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Laughing, I lift my glass, and we toast. “Thirty days and counting!” Ami cheers, starting her own countdown.
It’s hours later when I finally wander off to bed after Maggie and I tuck a tipsy but happy Ami into a taxi. “You know,” Maggie says as she brushes her teeth, “I think we’re going to be okay.”
I meet her eyes in the mirror. “I hope so.”
As I lie down, curling up under my blanket, I sort of feel okay too. Or maybe even better than okay.
In one day, I’ve got a good job that’s got a promising future.
I’ve got good friends.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ve got a man, too.
Could I have stumbled into having it all, the whole enchilada?
Or is it the wine still talking?
CHAPTER 16
DYLAN
So while your idea has merit, I’m going to need a little time to evaluate all sides of the situation, I type, pausing before deleting half the sentence and sitting back in my chair as I pinch the bridge of my nose. Turning down an offer is often hard, especially one of this magnitude and potential. Turning down an offer from a friend is even harder.
When Austin approached me about a potential deal he’s trying to line up, I was intrigued. The car and truck market is at a point now where outside forces, both cultural and economic, are dictating changes. The traditional automotive manufacturers are going to have to adapt or they’ll find themselves on the scrap heap of history. But Austin has an angle on another plan, merging the cutting-edge flexibility of a startup with the major automakers’ distribution network.
If it works, he’s poised to be the driving force of the biggest change to the American car scene in decades. And while he’s gotthe money to push this through on his own, he’s trying to diversify his investors to maximize his profits and his potential.
So he reached out to me, because he knows that I’ve got my fingers on the pulse of more cash flow than he does and that I’ve got other investments that could be beneficial to the project.
But what he’s asking…
I’m excited to see your project come to fruition,I rewrite in the bland, clipped tones of business speak,and I wish you the best. The possibilities on what can happen in this project are more than needed for the market. But right now, I’m going to have to pass on getting involved personally. Please keep me apprised, and if the opportunity presents itself in the future, we can talk.
-Dylan
I hitSend, firing off the email to Austin. I know it’s passing up on an opportunity, and some people would say I’m losing out. But one of the things I’ve learned in my time in business is that while the old adage of ‘you win some, you lose some’ might be true, a lot of losses can be chalked up to spreading yourself too thinly. So if I’m not able to stay on top and see where and when to make adjustments to the projects under the firm’s umbrella, then a small issue can become a full-blown problem before I can react.
And I’ve already got expansion plans in place for the firm, loading up my plate as it is. The Dexstrom deal was signed, sealed, and legally delivered today to the appropriate government authorities. The Miller mining deal is waiting for a final vote at the university board level to rename their mineralogy department in his honor in order to give me two major footholds in the technology world.
All in all, I’m pleased with our current situation. Let Austin become the innovator of transportation. And when heneedsmore cash flow, I’ll be here and hopefully in a position to push him further.
My computer chimes, and I see that it’s five minutes to six.Raven is going to walk through that door any moment now. A hum of satisfaction runs through me. Each day has been better than the last, easier and more manageable to balance work with play as well. I fucking love what we have.
She’s been nothing short of amazing, logging significant profits each day with her investments. In just this week, she’s already made her entire base salary in profit for the firm.
She hasn’t been perfect, of course. Nobody, not even me, is. Three of her trades lost money, but in those losses, she learned, and more importantly, she showed good instincts. She didn’t hang onto her pride. She dumped the investment before a small dip turned into a nosedive, and in doing so, she kept her portfolio in the green for the day. I don’t often feel pride in a new hire, but she feels like more than that.
I knew I was right about her. All those fuckers missed out.
Five days in the office, five days of profits. More importantly, five days of learning, of showing me that she knows exactly what she’s talking about while still being hungry to understand more.
And so far, four days of coming to my office at six o’clock, with one to go, sitting under my learning tree while being unafraid to share her own thoughts and opinions. She challenges me, but respectfully. The pluckiness that she showed me before our date at the Faulkner event is still there. She stands up for herself while still acknowledging my superiority in matters of business.
And of course, each of these sessions has led to sex. Intense, fantastic, body wracking sex. She’s fucking addicting.
The moment she’s gone, I feel the loss of not having her in my bed.
She wants to keep it business and leave separately. As much as I respect the terms of the verbal contract, I’m certain there will be flexibility.
