Billionaire's Pursuit

by Sloan Storm

  With respect to my meetings that day, everything went as planned, as far as I was concerned. The same, however, could not be said for my dinner with Maddie that evening. In fact, ever since she picked me up in the limo after my meeting, she’d been quiet.

  She was keeping something from me. What, I didn’t know and why, I had no clue.

  Yet something inside told me I needed to find out what it was, and soon. I had no intention of not closing the deal with her and if she believed the silent treatment gave her an edge over me, she was in for quite the surprise.

  “Greyson,” she began, as she took a sip of her wine. “It’s just some personal stuff. Really, it’s nothing for you to concern yourself over.”

  I nodded as I finished a bite of my perfectly salted, rare, filet mignon. After swallowing it, I glanced at Maddie for a moment and then picked up my own wine glass. Deep red, near crimson, liquid streaked along the interior of the glass as I swirled before I took a sip. I rolled the heady mix across my tongue and allowed the oak notes to permeate my senses as I contemplated a response.

  My study of her didn’t go unnoticed.

  “What?” she said. “Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you believe me?”

  After placing my wine glass back on the table, I leaned back in my chair a bit and looked at her without a response. Maddie held my gaze for a few seconds and then shifted in her seat before attempting to match my posture by leaning back in her chair as well.

  “Greyson. What is going on? Do you think I’m lying to you?”

  I winced a little at the question.

  “Lying?” I said, as I folded my hands on the edge of the table. “No, I wouldn’t go so far as to say you’re lying, Maddie, no.”

  “Thank you,” she said with a sincere tone to her voice. “Well, I’m glad to hear that at least.”

  “Hang on,” I interrupted. “I said I didn’t think you were lying to me. That’s doesn’t mean I think you’re being truthful, however.”

  “You’re talking in circles, Greyson. Either I’m telling you the truth or I’m not. Which is it?”

  Sensing a change in her negotiating tactics, I decided to make my suspicions plain. I leaned forward, brought my hands together and tapped my index fingers against one another.

  “Okay,” I began, as I studied her. “I think you’re covering up the real issue by claiming it’s a personal problem and hoping I’ll drop it because of that.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened a fraction and a hint of bright red flashed across her chest.

  “I… that is not true, Greyson. If you must know, I had a fight with my ex-boyfriend, okay?”

  As I listened to her, I realized this was the first time I’d considered her relationship status. Based on the way she’d flirted, I naturally assumed she was single. And now, hearing that was indeed the case, it pleased me. On the other hand, and I couldn't explain it, but the idea of her with someone else, even talking to her ex on the phone, I didn’t like it--not one goddamn bit.

  As I ruminated, the incessant sounds of the busy restaurant — knives and forks hitting plates, bottles being uncorked and the occasional blowhard recounting the success of his big business deal--all faded away into nothing as I looked at her.

  I felt my jaw flex as I began to speak. “What did he say, Maddie? Did he threaten you in some way?”

  “What? Threaten me?” she replied almost instantly. “No, he didn’t threaten me. Don’t get the wrong idea, Greyson. It’s nothing like that at all.”

  Her tone conveyed sincerity, at least on this issue. I relaxed a bit but I still didn’t like the notion of her in harm’s way. There was nothing to do about it now however, so I accepted her statement as fact.

  “Very well,” I replied. After I spoke, I looked past her for the waiter and motioned for him to come over.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “You haven't finished your meal.”

  “We’re done. I’m getting the check. Get your things. We’re leaving.”

  MADDIE

  The limo ride back to the hotel couldn’t have been more awkward.

  What the hell was going on with Greyson all of a sudden? There was no way I could tell him the truth about running out of money. He’d think I was probably the biggest idiot he’d ever met and certainly the worst business woman.

  And, uh, he would tell Katy and then that would be a whole thing.

  Remaining as still as possible, I kept my gaze focused beyond the tinted glass window in the back of the limousine and hoped I could get through the rest of the evening, and the rest of his trip, unscathed and out of bankruptcy court.

  After only another five merciful minutes, the vehicle pulled back into the parking lot of his hotel and as it did, Greyson reached over and grabbed my arm at my wrist. Startled by the firmness of his grip, I snapped my head in his direction.

  “When we stop, get out and follow me,” he said, without a trace of emotion. “Understood?”

  I swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

  The car’s brakes squeaked a fraction as we rounded the entrance to the hotel lobby. Seconds later, Armando appeared and stepped aside as we exited the vehicle. Right away, Greyson snatched the same wrist he’d grabbed moments earlier. Part of me wanted to protest; the other part of me thought better of it. I chose the latter and did my best not to trip as he tugged me along until, at last, we rounded a corner to the right of the lobby. After he stopped, Greyson grabbed me by both shoulders and spun me around to face him.

  “I’ll give you one chance, Maddie,” he began. “Let me say that this evening had better not end with deception on your part or it will be the end of our time together and of your fledging enterprise as well. That much I promise you.”

  Flustered, I fired back. “Greyson, I don’t know what you want from me. I told you I had a fight with my ex.”

  “I want the truth, Maddie. Stop. Fucking. Lying to me.”

