Chapter Two
Grant
They said no.
When I approached the ownership team of the premier shifter kink clubs Cuffed and Crowned, I had every reason to believe they would accept my generous offer to purchase their properties and their brand.
Everyone else had, so far, from the lemonade stand I took over in fifth grade to the chain of nostalgia theaters I bought only last month.
With each purchase, I expanded my reach and had the pleasure of taking a business that was already good and making it extraordinary.
But until this point, nobody ever told me no.
I didn’t know where to go with that at first. I’d never approached anyone unless I thought they’d feel like it was a good deal for both of us, and this deal was no different. But from the moment I went into the meeting, I had a bad feeling, which proved to be accurate.
As the half dozen owners who had attended filed out of the Cuffed conference room, Talon asked me to wait a moment. “If you have time, I’d like to speak with you.”
“Of course.” I sat down again, unsure what he might want, since he’d been the one who delivered the very polite but firm turndown of my offer. “What can I do for you?”
He’d been at the head of the table, but moved down to take the seat next to me.
“I wanted to be clear that we did not make our decision based on any ill-will toward you or your business practices. We are simply not for sale. When a new investor is approved, they have the option of being a full or silent partner.”
“Interesting. How many silent partners do you have?” As a privately held firm, their records were not available to the public. I had become interested based on what my sources could find out in a more round-about way, but this particular bit of information had not come up.
“Zero.”
“Really? That’s surprising.”
“Every one of my partners has chosen to take an active role in the company. They bring skills and assets into play, and that is what makes us unique, I believe.” He chuckled. “Beyond the specific type of clubs we run, we are a team, and nobody wants to give that up.”
“Then, why meet with me at all? If you were going to say no.”
Talon nodded. “Good question. And the reason why we didn’t have all of the partners here today. They are all busy with both this and their other business interests and didn’t see a reason to come. But I wanted to hear what you had to say.”
“Even if you were definitely going to decline?”
“Had you approached us about investing, we might have had a different answer.”
“But I would not have done that because I prefer to make all the decisions myself for the businesses I own.”
“I knew that. But I also wanted to meet with you. Even before the research I did, I’ve been aware of your business acumen. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
“Not a problem.” Totally a problem. “If that’s all?”
“No, it’s not. If you ever do change your thoughts on being part of a team, let me know. But beyond that, if you have any other projects in mind with a potential collab, we would be interested.”
“I see.” Courtesy demanded I say this instead of and waste more of my time, great.
“Your lack of enthusiasm is understandable. But I am sincere.” He stood and held out a hand. “I hope we can work together in future.”
Rising, I accepted his shake. “I will consider it. It’s been interesting, Talon.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to gift you a year’s membership. To make up for wasting your time.”
“Thank you. I am not in the area of either club often, but when I am, I’ll try to stop in.”
“Sounds good.” He walked with me from the conference room down the hallway and to the rear door off the kitchen.
I’d parked in the employee lot at their suggestion.
“Hope to hear from you soon. If you let me know you’re paying us a visit, my omega, Rowan, and I will try to be here to visit with you. ”
I drove to the heliport, musing over the meeting and the conversation afterward. They’d been so quick to say no, I’d wondered why I’d even been there, but after speaking to Talon, it made more sense.
No, they did not want to sell me the business because they were vested in more ways than financial, but they’d wanted to keep the door open. Why it had to be a private discussion, I wasn’t sure but suspected there might be a holdout in the room who could have expressed something that put me off.
Didn’t matter. They’d said no, offered me a nice gift to try to make up for the lost time, and unless I was local with free time, I’d likely never be able to take advantage of it.
But I liked Talon. He seemed sincere and perhaps one day far in the future, I’d open my own club and we could “collab.” I’d learn it was always best to leave any situation on good terms, and thanks to Talon it was even better than that.
A few hours of travel later, my helicopter landed on the pad at my next stop. It had not been where I’d planned to go, but my failure at Cuffed made me want to take a few days off and relax. I’d heard good things about the resort and why not try it now?