In Over Her Head (Corporate Chaos Series Book 1) Read online

  In Over Her Head

  Corporate Chaos Series Book 1

  Leighann Dobbs

  Lisa Fenwick

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Also by Leighann Dobbs

  A Note From The Author

  About The Authors

  1

  Marly West rushed down the hallway at Draconia Fashions, rubbing vigorously at the stained lapel of her crisp white blouse with a wet napkin. The egg sandwich she had scarfed down at breakfast roiled in her stomach as she picked up the pace, practically breaking into a jog.

  Please don't let me be late.

  She rounded the corner, shoving the wet napkin into her notebook, which she then clutched against her chest.

  The conference room loomed at the end of the hallway. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the gigantic table surrounded by black leather chairs—all filled with various company executives. Sunlight flooded in from the windows against the wall, which revealed a breathtaking view of New York City from their vantage point of twenty stories up. But Marly wasn't interested in the view. Her eyes flew to the clock at the head of the table. Five of eight. A sigh of relief pushed past her lips. She wasn't late.

  She quietly swung the glass door open and slid into the nearest seat, the supple leather creaking slightly as she settled back into the chair, almost as if to make herself invisible—which, in fact, was exactly her intention. Best to fly under the radar, she told herself. That way no one would suspect her real motives.

  Marly slid her notebook onto the polished mahogany table and opened it, studying the pages instead of looking around at the others—perfectly groomed men in Armani suits, stick-thin women in Chanel. By contrast, her own outfit didn't stack up. She'd graduated from college years ago, but payments on her expensive school loans for the dual master's degree in fashion design and marketing didn't leave room for buying expensive clothes. Not that she was complaining. That dual degree was what had landed her this job.

  She wondered what the others at the table would think if they knew she'd picked up her outfit from the local thrift store. The navy suit was an expensive label and a flattering cut, if a little outdated. But she hadn't had much to choose from, and it was hard to find a suit that fit her curvy figure—a problem the stick-slim women around the table probably never had experienced. She looked down at herself, noticing how her big boobs strained against the fabric and threatened to pop the buttons open. A flash of self-consciousness ran through her, and she tugged the edges of the jacket together to cover more of her ample chest.

  The door in the back of the room opened, and all heads turned in anticipation of the arrival of the CEO, Jasper Kenney. Marly tucked the stained lapel inside her jacket. She'd heard that Kenney was a stickler about perfection, the type that liked everything to be in "its place." One who wouldn't think twice about firing someone on the spot. She didn't want the stained lapel to draw his attention or his disapproval. She needed this job desperately and didn't want to risk anything that might jeopardize it.

  It wasn't Kenney who came through the door, though. It was his assistant, Veronica St. James. Her makeup was done to perfection, her shiny blond hair pulled back in a tight chignon. Not a hair out of place, Marly noticed as she pushed a long, dark unruly curl out of her own face.

  She watched Veronica set down a pad of paper, several pens, and a coffee cup, taking care to place them precisely in some predesigned spot on the table as if she were putting out a place setting at Buckingham Palace.

  As she watched Veronica, Marly's thoughts drifted to the CEO. She'd only been employed by Draconia Fashions for a little over a month and had never actually seen Jasper Kenney. Even though he was an icon in the fashion industry and had been pictured in many fashion magazines and tabloids, Marly had never paid attention. Celebrities weren't her thing.

  She'd heard the rumors, though. Jasper Kenney was a shark in the boardroom who kept tight control on his company, and a man who liked beautiful women and went through them as quickly as most people went through a roll of paper towels. He had a quick temper and nitpicky personality, but most people seemed to forgive those traits in the CEO, who was rumored to be a visionary in the fashion industry.

  The door opened, and a drop-dead gorgeous man came through. Was that Jasper Kenney? He was much younger than she'd expected—maybe in his early thirties. Tall, probably over six feet, and broad-shouldered, with curly brown hair a little too long for a CEO. But what really got to her were his eyes—a light sky blue and as cold as the shark he was rumored to be.

  Marly shrank back in her seat as Kenney sat down at the head of the table. He nodded to Veronica, who filled his coffee cup with the dark brew. Swirls of steam rose from the cup toward the ceiling, and the heavy, bitter smell of coffee drifted down toward Marly.

  "Morning, everyone." His deep voice sent a blast of cold dread through Marly. She bit her bottom lip and focused on the meeting agenda sheet that Veronica was passing out. "I expect we can get right to item one."

  As the other executives briefed him on the agenda items, Kenney answered in short, clipped tones. He addressed each matter with cold, calculated precision and didn't waste one word. Marly was glad she wouldn't have to speak about any of the items. Her task was just to attend and take notes for her department—a job she had planned to do in utter silence... until she dropped her pen.

