AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Retain Me
Peyton Banks
1
“The meeting at King Steele Industries will be at one o’clock this afternoon,” Jasmine’s voice broke through Avarie’s thoughts.
She glanced up from her notes and met the eyes of her secretary. She held back a smirk, trying not to laugh at how magnified her assistant’s eyes looked behind her new glasses. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Avarie shook her head. She reached for her coffee mug and took a hefty sip of it, trying to hide her smile. A sigh escaped her as she sat back in her plush leather chair. Jasmine always ensured her coffee was perfect, and this current cup was no exception. “Is there anything particular I need to know about this meeting?”
Avarie Ingram was used to entering meetings and finding herself to be the only female present. It was also fairly common that she was the only black person present. It didn’t bother her at all. She was quite confident in her abilities. Pride filled her, knowing she was bred for this particular profession. Corporate law was in her blood. Her father, along with his partner, had built their legal firm from the ground up.
John Walsh and Finton Ingram began a law firm in the days where racial inequity was the norm, but they chose to break through those barriers. They had become great friends during law school and decided to go into business together.
Walsh and Ingram grew to become one of the most esteemed law firms around.
It was no surprise that after graduating from The Ohio State University, Avarie would enter law school. Her parents were big supporters of her through her training at Pepperdine School of Law. She’d graduated at the top of her class and immediately had offers to work at firms and corporations around the world, but she chose to stay home and learn the family business. She had worked her way up at Walsh and Ingram, and now there was an additional Ingram name on the company’s letterhead.
Walsh, Ingram & Ingram.
She had been made partner. Her father, who was advancing in age, had decided to begin retiring. He began clearing out some of his more high-profile cases, and she’d inherited the largest one.
King Steele Industries.
“Well…” Jasmine paused and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. She glanced down at her notes. “You’ll be meeting with the C.E.O, C.O.O, and their team of lawyers. This will be like a meet and greet with their team. Mr. Ingram has been advising King Steele Industries for decades when the elder Mr. King ran the company.”
“So this is really about me, and not the business so to speak,” Avarie murmured, tapping her perfectly manicured nail on her desk.
She wasn’t intimidated at all. Of course they would want to meet the person who would be the top advisor for the legal issues of the company.
“Basically,” Jasmine breathed, relaxing her shoulders. She chewed on the tip of her pen, staring at Avarie. “Are you the least bit nervous? You look so calm. I’d be shitting bricks right now.”
Avarie grinned at her secretary. Was she nervous? Not in the least. To be in this business, one had to be tough and be able to play hardball.
“No. I’ve learned in my experience how to run with the big boys, and this meeting will be no different. They will want to throw their weight around, puff out their chests and act like they have big dicks—excuse the language.” Jasmine’s eyes grew wide as she held on to every Avarie’s every word. “You and I both know that the men in those positions are old, fat, rich, and still living in the caveman era. Then I, a very competent young black woman, will waltz in to this meeting and show them that it is I who has the biggest dick of them all.”
“You are my hero.” Jasmine sighed, pushing up her oversized frames again. “I would love to be a fly on the wall for this meeting.”
Avarie cocked her head to the side as she stared at Jasmine. She should take members of her team with her.
“That’s a great idea, Jasmine. You’re coming with me.”
“Really?” her voice squeaked.
“Yes, really. As my executive assistant, part of your job requirements include travel, but this is only a few blocks away.” She laughed, pushing a strand of her dark hair away from her eyes.
Jasmine Gordan had worked for Avarie for the last few years. When Avarie had been promoted to partner, she’d chosen to keep her secretary with her.
Jasmine was a young woman with short dark hair who was very sweet and innocent but ran her office with an iron fist. She was shy, a little quirky and nerdy all rolled up in one. Her smooth, light skin gave away her mixed heritage. Avarie wouldn’t have thought of anyone else to promote as her executive assistant.
“Okay, it will be very entertaining to watch you prove you have the bigger dick.” A blush spread across Jasmine’s cheeks as a giggle escaped her. “But to get back to business, King Steele Industries has been in talks of contracting out with a few new vendors that they outsource some of their resources to.”
Rock-solid contracts were one of Avarie’s specialties. She made a mental note to speak to the C.E.O about the current ones that were in use. She would want to review them to ensure that they met her standards.
“What do you know about the C.E.O? Don’t I have a personal meeting with him after the group one?”
She had read up on Shane King. She was sure he was like all corporate businessmen—all about the money and which companies he could overtake. All she truly needed to know was he was running one of the largest steel manufacturing corporations that grossed in the billions yearly.
