Emeralds and Fire

The Tienimi Club series

Chapter One Preview

This is a first wave beta preview of Emeralds and Fire by Aurelia Fray.

This copy has been released as a teaser. It is not the full chapter and may or may not deviate slightly from the final published version. Any errors found in the text are not expected to be in the final draft. Please note this document/ebook is subject to copyright.

Please do not copy/paste this text. Do not take extracts from it to blog or share in public forums or social media. Should you wish to share this extract with your friends, family, followers or fans, you can direct them to the link below and they can find the extract there. Thank you. x Aurelia Fray x

You’ve Got Mail

The application consisted of much the same nonsense as any other generic form. Jane couldn’t understand why it took so long to complete the damnable thing or, for that matter, why she felt the need to read it so many times to check the details. On the fourth read through, when the information still hadn’t changed, she folded the pages and stuffed them into the huge, pre-addressed envelope. The action warranted a deep breath and a stiff drink but Jane was still at her desk and her workday was nowhere near done yet.

What she was doing was wrong. Jane knew it and if anyone else uncovered what she’d done they would know too. She should stop herself. If she threw the application away no one would be any the wiser.

The courier at her office door tapped his fingers on the glass wall impatiently.

Jane sighed, sealed the form inside the return envelope and handed it to the waiting courier. With a sharp nod he took it, tucked it into his bag and headed for the elevators. Within the hour her application to the mysterious Tienimi resort would be read, vetted and processed at their corporate offices near The Strand. One quick email later and she would know for sure if she got away with it. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and took a deep breath.

She could do this.

She deserved this.

Daniel Wilson owed her this.

“Jane.” Mr. Wilson’s voice filled her little office. She heard the intercom from across the room and scuttled quickly over to answer. Walking in the skin-tight pencil skirt was a feat but running was impossible without hiking the tailored material up over her thighs.

“Jane!” he shouted. The man lacked patience but then Jane never made him ask twice. She pondered what he would do if she refused to respond at all. Would he continue to shout her name or would he—god forbid—actually come out of his luxurious office and show his elitist face amongst the commoner masses that ran the business? She didn’t wait to find out.

“Yes, Mr. Wilson?” she called into the intercom, throwing herself across the desk to answer before he summoned her again.

“In my office, Jane. Now.” To anyone else that would have sounded like trouble brewing on the horizon but Jane knew better. Daniel Wilson was as brusque as he was impatient. It was just his style, an aspect of his character she’d learned to not take too personally.

“Right away, Mr. Wilson,” she replied hastily. Jane stretched across her desk on her stomach then rolled herself brusquely off the high-gloss laminate. Fixing her skirt and the semi-sheer blouse Mr. Wilson insisted she wore for his perverse pleasure, Jane marched to the end of the hall and into Daniel Wilson’s spacious office.

The huge room boasted an undisturbed view of the Thames. The thick grey sky loomed beyond the glass, coating everything in shifting shadows. The dull day and chilly air showed no sign that summer was in full swing and yet even the turbulent grey water of the river and stylistically challenged skyline of glass and concrete maintained a beautiful order that Daniel Wilson’s office could not.

For as long as Jane had worked at the company, Daniel Wilson’s office décor remained firmly stuck in the late eighties. The walls were lined with framed prints containing images—tenuously described as art—with bold primary colors, stark geometric shapes and either a scantily clad woman or a dubious rendering of a jungle cat. The ugly white leather sofas and dominating drinks cabinet usually took up the majority of the space, however in the last few days, everything familiar about the office had been removed or restructured. The room appeared to be in the middle of a psychotic stylist’s breakdown.

The white sofas were shoved against the wall. The replacement chairs were scattered around making the room appear untidy and disorganized. The back wall sported half-built bookshelves and two desks divided the space. Daniel’s worn and battered black ash desk, which had always stood on the far left of the office, was mirrored by a sleek antique walnut pedestal desk belonging to the new CEO, Mr. C. Blake. The disarray should have driven Daniel nuts, but he seemed quite content in the chaos.