  It clattered onto the table, stopping all conversation.

  Crap, crap, crap!

  "Sorry." Marly grimaced as she reached across to retrieve the pen. She glanced up at the head of the table, and her eyes locked with Jasper Kenney's. He held her gaze for a moment longer than normal, and her heart jerked in her chest.

  The force of his gaze froze her in mid-reach for the pen, and the stained lapel chose that moment to pop out of her jacket. Kenney's eyes flicked to the lapel. His forehead creased in a small frown before his eyes returned to hers for one last brief second.

  Marly grabbed her pen and sank back in her chair, her stomach flipping.

  She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw something in Jasper's eyes. It was just a flicker, but it almost looked like interest. No, that couldn't be it—men didn't show interest in her. Even though she'd lost fifty pounds this year, she was still too curvy to attract attention from most of them. In her experience, men only wanted skinny girls with fake boobs and spray-on tans like the millions of women who probably threw themselves after rich, successful, gorgeous Jasper Kenney every day.

  More than likely, it was disgust. He'd seen the stain on her shirt and was probably right now figuring out whom he would have to contact to have her fired. But she couldn't shake the feeling that his look meant more than that—it was almost as if he had looked
right into her soul. Almost as if he could see the real reason she was working there.

  She focused on her notes, keeping her head down and trying to avoid any more eye contact. Her heart was beating so fast, she was positive everyone could hear it. Her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow, but she was afraid to reach for the water pitcher that was set out for fear one of her klutzy maneuvers would cause her to spill it all over the place. Thankfully, the meeting was almost over. Only the sales department was left to review the monthly numbers.

  "This is a disappointment," Jasper said as the vice president of sales explained that the numbers had come in slightly below expectations. "What went wrong? The top fashion magazines all reviewed this line favorably, and we had several nods from A-list celebrities." It was clear by his tone that he was not happy, and glancing around the room, Marly noticed that most of the sales people were looking down at their notes to avoid eye contact.

  "Well, we aren't exactly sure what happened, sir. The reviews were all great, and yes, we were featured in several magazines with A-listers wearing the new line out and about." Beads of sweat had formed on Bill Henderson, the VP of sales', upper lip.

  Jasper shot Bill a dark look, and Marly could see the older man wither under it. Like most powerful men, it seemed that Jasper Kenney didn't need to use words to get across his message of disapproval.

  Looking over the numbers, Marly wasn't surprised that sales were off. They'd created the line for the late-twenty-something crowd, but the prices were too steep. Marly had a decent job there and she, herself, couldn't afford it.

  Paying seven hundred dollars for a pair of dress pants or a thousand dollars for a skirt was not what the average person just starting their career would pay. The Hollywood crowd, yes, but this line had been created for the average young woman who was just starting out. Marly knew that if they could lower the price by twenty percent, they would exceed sales. That price range still kept Draconian in the "high scale" clothing level they wanted to be in, but was easier to swallow for the consumer.

  "Well, maybe the styles are wrong for that age group," Jasper said, looking around the room as he tossed the binder that contained the sales figures onto the conference room table.

  "It isn't the styles. It's the price," Marly butted in—shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth. What was she thinking? Had she really said that out loud?

  Every head in the room turned to look at her. Her cheeks burned, and her heart skipped in her chest.

  Jasper Kenney narrowed his ice-blue eyes at her. "The price? Miss—"

  A lump of sand lodged in Marly's throat.

  "West. Marly West," she croaked, waiting for him to tell her to leave and pick up her last paycheck on the way out.

  "Well, Miss Marly West, why don't you tell us why you think it's the prices." Jasper's eyes drilled into hers. He took a sip of coffee and settled back into his oversized leather chair. Was that a smirk on his face? She couldn't be sure.

  Marly took a deep breath. She wished she had poured herself that glass of water. Her hands were shaking, and her heart leaped into her throat. She felt light-headed. She swallowed hard past the lump. Had she really interrupted the great Jasper Kenney?

  She took a deep breath and started, "The styles all received nothing but positive feedback—we know that. This is the first time that Draconia has had a line specifically geared toward the young career woman." She paused and poured that glass of water, her confidence rising. "The prices are too high for that age range, aside from the A-listers you've already mentioned, and the few and far between who are already in the mid-six-figure income at that age. If you lower the prices, sales will increase as more young women can afford the clothing, but you'll still be able to maintain the high-scale level for the clothing line. In addition, these young women will then move onto our classic line as they grow older and advance in their careers."

