“Are you still thinking about adding someone else?” Dylan asked, but his look never changed.
“I’m flexible, but I’ve made that arrangement.” Tristan nodded, sitting back in the seat.
“All right. I’ll go, but I don’t want to be pushed into anything. If I just watch, everyone needs to be good with that,” Dylan advised, stating his terms clearly so there was no confusion.
“Fair enough, but it’s only a threesome when three people participate.” Tristan laughed.
“We’ll see. I’m way outside my comfort zone with all this. Will he come from that club last night? He won’t ever say a word that I was there, right?” Dylan asked. He had that panicked edge again.
“I swear your secret’s safe. I give you my word,” Tristan soothed. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “But you’re a pro at sex. My ass isn’t even a little bit sore today. You were perfect.” Tristan winked, smiling at those red cheeks and lust-filled, hooded eyes that replaced the worry.
“Now, on to business. I haven’t discussed this with my team, but I’ve been watching Secret for a while now. What’s it going to take for me to get your company?” Tristan asked, and eased back in his seat, waiting for the answer.
“I like some of the details you’ve outlined, but the money isn’t right and my biggest concern lies with my staff. They’ve been very good to me,” Dylan stated.
“Yes, they have. My team doesn’t think we need them.” Tristan could see that might not have been the best thing to say. Dylan got his back up right there, immediately dropping walls between them. “Wait a second. I don’t see it like that. I’ve never had multiple facilities in the same country. I like to keep my company together if that makes sense. I’m certainly not saying it’s the right way of things, but it has been my way. But we’ve failed where you’ve succeeded,” Tristan explained, getting more comfortable in his chair.
“Here’s what I would like to propose to you. I’ll pay twenty percent above your asking price, in full. I want your staff, but understand I’m not agreeing to keep every single one of them for the long-term. I run a lean ship, but for the next year, every single employee of your company will stay employed. If you agree, I’ve decided to continue to run Secret from your Dallas location. My people here need to get a taste of what it takes to run a successful social media network. Your people can help us gain that knowledge.”
Dylan looked surprised. He’d totally blown the proposal out of the water. It was confirmed when Dylan closed the folder and pushed the file away.
“I purchased the high-rise where we run our operations,” Dylan stated absently, staring down at the table.
“We’ll rent the space from you or I’ll buy it. Whatever you want.”
“David has a firm knowledge of the inner workings of my company.” Dylan was still in that thoughtful mode, contemplating the offer. “He’d make a good leader for that division of Wilder.”
“I can see that. He’s my Landry.” Tristan chuckled, hooking a thumb at the frosted-glass door. He could see the shape of a man standing right outside the door. “He’s gotta be crazy pissed off from being excluded from this conversation.”
Dylan closed his eyes and pressed his thumbs against his temples, trying to catch up with everything being tossed his way. Wilder’s first offer had come in low with most of his staff being terminated. Now he stood to make twenty percent more on the sale of Secret than he’d planned, money up front and in full, while keeping every one of his staff employed in Dallas. No relocation of anyone. Granted, he didn’t run in these circles, but what in the hell just happened?
The technology was his exclusive project. He’d developed the software by himself. If he went through with this, he would be giving away his concept, but that was inevitable. He reminded himself he didn’t have the resources to grow the company more than what they already had. Secret needed deeper pockets to handle the load of subscribers and to go international.
“I’ll give a tentative agreement. I want my legal team involved before a final acceptance,” Dylan said as he looked over at Tristan.
“Of course,” Tristan said, as if that were a given. “But I wasn’t done. I also want you running the division.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Dylan asked. He’d been thinking over the possibilities of the buyout and was afraid he hadn’t heard him right.
“You’ll head the social media division of my company. I want to carve that piece out, let you oversee the development. You’ve created innovative processes in this market, you aren’t afraid to take a risk, and you listen to what the people want. I’m lacking that in my organization. I’m finding out that we’re still in the same mindset we were ten years ago—we think we tell the consumer what they want. I’ve got my own work cut out for me around here.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve been my own boss for far too long. I’m not sure I could play well with the likes of that senior team you have hovering out there.” Dylan answered off the cuff but was completely serious. He and Landry would butt heads at every turn. He had no interest in fighting to keep moving them forward or getting in a cock-and-bull fight over the politics in corporate America.
“You’ll report to me. You’ll be given a budget, but you’re used to that, and have carte blanche after that. I want Secret to remain the brand name, we’ll have Secret envelop WilderNation—you’ll run it all—”
Dylan cut him off. “I’m not sure it’s wise to work for you.” Actually since he’d sat there with an intense hard-on while talking something as boring as acquisitions, he knew without a doubt working for Tristan wouldn’t be a good idea.
“Like I said earlier. There’s the personal side and the business side. Neither has anything to do with the other,” Tristan replied neutrally.
“But somehow they always seem to find a way,” Dylan interjected. They had last night, he’d agreed to tonight, but after that, there would never be anything more between them. If Tristan was coming in and out of his home town, how would he manage all this emotion evoked every single time he looked at the guy?
