Read Slipperless for Free Online Page B

better.
    Few things turned me on more than a beauty with wits to match. I suspected Fiona was a diamond in the rough in both regards, and while I waited for Mrs. Jameson to bring up her information, I considered how I might go about unearthing those qualities in her. A few seconds later, she finished typing and spinning the tablet in my direction, Mrs. Jameson offered the device to me.
    “Here you are, sir.”
    “Great, thanks,” I said with a nod of my head, as I took the tablet from her.
    Soon enough, I’d scanned through the record. But aside from a few details about her schooling, where she lived and the fact that her grandmother was listed as the beneficiary on her retirement plan, I didn’t have much more knowledge about her than I did when I walked into the HR office a few minutes earlier.
    “Anything else I can help you with, sir?” Mrs. Jameson asked, as I perused the data.
    I rubbed the corner of the tablet between the tips of my fingers as I looked at her. Thinning my lips in concentration, I extended it back to Mrs. Jameson, “No, that will be all.”
    She took the device from me with a gentle tug. “All right, sir.”
    After thanking her, I turned to walk back to my office, and as I did I realized I’d need a different sort of help to get to the bottom of my questions about Fiona. The simple fact was it was rare for a hire in her position to slip through without me knowing much about them. And judging by the information in her file, this was especially true of someone with an academic pedigree like hers.
    You see, despite my business being worth billions, the industry itself was a relatively small world in terms of the people working in it. In other words, there are a lot more short order cooks on the planet than theoretical physicists, and so I’m usually well-informed about the available talent pool, especially when it's local.
    Yet, I’d been consumed with the Link Protocol, so the bottom line was I was playing catch up when it came to Fiona. But that’s okay. I had a secret weapon. And so it was that just after four later that day, I placed a call to the one person who could help. Leaning back in my chair, I ran my fingers through my hair and grabbed a handful of it, holding it in place as she answered.
    “Well as I live and breathe, Gabe Hawkins.”
    “Danielle, my love, how are you?”
    “Much better now,” she cooed.
    Danielle Wilson once worked for me. But her true calling was academia. After I made a particularly large grant, I lobbied hard for her to take over as head of the Physics Department at the state college. While I’m sure my contribution helped, in the end she was the one who got the position. She was a brilliant researcher and a beauty as well.
    And no, we didn’t… if that’s what you're wondering.
    I chuckled at her melodic greeting. “And how is Mr. Wilson? The kids?”
    “Oh he’s fine. They all are. How are you, handsome?”
    “Excellent. Never better, actually.”
    “Oh, well, that’s good to hear,” she said. Danielle let out an exhale as she finished her reply. “What can I do for you?”
    “What makes you think I want to do anything except spend the rest of my day talking to you?”
    Danielle chuckled. “I wish.”
    “In truth, I could use your help with something.”
    “All right,” she replied. Her voice grew deep, even throaty as she continued. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
    Smirking, I stood from my chair, stretched and got down to my request. By the time I’d finished, I stood near a wall of windows on the opposite side of my office, overlooking downtown. The late afternoon sun warmed my face as I stared into the distance.
    “Can you hold for a sec?” she said. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
    “Sure.”
    A few minutes later, Danielle returned.
    “Okay…” she said, as she began to speak once more. She hummed a bit as she looked through the records, just loud enough so that I could barely make out the sound of her flipping