AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Begging wouldn’t help me. Alexa didn’t want a man who begged. What hurt the most was that she didn’t seem to want me the way I wanted her. All it had taken was a slight to her pride—that occurred years ago—and then she couldn’t stand to be around me or answer my calls.
“If somebody wanted to invest in it, what would they need to know?” she asked. “What would you want to know, if you were to put money in?”
How long would this continue before we got to the subject we had to confront?I sighed. “First, you said it’s new. How new?”
“Just starting up.”
“How many clients?” I asked, wondering what she was after.
“Minimal.”
A few of my scenarios had included her coming to this office, but certainly not to pitch me an investment deal, and a shitty one at that. They’d all involved fewer words and more tongue action. God, was I an idiot.
“How many is minimal?” I asked.
“One,” she said sheepishly.
I couldn’t hold back my laugh. “You’re kidding. What your friend has is a dream, not a business.”
* * *
Alexa
His laugh almost made me cry. Maybe this whole thing had been a mistake. In my mind, this had gone a hell of a lot smoother.
I’a thought sitting on the opposite side of the desk from him would help me keep my distance, keep me focused on the end goal, keep me from giving in to my desires and launching myself at him, and keep the negotiation professional.
I couldn’t allow him to see my weakness, so I blinked back the mist in my eyes and took a cleansing breath. I was tougher than that.
He’d said more than once when we’d talked about his successes, that they depended on motivation and planning—sticking to the plan.Focus, Borelli. You can do this.
I sat up straighter. “How much would you pay to be rid of Martin?”
His jaw clenched. “If he’s involved in this business, it’s not worth a single fucking penny. As a matter of fact, I’d pay to destroy it.”
“How much would it be worth to you to get him out of your company? This company.”
“I don’t understand.”
“How much? In dollars.” Sliphorn had always said to have the opponent be first to name a figure. “Give me a number.”
“You’re serious?” he asked, frustration evident in his voice and his posture.
“Goddamn it, Evan,” I said too harshly. Reeling back my temper, I tried again in an even tone. “Evan, you told me he was a worm. And, by the way, that’s way too generous. You said you wished your Dad had never hired him, and you wanted him out of the company. How much would you pay my friend to make that happen, if it was a part of the deal?
His phone rang. He glanced at it.
My heart pounded in my chest. “Answer the question, not the phone.”
He silenced the phone. “Ten thousand, but how can—”
“Not enough,” I countered. Sweat glued my shirt to my back, but I kept my face composed. Evan had always said a poker face was vital. “She needs more to get the business going.”
“Hypothetically, twenty thousand. But how can she—”
“Acceptable,” I stood quickly and extended my hand across the desk to shake on the deal. I smiled, having won the first battle.
He rose with a quizzical look. “What are we doing here, Allie?”
