“You’re hired,” James West announced before Hugo had even made his way to the chair across from his massive desk. The office was impressive, what would be expected of the CEO of a wildly profitable oil company. But there wasn’t much time to take in the details of the office. Hugo was too busy trying to make sense of this exchange.

“Excuse me?” It wasn’t like him to struggle to keep up. Thinking quickly was one of Hugo’s strongest skills. But James had taken him completely off guard. He’d just been hired, but for what?

James hardly looked up from the stack of papers he was sorting through. A man in his position would undoubtedly be busy, but this was a very unconventional job interview. Though, to be fair, most of the jobs he’d had over the years would be considered unconventional.

James finally leaned back in his chair as he adjusted his cufflinks. “Hugo,” he said firmly, “you come highly recommended. Your reputation precedes you. So I’m hiring you.”

“I appreciate the feedback. I’ll give you the same and be direct in return. You have a notorious reputation as well. West Oil is one of the largest in the industry. An opportunity at your company is something I’d be interested in exploring.”

James pushed right past Hugo’s tactful redirection and fought back for control of the conversation. “Here is your proposed salary and a non-disclosure contract I’ll need you to sign.” He waved a pen in Hugo’s direction and looked rather impatient.

Hugo would have to demand clarity. Men like James West were steamrollers, not easy to stop, but with enough force it was possible. Hugo took a few steps back toward the door and pulled his phone from his pocket as though something more important needed his attention. After a beat or two, he looked up at James. “I was under the impression this was a preliminary meeting. I wasn’t expecting to leave here with a job offer. If you give me the details, I’m happy to consider it.”

“You have reservations. I understand that; I’d be worried if you didn’t. I’m not looking for someone hasty or reckless. This job requires tact and a strategic mind. You can read the contract if you’d like. I can wait.” He slid the paper toward Hugo and gestured for him to take it.

“At least we’re getting somewhere. Now I just need to know what the job is,” Hugo said flatly. “Lance Barrington told me to take this meeting with you, that you had a great opportunity and he thought you and I would have a lot to talk about.”

“And here we are, talking.” James must have been a shark at the poker table. He didn’t seem to have any tells, anything to give him away.

“What is the job?” Hugo pressed, letting the annoyance creep into his tone. That wouldn’t work on a man like James. It was about pressure and keeping it up. This was a strange meeting but not something he couldn’t handle. “And I’m going to need more time to read that contract closely enough.”

“It’s a standard corporate employment and non-disclosure agreement. Did you see the salary?” He pointed to the number he’d written at the top of the contract.

“I must be missing something,” Hugo chuckled, shocked at the high starting salary. It was true he had made powerful friends in the Barrington family. He’d proven himself a valuable employee, and he knew his reputation in the business world was strong. But something here wasn’t adding up. Who offers that much money without a proper interview or even detailing the job? “What’s the title of this position?”

“Is it really about titles?” James challenged with a dismissive wave. “Here, how is this for salary? And I’ll throw in some stock options and the use of one of our jets for your travel.” He crossed out the first absurdly large number and wrote an even bigger one.

“Damn,” Hugo faltered, uncharacteristically letting an unprofessional response creep into a meeting of this importance. This would be twice as much as he’d ever made before. It had been a struggle rebuilding his life after his father cut him off. This would put him in a whole new tax bracket. There was no walking away from this offer. “Give me the pen.”

“Good,” James said, folding his arms and watching Hugo scan the document as he prepared to sign. “You’ll do well here. I like a man who can see what’s good for him and take it. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.”

“I look forward to finding out what you want me to do.” Hugo’s hand hovered over the line where he was to sign.

Finally, James wavered, just a quick flare of his nostrils and twitch of his brow, but Hugo knew he was getting the upper hand. “It’s a hybrid position. Part press relations and part fixer.”

“Fixer,” Hugo laughed. This had been a label that had followed him around for years. His particular skill set was focused on making problems go away. Not with brute force. It was all strategy. Tact. Making deals. “I thought that might be why Lance Barrington had sent me here. What are we talking, dead bodies or just broken corporate finance laws?” His pen moved closer and closer to the contract, but still he hesitated.

“Neither,” James cut back seriously. “I’m sure you did your research before coming to this meeting. You understand that West Oil has had public relations issues in the past. We’ve cleaned up our act. I’ve been unwavering in making sure we are compliant and transparent. I have a legal team that handles all those matters.”

“You and your team have done a great job of improving public perception. Are you looking to make a change in your current PR structure?”

“I outsource that,” James clarified. “The firm we use has been exceptional at working with the media and keeping West Oil out of trouble. I’m not looking to change that structure. I need something a little more focused. Internal. Someone who can handle specific issues rather than public perception of the company.”

“All right,” Hugo said, dragging the words out tentatively. The answers he wanted were in reach. There was clearly a reason James was holding back. “So that’s the PR part. What’s the fixer part of the job?”

“Apparently, according to my wife, I’m not the most sensitive man when it comes to people who get in my way. And when you’re the CEO of a successful oil business a lot of people get in your way. I need to remove myself from that equation. But I can’t leave a vacuum there. It would be disastrous. I need someone I can count on fully. Someone who can act autonomously and with the full authority of the executive team of this company, so I can tell my wife I’m done with this aspect of my role.”

