Read Online Midas Touch by Frankie J. Jones - Free Book Online Page B

“I want you to know, none of this is personal.
    I respect you and your commitment to the Dallas community.”
    Sandra shrugged. “Tell Carol if she insists on continuing with this, I’ll see her in court.”
    “Sandra, I sincerely hope it won’t come to that,” Lynda said, as she turned and walked swiftly out the door.
    Sandra shifted in her chair as one after the other of her board officers droned on about budgets and deadlines. Normally she would have been interested in the reports, but the pain in her chest was making it difficult for her to breathe. She groaned inwardly when Charles Carlton stood.
    “I have four layouts to present. After we chose one I’ll provide you the scheduled release dates,” he informed everyone as he placed the first board on the easel.
    Shocked, Sandra could only stare. Charles was presenting the same offensive layout of the young woman wearing the tool belt.
    The layout she ordered him to get rid of. She was on her feet, aware of the shocked surprise of everyone in the room.
    “Charles, I specifically told you yesterday I did not want this trash used to represent any aspect of Tate Enterprises. Would

    you please explain to me why I’m seeing it again?”
    “Sandra, I felt you weren’t being objective. I wanted to let the board decide.”
    She glanced at each of the ten members seated around the table to see if any were in collusion with Charles. From their expressions, Sandra could tell they were as stunned as she was.
    She turned to Allison and saw disbelief in her eyes as well.
    Sandra’s anger with Charles flamed brighter.
    She stalked around the table and snatched the offensive board off the stand. She folded the board in half over her knee and dropped it into a trashcan. “I told you yesterday to have a layout I could use today.”
    To her surprise, he covered the distance to the trashcan in three strides and snatched the board out.
    “This is good material and you won’t even give it a chance,”
    he shouted. His breath came in short hard puffs ashe attempted to smooth the creases from the board.
    “It’s trash and I won’t have it,” Sandra shot back.
    He poked her arm with his finger. “You’re too fucking dense to know …”
    Gordon Wayne leapt from his chair so swiftly it toppled over.
    “Charles!” he thundered. “In my office now!”
    Charles reported to Gordon. Sandra knew she should let him handle it, but she could not get past the feeling of no longer being able to control even the smallest detail of her life. She raised her arm to stop Gordon. As she did so, her chest felt asthough it ripped open. She fell backward from the impact of the pain. Her hands clawed at her chest as she gasped for breath. She tried to stand, but was unable to get her body to respond.
    Allison’s face hovered above her. She was talking to her, but Sandra was unable to hear. She tried to speak. No sound came out. She heard a voice screaming for someone to call 911. People stared down at her; their voices receded to a hollow hum as the room darkened. I’m dying and I never got to live.
    A steady series of beeps was the first thing she heard. She

    opened her eyes to an array of monitors and Dr. Ida Rayburn’s calm, brown eyes. “You’re no angel, so I must be in hell,” Sandra joked weakly.
    “Worse,” Ida returned, making a notation on her chart.
    “You’re still alive. That means you not only get my bill, but my lecture as well. Why haven’t you been in to see me before today?
    And don’t tell me the pains just started,” she ordered, pointing a short, well-manicured finger at Sandra.
    “I was going to call you after the meeting.”
    Ida peered at her closely. “The pain had already gotten that bad, huh?”
    Sandra nodded.
    “Tell me what’s been going on with you,” Ida said.
    “There’s been some pain. I’ve been plagued with heartburn on and off for the last few days,” Sandra said. “Is it my heart?”
    The implications of a heart attack were