4. Theo
4
Theo
I t was her.
The feisty woman I’d run into the first time I’d come to do a site visit.
I recognised her instantly.
Those dark brown eyes. Her full lips. She was wearing battered jeans and a jumper that day, but I found it strangely attractive. Maybe it was the way the fabric clung to her curves. Just like that silky white blouse was clinging to her chest right now.
My pulse quickened and I told myself to look away, but my gaze remained firmly on her.
I noticed her blouse was buttoned up wrong and for a second I thought about telling her, but then I’d have to confess that I was looking at her breasts. Jesus . What was wrong with me? This was a business meeting. I shouldn’t be ogling her. So unprofessional. I dragged my eyes to the desk.
Anyway, she might be pretty, but I was here to do a job. Like I’d just told her, I was buying this building. And now I knew she was the other interested party, it’d be easier than I thought.
She was clearly disorganised. She’d turned up to a business meeting twenty minutes late. And then there was the whole blouse buttons situation.
‘You seem pretty sure of yourself,’ she replied. ‘But that doesn’t surprise me. I knew you were an arrogant arsehole when I met you!’
Edwin and the solicitor guy Cecil’s eyes popped, but I smiled. I never shied away from a challenge, and I admired her for attempting to put up a fight. But this was only going to go one way: mine .
‘I’m flattered that you remembered our encounter. And for the record, I’m not arrogant. I’m confident. There’s a difference.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the solicitor guy piped up. ‘You two know each other?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘No,’ I corrected her.
‘We don’t know each other. I just had the misfortune of crossing paths with him. When he stole my parking space.’
‘It wasn’t yours.’
‘Now, now,’ Edwin said. ‘Let’s just start fresh, shall we? So, I understand that you’re both interested in purchasing this building?’
‘Yes,’ we replied in unison.
‘My client, Mrs Davis, had multiple conversations with you,’ Cecil chimed in. ‘As far as she was concerned, it was a done deal and signing the paperwork was just a formality.’
‘I had said I was interested in Mrs Davis’s offer and we’d agreed to speak further, but when I didn’t hear back from her, I assumed she was no longer interested. And that’s why when Mr Eaves got in touch I agreed to meet. Of course now I know why Mrs Davis didn’t return my calls,’ he sighed. ‘But I have two generous offers, which puts me in a bit of a pickle.’
‘Let me make it simple for you.’ I leant forward. ‘Eaves Enterprises are exceptionally interested in this beautiful piece of land, and we are willing to beat whatever price they wish to offer.’
‘And if you were successful, what would you do with it?’ Edwin asked.
‘Build a collection of stunning luxury apartments.’
With the views overlooking the sea, we’d make a killing. This was the perfect spot.
‘So you would convert the building?’
‘No. We’d start from scratch.’
‘As in?’
‘We’d knock everything down and create a brand-new development.’
‘I see…’ he said flatly. Hmmm . Something told me he didn’t like my answer. But it didn’t matter. Adding an extra zero on the cheque I intended to write would sweeten the deal. ‘And you?’ He turned to her. ‘Remind me what Mrs Davis had planned.’
‘Oh, erm, a library. We, I mean, Cecil and whoever he hires, would like to build a romance library. So it’d be filled with romance novels.’
‘What?’ I laughed. ‘You want to build a library ? I don’t know if you’ve been living on another planet for the past decade, but they’re closing libraries all over the country, not opening new ones. Unless of course your market research has identified something different?’ I rested my finger on my chin and her face fell. ‘You have conducted market research, haven’t you?’
She didn’t have to reply. The answer was written all over her face.
‘My client felt that there was a very strong need for a library of this nature. Romance books are very popular. Isn’t that right, Jessica?’
‘Um, yeah,’ she stuttered. ‘Cecil’s spot on. There’s a big demand. Romance readers devour books. Some read multiple books a week.’
‘That’s sweet ,’ I smiled, ‘but just because the books are popular doesn’t make a library a viable business .’
‘I’ve decided.’ Edwin clapped his hands together.
I sat up straighter, excited to hear him break the news to Jessica and Cecil that they didn’t have a hope in hell’s chance of getting this building.
It was a no-brainer. A development of luxury apartments that would really put this town on the map, plus an offer that was significantly more than the asking price, was going to trump whatever proposition these two had in mind.
Jessica slumped back in her seat, and I almost felt bad for her. It was obvious they hadn’t thought the idea through. Lending people free books wasn’t going to pay the bills, and there was no way they’d get funding from the council to keep it open.
With the right backing, there was a chance they could make it work. But they’d need some kind of revenue stream like a bookstore attached. Ticketed events like book signings could help their cash flow too.
Anyway, why the hell was I thinking about their business when I was here to think about mine ?
Father was counting on me to secure this site. If I got this development off the ground successfully, I’d be one step closer to becoming CEO of Eaves Enterprises. Something I’d been primed to do since birth.
I’d worked my arse off at university, then business school, and spent almost every day over the past ten years working closely with my father, learning the ropes and earning my stripes. Yes, Jessica was attractive, but this was business. I wasn’t going to jeopardise my future because I felt bad for her.
‘Just say the word and I’ll get the paperwork drawn up.’ I leant back confidently in my chair.
‘Not so fast, Theodore,’ Edwin warned. ‘Like I said, I’ve made a decision. And I’ve decided I’ll choose who gets the site after you’ve done a formal presentation.’
‘What?’ I jerked forward.
‘I want you both to present your plans to me, properly . I’d like you to outline exactly what you intend to do with the building so I can get more of a feel about how it will look. It’s not just about the money—I’d like to hear about why you think your venture will be good for this town and the community.’
‘Sounds fair,’ Cecil added.
Fair? It was the most ridiculous idea I’d ever heard. It was completely unnecessary. But I wasn’t about to screw up my chances of securing the deal by telling him that.
‘And I’d like to get to know you better,’ Edwin added as I tried to keep the frown off my face. ‘People buy people, isn’t that what they say in business?’
‘I agree,’ Cecil said. ‘It’s about building relationships.’
Jessica was very quiet. She was probably trying to process this bullshit just like me .
‘So I’ll also invite you to spend some time with me to help me do that. I’ve resisted the urge to sell this building for many years, so I need to be sure that when I do, it goes to the right person.’
‘Mr Dickinson,’ I said, lowering my voice, ‘I understand where you’re coming from—believe me, I do. But we could save everyone a lot of time and effort if we just completed the deal today. As I mentioned earlier, Eaves Enterprises are very motivated to secure the land at your earliest convenience, so how about we add an extra hundred thousand pounds to our offer, to expedite the process?’
‘Mr Eaves.’ He clasped his hands together. ‘I appreciate your generosity, but like I said, this isn’t just about money. So if you are as motivated as you claim, then you’ll agree to my terms: a presentation here in two weeks outlining your intentions and how the community will benefit. Do you accept?’
‘Of course.’ I smiled sweetly. I’d find a way around this. Even if I had to offer him an extra two hundred grand. I wasn’t doing some dumb presentation.
‘And you, Jessica?’
‘Well, I… er…’ she stuttered.
‘We accept,’ Cecil confirmed as Jessica’s eyes flew from their sockets. She didn’t seem happy and that had to be good news for me.
‘Great!’ Edwin beamed. ‘I look forward to getting to know you both better.’
‘Likewise.’ I turned to face Jessica, who glared at me. For some reason I felt a jolt of electricity race through me.
Eyes on the prize, Theo .
I was here to get this property, not get stupid ideas in my head about some woman.
If she thought she hated me now, she was going to despise me by the time I closed this deal.
And I couldn’t wait to do what I did best: win.