by Sloan Storm
It did.
And if I wasn’t careful, he’d know it.
So, with his ‘deplorable’ comment still fresh in my mind, I brushed it off with a casual chuckle.
“I’ve come to appreciate your unique manner of complimenting me, Greyson. Thank you.”
His caramel irises flickered in the soft light of the backseat. He leaned away from me and with a slight smile, he replied, “No, thank you. And Maddie…”
“Yes?”
“Call me Grey.”
I swallowed and looked away, uncertain of how I’d feel the first time I said that to him. As the limo drove off, I placed my hands in my lap, glanced out the window to my right and tried to change the focus of the conversation.
“So, I noticed you leaving with a few gentleman from the studio. All is going well, I hope?”
“Yes,” Grey replied. “As a matter of fact, I’ve concluded my business with them ahead of schedule.”
Turning to face him, I said, “Oh yes? Well, that’s excellent news then, I suppose, isn’t it?”
“In one sense, yes, it is. In another, less so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. Back to Chicago. So that’s good.”
“Oh,” I replied, as I attempted to mask the sudden sense of disappointment I felt on hearing the twist to his travel plans. “So what is the bad part of that news?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if I’m leaving tomorrow, we only have tonight to spend with one another and conclude our business together. You are prepared to honor the commitment you made, aren’t you Maddie?”
Life-threatening nausea is not the best phrase I’d use to describe the feeling that pulsed through every vein, capillary and corpuscle in my body. But of all the sensations I experienced at that instant, it is the most easily relatable.
So we’ll go with it.
In the wake of that, my mind flashed with innumerable outcomes, most of which ended with me in a twisted tangle of sweaty flesh with the olive-skinned hunk seated next to me. I reached up and smoothed my eyebrow with the most casual stroke I could muster as I stalled for time.
Maddie! Wake up!
Snapping out of my funk, I realized I had to speak my mind. No matter the consequences. And the time to do it was right now.
“Um, Greyson…”
“Grey,” he interrupted.
“Sorry. Grey,” I said, correcting myself. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just come out with it.”
He nodded. “I’d prefer that.”
“Please don’t take this wrong way, okay? Promise me that you won’t.”
“Scout’s honor,” he replied with a wink.
“Um, okay, well it’s like this. I want to keep our relationship professional. As much as I appreciate you being flexible and accepting the terms of my offer, I just, I don’t want to ruin my business chances before they ever even get started. I hope that makes sense.” Turning my upper body towards him and placing my hand over my heart, I continued. “Please don’t be insulted.”
He leaned away from me with a look of confusion on his face.
“Maddie, why would I be insulted? I want the same thing.”
“You do?”
“Yes, of course. Why else would I agree to pay a king’s ransom to spend time with you?”
As he finished speaking, he reached down and slipped his hand into mine. Disbelief suspended me in the moment as he raised my hand towards his mouth and placed a single, perfectly moist kiss on the back of my hand. Electric shocks raced up my arm and sent a primal pulse to my brain, setting my carnal urges on edge and my desire to keep things ‘professional’ in serious jeopardy.
Grey withdrew his lips from my flesh and lowered my hand back into my lap before releasing it.
“Let’s discuss the details over dinner,” he said with a grin. “I have a proposal that I think you’ll find tempting.”
12
Fringe Benefits (Grey)
We dined at Chef Claude’s that night. After we were seated, he came out to the table and chatted with us. Nice guy. I know Maddie thought I was rude to him when we ate at the bar the first night I came to town. But if anything, I hoped she noticed the result. I operated by a simple rule, never take crap from people.
Ever.
If you give another person the slightest clue you think you’re less important than they are, it’s over. Now that Chef Claude went out of his way to glad-hand me, I was certain the point wouldn’t be lost on Maddie.
