We had just walked into his Paris location, and I could see the board already convening in the room made of glass. The entire building was as immaculate as the one in Vegas, but it gave off a more luxurious feel.
Being in Paris was one thing, but being in the city of love with the only man who ever truly had your heart was something totally different, especially after he’d spent the entire flight over giving you one orgasm after another.
“Okay. I’ll hold them up until you come in.”
“No need. You guys can get started, and I will pick right up when I come in.”
I turned to find the bathroom, but Kareem pulled me right back to his side. He then grabbed my face, tilting my head until we were eye to eye. Once he had my attention, he pulled my lips to his, and I didn’t hesitate to oblige. We kissed like we were the only two people in the room when we clearly weren’t.
There were at least fifteen other people here with us that I didn’t fully notice until we disconnected. I was in a haze of Kareem that I wasn’t in a rush to come out of. This week had started like a whirlwind, and the further we got into it, the more I knew my life would change after this.
When Kareem finally released me, he tapped my ass as I walked away. I smiled on the inside as I made my way to the bathroom. Thankfully, I always kept a personal hygiene bag with me no matter where I went, so I cleaned up quickly, changed my underwear, and got back out there as fast as I could.
I slipped into the conference room undetected since they were already wrapped up in whatever they were talking about. These were the high-value roundtable meetings that women like me wrote about but were never actually present at. Today, I was in the room, and that felt so good.
“Listen, this deal is on the table, but it could be snatched by our competitors just as fast. If we do things the way the boardis proposing, we could shave three months off testing and still meet compliance requirements.”
“Listen, Bill. Can I call you Bill?”
The entire room seemed to shift to Kareem when he spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was strong, about as strong as his arms looked filling out his suit. Kareem’s presence garnered the attention he deserved.
“Sure, man. You can call me whatever you want if you agree to this.”
That’s what I hated about men like Bill. They would agree to anything if the money looked right. I was hoping Kareem wasn’t one of those men.
It was clear that he had made a lot of money over the years. I hoped that money wasn’t made by jeopardizing human lives. I moved closer to Kareem so I could get a clean shot of that side profile I loved so much.
“Bill, the money is always good, but you know what’s not good? Burying men and women who willingly signed up to serve this country.”
“Hey, man. All I am saying is that we need to consider this. I’m not saying sacrifice soldiers.”
“That’s exactly what you are saying. Shaving three months off testing puts those soldiers’ lives at risk, and I am not willing to put my brand above human life.”
“The impact this invention will make on the world of defense has never been seen before, Mr. Sheffield. We cannot let this opportunity slip through our grasp. You have to understand that.”
“I understand perfectly, Bill, and I am still saying no. The deal is supposed to be signed within forty-eight hours of our landing in New York. That means you have until then to bring me a better plan, or K&K Solutions will bow out gracefully.” Kareem stood from his seat and walked out.
Even watching him through the small lens of my camera had me feral. Listening to the way he stood up for the men and women serving our country not only turned me on, but it reminded me why I fell in love with Kareem in high school.
He was always the most selfless person I knew. That is what made caring about him more than I cared about myself so easy. It was also what made walking away from him so hard.
“You got everything you needed?” Kareem asked as soon as I walked into the office with his name on it.
Realizing he had an office in a place I’d always dreamed of coming, a place we even talked about traveling to together made me so proud of him. Kareem was living the life we talked about.
“Um, yeah. Thank you for remembering the little people. It was hard to listen to those men show a complete disregard for the very people they are supposed to be supplying with weapons. Isn’t our being able to prevail in wartime the whole point, or is money the only thing these weapon companies care about?”
“Yes, the United States walking away with minimal casualties is the whole point. I’ve been to war and have watched men and women die all around me. I refuse to contribute to that number just to make a quick buck. You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“Well, I’m going to do it anyway. A billion dollars is a lot to walk away from.”
“That won’t be the last billion I am offered. I’m confident in what I do, and I know that K&K is the only company that can do it at this level. I don’t need to cut corners to succeed.”
“You know… you may have grown up, but you haven’t changed much.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Definitely good. You’ve always been a man of the people.”
