amount of time, become my cover.”

“Your beard,” he numbly said without thinking, wishing he hadn’t said it.

She laughed. “Well, I’m straight, but yes, basically. I’m too busy for a bullshit dating life. I’ve got an international business to run. That’s why all the questions about if you’d be available for travel and lots of hours. I needed a legal way to find out if you were single and unattached, so there wouldn’t be a jealous girlfriend or wife causing trouble.”

Girlfriend or wife… He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He pushed thoughts of Tate out of his head, hating himself for even voicing his next question. “How would you guarantee my parents wouldn’t lose their house?”

“First of all, you’d sign a contract obligating you to work for me for a minimum of a year. Your salary for that first year would be one hundred thousand dollars. I would personally buy the mortgage to your parents’ house and hold on to it. I’d have my attorney set it up in a trust so they think it’s an investment company purchasing the paper. This ‘company’ will be happy to work with them on their mortgage arrangements, including stopping any pending foreclosure actions against them and modifying the terms so they can get caught up.”