Wine, Tarts & Sex

Twenty-two

Leo strode through Ben’s office in an obvious hurry. “I’ll be out for the rest of the day,” he snapped. “And I won’t be taking messages.”

The outer door slammed behind him, and Ben Connor leaned back in his chair and murmured an explosive, “God damn!”

The phone conversation he’d just overheard made him decide to get his financial ducks in a row. Like cashing in his stock in Leo’s companies, for starters. Janie wasn’t going to go down without a knock-down, drag-out fight. And from what he’d just heard, it wasn’t entirely clear who might win.

Unless Leo recovered that flash drive, he was screwed. Royally.

If Leo was sensible, he’d give Janie a generous settlement, get the flash drive back, and get on with his life. But knowing his boss, Ben didn’t think that was likely.

For one thing, Leo wasn’t rational.

For another, he didn’t like to lose.

Ever.

The detritus in terms of human misery and looted companies Leo had left in his wake were testament to his ruthlessness. Which thought prompted Ben to make sure he didn’t join that woeful debris. Flipping through his Rolodex, he dialed his broker. That Cal was also his ex-college roommate was reassuring. The kind of divestiture he was planning might raise questions with anyone other than a trusted friend. He’d give Cal enough information so he understood that Leo might be going through an expensive divorce. The real story would have to wait until such a time as Leo was indicted, and if that never happened, so much the better for his own long-term plans.

Ben had always understood that he wasn’t working for a saint. Not that saints were much in evidence in corporate America. The camel-through-the-eye-of-a-needle thing that had been around for a couple thousand years, a case in point. “Cal-Ben here. How’re you doing? I’m good- good. Yeah, yeah, still hanging in there. I’m chasing down the record. Yeah, no shit. Anyway, I have some trades I’d like you to handle. I want to move some of my portfolio to safer ground. Cash maybe-no, I’m not skipping the country. I’m just in a cautious mood.”