“We could outline a legal document—that’s what my HR team would like, but that would mean more people knowing and you don’t want that. We’re both professionals. I can keep the two separated. I believe you can too.”
“After I leave here this weekend, there won’t be another time we’re together,” Dylan stated very reasonably as though it were something he’d already considered.
“Then problem solved,” Tristan remarked. He had no intention of following Dylan’s line of thinking, but he’d hold that bit to himself for now.
Silence ensued while they stared at one another. For Tristan, he had a hard time keeping his mind focused on the buyout. Dylan was a seriously attractive guy. He carried himself in such a way that just turned Tristan on, and he did it on a level that had him wanting more. He couldn’t ever remember having to deal with confusing feelings like these before. Hell, even yesterday, when he met the guy, he’d grown half erect in front of the damn elevators, and at that point, he’d been fairly certain Dylan was a married straight man.
“I don’t want to be held to a long-term contract. I need an out if things don’t go well,” Dylan commented.
“All right, as long as you give me enough time to replace you, but I assure you, you will have open access to whatever you need to get this division up and running. Nothing will get in your way.” Tristan nodded toward the door where they could see the silhouette of the still-hovering Landry.
“And what if I can’t move all this forward?” Dylan questioned.
“Then we’ll mutually part ways, but I don’t see that happening.”
“And you’re comfortable working together after this weekend ends?” Dylan asked, his face flushing after the question.
“Of course I am.” Tristan resisted the urge to laugh and make it very clear they weren’t over after this weekend by any stretch of the imagination.
“All right. It’ll be good for the k
ids to have their home base continue. Dallas is ripe for technology. The staff won’t have to relocate.” Dylan ticked off all the positives.
“And you get the capital you need to take your company to the next level,” Tristan added.
“It’ll be your company,” Dylan corrected.
“Ours then. I intend for the stock options to be substantial. Give you incentive. I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear on the front end.” Tristan extended his hand for a quick shake, sealing the tentative deal. “Now, do we bring them back in and tell them together or would you like the conference room to let your staff know? We can take ours to legal now, begin the paperwork.”
“Probably privately,” Dylan said, the handshake continued as they stood there staring at one another.
“Off the record, I’m glad you took the deal. I need people like you on my team.”
“Thank you. I’ve been very impressed with what you’ve built. It’s an honor to be here,” Dylan added sincerely.
“I’m going to let go now and open the door. Might want to fix that.” Tristan looked down at the other man’s crotch with a satisfied grin, calling attention to the tenting in his slacks. Dylan looked down, ripped his hand free, and immediately adjusted himself.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help myself when I’m around you.” Dylan blushed; his words were uncensored and that was a rare moment with this man.
“No, don’t apologize. I rather enjoy it. You can’t tell now anyway.” Tristan went through the motions of tucking himself in to help alleviate Dylan’s embarrassment. After a second, he called out, “Landry, bring everyone back in. We’re ready.”
Dylan did a quick change, opting for jeans and a light blue polo. He packed a small overnight bag for his running gear just in case he stayed at Tristan’s place through the night. He had one last morning to run Crystal Cove, and he wanted to make that happen before he left tomorrow afternoon.
He still had twenty-five minutes before the car was scheduled to pick him up. Nervous energy made him antsy. He looked around for something to do. His laptop was open, email checked, but he wasn’t interested in doing what needed to be done or replying to any of those unanswered messages. Instead he went in search of his phone and decided to check in with his family. If he remembered correctly, Teri and Mark were off the boat and staying in Houston for the night.
He plopped down in one of the recliners and dialed Teri. She answered on the third ring, “Hey, you. Having a good time?”
“It’s all right. What about you? You having a good time?” he asked.
“It’s been good. I’m glad I got away.” He could hear the happiness in her voice.
“Sorry I haven’t called before now,” Dylan offered up.
“That’s okay. I figured it was either intense or fun…”
“It’s actually been both,” Dylan said with a chuckle. Teri felt like home to him. She calmed him. He hoped this never changed between them.
“Okay, that sounds weird. What’s up?” Teri asked.
“We got more than full asking price. The staff stays intact. The stock options are more than what I wanted. The base stays in Dallas and they want me to take over the whole WilderNation media division.”
“Babe! That’s great! I’m so proud of you! Oh, I wish I was there to help celebrate!” Teri sounded truly happy.
“It’s a little surprising.”
“Wait, it’s just registering. Did you agree to work for them?” Teri asked. He could hear the confusion in her voice.
“I did,” he said and laughed. He’d always assumed he’d be moved out of the company once the deal was finalized.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You don’t like to have your hands tied or take orders well,” she replied thoughtfully. Teri’s typical direct nature had him laughing a little bit too.
“I made sure I have a solid out, and they want me to keep the building like we have, but now I’ll have deeper pockets to push things forward. And I have you, my legal division. You’ll make sure all that’s there for us.” Dylan still couldn’t believe the turn of events.
“Well, you’re good at building things from the ground up. So you’re happy?” she asked.
