Read Online Adam's Apple (Touch of Tantra #1) by Liv Morris - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Liv Morris
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I’ll send him on in.”
When Patrick pushes the doors to my office open, Tom and I are once again sitting in our seats.
“Hello, guys.” Patrick enters the room and proceeds to my desk with a troubled scowl on his face. He can’t be over five foot eight but has a commanding presence. He’s tough as nails, and I will likely be leaning on him greatly now that Simon is gone. “I heard some crazy shit this morning about Simon. I hope you can help me out here, Adam.
“Take a seat, Patrick. This may take a while.”
“Don’t tell me it’s true?” An angry fury washes over Patrick’s face as he recognizes my silent confirmation. “Why the hell did you fire him? And without a word to Tom and me.”
Resting my elbows on the desk, I place my hands on my forehead, slightly bowing my head. This conversation can’t be avoided, so I raise my head and start at the beginning.
“Yesterday, our security head, Carl Young, intercepted an incoming email from Talcott Innovations. Carl set up a secret security system that scours data in our networks for key words. It even identifies emails from separate Internet sites like Gmail when someone logs on via our system. All our competitor’s names are tagged with an alert. This system was so undercover that even Simon didn’t know about it. And you know he is privy to everything.” Patrick is shaking his head in disbelief while Tom has a confused look on his face.
“The email Carl found clearly confirms Simon was delivering something of great value to Talcott. He was going to leave Kings and take a high level position over there. He would pass on our Fireproof software to them, and in return they would thank him with a fat paycheck. Millions of banking customers could have been exposed if this software actually changed hands. Our entire company might’ve collapsed over the exposure.”
“Why the fuck would Simon do this to us?” Tom has moved to the edge of his seat now.
Stunned disbelief registers on both Tom’s and Patrick’s faces. They are having as hard a time as I did believing that Simon would betray us and the company.
“He’s been acting weird since his fiancée dumped him. I tried to get him to talk about it. But you know Simon, he keeps everything to himself. None of us has even met her. At times I wondered if she existed,” Patrick says, attempting to make sense of Simon’s behavior.
“I agree with you, Patrick. I’m angry as hell at Simon, but something doesn’t add up here,” I say, echoing their incomprehension. “Simon wasn’t close with us. Nothing like we all are, but he’s not close with anyone . We are likely the only friends he has.”
“I’ve been at a loss, too,” Tom chimes in. “Being so distraught over a woman that he turns on his only friends just doesn’t seem like Simon’s style. Not that he really had one, but this betrayal is something I would’ve never expected. Not in a million years.
“Carl emailed me last night with the rundown of Simon’s departure from Kings.” I continue explaining the situation to them. “Yesterday afternoon, Carl told Simon he was needed on the main floor. Simon dutifully followed. When they approached the main door, a lobby guard joined Carl. Simon was then told to hand over his company ID, corporate credit cards, and his Blackberry. Simon briefly protested but Carl presented a copy of the Talcott email. Simon offered no resistance at that point. I actually watched Simon leaving the building from my SUV as Carl escorted him out.”
In my rundown I fail to mention Simon’s approach to my vehicle, his rabid eyes filled with hate, and his finger that traced across his neck. When my mind repeats the scene from yesterday, it feels more like I’m watching a movie rather than replaying an actual experience in my own life. Tom’s voice brings me out of the horrible vision.
“Where do we go from here? How are you planning on handling the public exposure with his departure? Our investors are
When Patrick pushes the doors to my office open, Tom and I are once again sitting in our seats.
“Hello, guys.” Patrick enters the room and proceeds to my desk with a troubled scowl on his face. He can’t be over five foot eight but has a commanding presence. He’s tough as nails, and I will likely be leaning on him greatly now that Simon is gone. “I heard some crazy shit this morning about Simon. I hope you can help me out here, Adam.
“Take a seat, Patrick. This may take a while.”
“Don’t tell me it’s true?” An angry fury washes over Patrick’s face as he recognizes my silent confirmation. “Why the hell did you fire him? And without a word to Tom and me.”
Resting my elbows on the desk, I place my hands on my forehead, slightly bowing my head. This conversation can’t be avoided, so I raise my head and start at the beginning.
“Yesterday, our security head, Carl Young, intercepted an incoming email from Talcott Innovations. Carl set up a secret security system that scours data in our networks for key words. It even identifies emails from separate Internet sites like Gmail when someone logs on via our system. All our competitor’s names are tagged with an alert. This system was so undercover that even Simon didn’t know about it. And you know he is privy to everything.” Patrick is shaking his head in disbelief while Tom has a confused look on his face.
“The email Carl found clearly confirms Simon was delivering something of great value to Talcott. He was going to leave Kings and take a high level position over there. He would pass on our Fireproof software to them, and in return they would thank him with a fat paycheck. Millions of banking customers could have been exposed if this software actually changed hands. Our entire company might’ve collapsed over the exposure.”
“Why the fuck would Simon do this to us?” Tom has moved to the edge of his seat now.
Stunned disbelief registers on both Tom’s and Patrick’s faces. They are having as hard a time as I did believing that Simon would betray us and the company.
“He’s been acting weird since his fiancée dumped him. I tried to get him to talk about it. But you know Simon, he keeps everything to himself. None of us has even met her. At times I wondered if she existed,” Patrick says, attempting to make sense of Simon’s behavior.
“I agree with you, Patrick. I’m angry as hell at Simon, but something doesn’t add up here,” I say, echoing their incomprehension. “Simon wasn’t close with us. Nothing like we all are, but he’s not close with anyone . We are likely the only friends he has.”
“I’ve been at a loss, too,” Tom chimes in. “Being so distraught over a woman that he turns on his only friends just doesn’t seem like Simon’s style. Not that he really had one, but this betrayal is something I would’ve never expected. Not in a million years.
“Carl emailed me last night with the rundown of Simon’s departure from Kings.” I continue explaining the situation to them. “Yesterday afternoon, Carl told Simon he was needed on the main floor. Simon dutifully followed. When they approached the main door, a lobby guard joined Carl. Simon was then told to hand over his company ID, corporate credit cards, and his Blackberry. Simon briefly protested but Carl presented a copy of the Talcott email. Simon offered no resistance at that point. I actually watched Simon leaving the building from my SUV as Carl escorted him out.”
In my rundown I fail to mention Simon’s approach to my vehicle, his rabid eyes filled with hate, and his finger that traced across his neck. When my mind repeats the scene from yesterday, it feels more like I’m watching a movie rather than replaying an actual experience in my own life. Tom’s voice brings me out of the horrible vision.
“Where do we go from here? How are you planning on handling the public exposure with his departure? Our investors are
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