“Jane, I need you to arrange a leaving event for me,” he instructed before Jane could close the door. Jane knew Daniel took the news of his impending retirement badly. No successful forty-four year old wanted to be forced out of work but the absurdity of his request indicated it hadn’t quite sunk in yet. Or maybe it had and he just didn’t give a crap?

“Excuse me?” Jane spluttered. No party had been sanctioned. His exit was to be quiet and subtle or, in the words of the memo sent to Jane, offer no disruption to the running of the corporation in any way.

“You heard me. It should be something benefiting my status and time here. For the venue think big. Think, Natural History Museum. I’ve loved that place ever since I was a boy. I want an orchestra and five-course meal. You should set up a bar. Try to talk those history geeks into using some of the old dinosaur bones to decorate it, you know, get the old mood going. Don’t skimp on the bubbly and make sure there are plenty of pretty girls there, none of the old wrinklies from accounts. You got all that?”

“Got it.” Nodding obsequiously, Jane didn’t bother to write anything down. “You are, however, aware that I’m on holiday next week, Mr. Wilson?”

“You are?” Daniel’s eyebrows shot into his receding hairline. Jane understood his reaction. The news was yet another reminder of how much power he’d thrown away. He glared at her as if she was being deliberately insubordinate. His reaction only infuriated her further. She didn’t have a choice because of him. She wouldn’t be taking a holiday at all if his replacement, Mr. Blake, hadn’t insisted.

If Daniel had his way, she wouldn’t be going anywhere, but he lost all sway in the business when he was arrested for sleeping with an underage prostitute. Under media scrutiny, the partners had no choice but to force the CEO into early retirement. Blake, Wilson and Sachs had a reputation to maintain and Daniel’s mistakes were costing dearly.

Jane had yet to meet the elusive Mr. Blake face to face. He liaised with her via email to maintain the running of the company since the news of Daniel’s imminent departure broke. He was the one to insist she take two weeks off to relax during the changeover. Jane wasn’t sure how anyone could relax whilst worrying whether they had a job to return to.

As soon as the news broke, Jane bravely inquired about her position within the firm, but Mr. Blake’s response was vague. He suggested a trial run to see if she was compatible. It sounded like horseshit to Jane. She was far from compatible with Daniel. Her success was based on the fact that she was organized, diligent and no one could fault her work—irrespective of how sexually ambitious her boss was.

“Yes, I am. Mr. Blake insisted upon it remember? He wants me out of sight whilst he decides whether or not I get to keep my job,” Jane snapped. She winced at her words as soon as she said them. She sounded argumentative and judgmental. Her sharp tone forced Daniel to look at her properly and, perhaps for the first time in years, he assessed the young woman before him.

“How old are you, Jane?” he asked suddenly. He rarely asked personal questions. Jane took a moment before answering.

“Twenty-eight in three weeks’ time,” she responded cautiously.

“Getting on a bit then,” he hummed, unaware of his insult. “You aren’t exactly a hot bit of totty either, but you are a clever girl. I am sure you will be fine. Blake won’t want you, darling, but I’m sure he can find you a suitable job in the pool,” he offered. This was as kind as Daniel got. Just the fact he was making an effort to reassure her—however blundering that effort might be—was huge progress. Although, perhaps, too little too late.

The ‘pool’ Jane not-so-affectionately nicknamed the ‘shark pool’, was in fact the lifeblood of the business. The secretaries, or administrative assistants as they now preferred to be called, were the real workers. They got things done. The executives merely thought up things for them to do.

Jane vowed to quit before entering the shark pool. The likelihood of a massive pay cut and being forced to ingratiate herself with the people who scowled at her and coveted her job, made her queasy. They were a mean and calculated bunch. They hunted out vulnerable co-workers and hounded them until they broke. More often than not, people quit the business not because they were dissatisfied with the work or management, rather they were driven out by the sharks. If Jane were demoted, she would be at their mercy. She’d ice-skate in hell before she accepted that as an option.

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson,” she murmured politely. She contemplated asking him for a reference whilst he was in such a generous mood, but he would probably make her write it anyway.

