The Game-Kirsten Backhard

by Shawnte Borris

  “Absolutely.” Stewart replied.

  This kid is easy. Of course, I smiled back with a light laugh.

  “Where were we?” Mr. Parker asked.

  “I believe that Ethan was going to go over the benefits of the sale agreement,” stated Drew.

  “Yes,” Ethan replied, “as the contact quotes, we can offer the same type of service that your authors receive now.”

  Drew slid a piece of paper over to me.

  What are you doing here?

  I quickly wrote back.

  You needed my help.

  I slid the paper back, not paying attention to Drew’s reaction, as I listened to what dickface had to say. I made sure I played with my pen close to my chest as I bit my lip every so often and smooched my lips together, like I was going to moan.

  “So, as you can see, it would not only be a win for your authors but for you as well.” Ethan then had the gall to sit back with a smug smile, thinking he had just won over the old man.

  “Wow, that is quite impressive,” I stated.

  “We believe it’s fair,” replied Ethan.

  “What do you think, Stewart?” I questioned.

  “I think what we offered to P&P is pretty good. It’s one of the better deals that we have ever offered.”

  “What about the downsides to this offer?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “There are no downsides. The authors will receive the same amount of respect and service, and Mr. Parkers gets to retire and enjoy life,” Ethan stated smugly.

  “I see.” I got up and swayed my hips as I walked over to the coffee station. “You do realize that P&P is known for its warmth and heart?” I asked while pouring myself a cup of coffee.

  “We do,” answered Stewart, “and we promise to maintain that.”

  I leaned on the table beside Ethan and crossed my legs. “How are you going to manage to do that?”

  He slowly looked up at me, catching my every curve. “What do you mean?”

  “Well…” I stood up and went back to my seat. “It is my understanding that you are one of the top ten publishing companies in the U.S., correct?”

  “Yes,” Ethan answered.

  “How do you manage to maintain that at-home feeling? With you and Stewart traveling around, making the deals, how do you both connect with each author?”

  “Well, we have people—”

  Time to bring out the bitch. “Yes, you have people, but I guarantee that authors are looking for someone to hold their hand while they try to figure out their way through publishing their books. A story to them is their heart and soul. I guarantee you that a first-time author doesn’t want to be passed around. They need to have someone willing to help them until they figure it all out. So, I’ll ask again, Mr. Thompson. How will your company maintain this promise if P&P sells to you?”

  Ethan pushed back his chair, and Stewart stood.

  Oh my god, what did I just do? Please don’t walk out of here. “I think we could all use a ten-minute break,” I said quickly.

  “Yes, gentlemen, please help yourselves to the coffee cart, and the three of us will go back to my office for a few minutes. We will continue this meeting in fifteen minutes,” said Mr. Parker.

  As soon as Drew’s dad stood, Drew grabbed my hand and rushed me out of the room.

  “Wha-what are you doing?” I asked.

  Drew pushed me into the closest office and shut the door, leaving his dad in the hallway. “What the hell was that?” he growled.

  Why is he so angry? Maybe I shouldn’t have come.

  I was afraid to look at him, so I faced the desk. “What was what?”

  Drew stepped up behind me, placed his arms around my waist, and breathed into my neck. “What game are you playing?”

  I closed my eyes. “I’m only here to help your dad. This company is going to rip him off.”

  Drew’s fingers slid around my collarbone and swept my hair around to the other side of my neck. “How did you know?”

  “Liz told me that something wasn’t right. As soon as she mentioned Swept Publishing, I got the same feeling, so I dug around and called in a few favors.”

  Drew turned me, so I was facing him. “You did this for me?”

  I didn’t say anything. I just looked into those beautiful eyes that I’d missed. He grabbed me by the back of my neck and lowered his lips on mine. I moaned while I melted into his body. I couldn’t help myself. I fisted my hands into his hair while he picked me up and placed my ass onto the empty desk. He started undoing my blazer. I wrapped my shoes around his lower waist, pulling him in closer to me.