“Is this dance we’re doing going somewhere?” Hugo drew in a deep breath. “I’ll admit you’ve got my full attention. I’m intrigued. But I’d imagine time is money for a man like you. So why don’t we cut to the chase.”

“Your job will be to deal with some people so I don’t have to,” James laughed. “So my wife will stop trying to convince me that being nice to them is the way to go.”

“You’re going to pay me that much money just to get your wife to stop nagging you?” Hugo asked in complete disbelief. This had to be some kind of prank.

“Talk to me when you’re married,” James said with a knowing look on his face. “Happy wife, happy life. It’s more than just a cliché.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Sign the contract Hugo,” James insisted. “You’ll be happy here at West Oil. We do right by people who do right by us.”

“What do you do to the other guys? The guys who don’t do right by you?”

“No way I can tell you that kind of stuff until you’ve signed the non-disclosure agreement.” James looked far too serious to be joking about that point.

“So I’m internal PR and the fixer?” Hugo clarified, giving it some thought. That’s basically what he’d been doing for the Barringtons when they needed him. “I can do that.”

“We’ll find out,” James said as Hugo signed.

“I get to use the jet?”

“If you need it.” James shrugged. “I think you’ll be working close to home at first. Follow me.”

“I’m starting now?” Hugo chuckled, certain that couldn’t be the case.

“Yes. Your audience awaits,” James said with a devilish grin that instantly unsettled Hugo. They walked quickly down the hallways of West Oil’s beautiful corporate headquarters. “This is your office.”

The concern crumbled away as Hugo took a look at the massive office with a view. It was artfully decorated, oddly tailored to his taste. It was as if they knew what he liked and were certain he’d take the job.

“Come down here and I’ll show you to your first assignment,” James said, heading at a breakneck pace toward the end of the building. “This is what we call the pen.”

“As in prison?” Hugo asked, waiting for a laugh, but James was not smiling as he held the handle of the door and sighed.

“Like an animal pen at the zoo.” He swung the door open and a room that should hold maybe twenty people was stuffed with more than forty. The people were clamoring and complaining about being kept waiting.

“All right,” James boomed loudly, holding up his hands to quiet them. “This is Hugo Ronaldo. He is your new point of contact. He has full authority to address all your concerns, and he reports directly to me. Now if everyone will take a seat and give Hugo a moment to get settled into his office, I’m certain he’ll get to each and every one of you today.”

A few questions rose above the other voices in the crowd. They wanted Hugo’s credentials and how long he’d been in the industry. But James ignored them and shut the door to trap the noise inside.

“Good luck,” he said, slapping Hugo’s shoulder.

“Who are those people?” he asked frantically. “What exactly am I supposed to help them with?”

“Sometimes you have to do something for them. But mostly you do nothing. Not a damn thing. The group is a mix. They are activists and concerned citizens. A few lonely retired people who come in just to chat. There is one man I’m certain is stalking me. Ted Linzinski. Keep an eye on him.”

“I’m in charge of the crazies? The stalkers?” Hugo croaked out, a veil of optimism yanking free and leaving him eye to eye with reality. “And you don’t want me to address any of their actual concerns?”

“Well,” James began, “if they have any, you are fully empowered to handle their requests. But mostly it’s a lot of concerns about how UFOs are being called here by my ocean oilrigs. Please don’t issue any changes to my rigs to keep the UFOs away. You see where I’m going with this?”

“I thought I was a fixer,” Hugo challenged, trying to keep his mind on his enormous new salary and not the nonsensical complaints he was about to field.

“Trust me, these people might seem pretty harmless but if you don’t keep them happy, they become huge liabilities to the company. They can make a lot of noise if you piss them off or ignore them. I thought I’d be able to manage it myself, but obviously I’ve been less than tactful. You’re going to make them feel heard, make them feel good, and then get rid of them.”

“There have to be some people who come in here with valid concerns,” Hugo said, grasping at straws. Maybe there was something here he could sink his teeth into. He’d built a career on exceeding the expectations of whatever he’d been tasked with. It would be easy to lose ground in his career and get stagnant if he took a role where he couldn’t claw higher and exceed expectations. There had to be an angle, something he could use to his advantage.

“There are some folks worth following up with,” James conceded. “I wasn’t lying. You report directly to me. The people you’ve worked for before spoke very highly of your skills. You can put lipstick on any pig. I hired you because apparently you have a way with words. You’ve got that gift. I hear you’re from a long line of politicians and you haven’t run for anything yourself yet.”

“I never will run,” Hugo bit out quickly. “I’m happy to break that cycle in my family.”

“But you can use your skills here. You’re apparently tactful, cunning, and connected. That’s what this job requires. If by some chance someone comes in with something other than a conspiracy theory or a sad story about how my offshore rigs killed their cat, Misty, you have free rein to deal with it and bring it to my attention if you feel I need to get involved. Oh here, you’ll need this.” James handed over a small keychain with one red button on it.

“What is it?”

“It’s a direct line to security. It’s the equivalent to the big hook that used to yank people off stage when they weren’t doing well. Use it wisely. A last resort.”

“Stock option,” Hugo said, as much to remind himself of the payoff as to make James reassure him.

“You’re doing a great service to your new company,” James smiled. “My wife is going to be so relieved to know I won’t be tossing out what she calls unique souls. Do better than I did. Nail this. Be worth that big salary.”

Hugo extended his hand and they shook on it. “Not sure how you nail a job like this, but I’m about to find out.”