Page 17 of Carnal Risk

The board meeting was an audition, a test of sorts. She anticipated they’d scrutinize her, but aimed to gain their trust. She was well-prepared, had studied all the players that were expected to attend. The proposal was solid. Numbers and facts had been memorized and reviewed with Lars during her drive to Emerson Industries. Lars would stoically sit as she presented her case, watching his protégée cinch the deal. She’d done it many times, yet she knew this was different. Garrett would expect nothing less than perfection and she planned on giving it to him.

The ultra-sleek conference room hummed with the power of the twelve executives who waited on the presentation. They ignored Selby as she handed the portfolios to Garrett’s admin, and loaded her presentation on her laptop. As it flared onto the big screen, Selby lifted her gaze and met Garrett’s eyes. His lips were drawn in a tight line, the heat of his gaze reminding her of the night before. Retraining her vision on the projection, she cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

Within fifteen minutes, she’d presented her case to outsource to DLar-Tech. She’d caught the condescending look directed her way by Ryder Tremblay, Head Legal Counsel. Nate Killian, Chief Financial Officer, scribbled on his notepad and darted his eyes over toward Garrett. Chase Abbott, who headed up the scientific division, appeared uninterested, flipping through a journal. Lars gave her a small nod as she prepared to open it up for questions.

“So as you can see, the move to DLar-Tech will conservatively save Emerson Industries approximately ten million dollars a year,” she concluded. “I’d be happy to review any of the processes with you in more detail if needed. The breakdowns on the financials are in the spreadsheet.”

“Garrett, I think we need to reconsider this move. With Evan gone, you can’t expect us to seriously vote on this based on the presentation of his temp.” Nate gave a small condescending laugh. “She’s only been here a day.”

“True, Mr. Killian. However, at least ninety percent of the data for the proposal was collected by Evan. It’s clear that everyone in this room knew managed services were being considered.” She tapped the end of her stylus against the table in a deliberate attempt to keep herself calm. “I won’t make the assumption you reviewed the financials but you can confirm the feasibility study that was done.”

“What happens to staff? You know this is one of my main concerns. We’ve built up talent to specifically serve our needs,” Ryder asked Garrett.

Selby swore they could hear her heart pounding as the void of silence widened. Garrett never took his eyes off her as he waited on her to speak. She’d never been one to expect rescue, confident in her merit. If she sank or she swam, it would be her charge.

“Consideration has been given to human resources,” she began, reminding them she was still leading the discussion. “If you wish to retrain staff to stay on in other positions, repurpose if you will, that’s your choice. However, as we proceed, we’ll be taking on those positions, and remaining employees will become part of DLar-Tech. I can assure you that we’ll be utilizing excess staff in other key positions within our company.”

“How’s that possible?” Nate pressed Lars.

Selby flashed back to the slide, discussing resources. “We do full disclosure before taking on accounts…”

“I was asking Lars, not you,” he challenged, a hard expression crossing his face.

“I see, but I’m the one giving the presentation and currently the chief technology officer, not Lars. So if you want answers, I’ll be happy to provide them.” She glanced down to her friend, whose face told her he was about five seconds away from bursting out laughing. He knew better than anyone that she wasn’t the type to take shit. Still, she couldn’t figure out Garrett’s game. He continued to allow his team to go hard, never intervening, despite the fact that they were edging on unprofessionalism.

“Garrett, I don’t think…” Ryder interrupted.

“Mr. Emerson isn’t giving this presentation either. Up here.” She clicked on her laser and pointed to the screen. If these good ole boys wanted to play rough, she’d be happy to go a round. “This,” she pointed to the graphic displaying the process for transitioning employees, and resisting the urge to use her kindergarten teacher voice, continued, “is the slide I reviewed previously that came directly from Evan’s notes. Of course, I’m quite familiar with this process because, I, in conjunction with Lars, developed it. It’s my understanding that this process, as well as the initial contracts, were reviewed with both Garrett and Evan.”

She waited on Garrett to confirm her findings but he merely gave her a small smile. Before she had a chance to ask him to elaborate, Nate once again went on the offensive.

“I have concerns about our systems being taken out of house. What security do you have in place to make sure we aren’t hacked?”

“I agree that you have many firewall and security measures in place today. However, we have more expertise in this area. In addition to top level security, we have disaster recovery plans and procedures for every one of our clients.” Selby looked to an attractive woman, who tapped at her iPad. Raine Presley, the company’s chief security officer, had kept unusually quiet during the entire meeting and she wondered at her motives for doing so. “Miss Presley has also reviewed the plans.”

“Raine,” Ryder called, annoyed at his colleague.

“Hey, what?” Raine smiled up at Selby and then focused her attention on Ryder. “We’re good. She’s right. I’m not sure why this is such a big deal. We worked on this before…well, you know…the accident.”

“And you approved this?” Ryder asked.

“You know as well as I do that Garrett has final say, but yeah, Evan and I were on board.”

“Believe me, sir, I understand your reservations.” Selby kept her voice soft and even, as if she were speaking to a scared animal. Both Nate’s and Ryder’s faces had reddened and she knew that having been confronted and potentially embarrassed, they needed to save face. “Lars and I know how important your data is to you. Your information systems are the delicate network, the fabric, if you will, that support your entire corporation. At DLar-Tech, we care for your systems as if they were our own. Agreeing to this solution will save you money. We’re able to do this by leveraging skills across multiple customers. Your data is confidential and safe with us. IT is our specialty. We take over your day-to-day operations so that you can direct time and resources toward your core businesses.”

Selby paused, and caught Garrett’s sexy smile. She forced herself to meet the gaze of every last person sitting around the table, praying to God she’d get her hormones under control. Ryder opened his mouth to speak and she proceeded to finish her conclusions.

“When you contract with DLar-Tech, we offer top of the line service level agreements to ensure your needs are being met. It’s a win-win. Basic financial and contract information is in the dossiers provided to you. E-copies of more detailed terms and conditions have been sent to you. If you have any more questions or concerns, you can contact either Lars or me and we’ll get back to you right away.”

“Thank you,” Garrett said, stifling any further argument on the subject.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“Please give us a few minutes. Selby?”

“Yes, sir?” Selby closed her laptop and collected stray papers. Lars had warned her ahead of time that she wouldn’t be privy to a vote due to the conflict of interest.

“I’ll be in to see you in a few minutes. Thanks for your presentation,” Garrett stated.