“No, with me.” Colton pointed to three boutique shopping bags on the tawny-colored loveseat. “Those are for you.”
Brigit peeked inside one of the bags. “Bras and panties?”
“I understand you took the weekend to settle in and didn’t get to the mall. Knowing you don’t have any lingerie is a torturous distraction.”
Her lips curved into a Mona Lisa smile. “Thank you. How much do I owe you?”
“Do your job well and we’ll call it even.” He started walking toward his office.
“First I’ll stop the losses,” she said as she fell in line with him. “Next, I’ll pinpoint investments we should sell in order to free up the cash you need.” She sat in the chair across from his desk. “How much money are we talking about?”
Colton eased into his swivel leather chair, propped his knee over his other thigh and leaned back. “Thirty million.”
“Time frame?”
He held her gaze. “Yesterday.”
“I’m a wealth manager, Colton, not a magician.”
With the exception of Shane delivering lunch and Red dropping off a revised weekly itinerary, along with an update of what urgent issues she’d handled, they worked uninterrupted until after five o’clock. “I’ll expect the thirty million transferred to my cash account tomorrow,” Colton said.
She stared at him for several seconds. “We only reviewed a portion of your investments. Once I analyze each position, I’ll make my recommendations.”
“Do you need an extra day?”
“At least. I have to study industry trends to determine where you have the most to lose or gain by selling. My recommendations will focus on two key areas. First, investments that depleted your bottom line. Second, yielding lucrative results by redirecting those monies elsewhere. Since you need a sizeable amount of cash, that’ll take priority. I’ll have my findings summary and detailed report completed by close of businessFriday. Are there any investments you’re committed to keeping?”
“The Francesco Company and all real estate, both commercial and residential. I need your report byWednesday, close of business.” He checked his watch and clicked on a screen.
“I’ll have my analysis to you by noon,Thursday.”
“You do like to negotiate.”
She shook her head. “I’m setting reasonable turnaround expectations.”
There was a knock on his door. “Enter.”
Chad barreled in. “Is now a good time?” He glanced at Brigit.
“Did you find anything on Montgomery?” Colton asked.
“It’s going to take several days for the reports, but here’s what I’ve got. People hop from one wireless company to another, even at the executive level. At first glance, he’s crossed professional paths with several on Francesco’s board and leadership team. I suspect he’s got more than one source feeding him information.”
Fuck.
22
NEW GIRL
Eyeing Colton, Brigit rose. He’d morphed into a fire-breathing dragon, with flared nostrils and lips drawn into a thin line. He might not need a break, but she did. It was almost five thirty.Where’d the day go?“Excuse me. I should check in with Seth. Chad, am I connected to the network?”
“We have to set your passwords,” Chad said.
“Let’s do that after dinner. I need to get started on an urgent project.”
Chad smirked. “All of Colton’s projects have a short fuse.”
On the way into her office, she read her texts.Couldn’t resist the challenge, could you? Miss you, but happy for you, texted Shaniqua. Brigit texted back,Temporary assignment. Miss you.
