O Magnet (Titans of Tech #2) - Tessa Layne Page 0,2

the front office. Lots of it. "What in the hell?" Then it hits me. Penny mentioned something last week about a field trip visiting from a local school. They must be here.

I throw a dark glance at Harrison who throws up his hands as he backs away. "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

"Andrew?"

He shakes his head, mouth quirking and following Harrison. "Sorry. We're tied up in meetings until six."

Sorry, my ass.

"Miss Fischer," my mother booms. She's a stickler for formality, but today it hits a nerve. She's known Penny for four years but insists on the address as a way of putting Penny in her place. "You cannot prevent me from seeing my son," she says in a voice dripping with disdain. "This is Joanie Barker, his dinner date at our foundation's Debutante dinner tonight."

Fuck.

Fuckfuckfuck.

I check my smartwatch. April twelfth. How could I forget? Except, how could I not? Between the Kansas City Kings Vets & Pros game in Prairie Kansas, Opening Day, followed by the Regatta on the Thames in London, and this Tokyo deal running through all of it, it's amazing I haven't lost my mind. I have Penny to thank for that. But the Forde Family Foundation debutante dinner is one of our most important events of the year - the one where this year's debutante class is revealed.

"Mrs. Forde," Penny says in clipped tones. "I know this is urgent and you want to introduce Ms. Barker, and I promise I'll convey your visit to him, but you have to make an appointment. Sto- Mr. Forde has back to back meetings today." I can practically see the steam streaming out of Penny's ears.

I'm surprised to hear Sloane's voice cut in. "Wait a minute, I'm having dinner with Stockton tonight."

What in the hell is she still doing here? And I'm pretty sure I didn't make dinner plans with anyone except my pillow and a tumbler of whiskey.

"Clearly, you don't understand how important this evening is." I can't tell if my mother's comment is aimed at Sloane or Penny. She's terrible at disguising her dislike for my most valuable employee. Which I have to admit, makes me like Penny all the more. "Sloane dear, I'm sure you understand. It's important as the sole heir to the Ford Family Foundation that Stockton appear with a suitable companion for tonight."

"Clearly, you don't understand how important Mr. Forde's work is," Penny tosses back. "I don't care if you're the friggin' Pope. You can't see him without an appointment."

"Language, young lady. There are children present," my mother says sternly, as if Penny was her daughter.

"I'm sorry," Penny tosses back. "I meant I don't care if you're the fucking Pope."

I cover a laugh as the visiting class erupts at Penny's use of the f-bomb. I'm tempted, only briefly, to hang back and watch, because Penny is the only woman I've ever met who is unafraid to stand up to my mother. But the screech of another small voice saying "Miss Henry, she said fuck," puts an end to that.

I plaster on a smile and push forward. "Mother. What a surprise."

"Darling, so nice to see you. I-"

I know the spiel and today I just don't have the patience for it, so I cut her off with a wave of my hand. "I'm so sorry ladies, but will you excuse me a minute? We have guests visiting from-" I look over to Penny for help.

"Global Montessori. This is Miss Henry with the upper elementary class." Penny gestures toward the wide-eyed thirty-something woman dressed in jeans and a peasant blouse looking like a deer in headlights. "I've just brought them back from touring the robot labs."

Shit. Now the conversation comes flooding back. I was supposed to give them our "Iron Man" tour. Except our conference call with Tokyo went long in part because Penny wasn't in the room to answer all the technical questions about the algorithm she designed as part of their new firewall. I flash Penny a smile. "Right. Did everyone receive their souvenir bag?"

Her eyes narrow to glittering points and before the words fall from her mouth, I realize I'm about to pay for blowing up her morning. "They did, but Sloane decided to promise them you'd sign their Kansas City Kings hats."

Small fact about Sloane. Her family produces our Kansas City Kings gear. Because, yeah... in addition to being CTO of Steele Conglomerate, the C-team along with a few of our other friends are the owners of the Kansas City Kings - the