Mr. Big Shot (Suits & Sevens #1) - Isla Olsen Page 0,1
peal of laughter as she heads for the door. “Just try not to go too crazy. We don’t need to add fuel to the fire.”
* * *
“Okay, give me the worst of it,” I tell both Charlie and Cole once we’re seated at the leather sofas by my office window, each holding a glass of scotch.
“Well, your image has definitely taken a hit. And the company’s,” Cole says, sitting back in the sofa with one leg crossed over the other. He’s as perfectly put together as always, not a single auburn hair out of place. “But I don’t think it’s too bad, all things considered.”
“My dad’s freaking out about investors. Apparently share prices have dropped?”
Cole waves away the concern. “It’s just the uncertainty. Will you have to step down? Will there be criminal charges? …that sort of thing.”
“What are you talking about?” I say harshly, glaring at my best friend. “Of course I won’t step down! And there won’t be any criminal charges because it’s not fucking true.”
He offers a placating look. “I know that. But the public doesn’t.”
I nod, drawing in a deep breath to calm myself. “Okay. Okay, so we have to reassure the public, right? We have to tell them this is all bullshit?”
“We can put out a statement saying that the allegations are false and that you’re investigating any and all legal action…something like that,” Cole says.
I turn to Charlie, who’s been happily sipping his scotch while watching the exchange between me and Cole. “And what legal action can I take? Can I sue for libel?”
He shakes his head and lifts his glass to his lips for another sip. “Technically, no. The tabloid will argue they weren’t actually making anything up—they just reported a story that was fed to them.”
“Without verifying any of the facts!” I snap angrily.
Charlie shrugs. “It’s an online gossip rag, Spence. That’s kind of their bread and butter.”
I scrub a hand through my hair in frustration. “So what are my options, then?”
“We’ll issue a cease and desist,” Charlie says. “If they continue with the story after that then we’ll take action against them. We can also send legal notice to other media outlets to make sure they steer clear.”
I nod, drawing in a relieved breath. “Okay, good. So this is going to go away?”
“It should blow over soon enough,” Cole says. “But there’s still the issue of—”
He’s interrupted by the sound of someone new entering my office. I glance up, expecting to see my sister but am instead surprised to see my stepbrother stalking across the room toward me.
Both Charlie and Cole rise to greet Paxton with handshakes, friendly slaps on the back, and a round of “Hey, man”s. Then he moves past them toward me and I stand from the sofa, wrapping my arms around him in a fierce hug.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
Pax lets out a weary sigh. “Well, Branson called me and asked if I could stop Derek Maxwell from mentioning you on Market Wrap…”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I hiss, shaking my head in exasperation at my father’s nerve. “What did you tell him?”
Pax shrugs. “I told him I’m not Maxwell’s EP and don’t control the things he talks about. I also reminded him BCN isn’t the only media outlet that reports financial news.”
Yeah, so my stepbrother is Paxton Greenwood, as in BCN’s The Pax Greenwood Hour. It’s rare to see him out of the newsroom on a weekday, especially at this time in the afternoon when his production team usually hold their run-down meetings.
He wanders over to the shelf where I keep several bottles of alcohol and some glasses on hand for important meetings; retrieving a glass tumbler, he moves back toward my desk where the half-finished bottle of Glenlivet is sitting and pours himself a drink. Then he leans back against my desk and eyes me with a penetrating stare. “Please tell me you did what I suggested and kept those texts and emails.”
“What texts and emails?” Charlie asks.
Pax turns to him, his mouth turned down in a frown. “The ones that show it was that bitch PA who was harassing Spence. Not the other way around.”
Charlie and Cole both swing wide eyes on me, but I wave them off with a shake of my head. “It wasn’t that bad. He’s exaggerating.”
“Spencer, you told me she was coming onto you. And that it was making you feel uncomfortable,” Paxton presses.
“She was just a little…overzealous,” I reason. “Came on a little too strong. Not like I’ve never