After ordering, I turned my attention to the issue at hand. She’d caught me a bit off guard. Not only was she a knockout, but the business idea she’d come up with was a damn good one. I watch startups fail all the time. Mostly it’s because they just run out of money before they can make a go of it. Of course, when that happens, it’s great to be in the position I’m in. My companies have acquired more businesses on the verge of bankruptcy than I can remember. But that’s where the real bargains are in life. When people are desperate, they’ll do almost anything. And while Maddie might not be desperate just yet, I figured it wouldn’t be long.
I sensed an opportunity and there was no way in hell I’d leave town without making my intentions known.
I took a sip of my vodka rocks. The alcohol stung my taste buds as I swallowed it with a hard contraction. It was about the only thing that could have washed away the taste of her skin from my palate. Not that I wanted to be rid of it, mind you. I had to be, otherwise I’d never make it through the meal.
Placing the icy beverage down on the table, I looked across the table at her as she lifted her wine glass to her lips. Her fingers wrapped around the long, slender stem of the glass as she tilted it up and took a healthy swig of the deep purple liquid. I studied her throat muscles and watched as they contracted while the alcohol made its way inside her. Finishing, she placed the glass back down on the snow white tablecloth, made eye contact with me and smiled.
“So,” she said, as she cleared her throat a bit. “You mentioned you had a proposal you wanted to discuss with me?”
I nodded and leaned back in my chair.
“I have to tell you I’m impressed,” I said.
“Impressed?” she replied.
“Yes, with you, Maddie. With your business idea.”
“Oh,” she said. I noticed her skin turn the shade of red I’d grown accustomed to seeing when I said something that caused her embarrassment. “Thank you, Grey. That’s kind of you. I’d be a liar though if I told you it’s gone smoothly. It’s been anything but.”
“Yes.” I nodded in agreement. “I’m well aware of that. But that still doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. Far from it. You need some help though.”
“Help? What do you mean? What kind of help?”
Placing my forearms at the table’s edge, I leaned forward and folded my hands together in front of my face. As I tapped my fingers together, I said, “So how do you intend to grow your fledgling operation from this point on? What’s your plan? Do you have one?”
She broke eye contact with me for a moment. Taking a lock of her hair and spinning it round her index finger, she continued, “Funny you should mention that.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Maddie grimaced as she stammered, “Um, I was hoping to get a referral from you. You know, assuming you’re pleased with how things went.”
I stopped my fingers mid-tap and held them pressed against one another.
“Sure Maddie, I’d be happy to give you a referral,” I replied, as I smiled and leaned back in my chair.
Her expression brightening, Maddie straightened up in her chair and began to speak before I interrupted her with a warning.
“Even so, I can tell you right now you’re going to need a lot more than a referral from me, or anyone for that matter, if you hope to make a long-term go of this as a business. You need working capital. A plan to grow. Do you have any id
ea how to put that in place?”
Maddie’s face froze. I watched as her lips pressed together. She shook her head.
“No. I don’t.”
With a half-shrug, I reached for my drink and took a pull of the clear liquor. Placing it down, I continued, “Well, you need those things if you hope to have any chance to make it. For instance, without sufficient cash reserves, you’ll be bankrupt in a few months, if not sooner.”
While I spoke, Maddie twirled her hair in tight spirals, releasing it every few seconds before starting all over again. At last, she puffed her cheeks and exhaled.
“Bankrupt?” she said. “I mean, I know I’m struggling a little, but I don’t think I’ll go broke that fast.”
“Ah yes, the eternal optimism of the entrepreneur. Maddie, I’ve seen this more times in my life than I care to recount. You can choose to accept my advice or not. Ignore it at your peril.”
And honest to God, I meant it. I enjoyed watching people succeed in business and if I could profit from it, all the better. This circumstance was even more enjoyable, given all the ‘fringe benefits’ I expected to accrue if she listened to the rest of the advice I was prepared to offer her.
As I ruminated, Maddie continued to twirl and twist her hair until at last she stopped and with a hint of desperation in her tone asked, “Okay, well, what can I do?”
