Chapter 3
GRIFFIN
Jude Carson and I were meeting at The Loft. I arrived five minutes before our meeting time. The server nodded when I told him my name.
“The rest of your party is already here at the table.”
“Thank you.”
I’d been in business long enough to know what that meant. By being the first one here, he’d established it as his territory. I wasn’t worried, though. I was good at negotiating on anyone’s turf. I preferred mine, of course, but I was adaptable.
The server led me to a table right in the center of the restaurant. The Loft was a very sought-after location in the city, although not one of my favorites. Many people wanted to be seen here, and that wasn’t my MO. I preferred to be more discreet.
Jude was in his late fifties, slim with short gray hair. He rose to his feet, shaking my hand, and then we both sat at the table. He tapped his finger impatiently on the surface.
“Thank you for making the time to meet me,” I said.
“Of course. May I call you Griffin?”
“I prefer it, actually.” There were so many of us Sterlings that I was always confused when someone said “Mr. Sterling.”
“Griffin, I’m very surprised that you’re interested in my company.”
That caught me off guard. “Why? You’re in a growing market. You want to expand, and you need capital. I have that in spades.”
“Yes, but I was under the impression that your family operates in the financial services area.”
I waved my hand. “That’s how we started, correct. But I’ve personally invested in multiple other businesses, and I act as an adviser. Most of my investments are in the digital world. It’s what I know.”
“Right.” As he nodded, a waiter came to us with the drinks menu. I asked for a surprise aperitif. He did the same.
Once the waiter headed toward the bar, I went on with my pitch. “I have all the qualities you’re searching for in an investor.”
Jude frowned. Not good. I came on too strong.
“Why don’t we do this another way?” I suggested. “You tell me what you’re looking for.”
“Ideally, someone who knows my market. Someone who’s grown businesses before.”
“I check both boxes,” I replied with confidence.
He shook his head slightly. “I’m not so sure. I want someone who understands my market.”
“I read extensively about the industry before I contacted you. From what I’ve researched, it’s grown by leaps and bounds these past few years.
Today, people generally spend less time in places where they could meet dating prospects.
They tend to hang with the friends they already have.
That’s why they turn to apps like yours to find partners.
It’s quick and convenient. If a date doesn’t work out, you waste no time finding another one. ”
He stared at me but didn’t say anything as the waiter returned with our drinks.
As soon as we were alone again, he scoffed. “Quick and convenient? Griffin, that tells me you don’t understand anything about my business. Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me. Not many investors do.”
I cleared my throat and fought to keep my tone polite. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m not in the business of facilitating hookups like other dating sites. Have you even read our mission statement?”
I blinked. “I did glance through it.” In my opinion, mission statements were just pretty words intended to make a company look good. They rarely had anything to do with the truth.
“But did you pay close attention to it?”
Man, this guy was tough.
“No,” I admitted. I thought it best not to say any more, as I could tell he was not thrilled with my answer.
“Right. Let me explain. Our goal is for people to find lifelong partners. We’re not looking for repeat customers. In fact, we consider it a personal victory if they don’t return to us and are happy with the partner they found.”
I took a sip of my drink because I couldn’t possibly keep a straight face. He can’t mean that. It’s complete hogwash. That was not how these sites made money.
“That’s an admirable goal,” I said. There, that sounded neutral.
“We survey our previous customers after the two-year mark and the five-year mark. Most of them are still with the partner they found through our platform. We rarely have repeat business.” He was obviously very proud of their accomplishments.
“And yet you keep growing.”
“That’s through customer acquisition and word of mouth.
When a customer is happy with something, they share with others.
” Jude sipped his drink, then nodded to me.
“As you said, more and more people prefer to search for partners online. Our filters help them narrow down to people they have things in common with.”
“Fantastic. I’m fluent in customer acquisition.
The Sterling Investment Group has mastered obtaining clients in our business.
Based on your analytics, I noticed that you could grow exponentially in the younger demographic, eighteen to twenty-five.
I’ve reviewed your stats, and you’re completely overlooking that age group.
They’re some of the heaviest users of dating apps. ”
“Yes, but see, they’re not our target market at all. Young people are not looking to settle down, and we’re not Tinder.”
I nodded once. “Understood. I find your mission statement admirable, as I’ve said. But it’s financially unwise to completely discard a group of potential customers.”
He straightened up in his chair. “Griffin, you and I have very different visions for the company. I feared as much. I took the liberty of asking around about you.” That didn’t faze me at all. It was normal. “You have an interesting reputation.”
I was extremely proud of it—I was known for being astute, smart, and hardworking. I couldn’t think of a single person who’d say something negative about me.
“And you have a different woman on your arm every other month,” he continued.
Whoa! I was stunned at first but recovered after a few seconds. What the hell?
“How is that relevant to the conversation at hand? And I don’t appreciate the invasion of my privacy.”
