Judy giggled at my obvious mortification. While out with her friends, the conversation got a little heated when the subject of sex was brought up. One of her friends brought up a secret fantasy and before I knew it we all were sharing our deepest sexual fantasies. I’d spilled about wanting to be tied up and spanked. As soon as the words were out, I denied them, claiming it was the alcohol. I wouldn’t dare tell them the truth was that I’d already done that with someone, but I’d never trust anyone else to be that vulnerable with again.
Judy let out an exasperated sigh, reminding me of Kennedy when she doesn’t get her way. “You’re taking this whole librarian thing a little too far.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “First of all,you’rea librarian, too. Have you forgotten that? Second of all, I’m not being a prude or whatever you call me. Just …”
“Just what?”
My mouth opened but nothing came out. I didn’t have the time or energy to explain it to her so I said nothing.
“Exactly. You have no explanation. You’re coming out with me tomorrow. And we’re going shopping beforehand because you arenotwearing that outfit again.”
Frowning, I looked down at the T-shirt and dark blue slacks, and black two-inch pumps I’d worn for the evening. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”
Judy rolled her eyes before plopping down against the king-sized bed, arms wide. “You’resucha librarian.”
“Whatever,” I retorted.
Chapter Two
Aaron
“Mr. Townsend, if you look at the quarterly and annual projections on page eighty-three of the annual report we provided, you will see–”
“Bob, is it?” I let my eyes slowly roll up from the documents before me to the man standing at the front of the room. I blinked slowly, waiting for an answer to my question.
“Y-yes,” he answered, clearing his throat.
“Oiltec’s quarterly net earnings last year were one-point-four million, one-point-three million, two-point-one million, and one-point-nine million, respectively. The document you’re telling me to refer to projects your quarterly net earnings will double despite the fact that your expenses have risen dramatically over the last year.” I paused, placing my elbows onto the shiny wood of the conference table, and leaned in. “What type of game are you playing, Bob?” My tone was hard, and afterwards you could hear a pin drop despite the fifteen or so people who were in the room.
“Well, uh …” Bob Lundy looked to his side of the table for answers.
“Mr. Townsend, we assure you that Oiltec is an extremely viable company. In spite of–”
I cut my eyes in the direction of the man who spoke. He sat opposite me. “I asked Bob a question. Not you.” I turned back to the President of Oiltec. “Oiltec is viable, yes, the numbers say so, but your projections are extremely overinflated. Your expenses are too high given output, and your marketing and research divisions are woefully inept when it comes to developing alternative energies. It will take Townsend Industries at least six months to get the newly acquired Oiltec’s R&D division up to speed, and that’sifeverything goes smoothly. There’s no way we’re paying asking price for this acquisition. Make a better offer.”
I cut to the chase. It has been meeting after meeting to see through this acquisition. It was my duty as CEO of Townsend Industries to ensure we took on the best deal that would enable our company’s growth. There was nothing I took more seriously than doing my job right.
Sitting back in my chair, I watched as Bob’s eyes darted from one employee to another.
“We’ve been at this for hours now. How about we break for lunch and then return with clearer heads?” Bob offered.
“We’ll order lunch in,” I firmly stated. “While we wait, you and your team can come up with a better offer.” I watched as Bob went out to tell his assistant to order lunch for the meeting. He then came back and began discussing, in whispered tones, with his team. While that was going on, I conferred with my legal and financial team that I’d brought to this meeting.
We spent the rest of the day and well into the early evening going over price purchase per share until we finally came to an agreement. It was far less than Bob’s initial offer, but given his real numbers, it turned out to still be a profitable merger for Oiltec. Before we even exited the building, I was on the phone with my people in Williamsport, informing them of our next moves to get Oiltec up to speed and make sure this merger went as smoothly as possible.
I sat back in the town car as it began pulling off and blew out a steep breath. The weight of the months leading up to this merger were settling around me. The pressure from my job was nothing new—I thrived on it—but it was starting to feel as if there was something missing. I refused to let myself go there. Instead, I pinched the space between my eyebrows and inhaled while I waited for my cell to ring. Two heartbeats later and the distinct tone I’d set for this caller began to chime in my hand.
“Father.”
“Did you get it done?”
“Is my name Aaron Townsend?”
“Goddamn right it is.”
“Then it’s done.”
“My boy.”
