The Dealmaker (Sex & Bonds 1)

“Fine.” I turn back to Theo. “You were a director at Felix Brothers, correct?”

“Yes.

“So are you or are you not a managing director now?”

“I am not,” Theo replies. “Not yet.”

Not yet. He’s clearly as hungry for this as I am. “So you didn’t get the promotion.” I turn to Aiden. “Who did?”

“No one is getting a promotion today.” Aiden blows out his cheeks. “Look, I was going to tell you this in your review, but we’re pushing back promotions to the spring. A few higher-ups think announcing them now looks bad in light of our recent earnings fiasco, so we’re letting things quiet down a bit before any decisions are made.”

Now I’m staring at him. The pieces start to come together inside my head. “Are you still offering only one promotion for the group?”

“Unfortunately, yes. My hands are tied, Nora. I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” I nod. I think. Then I scoff. “Wait, this is not okay. Not at all. You can’t make this flashy new hire without telling us, and then all but hand him the money and the title we’ve all been working for. That’s bullshit.”

“That’s how this business works,” Aiden says, raising his voice. “But I promise you, no decisions have been made. Everyone is still being considered for the promotion. You’re still in the running, Nora, and Theo, so are you. You have my word.”

Aiden’s nostrils flare—that only happens when he’s really upset—and the final piece of this fucked-up puzzle clicks into place.

I let out a low, mirthless chuckle. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I assure you, I am deadly serious.” Aiden straightens his tie.

“If you’re going to make us play games, the least you can do is not play them too. You just said it—it’s me, or it’s him.” I point to Theo. “Only one of us will get MD. You’re making me compete against him in a game that’s completely rigged.”

“I’m not making you do anything, Nora.”

That’s a lie. Aiden knows how badly I want MD. He knows I have aspirations beyond my current role. And he knows I’m a capable leader.

I’ll do whatever it takes to get that damn title. Judging by the sharp look Theo sends me across the table, he will too.

I bring my teeth together with an audible clack.

“What?” Theo shrugs. “I happen to believe all’s fair in love and war.”

Aiden nods. “That’s the attitude I like. Just do your jobs and the best man will win. Or woman. The best person will win. It’s that simple, really.”

It’s not simple, and it’s certainly not fair. But I’m not going to change that by sitting here and stewing.

I stand up and tuck my notebook under my arm. “I should get back to the desk for the morning call.”

“I’ll see you on Monday, then,” Theo says.

“I look forward to it,” I say, and even manage a tight grin. I am scary good at the forced pleasantries. Not for the first time, I wonder if that’s a good thing.

Aiden turns. “I’ll call you back in for your review after the call, all right?”

I hold back my tears until I’m safely ensconced in a bathroom stall. Crying on the trading floor is a big no-no, and I won’t give Theo Morgan the satisfaction of seeing me break down in public.

I hang my head and let the tears spill over onto my pumps. They bead on the horsehair, then slowly make their way onto the beige tile floor.

You’re a goddamn cheetah. I sniffle, remembering Glennon’s words of encouragement. She’s right; I’ve come too far to let some entitled douche in an admittedly great suit tame my ambitions. I may be playing a losing game, but I’m going to run as fast and hit as hard as I can nonetheless. I can beat Theo. I know I can.

I’m going to win. And when I do, I’ll take down that entitled jerk and all the men like him.

Chapter Two

Theo

The second the bartender sets down my Olde Meck Copper draft, I knock it back, taking several long, thirsty pulls of the ice-cold beer.

It’s delicious. I’ve missed this shit, having a drink at Connolly’s on Fifth, my favorite dive bar in uptown Charlotte. The place is empty, save for a pretty brunette sitting alone at a high-top in the far corner.

I drink. I wait. I drink some more. Two beers and twenty minutes later, I still can’t stop thinking about Nora fucking Frasier. I had a lot of meetings today. I met research analysts, the High-Grade sales and trading teams, several high-ranking MDs. Aiden already invited me to a conference he’s attending in a couple weeks. I crushed it, with the notable exception of my introduction to Nora. I blew that one.

Fucking blew it.

I shouldn’t have let her get to me. I’m thirty-four years old, for Christ’s sake. I admit I’ve had a chip on my shoulder since the first day I walked onto a trading floor as a twenty-year-old intern who knew nothing about bonds and no one in the business. But that’s no excuse to go after her the way I did. She just presses my buttons. She’s the kind of pedigreed princess who thinks she’s better than everyone because her daddy’s got money. The way she stared at me like I had something stuck in my teeth? Took me right back to high school and that group of popular rich girls who’d stare from the windows of their BMWs at the jalopy my dad dropped me off in every morning. They’d laugh. I’d die inside. The interaction repeated itself over and over again for four years straight.