  I leaned away from him. His pupils held a dangerous glint as he stared into my eyes. I didn’t feel threatened. No, I felt something far worse — found out. I hated lying to him but what choice did I have?

  “Grey…” I started, but right away he interrupted me.

  “Maddie, so help me to Christ, the next words that come out of your mouth better be the truth. Got me?”

  I nodded, feeling stupid and insulted at the same time. But, it didn’t matter any longer. If I expected to work for this man even for one more minute, I had to tell him.

  I looked down at the pavement and dragged the toe of my shoe across it. Without meeting his eyes, I exhaled and said, “This seems so stupid now, I…”

  “Out with it, Maddie. You’ve got fifteen seconds or I walk back in that hotel and out of your life for good.”

  Without wasting a second, I blurted out my reply.

  “Greyson, I need to know what you want me to do about an escort for you the rest of the time you are here. I know that in the limo earlier today, you said you wanted me to accompany you but…”

  Greyson leaned back, let out a deep belly laugh and clapped his hands together in front of his face.

  “Seriously? That’s what this is all about?”

  “What?” I said as I drew my eyes up to meet his. He continued to laugh though, at least it had morphed into a chuckle by that time. Seeing he had no intention of relieving me of my discomfort, I continued. “Well, it’s just that you haven’t exactly been thrilled with anything I’ve planned for you so far. None of the activities, Lynne the escort and well, pretty much all of it.”

  If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn he wiped tears from his eyes as he looked at me once again.

  “Okay, okay, so…” he began in between breaths. “I’m not happy with those things you mentioned. So what? What’s your point?”

  “Well, all of ‘those things’ aren’t free, Greyson. They cost money and it’s money I can’t get back simply because you decide you aren’t interested.”

  As his amusement slowed, he paused and
asked, “So this is my fault? The fact that you can’t run your business. You’re blaming that on me?”

  “What? No. And I can too run my business. I just happened to get the world’s most demanding client as my first customer!”

  “Glad you noticed.” He smirked.

  “Hah, hah. No what I’m saying to you is that you can’t expect me to just spend time with you and get nothing out of it.”

  “Ohhh, okay, all right. I see now.” He leaned away from me and pinching his chin between his thumb and index finger, he pointed back at me. “So you’d like to receive payment for your escort services. Correct?”

  The question slash accusation caused a lump to form in my throat. As best I could, I tried to swallow it down with a subtle, smooth motion before I answered. Tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I cleared my airway.

  “Yes. I do. I mean, so long as you think it’s fair. What do you think is reasonable?”

  Clearly enjoying the turn of events, Greyson leaned back against a nearby wall. Slipping his hand into his pants pocket he nodded in my direction.

  “Depends,” he said.

  “On what?”

  “On what your escort service involves. You know, the value proposition. Why should I buy from you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Greyson shook his head.

  “Now here I thought you wanted to learn how to be a successful business woman, Maddie. I’ll tell you right away that you don’t start a negotiation by asking the other party what they think your offering is worth. Know your value, Maddie, then triple it, at a minimum.”

  “Well, but then you’ll know what I think I’m worth.”

  “I already do, Maddie and it’s not nearly enough.”

  “What? I don’t understand?”

  With that, Greyson pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of me.

  “Here’s how we’ll do this, Maddie,” he began. “I respect Katy and she’s put in the good word for you. So, I’m willing to pay the price you want but I’m only making one offer. There’s no further negotiations to be had between us. Once you name the price for all of your services, I expect that if I pay that cost, I’ll be entitled to receive those services whenever, and wherever, I deem appropriate. Do I make myself clear?”

  I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t intimidated. I’d never negotiated a damn thing in my life and now, here I was, face-to-face with one of the toughest of all. I figured if it came down to it, I would just give him the money back. Greyson Sinclair might be a lot of things, but he seemed to value his reputation above almost anything else.

  I couldn’t imagine that if I turned him down and offered him the money back he’d be anything but gracious about it. After all, business deals fall through all the time. Why would this be any different just because it skirted on the knife's edge of the world’s oldest profession? Having sufficiently convinced myself I’d have the final say in any changes to the arrangement, I stepped forward and extended my hand towards him.

  “Okay,” I said. “Here’s my offer. You pay me double the amount of the entire quote I gave you and it has to be in my bank account first thing Monday morning or the deal is off.”

  Greyson stood in utter silence, still. My hand remained extended towards his, not shaken. The seconds piled up in an awkward jumble, crashing into each other like cars on an icy interstate. I watched as his eyes traveled along the length of my body. Beginning at just below my knees, his pupils trailed their way along my thighs, up past my hips and my waist until at last they fell upon my breasts.

  I found myself frozen in the moment, unable to move or do anything except hold my breath while his gaze lingered. My shoulder burned as I held my arm fixed and solid, directly in front of my body. After another second or two, Greyson’s eyes moved the rest of the way until they met mine.

  A smirk came to his lips.

  “Is that your best and final offer?” he asked.

  I felt the vertebrae in the center of my spine straighten in resolve as he spoke.

  “Yes,” I said, with the most businesslike nod I could muster.

