Read Online Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) by Sloan Storm - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sloan Storm
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think I speak for Leopold as well… we’re both more than a little surprised you’ve not made any more progress than where we left things yesterday.”
Even though I disagreed with his statement, confessing the rest of what transpired between Marco and me would only make things one hundred times worse. Instead of interrupting, I kept quiet and listened.
“Yes,” Leopold said, nodding and looking at Bernard. “Initially, neither of us had any misgivings about your ability to close this transaction.”
I turned my head in his direction with a quick swivel. His innuendo wasn’t lost on me.
“What are you saying, Leopold?”
Leopold shook his head.
“Perhaps Bernard and I underestimated the value of offering you a partnership. It’s clear the incentive wasn’t enough.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Leaving aside all of Marco’s physical attributes, closing any multi-billion-dollar client takes time . If anyone knew that, it was the both of them. Frankly, between Marco’s behavior and my sleepless night, the last thing I wanted to do was let this meeting derail with murky accusations about my ability to close. Nothing had changed. There wasn’t a single thing about this deal that was simple, or easy, and they knew it.
“Hold on,” I began, raising my arm and showing both of them my palm. “The two of you trusted me to get this deal done. You need to give me time to work on it.”
Bernard cut me off.
“Dani, you know full well the one thing in this case, the only thing , we don’t have is the luxury of time. Every day that goes by is a day that gives our competition a chance to sweep in and steal this deal right out from underneath us.”
Frustrating though it was, there was really nothing I could do to counter their arguments. Whatever advantage I might have gained by what happened between Marco and me the night before, I had to keep to myself. Coming right out and telling them about it would probably only make the situation worse.
Bernard continued to ramble. I wanted to pay attention, hell I needed to , but the more the conversation centered around Marco, the more I found myself thinking back to our time together. I drew my legs closed, squeezing my thighs tight, and fought to keep the memory of how he felt inside of me outside of my consciousness. I was sore but far from satisfied. I wanted more, felt as if I had to have it and…
Never mind.
I’d already created a difficult and complicated situation for myself. The last thing I needed right now was to begin fantasizing about another sinful tryst with my prospective client. Now fighting my urges and my libido, I still had to find a way to convince Bernard and Leopold to keep their faith in me. I'd more or less tuned out what amounted to a lecture from both of them over the past minute or two.
I had to refocus.
During a pause in the conversation, I nodded, “I understand what you’re saying. You’re right. Both of you. I don't have the contract signed yet. I’m working on it. That’s all I can do right now.”
I didn’t expect that argument to go far with either of them, but of everyone in the firm, I had the best opportunity to close the deal. I was quite sure they knew that. Yet, if this meeting showed me anything, it was that I needed to redouble my efforts.
The investment banking world is all about performance. If you don’t perform, you’re out . I was crystal clear that my future with the firm, including my chance at a partnership, hinged on my ability to make this happen. The next five or ten minutes were largely forgettable. Bernard and Leopold reiterated their position - over and over and over. I paid their criticisms lip service – there really wasn’t much else for me to do at this point.
“Dani,” Bernard said at last, drumming his fingers on the table top. “As you know, Leopold and I are going back to New York tonight. Are you coming back with us, or do you feel you should remain behind?”
Without
Even though I disagreed with his statement, confessing the rest of what transpired between Marco and me would only make things one hundred times worse. Instead of interrupting, I kept quiet and listened.
“Yes,” Leopold said, nodding and looking at Bernard. “Initially, neither of us had any misgivings about your ability to close this transaction.”
I turned my head in his direction with a quick swivel. His innuendo wasn’t lost on me.
“What are you saying, Leopold?”
Leopold shook his head.
“Perhaps Bernard and I underestimated the value of offering you a partnership. It’s clear the incentive wasn’t enough.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Leaving aside all of Marco’s physical attributes, closing any multi-billion-dollar client takes time . If anyone knew that, it was the both of them. Frankly, between Marco’s behavior and my sleepless night, the last thing I wanted to do was let this meeting derail with murky accusations about my ability to close. Nothing had changed. There wasn’t a single thing about this deal that was simple, or easy, and they knew it.
“Hold on,” I began, raising my arm and showing both of them my palm. “The two of you trusted me to get this deal done. You need to give me time to work on it.”
Bernard cut me off.
“Dani, you know full well the one thing in this case, the only thing , we don’t have is the luxury of time. Every day that goes by is a day that gives our competition a chance to sweep in and steal this deal right out from underneath us.”
Frustrating though it was, there was really nothing I could do to counter their arguments. Whatever advantage I might have gained by what happened between Marco and me the night before, I had to keep to myself. Coming right out and telling them about it would probably only make the situation worse.
Bernard continued to ramble. I wanted to pay attention, hell I needed to , but the more the conversation centered around Marco, the more I found myself thinking back to our time together. I drew my legs closed, squeezing my thighs tight, and fought to keep the memory of how he felt inside of me outside of my consciousness. I was sore but far from satisfied. I wanted more, felt as if I had to have it and…
Never mind.
I’d already created a difficult and complicated situation for myself. The last thing I needed right now was to begin fantasizing about another sinful tryst with my prospective client. Now fighting my urges and my libido, I still had to find a way to convince Bernard and Leopold to keep their faith in me. I'd more or less tuned out what amounted to a lecture from both of them over the past minute or two.
I had to refocus.
During a pause in the conversation, I nodded, “I understand what you’re saying. You’re right. Both of you. I don't have the contract signed yet. I’m working on it. That’s all I can do right now.”
I didn’t expect that argument to go far with either of them, but of everyone in the firm, I had the best opportunity to close the deal. I was quite sure they knew that. Yet, if this meeting showed me anything, it was that I needed to redouble my efforts.
The investment banking world is all about performance. If you don’t perform, you’re out . I was crystal clear that my future with the firm, including my chance at a partnership, hinged on my ability to make this happen. The next five or ten minutes were largely forgettable. Bernard and Leopold reiterated their position - over and over and over. I paid their criticisms lip service – there really wasn’t much else for me to do at this point.
“Dani,” Bernard said at last, drumming his fingers on the table top. “As you know, Leopold and I are going back to New York tonight. Are you coming back with us, or do you feel you should remain behind?”
Without
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