  "That's quite interesting, Miss...what was your name again?" Jasper's lips quirked in a devilish grin, and Marly could only assume he was having fun at her expense. She wanted to run from the room. She was positive everyone was wondering how she could possibly know anything about the type of fashion the company sold—their clothes were made for the perfectly put-together size-two stick figure, not a voluptuous girl like her with a stain on her lapel.

  She started to think about what companies she could send her resume to, as she was sure the next words she would hear would be, "You're fired."

  "Marly West," Marly said softly. She willed away the tears that pricked the backs of her eyes. She didn't want the whole office to think she was incapable of talking to this man, and truth be told, she had way more important things to cry over than a botched sales meeting.

  "Well, Marly West, you might be on to something. Our line has been successful because we've always catered to the more established crowd. I don't know how much research sales and marketing did on this new line. Given the budgets I approved, I expected much more from them. Write up your summary and what your ideas are on the price reductions as well as how you think we should roll them out to the masses without causing a major clusterfuck in the industry."

  He pushed himself up from the table and strode out of the room.

  Marly sat there stunned while the sales and marketing people shot dirty looks at her. No one said a word to her. She thought she heard someone say something about telling the new girl to mind her own business, but she wasn't sure.

  She gathered her things and headed back to her desk, hating herself for opening her mouth in the first place. She was supposed to be sitting on the sidelines, quietly biding her time until she could act on the real reason for taking the job.

  But her big mouth had gotten her into trouble, and instead of being invisible, she was now a target—smack-dab in the middle of Jasper Kenney's radar.

  2

  As Marly walked quietly through the maze of cubicles back toward her desk, her phone dinged. Looking down, she tensed. It was a text from Tanner Durcotte—the last person she wanted to be contacting her at work. The text was a series of question marks.

  Not now, Tanner!

  She replied as quickly as her fingers would swipe. She just wanted to get back to the safety of her cube before she said or did anything else stupid.

  As she sat down, her phone went off again—more from Tanner. He was relentless. He wouldn't stop bothering her until she gave him an update. She was starting to text him back when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Spinning around in her chair, she saw Veronica St. James, Jasper's executive assistant, standing behind her.

  Marly's heart stuttered. She slid her phone into her pocket. How long had Veronica been standing there? Had she seen what Marly had been texting to Tanner?

  "Oh … hi," Marly mumbled, straightening her skirt and making sure the phone was hidden safely in her pocket as she stood up.

  "Mr. Kenney would like to ensure you understand that the information he requested from you be finished and on his desk by eight p.m. tonight," Veronica said dryly. She ran her fingers over Marly's jacket that was hanging up behind her. Marly had hung the jacket up so hastily that it was backwards, with the label and, more embarrassingly, the size showing. The double-digit number glared at her, and she knew Veronica, who was probably a size nothing, saw it. "Nice coat. I didn't realize they made them that big," Veronica said, almost giggling.

  Flashbacks of high school ran through Marly's head, and the pain of hurt feelings came flooding back. She'd been quite heavy back then and was often tormented by the other girls for being overweight. Now, she was fifty pounds lighter, and she was still being made fun of. When would it stop? She forced herself to stop thinking about the rude comments and focus on work. She had so much at stake, she needed to stay on track.

  "To be able to do what Mr. Kenney asked, I need access to some of the other departments' databases," Marly said with confidence. "Oh, and I also need the last twelve months' financials and sales reports." She held eye contact with Veronica, whose
dark, beady eyes registered a hint of surprise. Marly got the distinct impression that Veronica thought she was incompetent. The executive assistant was definitely giving off I-don't-like-you vibes, and Marly had no idea why.

  "Well, then, I will make sure that you are given access immediately. Someone from IT will be contacting you with passwords," Veronica said.

  Maroon 5 blared from Marly's pocket. Damn it, Tanner!

  "I'll let you get back to your phone," Veronica said sarcastically, and with that, she spun around and sauntered out of the cubicle maze on her six-inch Louboutin heels.

  Marly stuck her tongue out behind Veronica's back before she fished her phone out of her pocket and sank back into her chair.

  I am making progress. Will advise more later. No time to discuss right now.

  She'd hoped that would hold Tanner off for a little bit but also knew it wouldn't be for long. Tanner Durcotte was not a patient man. He hadn't gotten to where he was in life by being patient—or by being nice, for that matter.

  She had to come up with a way to placate Tanner and buy herself some time until she could figure out how to get access to the information she really needed.

  Marly's stomach grumbled at four thirty, and she realized she hadn't eaten since the egg sandwich at breakfast. She'd been so wrapped up in the reports that the whole day had almost passed. That hardly ever happened. Maybe working here would be good for her weight loss goals. She grabbed her wallet and headed toward the elevator, hoping to make it to the cafeteria before they closed.