  The tiny cracks of the smile that had formed a moment earlier split into a full expression of satisfaction as he shook my hand. Squeezing it, he pulled me close and moved his lips to within an inch of my ear. His scent overpowered me. Fine hairs along the back of my neck stood in eager readiness. I sensed my torso begin to list towards him, desiring nothing more than to at last press into the hard physique that lay just beyond the confines of his expensive designer dress shirt.

  When I’d almost neared the point of no return, a whisper from him broke the spell.

  “I would have paid a hundred times more.”

  MADDIE

  After returning to the apartment, I intended to head straight to bed. The high I’d gotten from the ‘business deal’ I’d struck with Greyson started to dissipate as the adrenaline from the successful negotiation wore off. But, no sooner had I entered than Katy called out to me from the living room.

  “Maddie,” she began. I heard her get up from the couch and begin to walk in my direction as she continued. “What in the hell happened to the microwave?”

  “What?”

  My roommate came into view at last.

  Gesturing past me towards the kitchen, she said, “Um, the microwave? I came home tonight and the entire house smelled like a chemical fire. What happened?”

  “Oh,” I said as my culinary misadventure returned to my consciousness. “Yeah, that. Well, I meant to leave a note and…”

  “Leave. A. Note?” Katy asked, planting her hands on her hips. “Um, no, how about you are buying me a new microwave first thing tomorrow?”

  As she finished speaking, a huge grin spread across my face.

  “What the hell are you smiling at? I’m seriously pissed at you right now. Where are you gonna get the money to buy me a new oven? I’m not joking about this, just so you know.”

  Still smiling, I nodded in understanding. “I know you’re serious. And, I am sorry. I will buy you a new one. I promise.”

  Katy looked at me as if she were picking me out of a police lineup. She narrowed her eyelids in suspicion.

  “Hang on a second. How come you’re not worried about money all of a sudden?”

  I felt my cheeks tighten as a huge smile came to my face.

  “Maddie… What?”

  With that, I spent the next ten minutes or so recounting the tale of my negotiations with Greyson. Katy listened intently until, when I’d neared the end, she raised her hand to her chin.

  “Wait, so he is paying you to be his… escort?”

  “Well, yeah, but it’s not like that. Really. We shook on it.”

  “You shook on it? You shook on what with Greyson Sinclair, exactly?”

  “Well that he would pay me double the amount of the entire job quote I gave him and, and, and… he would have to deposit it in my bank account by Monday morning or the deal is off.”

  “All right,” she said as she rolled her hand in a circle, encouraging me to outline the remaining details of the arrangement. “In exchange for?”

  “My escort services?” I added, with an uncertain whimper.

  Katy blinked at me but didn’t speak. A sickening awareness came to me as she looked at me in silence.

  “So you really think that he thinks that I… that he… that we? For money?”

  Katy pursed her lips. With a nod of her head she said, “Well. If it walks like a duck…”

  I groaned at the implication. Feeling like a fool, I placed my forearms on the kitchen counter and rested my forehead on top of them.

  Katy walked around behind me. Rubbing my back, she said, “No, no, honey. You don’t understand. I’m not saying that’s such a terrible thing.”

  I lifted my head and looked at her, incredulous.

  “What!?” I exclaimed. “Have you lost your mind or are you so desperate for a new microwave that you’d put me out on any street corner to get it?”

/>   “Well, no. Of course, not. I’d never do that.”

  Relieved, I shook my head. “Good.”

  “I wouldn’t put you on any street corner. Greyson’s? Yes.”

  “Katy!”

  “Oh Maddie, you know I’m only teasing you,” she said with a smirk. “The point I was trying to make is how many times in your life have you given it up to a guy for less? And by less, I mean, way less. For nothing at all.”

  “Yeah, I know. But that’s different. I had feelings in those situations. This is not like that.”

  “Not yet,” she said with rising tone in her voice.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, nothing right now. All I’m saying is you never know what this could turn into if you just give it a chance.”

  I scoffed. “Okay, but you’re making me feel like that’s not what’s happening here. On the one hand, you’re saying I’m pretty much a whore and then on the other, you’re suggesting that there's the potential for us to have a relationship? I am totally confused right now.”

  “Well, like I said, it’s not happening yet,” she said. “In fact, there’s no way to know for sure without taking the risk.”

  I threw my arms skyward in frustration. “You are talking crazy, Katy. Why in the world would Greyson Sinclair be interested in me? He can have any woman he wants.”

  Katy paused for a moment. Nodding, she pointed her index finger in my direction and said, “Well, has he asked you to find him any other escorts?”

  “No,” I replied. “In fact, I only managed to get one for him, which he hated. He tore up her picture and stepped on it in the floor of his limousine.”

  Katy laughed. “There you go.”

  “Where do I go, Katy? What does that prove?”

  “Maddie, Greyson is communicating to you in his own way that he wants to spend time with you.”

  “I’m so confused. If that’s true, why not just tell me that?”

  “Simple.”

  “It is?”

  “Sure. If he asks you out and you say no, you win. But if he pays you and you say no, then it’s just a business deal that didn't work out. He doesn’t lose.”