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Lola’s face pales. Cute. She has no idea how Feng Shui works. As she slips into the seat next to Randall, my lips twitch.
“Tell me about your business.” Lola’s shoulders tense as if she’s hoping Maitland falls for her change in topics.
“I see you’re one that gets straight to the point.”
“There’s no time for small talk. My father needs me out there mingling. You know about impressions. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the daughter of the benefit’s namesake to fail to attend the event, especially since I look like her. The more I’m around, the deeper people will dig into their wallets.”
He nods, and his eyes dip to her chest. Yeah, man, I know they’re stunning, but they aren’t yours. Unless he’s plotting to take the jewels. Either way, I’m prepared to take him out. The weight of the gun rests against my back.
“Understood. It’s simple really. Clients deposit funds into an account, which I invest on their behalf. The money can be removed at any time. However, there’s a twenty-four-hour hold on any transaction.”
“Why twenty-four hours?”
“Well.” Randall’s face gets darker. I think. It’s hard to tell with his tan. “It has to do with banking requirements.”
“Oh.” She places her hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I questioned your honor.”
“No, it’s fine.”
She drops her hand and wrings her fingers together in her lap. “I’m so nervous. I’ve never had this much money of my own, and I don’t know how to invest it.”
Randall’s face fills with a huge smile as excitement radiates off him. “I can help you with that.”
“Lola, he’s the best.” Patricia crosses her legs and leans forward.
The second Randall flinched over her question, she’d sensed it. And to think, when we’d first met, I questioned her capabilities. She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.
Am I ready to tell her about my past? I don’t talk about it with anyone–even those closest to me don’t know the details of how I let one impulsive decision cause the complete destruction of a mission. A mission that was in the works for three months. I’d nearly been paralyzed and caused injury to several of my team members.
The complete faith those soldiers placed in me and how badly I’d let them down still makes my stomach churn. The only reason she hasn’t discovered my secret is that I’ve been careful not to show my scars.
Patricia uncrosses her legs. “But you won’t want to take any money out. Unless it’s the profits. Like Randall always says, ‘The more money you leave in, the more money you make.’”
I’m sure he does. It’s a good way to keep his clients from figuring out there’s no money in the account. If he only pays out earnings, he’ll keep most of the funds in the account to purchase expensive suits and yachts and enormous houses. The files Ripley sent prove he’s living large.
“Thank you, Patricia.”
“Who do you invest with?” Lola gapes at him in admiration.
“Mostly, Fortune 500 companies but a lot of startup businesses as well.”
“Do you send out quarterly reports? Not that I would know what to do with them.” She giggles. “Or what I was looking at.” She hops on the seat and claps her hands. “I’m so excited. I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
Randall grins like the Mad Hatter. “It’s okay. I can explain to you what the reports mean. I don’t expect you to understand. If you did, you wouldn’t need me.”
I roll my eyes. Thank God I have these sunglasses on. His eagerness is embarrassing. He’s like a sixteen-year-old boy about to hump the leg of the homecoming queen.
“Speaking of that, how much would I have to pay to keep from worrying about this stuff. I’ll have better things to do with my time once I receive my trust fund. And I definitely won’t be working.” She shivers. “I’m a shopper, not a worker. I plan to be out of the country a lot, so I won’t be able to keep an eye on my financial situation. I don’t even know if I’ll have a forwarding address.”
Maitland moves to the edge of the sofa. His eyes are bright with enthusiasm, and he’s practically foaming at the mouth over Lola’s carelessness. She’s the perfect client. “Not a problem. We can set it up for you to call in once a month and go over your investments. My price is $500 an hour, with the first consultation being free of charge. Of course, if you want me to handle everything, that will be $1,500 per hour.”
Lola stands without blinking an eye. “Wonderful. Let me sleep on it, and we can meet at your office tomorrow, say 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon?”
Randall braces his hands on his thighs and prepares to stand. “What’re you looking to invest?”
“Somewhere in the mid-six figures. Maybe more. It all depends on how well we get along. The more I trust you, the more it’ll be.”
He falls back onto the sofa. “Two o’clock it is. Could you invest as soon as tomorrow? It would secure your spot. I have a lot of potential clients that I’ve held off bringing into the fold. I’m only taking you on because of Patricia.”