I leaned back and casually interlaced my fingers together across my chest.
“I’ll tell you that I think you’ve got a solid business idea here, Maddie. I mean it. There’s definitely a niche you’ve found and I think it’s one that could be quite lucrative. I’ve got lots of wealthy friends who’d be willing to pay a pretty penny for a high-end concierge service. It solves a lot of problems. However, you need three things to keep going. One, of course, is money. The second is a business plan and third, a partner you can trust.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Partner?”
“Yes. I’m talking about a business proposition, Maddie. You’ll get the money you need to not only meet your short-term cash needs, but also to grow the business over the next year to eighteen months. In addition to the capital infusion, I’ll put together a complete business plan and I’ll do all of this for a fifty-one percent equity position in the business.”
Maddie’s hands dropped into her lap. “Fifty-one percent? But — that means you would control the business.”
“That’s right, Maddie. It’s the only way I can be sure my investment is safe.”
“Okay, well I need time to think about it,” she replied. “Is that all right?”
Her gaze conveyed a sense of determination I’d not seen from her before. I half-expected her to take any deal I offered. I was surprised she wanted to take time to think it through, even though I believed this one to be fair. Maybe my instincts about this business, and about her, were right after all.
I nodded and gave her a quick wink. “Of course you can think it over. I’ll give you until tomorrow to decide.”
13
Sealing The Deal (Maddie)
“Okay,” I began. Talk about being caught off guard.
“To new partnerships,” Grey said, raising his glass.
I lifted mine in turn and with a gentle clink toasted to Grey’s unexpected offer. After taking a much larger than ordinary sip of my Pinot Noir, I placed my glass back on the table.
“So how do we get started?”
“When I return to Chicago, I’ll have my attorneys draft a formal agreement. For now though, I’m willing to accept a more casual arrangement. A consummation of sorts.”
I swallowed hard. The dryness left behind on my palate seemed to intensify with the conclusion of his statement. Right away it became clear to me I needed to define the exact terms or risk losing more than my business in the process.
“Grey, please don’t take this the wrong way, but…”
As I spoke, he raised his hand in the air with his palm facing me. My thought interrupted, I stopped.
“Let me guess,” he began, as he lowered his hand. “You aren’t going to sleep with me.”
Taken aback, but not completely surprised, I attempted to compose myself.
“Yes,” I replied with all the confidence I could gather. “And…”
He raised his hand once more. “And you think that if you refuse me, I won’t agree to help you.”
As Grey finished speaking, I felt a rash of redness flush my chest. I wanted to melt into to the seat and disappear into vapor, just fucking vanish. I didn’t realize how insulting I’d been. Here I wanted to offer a well-reasoned, polite comment. But until I heard the words come out of his mouth, I had no clue how self-centered, egotistical and ugh, just downright bitchy I must have seemed.
Wanting to avert any disastrous impact on the deal he offered, I jumped in.
“Grey, I’m sorry. Please, I didn’t mean for it to come across that way. No woman in her right mind would turn you down. I hope you aren’t insulted.”
Grey shook his head. With little to no change in his demeanor, he casually waved off my comment. “If you were any other woman, I wouldn’t be interested, Maddie. But, I understand and respect your decision. Trust me when I tell you that what you’ve said doesn’t affect my business decisions. I think you have a good business idea. It’s an idea I want to invest in. Okay?”
Oh my God, could I feel like more of a complete ass right now?
As he spoke, my head drifted forward a bit in a gesture of shame. My hair slipped down in front of my eyes. Tugging it behind my ears, I looked back across the table at Grey. The soft ambient lighting in Chef Claude’s reflected in his normally dark brown eyes, lighting them with a cinnamon-like hue.
“Maddie?” he said, as I stared at him, wordless. “Are we okay? We understand each other?”
His words snapped me out of my trance and I nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Grey.”
