Dark Redemption - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,35

saw the posting online for a personal assistant at the corporate office. And the way it was written, it seems like the assistant will be working for someone very high up in the company. Of course, Vasko is not identified directly.

But even if the position is not for him directly, she'd work for the Chief Financial Officer, or the Vice President, or anyone else up there, theoretically with access to more information than I could possibly get from the outside.

I run this idea past Jacqueline. She hesitates. I know that this isn't exactly what she has in mind and it has nothing to do with news directly.

While we walk over to a local crab shack for some takeout and stand in the long line stretching down the highway for some of the best fried seafood around, I put my proposal in a different light.

"What if you thought of this as a big investigative journalism job? You'd work from the inside out. You get them to trust you. You have access to all the paperwork and you'd see if they're doing anything that's illegal or not above board. Journalists do that all the time. But I'd pay for you to do this job. Afterward, you can write a tell-all story. You can expose him for the fraud and the liar that he is, and possibly even collect evidence for a criminal case.”

She nods, clearly enticed.

"What about that? What if you approached this job from that way and then sell the story to any magazine out there? CNBC’s American Greed would love it. Vanity Fair would eat it up. Then you'd have your choice of positions."

Jacqueline shifts her weight from one foot to another looking at me nervously. She got a little sunburn and the tip of her nose is bright red. Her skin is shiny and her eyes light up.

I can tell that I'm finally making an impression.

21

Jacqueline

That evening I stop by the cottage to change, take a shower, and Allison is still nowhere to be found. It's late and I wonder if she had already went to The Redemption. I text her and call her, but she doesn't reply.

I shouldn't be worried, but I am. Dante waits for me in the living room as I take a shower and get ready. Alone in the bathroom, I consider the job offer.

He really suspects that his boss is taking money from the investors and this would be the way to discover the truth. As a journalist, I'm interested in this angle and I am very excited about the possibility of writing a story of this magnitude: a five million fraud is something that would interest a lot of people.

I know that he needs my help and he's offering to pay for my accommodations if I do end up getting hired, but what would this entail? I've never gone undercover like this before.

I'm a little bit worried, but also excited. With nothing else on the horizon, it gives me something to look forward to.

I get dressed and opt for a short summery black dress to give myself a little bit more class. It's flattering and fits my body nicely.

Dante gives me a wink when I come out, grabbing my hand and pulling me down on top of him.

I love summers.

I love not wearing many clothes and being free with my body. There aren’t layers and layers of stuff to get through.

Dante slowly runs his hand up the small of my back as he pushes me down on top of him.

"These panties are cute," he says, pulling on one part and exposing my butt cheek.

“Yes, I like them. They don't leave a line," I say.

"I can see that. I thought you were going commando underneath there."

"I can't go commando in a dress," I say. "What if it flies up?"

"Exactly. How exciting would that be?" He winks again and I kiss him.

In just a day I feel like I have a boyfriend, someone to joke around with, someone to laugh with, a steady permanent thing that can't be removed from my life.

"So I thought about what you said about Vasko," I say.

He nods, pulling away from me.

"I think I'll do it."

"You will?" His eyes light up.

"Yeah, I think it might be a good opportunity. If they are stealing money from your investors, that shouldn't happen. That's wrong and I'd love to find out the truth."

"That's awesome."

"I mean, of course there are no guarantees that I'll get this job. I haven't heard back from about a