Chapter 3 #2
“That’s very generous, but I’d prefer we meet here in my office.”
“Of course.” His eyes linger that extra second that makes it creepy.
I walk him to the door, and when it closes behind him, I turn to Izzy. “So? What did you think?”
“Pompous, arrogant, and annoying, but his reputation for promotion precedes him.”
I sit in the chair opposite the couch. “You can’t deny his portfolio of mega clubs or his connections.”
“True,” Izzy agrees. “We don’t have to like the guy to do business with him.”
“Exactly.” I shuffle through the promotional material and references he left. “Did you sense anything off with him? Like a weird vibe.”
“I don’t know about weird, but something. Like maybe he’s too polished.”
“Or maybe we’re so used to working with guys from the Serpents MC and Nick and Samson that we’re skeptical of guys who are more . . .”
“Fake?”
Leave it to Izzy to hit the target. One thing about being in this business, whether legitimate or otherwise, it’s been a crash course in human behavior. Dealing with the public on any level is eye opening, but large amounts of money and the promise of sex are a combustible mix.
“Or, like he said, he was feeling me out to see if our business is legit.”
“I suppose that’s valid.”
I’ve known Izzy long enough to know when she has something more to say, but I’d let it lie until we actually received Graham’s offer.
“We’ll just wait and see. If it turns out he’s a jerk or has nothing to offer us, we’ll move on.”
Izzy taps at her ever-present laptop. “We’ve done all the research on him, and he seems to check all the boxes.
His father is some tech billionaire with homes all over the world.
Graham grew up in Palo Alto, graduated from Stanford with honors.
Opened his own company ten years ago, and it’s skyrocketed. ”
She taps the keyboard again. “The Wynn he mentioned in the United Arab Emirates checks out too. They predict opening the first half of 2027.”
“I’m sure all that’s true, I just couldn’t help getting a smugness about him.”
“Probably comes from going to an Ivy League school and growing up with all that money.” Izzy makes a goofy face. “Something we’ll never have to worry about.”
I laugh ‘cause she’s right. We both clawed and scraped our way to the top. I go back to my desk. “I get anxious with wanting to bring the business to the next level.”
“It’ll happen,” Izzy assures me. “You just have to be patient.”
“Me, being patient.” I roll my eyes. “Like that’s ever gonna happen.”
“You’re too hard on yourself.”
“I know. Nick said the same thing this morning.”
“I agree with him.” Izzy smirks. “Don’t tell that wicked-hot husband of yours I said that though.”
“It’s just I feel the business has stopped growing.”
“You just told Pierce how this business started, so don’t lose sight of our goals.” Izzy cocks her head. “You wanted to give women a safe environment, and you certainly saved my life—literally.”
“I know.” If only the nagging insecurity of having it all swept away from me would end at some point.
“We started in a crappy apartment off Sunset Boulevard, and now you have an office in L.A. and Vegas, plus you’re making almost seven figures a year.”
“You’re right. I don’t know why I get so crazy. I have such a fear of failure, like any minute something’s going to happen and snatch it all away. Especially now that Nick and I are back together with Portia. Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder how it’s all going to come crashing down.”
“That’s crazy talk.” Izzy grabs my hand. “You are the strongest, smartest woman I know.”
“I flip from worrying I don’t have enough to scared shitless that I have too much.”
“You’ve worked hard for everything you have, so why don’t you try enjoying it instead of worrying about things you can’t control?”
“You’re right.”
Izzy always balances and settles me. She is a trusted friend, like the older sister I never had, and her calm and my fiery personality make us the perfect pair in business.
I check my watch. “I’m going to head home so I can change for Portia’s holiday concert tonight.” I smile at Izzy. “Thanks for talking me down.”
“Always. Along with hiring and vetting our employees, my first job is to remind you how much you’ve accomplished.”
“We’ve accomplished.”
Izzy opens her arms, and we hug, then I grab my purse and head for the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“Take plenty of pictures of our girl tonight so I can see them tomorrow.”
“Will do.”
The fifteen-minute drive home and Izzy’s wise words settle me. The company is fine, and if we could expand, great, and if Graham Pierce could help us do that, fine again, and if he couldn’t, we’d find another route.
Graham Pierce, kind of a douchey name, but who am I to be judgy about names? I’d walked around for most of my life with my mother’s last name ‘cause she was scared shitless of my father’s mob legacy catching up with me.
Tonight, I’d enjoy Portia’s concert, and hopefully watching our little girl would get Nick in the holiday spirit. Maybe after Portia went to bed, Nick and I could sit outside, light the firepit and enjoy a glass of wine.
He hardly ever took a night off anymore, and since we just got back together, I don’t want to miss a minute. Probably why I’ve been so manic about this holiday.