“So, you will handle the leaving arrangements before you go next week?” His statement carried the inflection of a question and yet Jane knew he wasn’t waiting for an answer. He expected her compliance no matter what.

“Of course, Mr. Wilson.”

As soon as Jane entered her familiar office, she opened a new email window and informed Mr. Blake of Daniel’s demands. He insisted on being kept up-to-date with all of Daniel’s dealings in these last few days, suspecting that Daniel would attempt to sabotage the company. Jane wouldn’t put it past him. Daniel always did have a bit of a mean streak. Within minutes, Mr. Blake responded:

Thank you, Jane,

Pay no attention; I will make arrangements for something suitable myself. For a man in the midst of a scandal, you would think he would know to keep a low profile. I have no idea how you managed to put up with him for so long.

CB.

Jane read it a few times before replying. The correspondence seemed a little informal and she wondered if she were being tested in some way.

Mr. Blake,

I assure you, I was merely seeking confirmation. Should you sign off on a leaving event, I would be quite able to arrange it before I leave next week. You shouldn’t take such matters upon yourself during what, I am sure, will be a busy transition period. Mr. Wilson has always been an interesting manager and I am happy to rise to any challenge presented.

Sincerely,

Jane McGrath

Jane,

I know you are more than capable. Now, do as I say and leave this to me. How are the holiday plans shaping up? Have you arranged something worthwhile? You really should have taken the full four weeks that I offered - you are more than overdue the time off. I’m sure I can hold down the fort until your return.

Yes, he was definitely being too casual, Jane thought as she reread the latest message. Jane grinned. Have you arranged something worthwhile? He’d asked. How should she go about telling him that not only was she going to a beautiful Hawaiian island but that she would be relaxing in the luxurious high-end Tienimi resort courtesy of her unwitting boss? Only a few select people even knew the place existed. The resort only accepted personal recommendations from other members thus maintaining their exclusivity and relative obscurity. Jane didn’t have a friend in high places. She didn’t know anyone who would recommend her for membership. What Jane did have though, was access to her boss’ emails.

Quite by chance, the private message from Tienimi appeared in the CEO’s business inbox precisely when she needed to arrange her vacation. If she read the message at any other time she would have disregarded it immediately, but it showed up when she needed it most. When she was angry and insecure and felt an overwhelming pressure from the company to take her annual leave. She never dreamt they would reply, so to say she was shocked when the sleek chocolate-brown envelope showed up in her tray was a gross understatement. Tienimi was not the kind of place people like her frequented. Not the kind of place people like her could afford either. It was going to break the bank. Still, she convinced herself that she deserved a blowout; she would treat herself to one last splurge before she was forced to tighten the purse strings again.

Mr. Blake,

As you insist.

The holiday plans are going well, thank you. I will be visiting relatives for the first few days and then lounging in a very exclusive resort for the remainder of my vacation. As for your ability to ‘hold down the fort’ I’m pretty sure Custer once said something similar.

You should never underestimate the value of a good PA!

Jane

Jane,

Good Point. Perhaps we should rethink that holiday. You are not going anywhere too nice that you wouldn’t mind cancelling, are you? Only joking.

Anyway, I have something Custer didn’t have—An administrative shark pool and a battalion of over-inflated executives. Did you know we had an executive to take care of the bathrooms in the building? No lie!

Jane smiled. Mr. Blake viewed the office as she did. Taking his casual lead she typed a quick response:

Seriously, we have a toilet exec? That is more than a little disturbing. I pity his/her PA!

Jane

Jane,

You have no Idea!

Looking over the correspondence Jane couldn’t help but hope Mr. Blake found whatever made a person ‘compatible’ within her. She rather looked forward to returning to work when her vacation time was up. As long as he still wanted her.

***

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed that short extract. If you are interested in keeping up to date with all the pre-release information including extra features, giveaways and competitions, Just click on any or all of the following options:

Like the author’s Facebook page.
Follow the author on Twitter.
Join the book release event
Add the book to your Goodreads TBR list.
Follow the author on Amazon:

Back