He scoffed. “Like you didn’t have me looked up? Let’s not quibble.”
“Of course,” I said. “But I asked people about your business acumen, not your personal life.”
He held up his hands in self-defense. “That’s fair, and I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to intrude. But I want to work with people who understand the product.
Who know what it’s like to have a committed relationship, or at least want one.
It’s paramount to the success of the company.
Otherwise, you can’t support our marketing campaigns or our vision. ”
“So, everyone who’s on your team is happily married?” I sounded harsh, but I couldn’t help myself. This was unbelievable. I was an excellent businessman. The rest shouldn’t matter.
“Quite a few of them are. Look… investors usually want decision power.”
“Yes, I’d want to be involved in all the processes. I don’t just hand out money and become a silent investor. I want to help shape the company.”
“And I want someone who shares my vision to shape it.”
I had mad respect for him despite the fact that he was essentially turning down my offer.
He was sticking to his guns. Still, the guy had a solid business, and I knew this hurdle wasn’t insurmountable.
But I also knew that pushing more tonight wouldn’t help my cause—quite to the contrary.
He’d made up his mind, and I wasn’t going to persist.
“All right, well, I don’t think there’s a reason we should waste each other’s Saturday evening,” I said, summing up.
“No, there isn’t,” he agreed. “I’ve got the bill.”
“No, don’t worry about it. It’s on me!”
“Thank you for your time, Griffin. Have a great weekend.”
“And you.”
I wasn’t going to back down—I hadn’t built a business empire with my brothers by giving up at the slightest inconvenience—but I’d completely underestimated his commitment to his mission statement.
I was going to revise my pitch and approach him again, but one thing did bother me.
How the hell did he know my dating habits?
I was discreet, though apparently not enough so.
My brothers sometimes teased me about it, but I’d brushed off their concerns.
Regardless, tonight was a bust. I wanted to stay for a drink, but I could do that at the bar. I preferred it to sitting by myself in the restaurant area, which just seemed awkward.
Getting up and heading that way, I saw there were plenty of seats at the counter. I zeroed in on a gorgeous blonde as I grabbed a stool. She wore a sparkling red dress and high heels with straps circling her ankles. There was a brunette next to her who was looking around the room furiously.
Fuck me, Jude was right. I was a manwhore. It wasn’t a conscious thing. I just wasn’t one for relationships. Then again, I’d never really tried having one. Dating was my thing. Relationships? Absolutely not.
“How dare he be late,” the brunette exclaimed.
“He’s not late,” the blonde bombshell responded. “We just arrived a bit early. He’s still got about ten minutes.”
“Well, I stand by what I said. I can’t even believe he’s got the nerve to ask you to meet him after crapping on you after a six-year relationship.”
The blonde’s smile dropped. It was as if someone had snuffed the light out of her beautiful eyes. “Please don’t say that again. It hurts me right here,” she said, putting a hand to her chest.
Fuck that moron, whoever he is. I hated people like him. Why commit when you were obviously incapable of following through? My way was much better. I never made promises, never misled anyone.
I wasn’t usually one to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t block out the conversation next to me. Especially when the brunette said, “Oh, damn it, he’s here. I’ll wait for you at the bar. You tell me if you want me to intervene or something.”
“I’m sure that’s not going to be necessary, but I am grateful that you’re here. Thanks.”
I watched the blonde as she slid off her chair and walked to one of the tables. Then I focused my attention on the bartender and asked for a scotch on the rocks. It was my favorite drink.
The brunette kept her eyes on her friend and the guy who’d just arrived. She didn’t order anything.
The bartender handed me the scotch, and while taking a few sips, I kept replaying the meeting with Jude over and over in my mind.
“Oh no,” the brunette murmured a few minutes later. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Want help?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself.
And besides, thinking about the issue with Jude was pointless right now.
I needed a solid strategy, and I wasn’t going to develop it while drinking scotch.
I was still a bit pissed about him calling me out.
Really, what did someone’s dating record have to do with anything?
The brunette turned to look at me, narrowing her eyes, obviously annoyed that I’d been listening. “You’ve been sitting here a while, huh? I wasn’t sure if you were eavesdropping or not.”
“Hey, you weren’t exactly keeping your voice down.”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s true.”
She turned to look at her friend and groaned. “Oh, that fucker. I always knew he wasn’t good for her, you know. He jerked Phoebe around for years, and then he broke her heart. Crap! I should have hired someone to pretend to be her boyfriend this evening or something.”
I looked at her incredulously, but she seemed completely serious.
Eh, why not?
“You know what? I’ll do it. No need to pay me.”
I had no idea what possessed me to do it. I was impulsive, but even for me, this was insane. The truth was, I was simply looking for an excuse to meet the blonde.
What a strange evening this was. It kept taking unexpected turns.