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He’d rather be seen dining with the right people than actually do the work behind the scenes. Holt doesn’t waste his time rolling up his sleeves and involving himself in nonprofit governance when he can just cut a check and bask in the kudos and taxcredits.
Every associate on our team has horror stories about his demands—from the Yale grad he tried to fire when he learned she was pregnant to the intern he demanded go through his office and home closets on the weekend while Holt was traveling to find a jacket he wanted cleaned for when he returned, only to find out later that Holt had it with him allalong.
He’s in it for the prestige, not the job. The only place Holt would run our company is into theground.
Xavier might not be privy to Holt’s indiscretions, but he must know Holt misses great opportunities, especially from up-and-coming entrepreneurs, that could payoff.
“You’re joking,” Isay.
“I’m not. And don’t think I’m entirely old-fashioned. I’m not saying you need a woman. I’d say you need a man, if you were intothat.”
“With all due respect, I don’t see how having someone to share a bathroom with makes you a better venturecapitalist.”
Xavier steeples his fingers. “Having a partner at home is as important as having a partner in the office. It’s less about your day-to-day capabilities and one-off decisions. You need someone to trust, to confide in. Someone to seek counselfrom.”
I don’t know where he’s going with this, so I listen steadily as hecontinues.
“It’s easy to wear the clothes and pretend to be the kind of man who can lead a company like this. It’s harder to do it for real. At a certain level, being well-rounded, having support, itmatters.”
“Does it?” I shift back in my chair, looking at one of the pictures of Xavier with his family. “When I was a kid—old enough to behave, of course—I used to go to dinner parties in LA with my mom. One of the TV studio execs in particular indulged me. My mom said he didn’t work in Hollywood anymore but liked to be around the people. Anyway, he let me play with the statues in his office. One night, I noticed the most recent award was five years before. When I asked him why there wasn’t anything newer, he said his partner had died and he couldn’t bear to keepcreating.”
Xavier doesn’t blink. “One man’s view,Benjamin.”
I could give him more personal examples, but I won’t. Besides, I can see he won’t relent on this, so… I lie. “I have been seeingsomeone.”
“Really? Someoneserious?"
I force myself to nod even though the idea feels ludicrous. “I’ll bring her to the awardsgala."
His eyes brighten. “Make it sooner. I’d like very much to meether.”
And that’s how I take what should have been a perfectly good weekend and fuck it up before I’ve even had acoffee.
* * *
I’m late to brunch.It’s not a cardinal sin—in fact, it’s practically a virtue—but my friends are already squeezed at a round table, elbow to elbow as if the restaurant couldn’t accommodate the entirecrew.
Logan Hunter—known just as Hunter to everyone except his girlfriend and his mom—Jake, and I went to Columbia together. Hunter's girlfriend, Kendall, works with Daisy and Serena, whom I know from the private high school I transferred to after moving from LA. Serena's boyfriend, Wes, is a top-rate geneticist, and his DNA dating app is one of the diamond-in-the-rough discoveries that's helping cement my reputation in the VCworld.
But one person’smissing.
“Where’s Daisy?” Iask.
“She’s running late," Rena supplies. "Something to do with hersister.”
“Lil was out allnight.”
Tris cocks his head as I take a seat, my chair bumping against the empty one. My brother is two years younger, but once he started college, he wound up hanging with my friends—a fact I occasionally find myselfregretting.
He’s waiting for an explanation as to how I know anything about Lily’s night, so I say, “Daisy tells meeverything."
"Doubtful. There are some things a woman doesn't tell someone who hasn't shared her bed. And she's way too ambitious and dedicated foryou.”
I frown. “I’m ambitious anddedicated.”
“Exactly. You’d make magnificent bookends and terriblelovers.”
Tris says I have a problem letting people in, but that’s not accurate. Rather, there are few people I want to invitein.
