Lauren remembered first walking into this building just over a week before, not knowing what she would find at the other end of the journey. Today, she wasn’t any less nervous, only more certain about what she was doing there.

Hakim would help her, she knew it. She just didn’t know what price she was going to pay for asking for his help, nor what would happen when her mother inevitably found out. But this was a business meeting. Lauren had the right and the responsibility to protect her company, to keep it operating by whatever means necessary. And if that meant cooperating with her mother’s rival, then that’s what she would do.

At least he was willing to meet with her. Lauren had asked his secretary to check with Hakim first instead of calling her back with a time, and had convinced her that the request for a meeting was time critical. Kayla had managed to keep things out of the news so far, but industry gossip being what it was, Lauren wouldn’t be surprised if he’d heard something already.

Because Lauren had shared her concerns about the books with Hakim, he was already aware of the background. He’d been so helpful then, and Lauren knew that even if he couldn’t or wouldn’t give her the money she needed now, he would have some solid advice on how to fix things.

To be honest, she was thrilled at the chance to see him again, even under the circumstances. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him everything that had happened, not just because she was going to ask for his help in fixing it, but because she wanted to share herself with him.

Once again, she checked in at the reception desk and was escorted upstairs, through the lounge, and into Hakim’s office. And once again, he was waiting for her, but this time he had an expression of concern on his face.

“Lauren, is everything okay?” He stood and walked quickly around his desk.

She thought he might have wanted to hug her, but instead he gestured to a chair.

“Please, sit. Can I get you anything?”

Lauren shook her head. “No, thank you. And thanks for taking the time to see me.”

Hakim waved his secretary out of the office and sat down in the chair next to Lauren’s. “I know with how we left things that you wouldn’t have called if it weren’t important. How can I help?”

She loved that he immediately understood that she was in trouble and that his first instinct was to offer assistance. Just being here felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders.

“Do you remember the accounting issue I told you about? The thing I asked an external auditor to review?” Lauren began, trying to figure out the best way to start the conversation.

The understanding on his face was instantaneous. “So, there was a problem.”

Lauren nodded. “Yeah. A serious one. The head of accounting was embezzling from the company. He stole thousands of dollars and fixed the books so that he was the one to sign off on the final numbers. If Kayla hadn’t looked over everything, we might not have caught it. The only reason we know it was him is that he found out we’d ordered the external audit and panicked. He fled the country Saturday night.”

The expression on Hakim’s face changed from concern to anger, and then to a disturbed understanding when Lauren mentioned the timeline. “When you had your phone turned off because I all but ordered you to.”

Lauren nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, but you were still right that I needed the break.”

“If you’d been in town instead of in Al Asaab, Kayla could have driven over and found you,” he countered. “You’d have been on top of the situation much earlier.”

“But I don’t know that it would have made a difference. It was Sunday morning before Kayla knew what had happened, and really all we know is that he’s gone and so is the money. I don’t think it would have changed anything if I’d been here.”

Lauren couldn’t believe she was defending him. She’d spent the entire morning yelling at herself internally for allowing him to talk her into the trip and turning her phone off. But as she said the words, she realized that they were true. Neither of them had any way of knowing that a problem of this magnitude was about to happen, and if her company couldn’t stand for a day without Lauren managing every little detail, then the company wasn’t very strong to begin with.

She could see that Hakim wasn’t assured, so she said firmly, “It’s not your responsibility. It was my decision, and I don’t think it was a bad one. I’ll certainly learn from this experience, but in the moment, I don’t think I would have done anything differently.”

“And yet, I feel like this is at least partly my fault. So, please tell me, what can I do to help you?”

Lauren took another deep breath. “I’m here to ask you to invest in the company. We don’t have enough cash right now to make payroll, and that’s due in the next few days. We can probably delay it a day or so, explain it away as some kind of computer glitch, but if we can’t pay our contractors, we don’t get any more work done. And then if we can’t pay our staff, the word will get out and our reputation will be ruined. I’m not sure BingeWatch will recover if we can’t get a cash injection quickly.”

“How quickly?” Hakim was already moving to his desk, pulling out a folder from a drawer.

“Today, if at all possible. It’ll take at least twenty-four hours for any transfer to clear.”

“Who is handling your accounting right now?” Hakim asked as he scribbled a note on a piece of paper.

“Greg, the auditor who looked over the books. He’s a friend and he was willing to step in for a week or so to provide a steady hand. The accounting team is pretty rattled. None of them saw it.”

Hakim snorted as he typed something into his phone. “They should be rattled. You probably need a whole new accounting department.”

Lauren nodded in agreement. “That may be, but I need to get through the next few days first.”

“Agreed. Do you have numbers with you, how much you need right now?”

She pulled a binder from out of her briefcase and held it up as Hakim’s phone chimed.

“Good,” he said. “My lawyer is going to be here in a just a minute; he’s only at the opposite end of the floor. Would you rather I invest as the Khalif Group or as myself? I can loan you the money directly, or we can create a business arrangement.”

Lauren’s head was spinning. She hadn’t expected it to be quite this easy. Did this mean there was a catch?

Hakim moved back around his desk to sit next to her. He leaned over and took her hand.

“Lauren, it’s going to be okay. However we structure the agreement, I’m not going to let you fail. You can have the money, but I’d like one thing in return.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to offer the funds without some kind of deal,” Lauren said. She meant it, too; she didn’t want a handout, and she fully intended to pay back his investment.

Hakim ran his thumb over her hand in a caress. “The only thing I want from you is for you to defy your mother for one night and go on a date with me.”

Lauren was stunned, but she didn’t pull back.

“What happened to it being easier to not see each other?”

He shrugged and gave her a devil-may-care grin. “Oh, that would definitely be easier. But I don’t want that. I want to see you, even if it’s for a single date. A real date. I won’t ask for more than that, just one evening.”

Lauren thought about it. She wanted that date with him. She wanted more, if she was being honest. And if he were willing to defy Patricia, to risk her wrath, could Lauren do any less? Her heart leaped at the thought of spending more time with Hakim, especially on a real date. She made up her mind.

When she smiled and nodded, Hakim looked both joyful and stunned. The kind of feeling when you get everything you’ve ever wanted, but aren’t sure what to do with it. So, she grinned at him mischievously. “You know, I don’t have any money, so you’re going to have to pay for everything.”

That surprised him into a laugh. “I would insist on doing so anyway.”

There was a knock on the door and Hakim let go of her hand so that he could stand. “Now. Let’s get this money transferred and save your company.”