  “Your boobs look great in this.”

  I giggled. “Thanks.”

  Drew placed one hand on my waist as he slowly slid the other one up to my heavy breasts. I wanted him to mold them between his fingers. I just wanted Drew to touch me again.

  That was when we heard a knock on the door.

  Drew dropped his head into my neck. “Would it be rude if I told whoever it is to fuck off?”

  I unwrapped my legs and looked at him. “This should never have happened.”

  Drew looked as if I had sucker punched him in the stomach.

  “I’m sorry, Drew,” I whispered, not looking at him as I buttoned my blazer.

  After another knock, the office door started to gradually open.

  “Is this a bad time?” asked Mr. Parker as he walked in.

  I hopped down from the desk and straightened my blazer. “No, it’s perfect timing actually.”

  Drew let out a little, “Hmph.”

  “So, your little impromptu phone call last week had to do with this?”

  “Yes, but please don’t be mad. I heard about your retirement and about the company trying to buy you out. I did some investigating, and it turns out these brothers are slimeballs. Don’t get me wrong. Their business structure is great, and selling to them for the right price is a good choice, but they are out to rob you blind. I want more for you and for your employees.”

  “Uh-huh,” Mr. Parker said, looking at Drew.

  “Please don’t be upset with Drew. He knew nothing about this,” I begged.

  “I can tell. He was pretty shocked to see you walking in the door.”

  “I know that this was really unprofessional of me, but I promise you that I worked them over. You’ll get a better deal for everyone,” I said the last part while looking over at Drew.

  “I don’t know about that,” Drew responded sourly.

  Gazing back to Mr. Parker. “Sir, Drew is a friend of mine, and I can’t let him or anyone he loves down. I’d like to finish what I started.” Looking back at Drew. “If you want me to go, I’ll understand.”

  Drew finally studied my eyes. “Please stay. My dad could use all the help he can get. We both know that my negotiating face sucks.”

  “Mr. Parker?” I questioned.

  “Sweetheart, you had that redheaded kid eating out of your hands as soon as you walked into the room, and at the end, I think Ethan realized that you are not a force to be messed with.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  “Shall we go back in?” Mr. Parker opened the door.

  I was just about to follow him out when Drew grabbed my elbow. “Kirsten…”

  I placed my hand on his cheek. “You’re welcome.” I gave him my business smile and headed back to the conference room.

  I walked in, owning the room. Sitting in my seat, I watched them for a few moments, “Well, gentlemen, what have you come up with?”

  “We have decided that we will offer you two hundred thousand dollars more for the company and another one hundred thousand for the name P&P,” replied Stewart.

  “Why do you want the name P&P?” asked Drew.

  “Because it has become a household name, a name that authors can trust.”

  “A reputation like that is hard to buy, correct?” I asked smoothly.

  “It is. That is why in addition to the one hundred thousand, we will keep all the
staff employed here, so that connection will remain in place. Either Stewart or I will oversee this office personally,” Ethan said.

  “I see.” Ah-ha! I fucking knew it! I win! I win!

  “You want more?” asked Stewart in astonishment.

  I sat there, quiet for a moment, with all four men’s eyes on me. I thought Mr. Parker’s eyes were about to pop out of his head. I let out a small giggle as I shuffled a few papers around, and then I grabbed my cell phone.

  Sitting straight up, I looked Ethan straight in the eyes. “Look, I’m very good at playing this game, and I always come in after doing my homework. I make sure I understand the men who I am dealing with. So, yes, I’m asking for more.”

  “You’re unbelievable,” boiled Ethan.

  I love this. Checkmate, asshole. “I don’t have time to sit here and have this pissing match. I have other offers from four other companies who are high competitors of yours. They are more than willing to make us an offer—an offer that won’t be insulting or a waste of Mr. Parker’s time.” I lifted my cell phone. “I have them all on speed dial.”

