“Fantastic. I’m fluent in customer acquisition. The Sterling Investment Group has mastered obtaining clients in ourbusiness. 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?” Isounded 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 heelswith 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.
