ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: Scored by the Billionaire (Alpha Billionaire Secret Baby Football Romance) (Alpha Male Sports Romantic Comedy) by Mia Taylor Page A

I want a new workplace aesthetic in place, as quickly as possible to demonstrate a shift in workplace culture here. I want this place to be as progressive and empowering as possible at all levels. That's the culture I want to put in place."
    The chairs were vinyl-covered office chairs, no better than one might find in the waiting room at the dentist. Carlson's temporary desk was a folding work table. He had a stack of folders and a laptop, with a briefcase and a coffee mug. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "Water, coffee, tea? There's some champagne in the fridge. I think the previous owners were saving it for when they won a championship, but, well, we saw how that played out."
    Liona laughed. "I'm fine, thank you."
    He sat down in the chair across from her. "You look fantastic. You really do. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to see each other more during the handover process. After you did all your investigations, I thought you'd be involved all the way through."
    "I would have been," she said, "but I took leave. I'm still on leave, technically. I'm not due back at the League office for another three weeks. Unless I jump ship to the Corsairs, that is."
    Carlson smiled. "Well, we're here today so I can convince you that jumping ship would be the right move."
    "Okay," she said, with a restrained smile. "Can we deal with the elephant in the room first?"
    He glanced around the room. "I don't see it. Just kidding. Yes, please, let's be perfectly frank with each. What would you like to talk about?"
    "Well, there are certain, shall we say, Human Resources-related issues about taking a job with a boss that you've been intimate with. I don't think it would benefit either of us to act as though a particular night in a particular hotel room didn't happen."
    "Excellent, yes, let's deal with that. Here's how I see the situation." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, considering his words, and then he smiled and looked at her. "I have had intimate encounters with many, many women. Because of my social circles, many those women are highly educated and excellent in their fields. From my perspective, I would be doing a disservice to both those women and my own businesses if I discounted them as potential candidates in my organizations. That said, I believe in strict no-harassment workplaces. And in the case that I had a business relationship with a person that I had also known socially or romantically, I would insist those relationships be kept absolutely exclusive." He thought for a moment. "But at the same time, I can't stand in the way of people's feelings."
    Liona smiled. "That seems conveniently vague."
    He shrugged. "Well, here's the conundrum," Carlson said. "It's very important that we do not allow harassment in the workplace, and it's also important that we do not allow unfair or preferential treatment in the workplace because of a romantic relationship, be it prior or current. But that said, the workplace is still the number one place that people meet their significant others in America. So while I expect that people, myself included, will date in the workplace, I do insist that people behave in a fair and appropriately professional manner and observe all Human Resources guidelines that are in place to prevent any improper behavior."
    "Wow," she said with a grin. "That sounds like a speech you've had to give a few times before."
    "No, not at all," he smiled. "To be honest, you're the first person I've interviewed that I've slept with."
    "You didn't think about it before inviting me to interview for this position? How you would deal with the fact that we were together?"
    He laughed and shifted in his chair. "Well, Liona, here's what I thought about when I decided to reach out to you about joining the front office of this team. You spent a full year investigating me on behalf of the League. You went through everything. You went through the finances of every business I've ever been involved in, from my first comic book store