Read Billionaire On Fire: The Complete Series (A Bad Boy Alpha Billionaire Romance) for Free Online

shaking my head. "I
don't want to get CSC involved in any contracts that will expose my involvement
in the company. The answer is no. Anything else?"
    "You can't just waltz in
here and say no without actually discussing this," Leo protested.
    "Actually, I can,"
I replied. "I own the majority stock and I have the deciding vote. You
knew that when you accepted the position as public CEO."
    "This isn't fair,"
Leo said quietly. "I've been doing everything you ask of me and I've run
this company at a profit for the past eight years. Everything I've done has
improved the standing of this company, and I've grown the business by more than
one hundred percent since you started it."
    "Leo, we discussed this
at length when you agreed to accept the position," I said as I ran my hand
through my hair. "I don't want any publicity. CSC is a private security
firm that offers high-level protection services for people who want to stay out
of the spotlight. We do not get involved in political campaigns or self-serving
celebrity issues; we fly under the radar and we get the job done."
    "But this is an
opportunity to join the big league, Cam!" Leo pleaded. "We're
incredibly good at what we do and we are recognized as being top in the field.
Shouldn't we be able to capitalize on that reputation and increase our client
base?"
    "Not if it involves
Chicago-based candidates," I said shaking my head. "I do not want
people digging into our business and uncovering the fact that I own controlling
interest in a multi-billion dollar security firm. I want to keep working for
the fire department without being hassled by every Tom, Dick and Harry who
wants to write a story on the poor firefighter who turned tragedy into triumph.
I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime, thank you very much."
    "You're so
selfish," Leo muttered. "It's always about you, isn't it?"
    "What do you mean? You
agreed to this deal!" I said feeling defensive about his attack. "I
didn't beg you to take the job; you offered to do it. I told you what the terms
would be and you agreed!"
    "Yes, I agreed -- EIGHT
YEARS AGO!" Leo shouted. "Everything was different back then. We were
different back then. I didn't know I'd be so good at this job, and I didn't
realize that there was a potential for growth in the way it's come about. You
can't blame me for wanting more, Cam."
    "I don't blame you a
bit," I sighed as I looked at my best friend. "I just don't want to
have my life on parade again. Once was enough, Leo. I can't go back
there."
    "I know," he said
sinking down into his chair and resting his head in his hands. "I know. I
just..."
    I looked at Leo knowing how
difficult it must have been for him to ask this of me. We'd been friends since
grade school, and he'd been the one who'd watched me struggle to keep things
together as my mother wasted away from the drinking. He'd been with me at
graduation and he'd stood next to me at my mother's funeral when no one -- not
even her own family -- had shown up. And Leo had been the one who'd gotten
drunk with me the night the fire changed my entire life and then looked out for
me in the hard months after that night.
    I knew he was trying to do
what was best for the business, but I couldn't let the business interfere with
the life I'd carefully constructed to keep everything at bay. I'd started the
security firm as a way to distract myself while I was on leave from the fire
department, but it had grown faster than I could manage alone, and when my
leave was over, I found that there was no way I could manage the security
business while also working full-time for the department.
    Leo was between consulting
jobs as he finished his MBA and looked for a position that would give him an
opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge. It was the perfect fit, and after
we'd agreed upon a couple of rules that would govern the company, I'd handed
over the reins to him.
    "Alright, let's talk
about this," I sighed as I sat down and looked up at him. "How can we
manage