He smiled and gestured for the waiter to bring the check. “Don’t mention it. It’s my pleasure. I need to get some rest. Come up to my suite with me and I’ll give you some money for tonight, since I won’t be staying and paying you the full amount we agreed on.”
Feeling as if this might be as good a chance as any to show him some appreciation, I politely refused. “I couldn’t, Grey. Really. Not after what you’ve offered. I wouldn’t feel right about it.”
As he signed the check, he shook his head. Without looking up at me, he replied, “Don’t be ridiculous Maddie. I insist and I won’t take ‘‘no’ for an answer.”
In desperate need of the cash, I decided to take Grey up on his offer and ten minutes later, I stood in the foyer of his suite while he disappeared into the bedroom to get his checkbook. As he walked away, the hard soles of his loafers clopped along the floor offering the only sound in an otherwise quiet moment.
I glanced around at the opulence and luxury of the suite as I waited for him to return. Rich, ivory marble flooring reflected the soft white lighting of the ornate brass sconces adorning the walls. Everywhere I looked, the finest in furnishings and fixtures captured my attention. Was this something you ever got used to?
Hell, even the air smelled expensive.
I turned my back on the hallway leading to the bedroom and realized what a far cry this was from my tiny accommodations at Katy’s place. And, unlike the pricey oxygen floating around my nostrils here, the dominant aroma at my room was the ever-present scent of hair spray and the remnants of an at-home sugar waxing experiment gone horribly wrong. Now, walking on my bathroom floor was like moving across a room full half-chewed bubble gum and to top it off, I still looked like Yeti when I was done.
Which, ugh, I still had to clean all that up.
Shaking my head, I looked up at the ceiling. What was I doing here? I had to leave. This is… I just don’t belong here. Feeling panicked all of a sudden, I squeezed my clutch and began to step as lightly as possible towards the door of the suite. I’d made not more than six feet of progress, when Grey’s voice boomed from behind.
“Maddie,” he said in a tone that sounded like a command.
I froze in place and fought the urge to turn back to look at him. If I did, I wasn’t sure if I’d walk to the entrance, or run. Just then, I felt Grey’s presence behind me.
“What’s wrong?” he said, as he walked around in front of me, barefoot.
I drew my eyes up to meet his. In his hand, he held what looked to be my check. I swallowed hard at the sight of it.
“Grey, I can’t,” I stammered. “I just can’t.”
Without hesitating, Grey nodded and tore the check to shreds. He tossed the bits in the air and I cursed my stupidity as I watched a large number of dollars fall to the ground.
“Have it your way, Maddie,” he replied with a flat tone. “Feel free to show yourself out.”
He glared at me for a moment and then started to walk past me back towards his bedroom. My head turned towards him a bit and he stopped in my peripheral vision.
“I’m not sure what you want from me, Maddie. I offer you an opportunity that most people, man or woman, would jump at. Instead of giving it fair consideration, you accuse me of wanting to sleep with you. Then when I offer you the check in spite of that, you refuse it.”
I looked away but didn’t offer a response. The reason? I had none.
“I am a busy man, Maddie,” he continued with a growing tone of indifference. “I don’t have time to play these fucking games with you.”
I exhaled and spun back to face him. “I’m not playing games, Grey. I just don’t want to live in fear that if things didn’t work out between us I’d lose everything. Can’t you understand?”
“Frankly, no, I can’t,” he stepped close to me, like the day we’d first met, leaving less than a foot between us as he continued. “There is no ‘us’, Maddie. I’m offering to invest in your business. Nothing more.”
I held his gaze for a moment or two but as his intensity and focus increased, I broke away and looked down at the ground. I wasn’t even sure where to look.
Just… away.
Grey continued, “Do I want to throw you down on that dining room table right now and take you? Hell yes. Am I willing to do that and risk throwing away a business deal with you and an investment in something I believe has real promise? No Maddie, I’m not.”
