Come Home Again
By,
Nana Malone
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: May 6, 2014
Anything can be fixed with a little Duct Tape and sass…
At least that's what celebrity fixer, Delilah Donovan, used to think. She prides herself on being able to handle anything. But when she's asked to fix the new CEO of Synth Games, she never dreams she'll come face to face with the only man to ever break her heart.
The past can't always be fixed...
When a friend calls in a long ago favor, reformed hacker, Nate Williams, worries that his shady past will come back to haunt him. As acting CEO of Synth Games, he needs to make the world believe he's CEO material. Too bad the one person who can help him is the one woman he had to leave behind.
Will Nate bury his demons for good or will his past dictate his future? Can Delilah rise to this challenge or will Nate shatter her heart…again.
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Excerpt
"I'm a compulsive gambler. I'll be heading to an upstate rehab facility tomorrow. My interim CEO has a month to convince the board that he has the chops, or I'll lose my company to one of the vultures on the board."
What? Delilah clamped her jaw tight to keep it from hanging open. He was worth half a billion dollars. She slid a gaze to Jake, but he nodded at her, encouragingly. When she finally was in control again, she asked. "My first question is, how long will you be in rehab?"
Chase met her gaze directly. "Sixty days inpatient, then a thirty day outpatient."
"What prompted the need to check yourself in?"
He hesitated, but she prompted. "If we're to protect your interests, I need to know what I'll have to deal with. What prompted the rehab?"
He sighed, and for the first time, she realized how weary he looked, as if he'd been up all night. "Last night, some associates of a bookie thought it would be nice to tune me up." His glance shifted to the man at the window.
"Why?"
"I'd been a week late with a payment of half a million dollars."
Delilah blinked. Why would he owe anyone that kind of money? She cleared her throat. "And this bookie, who is he? Is this an establishment that will come out and attempt to tarnish your reputation?"
A frown marred his handsome face. "A back room game in the city. Invite only. Hole in the wall place. He won't be going public with anything. It's not in his interest to do so."
Jake piped in. "They've been paid in full and will not come after you in the future?"
Chase shook his head. "No. I'm covered. But I understand your job will be difficult.
Synth is already drawing a lot of media coverage because of the release of the new game."
Delilah sat forward. "It's timed with the movie release, right?"
Chase nodded. "Yes. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but the game and movie combined are projected to do a hundred million in the first week of release."
Jake nodded enthusiastically. "We're on it, Chase. We know how important this is."
Delilah quickly made a note for Willow before looking back up. "We'll do what we can to keep your recent run-in out of the news. We'll populate some misdirecting stories if anything should arise. In the meantime, we'll also start to draft the releases about your temporary step down. They'll go to the majors. We should also plan for your return and the interviews following. We'll want the important morning shows and outlets, like Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan. I have a contact at Oprah's Network too. We'll see if we can get you on one of her shows."
Quickly and efficiently she went through the plan for keeping his recent run-in with meaty fists out of the media. She also ran through the plan of communication to the public and shareholders. Of course, every part of the plan boiled down to the final most important piece. "And what do you plan to do about your company while you're away?" She glanced briefly to Lachlan.
Chase leaned forward. "We've called an emergency board meeting for tonight. I can suggest a replacement, and the board will choose. With the voting members present, it should be no problem making sure it goes my way. The crux is, in another thirty days, the board can keep or replace." He glanced around. "It is in my best interest if the CEO I pick stays."
Delilah studied the man seated next to Chase. Lachlan Murphy was great CEO material. Honestly, this job would be a walk in the park with him. There wouldn't be much to do. "I assume you'll be stepping in as Mr. Channing's CEO, Mr. Murphy?"
Lachlan's eyes widened. "Me? Uh, no. And call me Lach. There would be a conflict of interest with my other business interests. I will only be acting in an advisory capacity, that's all."
Jake frowned. "I don't understand. Who will be your replacement?"
Chase gave them a sheepish smile. "I'd hoped he'd be here by now. He was taking care of a quality assurance problem with one of our games. He'll be here shortly."
Delilah chewed her bottom lip. What were the chances that whoever Chase had picked would be as easy to mold and work with as Lachlan Murphy? She slid a glance at Jake. His lips were pressed into a thin line.
She licked her lips. "Okay, then. What will we need to know? Where will we need to focus my attention? What's his background, what are his strengths?"
Chase and Lach exchanged a quick glance. Lachlan spoke first. "He's loyal."
Chase continued. "He actually designed a good portion of our games, so he's familiar with the technology."
Delilah read between the lines. Games programmer usually meant awkward nerd type. She'd have to roll up her sleeves on this one. "What else?"
"He has an MBA, he's smart, and he'll keep my company afloat."
Delilah studied Chase carefully, unsure how to get the honest truth out of both men.
They were giving her the guy's resume not the overall feel of him. She sat back and asked, "What are we missing here? What is it you don't want to tell us? We need to know what deep dark skeletons we're going to have to incinerate so the public never finds them. Or at least doesn't find them until you're back in your rightful seat and your profit margins are up."
Chase squirmed in his seat. Lachlan wouldn't meet her gaze and suddenly seemed to find his phone very interesting. Abruptly, Chase sat straighter. "Looks like he's here. You can ask him yourself."
Through the opaque glass of the conference room, a tall figure loomed at the door. Broad shoulders. There was an air of confidence about him. She could work with that, but even as she stood, the fine hairs on her arms stood at attention.
When the door swung open, Delilah catalogued him in an instant. She caught sight of his Nike Air Force Ones first, then dark jeans. His hands were big. Like they were made for playing basketball, not coding video games. But they were unadorned with jewelry. His leather jacket was expensive, well made and well worn. He didn't wear it for fashion, rather for necessity. Under it, he wore a black T-shirt that stretched over a well-defined chest.
Oh hell yes. She could certainly work with this.
Her long dormant libido woke up and stretched languorously. It wasn't until she managed to drag her eyes from his defined pectorals that her brain stuttered. A shadow of blond hair dusted his chin and strong jaw. Longish blond hair curled at his nape. Lips shaped like a bow with a fuller lower lip. High cheekbones. A slightly crooked nose that had been broken at least once. Deep-set, aquamarine eyes framed by thick, sooty lashes.
A face she knew well. One that had haunted her for seven years.
All air whooshed from her lungs as if she'd been hit in the solar plexus.
Chase's voice sounded like a distant echo. "Jake, Miss Donovan. Allow me to introduce you to Nathanial Williams. He'll be stepping in as CEO while I'm gone."
Oh. Hell. No. Her heart hammered, and her lungs refused to operate properly. This is not happening to me. Not him. Anyone but him.
Her gaze collided with the man she'd thought she once loved, and her stomach pitched. The last time she'd seen Nate was her sixteenth birthday. The night he'd betrayed her family and broken her heart.
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It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
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