Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
He opened the door to find a delivery driver standing in the hallway, a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. “I’m looking for a Dylan Reeves.”
“That’s me,” he said, confused as the guy handed him the bouquet and a sealed note. Dylan took both, placing the flowers on a side table.
“Hang on. I’ll get you a tip,” Dylan said, going in search of his wallet.
“It’s okay. The tip was covered,” the delivery driver said, and he was gone. Dylan went back to the flowers. They were a pretty pavé-style mix. He opened the card, wondering if they were from Teri, but he saw a man’s penmanship scrawled across the notecard.
I couldn’t have enjoyed last night more. You’re amazing. I’ve never enjoyed bottoming so well. You inspired me to send these. Let’s take that ride along the coast tonight. No pressure, just bail on dinner with them this evening.
No signature.
Dylan read the note twice before tearing the card into little small pieces and flushing them down the toilet after deciding the note’s destruction would be more permanent than a trash can, from which it could be pieced back together. He rolled his eyes at his own actions. Who in their right mind would even consider doing that? But he still completely disposed of the incriminating content.
He decided he’d give the flowers to the front desk. He finished dressing. Tucked his wallet in his back pocket and his phone into the front breast pocket and smoothed his hand down the front of his trousers. With one last look in the mirror, he adjusted a stray hair back in place and went for the flowers.
He’d never been given flowers before, and now he got why women liked them so much. He put them down, but then decided to go ahead and give them away. It didn’t look like he’d be spending too much time in this room and someone needed to enjoy them. He took his phone out, took pictures of them from every angle, then left the room with the flowers in hand.
The concierge’s face lit up when Dylan handed over the bouquet downstairs. He asked for a cab and had one in seconds. He had to remember the use of a floral arrangement in the future. This one bouquet had secured his night with Tristan and gotten him a cab meant for someone else. They were magical things.
In the conference room, Tristan watched as Dylan and the guys sat through hours of the Wilder executive team’s presentation as to why they should be given the right to buy Secret Networks, Inc. Tristan stayed quiet for most of the meeting and also during the proposal Wilder had put together with the specifics for acquiring Dylan’s company.
Tristan understood body language; he’d used it to his advantage in many negotiations. Secret’s executive team put out all the right signs they were interested. Of course there were a few sticking points, but those weren’t anything that couldn’t be ironed out in the long run.
What Dylan and his guys didn’t seem to understand was that they weren’t playing the buyout game correctly. They’d come in too low with their asking price. Honestly, Tristan would have assumed they’d have asked for about double what they did and probably would have gotten close through negotiations. He’d been clear to Landry he wanted to pay what they asked, but like what appeared to be the new normal with Wilder, Inc., Landry had gone around him. His COO had come into the meeting with a note waiting on top of Tristan’s presentation folder explaining Landry’s newly developed game plan to undercut the deal.
Since he’d been substantially late, he hadn’t had time to change the course of the meeting.
He didn’t know Dylan well, but he had learned he would never sign over Secret with Landry’s bottom-line condition. Landry was against Secret’s all-or-nothing employee stance. Specifically with David and Rob. Under Landry’s current transition plan, they really had no place for the two executives sitting across the table from them. Actually, Landry only wanted about fifteen percent of Secret’s current staff.
Over the years, Tristan had trusted Landry’s decision-making ability. He’d never steered them wrong on anything other than their social media site. That situation was a lot like this one. Landry had something in his head that didn’t balance with what the consumer actually wanted.
Wilder’s current social media division was a one hundred percent loss. No matter how much money they pumped into WilderNation, it still ranked at the bottom of the barrel in user access. Secret had accomplished what no other network on the planet had—undocumented social access that had a quarter of a million new users signing up every day. Tristan wanted that technology, and his gut told him Landry could blow the whole deal.
After a few more minutes of staring at Dylan, who hadn’t looked his way since he entered the room, Tristan cleared his throat, stopping the flow of the presentation. “Can you all give me a few minutes alone with Mr. Reeves?”
He could feel every eye turned his way. Dylan was slower to respond. He’d been reading from the contract and lifted his head, business clearly on his mind. But the minute their gazes met, Tristan got why Dylan had avoided eye contact. His gaze held a mixture of both heat and need. Sparks flew between the two of them and Tristan smiled.
“You heard him,” Landry said and began shooing everyone out. As the last person left, Landry came to the center of the table, standing between the two of them. He clearly thought Tristan’s request hadn’t included him.
“Landry, I need a private discussion with Mr. Reeves,” Tristan said, rising from his seat at the end of the table. Landry came immediately to him, standing in front of him, blocking Dylan from seeing or hearing anything he said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Landry whispered so quietly Tristan barely heard him. “We almost have them, I can see it.”
Tristan cut his eyes over to Landry’s and motioned with his head for him to move along out the door with everyone else. Landry’s brow furrowed and he started to shake his head. Tristan stared at him with intense attitude until he finally left the room. Tristan had no doubt he’d stand right outside that door. There wasn’t too much of Wilder, Inc. that Landry wasn’t included in, and he certainly wouldn’t like being put out of a meeting he’d orchestrated. Tristan moved to a chair directly beside Dylan who hadn’t uttered a single word since his request for privacy.