: Chapter 10

“Mr. Sharpe?”

I look up from my screens at the sound of a faint knock along with my name and see my assistant, Tamara, in the doorway. Glancing at the clock on the wall next to where she’s standing, I realize I’ve been focusing on these projects a bit too much this morning. Over the last week, I’ve put off far too much while focusing on thoughts of beautiful curves and lush lips that should not be haunting me as they are.

“They’re here?” I question, although it’s more of a statement, closing the three thick folders in front of me and minimizing several tabs on the screen.

She nods and politely responds, “Mr. Miller and his daughter are in conference room A.” Tamara is damn good at her job. She worked for several corporations for twenty years before coming to work for me. She’s professional and a minimalist, never saying more than she has to.

“Thank you,” I reply, standing up, grabbing my suit coat, and slipping it on as I walk down the hallway. She walks beside me, handing me several folders for the meeting. Our main conference room overlooks the Financial District, a view I find the pair admiring as I open the large glass door and join them, leaving my assistant behind.

Inside, Geno Miller and his daughter, Denise, are waiting for me. When we first started discussing this deal, I was taken aback by Geno’s insistence on his daughter being brought in on everything. But it only took me one meeting to understand why.

He’s looking to cash out and wants to pass something along to his only child. It’s worked out for me as well, as Denise is eager to step up and move out of her role as the Chief Operations Officer of Miller Technological Minerals.

She wants the big chair. Whether or not she’s prepared for that is another story.

“Geno, Denise, thank you for coming,” I greet them, offering a hand as I cross the room. We shake hands, Geno first, Denise second. “How was your flight from Nevada?”

“Smooth as could be,” Denise says, looking around the conference room she’s been in a number of times. She’s dressed the part in a sharp suit, but she’s young, and to hand over such a large asset to someone so green could very well be a mistake.

“I’m glad,” I reply, unbuttoning the jacket I’ve just buttoned in the hall to have a seat and motion to the two chairs. The table’s shaped subtly, myself on one side, the Millers on the other, but the slight curve of the table gives me the ‘head’ compared to them. It’s faint, but I’ve become very familiar with what the firm calls the ‘Conference Room A Effect.’

“Dylan, I do have to ask, why fly us all the way out here just for a sit down?” Geno asks. “We could have handled it in Nevada. After all, that’s where our factory is.”

And that’s exactly why I didn’t want to meet you there. You’re too confident and casual on your own terrain. You’d probably insist on finishing the deal with a couple rounds of poker or a ribeye.

Not that I’m averse to either, and have certainly done business over both, but I want Geno and Denise to feel the weight of this agreement, and it becomes very real in a cold conference room in the middle of the city.

“Perhaps, but I wanted you to have a sense of what this deal offers you,” I reply. “The advantages here are enormous.”

“I thought the deal was done, Dad,” Denise says. “We’ve been over this again and again. What is there still to debate?”

Geno purses his lips as his shoulders stiffen slightly at her tone. “I’m concerned that there’s something missing.” His gaze moves from her to me. I don’t miss the tapping of his shoe against the floor.

“Geno, I understand,” I reply, not letting my frustration show. “Truth is, if I had more time, I’d be happy to run through things with you until we’re both sporting long beards. But time is running short.”

Geno, who wears a bit of a frost-trimmed beard, tilts his head. “Oh?”

“A couple of my sources have revealed that relations with one of your factories might thaw soon,” I tell him.

“Why’s that?”

“They’re going under,” I tell him blankly.

Denise sits up in her chair and leans forward. “How soon?” she questions.

“There are a lot of balls in the air,” I tell her, careful not to discuss matters brought to me by NDAs. Either they’ll trust me or they won’t. “But if we can sign this here, today, now, I can get the company guaranteed contracts with the two largest US based companies who can replace anything that’s lost.”

Geno licks his lips, his eyes going slightly hazy. In his mind, he sees it. He’s been down this road before. But there’s still something missing. He wants it all. He wants to cash out, but he also wants to be the man who gets the credit for it all as well, saving a company and earning his wage as CEO.

And probably that big ol’ honkin’ ribeye too.