  The room was dead silent. I could hear my knees shaking with all the lies that I’d just told. God, I hope this works.

  Ethan was the first to speak. “Mr. Parker?”

  I looked over to Drew’s dad.

  “You heard what Ms. Backhard had to say. Now, the ball is in your court,” Mr. Parker replied.

  I watched the two men, trying not to throw up.

  “Fine.” Stewart eyeballed me. “What else do you want?”

  I crossed my legs, leaning back into the chair, knowing that I had these men eating out of the palms of my hands. “We both know that P&P appraised at over the amount you have offered, so bring that total up to seven hundred thousand and give us two hundred thousand on top of that for the trusted household name. Plus, you have to keep all the staff and agree not to let anyone go or cut back their pay, healthcare, or holidays for at least two years.”

  “You can’t—” Ethan started angrily.

  “I believe she just did,” said Drew. He had a huge smile on his face as he placed one hand on my knee.

  I’m not quite finished yet. “Also…Mr. Parker gets to keep fifteen percent out of the thirty percent on all the sales the company makes until the end of the year.”

  Ethan stood up. “That’s highway robbery!”

  “Take it or leave it, Mr. Thompson,” I stated very firmly.

  Ethan and I had a staring contest for at least ten seconds before Stewart stepped in. “We’ll take it. You play a dirty game, Ms. Backhard.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, Stewart,” I flirted.

  Ethan threw his things into his briefcase and looked at Mr. Parker. “Once our lawyer has a new contract in place, we will be contacting you.”

  “Looking forward to it.” I smirked.

  All four gentlemen shook hands. I walked around the table and shook Ethan’s hand, holding a business card inside my hand.

  After he let go of my hand, he glanced down at my business card. “Pleasure,” he uttered.

  That’s right. I’m a senior partner, bitch. I nodded. “It was all mine.”

  Stewart shook my hand as well. Then, leaning in, he whispered in my ear, “Have drinks with me. Seeing a woman carry around that much attitude and knowledge gives me a huge boner.”

  I smiled. “No, thank you. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

  He grinned. “Too bad.” Then, he left with his brother and shut the door behind them.

  Before I got a chance to let out the breath that I had been holding, Mr. Parker came up to me and gave me a huge hug. “Thank you, Kirsten. I don’t even know what to say.”

  He hugged me again, but this time, I hugged him back.

  “You’re most welcome,” I replied.

  He let me go and picked up his cell. “I’m going to call my wife and take her out for a celebration lunch.” Mr. Parker just shook his head. “I just can’t believe this, Drew.”

  When he opened the door to leave, I heard him on the phone. “Honey, you won’t believe this.”

  This was a very proud moment for me.

  I started putting my papers into my briefcase when Drew placed his hands on top of mine.

  “How did you know what my dad’s company was really worth?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “What about the worth of the P&P name?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Lucky guess.”

  Drew sat down. “So, let me get this straight. You had absolutely no idea how much P&P or its name was worth?”

  I shrugged. “No idea. I just knew what an oil company’s name is worth, so I just went with that.” I sat down beside Drew and turned my chair to face him. I reached for his hands. “What I did today was incredibly stupid. I know very little about those two douche bags, but it was just enough to get me into their heads. Believe me, it wasn’t much. I have no idea what value a publishing company holds. I just didn’t want to see your dad getting ripped off or see all his employees end up with no job in the next six months.” I finally took a big breath while Drew just watched me. “That could have very easily blown up in my face if they had called my bluff. I could have ruined everything for your dad.”

  “Is that why you paraded around your peacock?”

  “What?” I asked, puzzled.

  “You let them see your peacock.” Drew laughed with an evil grin.

  “I’m gonna kill Liz.”

  We both stood up and headed toward the door.

  Drew reached for me and wrapped his arms around me. He whispered, “Thank you, Kirsten.”

