Lone Star Millionaire Read Free

him. “A few invitations.”
    He grimaced. “Charity functions.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œJust send a check.”
    She kept her smile hidden. If Cal wasn’t “involved” witha woman, he got fairly reclusive. Society matrons loathed his dry spells, as he was often the life of their parties. It would take him a couple of months to find someone to replace Tiffany, then his social life would be off and running.
    â€œI’ve heard from the number ten rig,” he said. “The engineers figure another three to four days, but I think they’re going to hit in the next twenty-four hours.”
    He never ceased to amaze her. Ada’s contacts had said the same thing. The difference was Cal made his assessment from his downtown office with nothing more than daily reports to guide him. Ada’s source was an old oil man from way back who phoned her when they were getting close.
    â€œWhat does Ada say?” he asked.
    Cal watched as Sabrina tried to hide her annoyance at his question. She didn’t like that he knew about her “source” in the office and would have preferred him to think she figured everything out on her own.
    â€œThe same,” she admitted. “Within the day.”
    â€œAnything else I should know about?”
    â€œThe clerical supervisor is still having trouble keeping his hands to himself. A couple of staff members are filing official complaints.”
    Cal leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on the padded leather arms. “I can’t say that I blame them. I hate it when this happens.”
    The coolly spoken words were enough to make Sabrina straighten. She reached for a pad of paper on the edge of his desk and grabbed a pen. “Go ahead.”
    â€œHe’s already been warned. Have Human Resources investigate the allegations and prepare the case, then fire him. Oh, I want them to promote from within this time—all the better if it’s a woman so we can regain a little trust in that department—but tell them to be sure it’s the best candidate, someone with a good record of employee interaction.”
    â€œThat’s it?”
    He gazed at his personal assistant. Her wide blue eyes met his unblinkingly. “What did you expect? That I would call him out at dawn? Pistols at twenty paces?”
    â€œI thought you’d at least threaten to beat him up.”
    Cal thought about the self-important young man who had been with the company less than a year. He’d been hired out of college, all cocky and convinced he was the next industry leader. Cal had put him in a supervisory position to season him. Obviously it hadn’t worked.
    â€œI would like nothing more than to show him what it was like to be physically intimidated by someone with the authority to hire and fire, not to mention someone physically stronger. However, letting him go under these circumstances is going to be plenty of punishment. He’ll be left with a black mark on his employment record. So much for a rapid rise to success.”
    â€œDo you want to give him an exit interview?”
    Cal grinned. “Let Ada do it.”
    Sabrina shook her head. “You are too cruel. That’s perfect. He’ll hate it.”
    â€œAnd Ada will adore it. I call that a win-win. Oh, and set up a department meeting with the clerical staff in the next few days. I want to talk to them myself. I don’t approve of that kind of behavior. It’s illegal and immoral. I want to reassure everyone that the situation is being corrected. Immediately.”
    Sabrina nodded as she took notes. She bent her head slightly, and the afternoon sunlight slipped through the window and caught in her short red hair—a layered cut falling just to the bottom of her collar. Her features were even, pleasant, if unremarkable. She had a nice smile, intelligent blue eyes and a figure that, after six years, was still something of a mystery to him. Despite