“We’ll see when the contracts come if it’s all there, but right now, I call it a success,” Dylan declared, lifting his hand to give no one a high five. “How are the kids?”
“Everyone’s good. Chad’s working like crazy on gathering a part for some robotic thing for the science fair. He’s determined his senior year is the year to take home the top prize. Cate’s fine. She’s forgetting she’s got at least eight months before she graduates. She’s applied at Harvard and Duke, but her real concern’s planning her dorm room and looking at meal plans,” Teri said, quickly filling him in.
“Of course she is.” Dylan laughed. That was her mother in her, planning everything out about a million times before the event actually happened. “How’s jailbird?”
“You know she hates that,” Teri said.
“I know. I’ve been texting her that every day. She’s refusing to answer now.”
“Well, she’s becoming our little activist. Her newest concern’s equality. There’s a march in Tulsa in a couple of weeks. She’s going, but she asked first. I thought that was a step in the right direction. We might have to get her out of jail in Tulsa,” Teri said, laughing.
“Equality, huh?” Dylan asked.
“I thought you’d like that,” Teri responded. Dylan remained silent, thinking that piece of information over. “Did I lose you?”
“No, I’m here. I’m just proud of them. They’re good kids. Somehow we managed to raise good kids,” he said thoughtfully, wondering how they accomplished such a feat. They had both been a little bit of a train wreck in the beginning.
“I agree. We’re lucky,” Teri confirmed.
“I gotta go. I’ve got to be downstairs in a little while,” Dylan said, looking at his watch.
“Have a good time. You know celebrating wouldn’t kill you.”
“I have been. It’s been a good trip,” Dylan said quietly.
“Oh, I like the sound of that. You’ll have to fill me in when you get home,” Teri stated.
“We’ll see about that. I need to go.”
“Bye,” Teri said and hung up. Dylan was slower to lower the phone. So many people would consider them dysfunctional, but they weren’t at all. Teri was his best friend, and he’d done well by having her in his life. They were fine. The kids were good. They were doing well as a family.
The alarm on his phone beeped, jolting him out of his thoughts. He had five minutes to get downstairs. He quickly went through the room, closing his computer and disturbing the bed before he grabbed his bag and the still unopened gift basket he planned to leave for the staff and headed downstairs.
“Walk about a block to your right. Meet me out front of the Sheraton. I’m parked at the end of the circular drive.” Tristan sent Dylan a text when he saw him walk through the front doors of the Hilton. He watched as Dylan promptly turned to the left and then picked up the phone to call.
“Your other right,” he said with a chuckle when Dylan answered. “You look good in jeans. Those sunglasses fit your face perfectly.”
Dylan turned around, then glanced up and down the street. Tristan knew the moment he spotted the Ferrari. “I thought a driver was taking me to your place?”
“We finished early today. It seemed like a waste of time to wait to have someone bring you to my place.” Tristan watched Dylan walking toward him. He was such a nice-looking guy. Tristan’s body physically reacted every time he saw him. “You’re hot.”
“That makes me uncomfortable,” Dylan said, staring at Tristan.
“Sexual harassment in the workplace doesn’t begin until you’re officially employed,” Tristan shot back. That had Dylan laughing.
“Noted.” Dylan gave him a genuine smile through the window.
“What’s in the bag?” Tristan asked.
“My run
ning gear and your clothes from this morning. I didn’t wash them,” he said, disappearing around the back of the car. The passenger door opened and Tristan ended the call.
“My mom always told me it was rude to bring clothes back dirty,” Tristan joked, cheekily. He liked teasing Dylan. He actually liked bringing a smile to the guy’s face. He seemed too serious all the time, but when he let his guard down and eased up some, he was spectacular company.
He shifted into gear, driving forward into the heavy downtown Irvine traffic. “I learned those same lessons, and I considered washing them, but I didn’t wanna pay the twenty-five dollars to have the hotel clean them,” Dylan said, putting his bag in the very small space behind the seats before buckling himself up.
“Cheapskate! Which is technically good for me since you’ll be in charge of our bottom-line,” Tristan said, waggling his eyebrows. “You’re more relaxed tonight.”
“Maybe because I know we’re alone. The guys have been gone for a while. I got a text from David. Your guys took them out fishing before the big poker night,” Dylan replied.
“That’s right. I forgot that. I hope Landry’s playing nice.” Tristan hadn’t meant to say the last part out loud.
“He bailed on the fishing trip and the poker night. He doesn’t like being on the outside of things, does he?” Dylan asked.
“No, not at all. We’ve been friends since junior high school. I should have run the changes past him, but I hadn’t formulated my plan until we all sat together and I got a really good look at what you built and what he planned to offer. He went against my wishes completely. I shouldn’t be telling you all this.” Tristan took the on ramp and merged onto the highway.
“Landry didn’t want David or Rob, did he?”
“No specifics please. I don’t wanna cause anymore tension before we even start.” Tristan looked apologetically at Dylan, who nodded.
Secret Page 11