“What you’re proposing is just such a huge… risk,” Geno says, and I chuckle. Intentionally.

“And here I was thinking you know as well as I do that without risk, there’s no reward,” I comment, slyly calling Geno to the floor. “Geno, you’re holding two kings, and the flop’s shown a third. Sign this deal, and the only thing that’s going to show on the river is that fourth damn king. Now⁠—”

My private phone rings, and I stop, frustrated with myself. If an associate of mine were to ever leave their phone on in a meeting and it made the slightest noise, it would be the last meeting they went to.

Yet here I am, making the same mistake. And I know damn well why. I’m distracted by Raven. It can’t be denied as I think of her again while turning the ringer silent. Wondering if it was her. Hoping that it is and that she understands.

“My apologies,” I offer, resisting the urge to check to see whether or not it’s her. I clear my throat and put the phone face down on the table.

“Dylan?” Denise asks, slightly concerned. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” I answer, but I notice the quick flick of Denise’s eyes to her father. They’re worried the disruption has something to do with them. I decide to use the opportunity to apply gentle pressure to get this deal done. And also maybe to give in to the temptation to see if it was actually Raven calling me. “No, but I should check this,” I tell them, standing up. “Geno, I’m telling you, sign the contract as it is. No more negotiating. It’s in everyone’s best interest. I’ll give you a few minutes to think about it.”

I leave the conference room and go down the hallway to the executive washroom. Only six people in the firm have the electronic tag to get through this door, so I’m able to be alone as I look and see what it is.

The call was from a blocked number, and they left no voicemail. But they did send a text from the same blocked number.

Did you make her suck you off? She’s good, right? You’re welcome for training her. No hard feelings about the pity fuck, but why the fuck did you bring a no-name climber like her to the event? She’s nothing but a slut with good holes. Don’t worry, I dealt with it. Like I always do.

Rage instantly consumes me. With heat lingering on the back of my neck, it takes everything in me not to throw the fucking phone. I glance up at the mirror before reading it one more time, adrenaline surging through my veins.

The number might be blocked, but I’ve been down this road before and know exactly who it’s from. That son of a bitch has the balls to send me this?

He makes it sound like we’re old buddies talking smack about a woman who’s passed around the friend group like a party favor. He’s reminding me that he had Raven first. He’s putting her down, likely the way he did when they were together, either aloud or in his mind.

He’s working an angle to get back at me, I realize.

He’s playing the same game I am.

After all, I took Raven to the event to get under Evan’s skin and was expecting a counterpunch, especially after his father saw us looking like the aftermath of a porn film. It seems my plan to irritate Evan by shoving Raven under his nose worked… maybe a bit too well. Especially if he’s still ruminating on it days later to the point of resorting to frat boy name-calling and veiled threats.

So if my plan worked, why do I feel like shit?

I think back to Friday. I enjoyed spending time with Raven, which is not to be overlooked because fun at a dry charity event is nearly an impossibility, and she was able to meet some heavy hitters. I hope those connections hold steady in the wake of whatever rumors might be swirling as word spread of our actions, but that’s out of my control for the moment. And the sex was phenomenal. Her responsiveness, her complete surrender to pleasure, and her beautiful body have permeated my dreams all week.

But then there was the after—when we were spotted, when she wouldn’t meet my eyes, when she left.

She did respond to my invitation for dinner, though, I remind myself. That’s a good sign.

Unease churns in my stomach. It was my game, and I set up all the pieces on the board, but I feel like I might be the one getting played. By Raven? I don’t think so. By Evan? Perhaps. By my own weakness for Raven? Unwilling to admit the hold she has on me, I don’t answer myself, not even in my mind.

I glance at the words on my phone once again, reading and then deleting them. I don’t want that ugliness on my device where someone else might see it.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, composing myself. A wounded part of me from the past is elated that Evan knows exactly what Raven and I did, and there’s a sick sense of triumph in knowing that it pissed him off. The more mature part of me worries about the ‘dealt with it’ part of his message. As much as I hate to admit it, he does hold some sway in the district with his family’s power. Does he mean that? Or is he referring to something he did Friday? Maybe something that had Raven riled up and ready to hop on my dick with a sudden urgency she hadn’t shown all evening.