  “Anytime you need me, Drew, just ask. I will always be here for you.”

  Drew looked me in the eyes and kissed me once again. I started to pull back, but he just held on to me that much tighter.

  I had my fingers on the door handle.

  “Have lunch with me?” Drew pleaded.

  I put my head down and looked at my good-luck red pumps. “I can’t. I have a plane to catch.” I walked out the door and didn’t look back.

  Once I reached my hotel room, I crawled into bed and cried until my flight the next morning.

  It was the weekend, and Brad decided to have all the boys over while Liz and Kirsten went off to New York for a girls’ trip. When I pulled up to Brad’s, I noticed the house next door was for sale. After I got out of the car, I took a picture of the real estate sign and then headed over to Brad’s front door.

  “Finally. What took you forever?” Brad asked, slightly annoyed.

  “Sorry, I was looking for information on this company wanting to buy out my dad. I’m having a bitch of a time. It’s like they don’t even exist.”

  “You could always call—”

  “No, thanks, man.” I leaned my head toward the for-sale sign. “Hey, when did that house go up for sale?”

  Brad looked over at the house. “A couple of weeks ago. Liz and I took a look at it when they had an open house. It’s kind of creepy. It’s the exact same floor plan as ours. They also have a hot tub in the backyard, and they put in fake grass.”

  “Fake grass?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s funny shit. It’s really soft and green. You don’t have to water it, and the best part is that you never have to cut it.”

  “Huh.”

  I looked over at the house one last time and smiled before I went into Brad’s.

  I flopped down onto Brad’s couch. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

  Brad sat beside me. “Derek is bringing the beer, and Adam is grabbing pizza as we speak.”

  “Cool.”

  “Wanna help me pull out the poker table?”

  “Sure.”

  We headed downstairs to the basement. There was shit everywhere, and dust was all over the place. “Holy shit, man. What the hell are you two doing down here, building an S and M room?”

  “Funny.”

  “Seriously, dude. What are you guys building?” I asked ag
ain, examining the room.

  “It’s a wedding gift from Liz. She’s building me a man cave.”

  “Liz knows how to run a power tool? Shit, I’d like to see that. Does she wear a cute getup, too?” I laughed.

  Brad smacked my back. “Shut up, dude. She’s not actually building it. She hired it out. They are taking forever. I thought they would have been closer to having it done by now. ”

  “What’s the holdup?”

  “Who knows? They show up late and take off early.”

  “Sounds like they need to be fired.”

  “Believe me, I want to, but it’s Liz’s gift, so I don’t want to step on her toes.”

  “So, why don’t we do it instead?”

  Brad looked at me.

  “I mean, you have three extra guys here for the weekend with nothing else really to do. Instead of playing poker, why don’t we work on the basement?” I offered.

  “You just don’t want to hand over all that cash,” Brad teased.

  “Damn right, I don’t.”

  Brad laughed. “Well, come on, buddy. Let’s get things organized before dumb and dumber get here.”

  “I know that I’m dumb because Adam isn’t here yet,” Derek yelled while coming down the stairs.

  “Hey, buddy.” I walked up and gave him the bro hug.

  “What’s the plan, Thelma and Louise?” asked Derek.

  “Brad is having trouble with his contractor, so I proposed that we help him out.”

  “You in, Derek?” Brad asked.

  “Sure, I haven’t gotten my hands dirty in a while. Beer?”

  “Does a bear shit in the woods?” Brad joked.

  Derek threw us each a can of beer.

  “What the fuck is this? Canadian 67?” I laughed.

  “I can’t drink much during the hockey season. You fuckers know that.”

  Brad let out a disgusted noise and ran up the stairs.

  “Where is he going?” Derek asked.

  “Knowing him, he’s grabbing the vodka to add to his beer.”

  Sure as shit, Brad came back with premixed Caesars in cans and solo cups.