Sold To The Sheikh Bidder

She laid things on the counter. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

Hakim pointed out the location of pots and pans, then went to pick out a bottle of wine.

“Red or white?” he asked.

“Red, please,” Lauren said over her shoulder as she chopped onions. She added carrots and garlic to the pile of vegetables.

Hakim found the corkscrew and opened the bottle. He poured two glasses, then set one near where Lauren was working. He then took his own to sit across the counter from her.

“Do you cook often?” Hakim asked, as Lauren broke up a head of cauliflower.

“I do. It’s relaxing. It’s also the one thing that my mother and I always did together. She would make sure she was home in time for dinner four or five nights a week, and we would cook. She would often go back to the office after we ate, but it was important to her that we at least got that time together. She expected a lot from me, but cooking was never about being perfect. It was always fun for us.”

Lauren kept chopping, but looked up to see how he’d reacted to what she’d said about Patricia. She wanted to show him another side of her mother. Hakim was nodding, and Lauren hoped she’d made an inroad there.

“Somehow, I imagined Patricia having a professional chef on call. Or having her assistant make reservations every night at some five-star restaurant,” Hakim said quietly, taking a sip of his wine.

Lauren shook her head. “Oh, we did go out to eat; that was part of my training. I learned how to act at a professional dinner before I learned how to drive.”

“So, your mother always wanted you to follow her into business?”

Lauren tilted her head back and forth. “There was that expectation. Whatever field I went into, I wouldn’t be working for someone. At least not after the first few years.”

“That must have been a lot of pressure on you growing up,” Hakim said.

“You know, I used to wish for a more traditional mom. One that took me to Scouts and baked cookies. But as I got older, I realized just how hard it was for her. There weren’t a lot of women in her industry when she started, and when she started her own company, there weren’t many people who thought a woman could succeed as a CEO in the business. She showed them all.”

Hakim nodded. “It’s a tough industry anyway. I can only imagine what it must have been like for her. Is that why you didn’t choose to follow in her footsteps?”

Lauren waved a wooden spoon at him. “Oh, we were both clear on that. One Sanders in the ad biz is more than enough. Besides, I really like being in production.”

She studied him again, noticing that he looked more thoughtful. “What about you? Why did you choose advertising?” Lauren asked.

“I liked graphic design and I liked writing. It also let me do something different every day.” He cocked his head and squinted. “That is, until I became CEO. Now it’s all business meetings, contracts, and negotiations.”

Lauren nodded sympathetically. “I know. I miss getting in the field, but I like watching my team succeed.”

Hakim nodded. “You’re right. It’s a skill knowing when to step back, and that can be just as fulfilling as doing the everyday work.”

Lauren was quiet for a long minute, thinking. She really wanted to talk to someone about what Kayla had told her about earlier, and she felt she could trust Hakim.

“When did you start your company?” she asked.

“Nine years ago.”

Lauren looked up surprised. “That’s impressive. You were, what, twenty-two?”

Hakim nodded. “Just out of university. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had money and the name, so of course I was going to start my own company. I was convinced I was the whiz kid that would rule the industry by the time I was twenty-five.”

Lauren grinned at him. “And now?”

“I still have the money and the name, but I’ve learned a little bit about my place in the world since then.” He grinned back at her.

“Being a CEO is a lesson in humility, isn’t it?”

“If you’re doing it right, yes.”

“How do you deal with problems? Or things you think might be a problem, but you don’t know yet?”

He studied her. “Is this a general interest question, or did something happen at your office today?”

Lauren huffed a laugh. Apparently, her attempt at subtlety had bombed.

“I checked in with Kayla, and she mentioned that we might have a problem. She’s looking into it.”

“Can I ask for some more details about the problem?” He held up a hand as if to forestall her protest. “I know you said you weren’t going to give me any information about your company, but I’m happy to be a sounding board if you need one.”