Fuck. I should’ve asked what happened when I stepped away. But I was too desperate for her. Regret churns in my stomach. Not for fucking her, but for not considering why she might want to fuck me. I narrow my eyes, staring into my own hard gaze as I mentally chastise myself.

Quickly, I text Raven.

Still on for dinner?

A moment later, her reply begins. I’m looking forward to it.

Me too. I want you to know, I don’t regret a single minute of what happened.

I hit Send before I can doubt my words, because there’s more honesty to them than I normally show. Raven’s silent for a long time, and I wonder if I’ve been too forward when she replies, Me too… mostly. I wish I’d accepted your ride home.

It makes me smile. That won’t be a problem this time, Miss Hill.

Her reply is much faster this time. Then I’m eagerly waiting for the details, Mr. Sharpe. See you at dinner.

I sigh in relief, slipping my phone into my pocket. Head clear of the lovely distraction of Raven, I mentally return to the other thing I need to deal with.

I go back to the conference room, where Geno and Denise are in deep discussion. “I trust you’ve had enough time to consider my proposal and are ready to sign,” I comment, coming back around the table to push the contract their way.

“My father has one request,” Denise says when Geno hems and haws for a moment. “A namesake.”

“Namesake?” I ask, and Denise nods. “How so?”

“The minerals we mine,” she says, “the copper, the silver, the lithium and palladium, goes into the technology that keeps the world running. We’re quite proud of the fact that the copper for the wires that bring electricity throughout our home state are mined in our mines.”

“You should be.”

“But nobody remembers where the damned wires come from,” Geno says hotly. “I’m not saying I want a college named after me or a town or some shit. But as an old man, I’d like something with my name on it.”

He’s old school, thinks his legacy is written in his last name. The truth is, legacy is in what you possess and who you share it with, like his mine and his daughter. The way Denise grits her teeth, looking at me like ‘I know, I tried to explain it to him’, lets me know that she is better suited than I first thought to be the future company leader.

I nod, confident in my ability to make anything happen. “How about a Miller Hall of Mining at Nevada State? Their campus goals of sustainability go hand in hand with the technology that Miller minerals will provide. Or perhaps the Miller Technological Mineralogy Scholarship?” I offer. “A handful of full-ride scholarships a year, in your name?”

Geno looks at me like I’m insane. “How? That’s not in the budget.”

“It helps when you own the bank, Geno,” I reply. Opening the folder on the table, I turn it around. “So, how about we get this thing handled?”

The two share a look. It’s everything they could ever want, and when Geno reaches for his coat pocket, I know I’ve won. Five minutes later, we’re all professional smiles, shaking hands and clapping shoulders as brand-new joint business partners. Including Denise, who’ll serve as the incoming CEO of Miller Technological Minerals when Geno’s ready to step back.

After a bit of casual conversations, the meeting is adjourned. All the while, my mind is elsewhere. I open the door to escort them on their way, already thinking of the next meeting and the other projects that require my attention. Tamara is at the end of the hall, and I know she’ll see them out. “I’ll be in touch.”

Paperwork firmly in hand, I head back to the office. A few moments later, Tamara appears in my doorway, ready to do her part to wrap up the meeting.

“Tamara, get this to legal,” I tell her, handing her the folder. “Miller signed the letter of intent. I want the rest of the contract signed, sealed, and delivered by next Thursday.”

“Yes, Mr. Sharpe,” Tamara says as she accepts the contracts.

“And get me Richard Benson,” I add. “I want full financial projections on what it would take to get a college building built in Henderson, Nevada.”

“Planning on a Sharpe School of Business, sir?” Tamara asks wryly, and I smirk.

“No,” I reply. “Geno Miller wants to leave his mark on the world.”

“Wouldn’t we all, sir,” Tamara says with a touch of humor, slipping her thinned rimmed glasses on. “I’ll run this over to legal before heading to lunch, if you don’t mind?”

“Perfect,” I assure her. “Thank you.”

She closes my office door as she leaves, and the moment I’m alone, work falls away and my thoughts are once again consumed with one thing and one thing only…

Raven Hill.