Mr. CEO(7)

I take a long look around the plain hotel meeting room with distaste as I wait for the heads of Armcorp to arrive.

This room is small and the large table that nearly takes up the entire space and the chairs surrounding it are cheap. It’s nothing like the suite upstairs or my office back at Parker-Moore. I practically live there and I made sure it had every amenity I’d need. But this small square room… it’s lacking. The walls are a stark white and the thin carpet on the floors makes it feel even more inferior. I’m ready to go back to the comfort of my own building and business, and I’ve decided I’m taking my Rose as a parting gift.

“Armcorp looks like a ton of work. We should give them a year or two to see how well their new outreach performs.” Trent's right, and I can’t deny that. But I’m not waiting. I’ve made up my mind.

Watching her on stage created more conflict than I needed. She’s graceful and intelligent. But when we locked eyes and I felt the intensity of the spark between us, I knew I had to give in. She sealed her fate when her lips parted and she got lost in my trance. It’s one thing for me to be affected, but knowing I do the same for her makes this decision easy.

“We should wait, Logan. The board will-” I don’t care what argument he has. In fact, I know there are good reasons to wait or to go with their competitor. But I don’t give a damn. I’m not waiting anymore. I f*cking want her, and I’m not going to deny myself. I don’t give a damn if I’m selfish. I’m taking her. And this is the first step.

“No, I want it now.” My voice is hard and the trace of annoyance causes Trent to flinch. I clench my jaw, wishing I could control myself. I need to. I pride myself on discipline, but when it comes to her, I feel like I’m losing it. Once I have her under my thumb, it will be easier.

Trent doesn’t say anything in return. He leans back in his seat and nods his head. Although I consider him a friend and I’m grateful for his advice when it comes to running this company, I’m the CEO and sole proprietor; what I want, I get.

As the thought registers, the door to the meeting room opens and we rise to stand from the cheap seats. I button my suit jacket and wait at the head of the table for Armcorp’s CEO, Scott Nathaniel Murphy. He’s accompanied by the head executive of sales, Mr. Hastings, and another man I don’t recognize; he has a pad of paper and a pen in his hand so I’m assuming he’s a secretary.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Murphy addresses us with a firm handshake. He places his other hand on top of mine as our hands clasp and looks me in the eyes. He’s an older man and set in traditional ways. I admire that, at times. I give him a tight smile and take the head seat. I’m the first to sit, but the other men quickly follow suit.

“Thank you for attending this meeting on such short notice, gentlemen,” I say and clear my throat and prepare for a hopefully quick and agreeable contract.

“The pleasure is ours, Mr. Parker.” Murphy angles his seat slightly and says, “I was surprised to hear your offer is for silent partnership?” He says it as though it’s a question. I’m not interested in dismantling the business. I merely want control over it so I can use their sales division for my own benefits.

I nod my head slightly and reply, “It would certainly benefit us both… immensely.”

All the men nod their heads slightly in response, with the exception of Trent. There’s no hint of his usual smile on his face. The sight makes the corner of my lips itch to turn up into a smile, but I resist. This is business.

I clear my throat and begin to say, “Let’s get to the point and make this as easy a transaction as possible-”

Before I can finish, Murphy interrupts me by saying, “You’ll need to come up in price then.” I’m not used to being cut off, and I don’t f*cking like it. But I’m more than willing to get right to the point. I’m also not surprised. In the proposal, I put in an extremely low bid, not so much that it would be insulting, but low enough that I have plenty of room to make a guaranteed profit. I’m the only buyer, so I can offer whatever the f*ck I want.

“We had almost four million in revenue last year, and that’s only increasing.” I hold Murphy’s gaze as he does his best to give me a hard sell. I don’t care about this shit. I know his company inside and out, what I want is his counter offer.

“Revenue isn’t profit,” Trent says, speaking up for the first time. And it’s a very good point, but again, I couldn't care less.

“Our return on investment last year was nearly two hundred percent,” Hastings says as he sits forward in his seat. His suit already looks wrinkled from his posture. He steeples his fingers and continues, “The evaluation of the company two years ago didn’t account for our growing sectors. We’ve outgrown expectations while maintaining our cash flow.”

“That’s an excellent indication of budgeting, but that’s not what we’re discussing,” Trent says with a hard voice.

“Our profit margin is-”

“Minimal,” Trent interjects. He barely says the word, but it’s enough to stop Murphy in his sales pitch.

I keep my shoulders squared and stare straight ahead, unaffected by the tense air between Trent and Murphy. I will say it’s a nice change of pace for Trent to be the one heading the negotiation. Usually I’m the one who comes out looking like an *. Not that I matter much. It’s business. Always. I never take it personal, even if they do.