“Oh, honey, you think you’re up for teaching, today?” Blu asked, taking my hand to pull me back to my seat. Evidently, he wasn’t done with my suffering.
But I was, at least for the moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I am,” I said, smoothing out my dress. “I gotta go.” I shook the bank manager’s hand.
His face brightened when he realized we were leaving.
Outside in the blinding sunshine, I pulled on my designer sunglasses while my limo zipped up to the curb. Devon hadn’t thought to take that away.
At least not yet.
Chapter 6
GIO
With a long day and night ahead of me, I sucked down an afternoon cup of caffè at the office while I scrolled through my online calendar. My schedule was booked so solid that day, I didn’t know when I’d be able to relieve myself, and the guys kept pinging me about the night’s upcoming party, since I was the one to handle the venue arrangements.
Why couldn’t I get a break?
I had to admit, though, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I buzzed our admin.
“Is our next meeting here?”
“They just arrived, Gio. I put them in the big conference room and let the others know.”
I’d worked for months to set up a meeting with some of the city’s most successful private equity firms to see if they wanted to throw some money at our ventures. I took my place at the head of the conference room table after a round of hellos and introductions.
“I’m Gio Rosselli, one of the founding partners of RESLR. Thank you all for attending.” Some of the faces looked familiar, and others were new. I coasted through my presentation with a particular emphasis on our latest acquisition, the airline mechanic company. Just as I was wrapping up, a hand went up in the back of the room. I pointed, and the man stood.
“Gio, I’m Devon Crane from Crane Enterprises. I think what you’re offering could be a good fit with our business objectives…” He kept talking, but I was having trouble following him.
Devon Crane…how did I know that name?
Oh shit, that was the guy who was in the news the other day. The scumbag who’d dumped his wife and who was under investigation.
I wanted nothing to do with this guy.
As everyone filtered out of the room after the meeting ended, I caught up with him.
“Devon, thank you again for joining the meeting,” I said, extending my hand for a shake.
He beamed. “Thank you, Gio. I think we could really make some things happen together.”
Yeah, like enjoy prison food? I wouldn’t have done business with that cretino if my life depended on it. But I wore my smile like a shield and turned to shake the hand of the pretty associate he’d brought along.
“Where are my manners?” Devon asked with a laugh. “This is my fiancée, Dagney Gardner.”
Fiancée? The man was still married. And as if he didn’t already look sleazy enough, he dug himself in even deeper.
“Yeah, Gio,” he said, putting an arm around my shoulder like we were old buddies.
I was dying to shake him off, but wanted to hear what he had to say.
He turned me slightly toward the wall for privacy.” You see, it’s time for some new ventures for me and my firm. I just got out of a bad, bad marriage. You know how it is. The woman was a loon.” He did the twirling crazy finger thing next to his head for emphasis. “My new woman, Dagney, gets me. She wants to learn my business. She wants to be by my side.”
Was he fucking kidding?
No, no, no. I backed up a step. “Well, my friend, I really don’t want to know about your relationships, and I think it’s pretty shitty to even bring them up during a business meeting. Further, you are under investigation by the D.A., so you have a lot of nerve showing up here.”
“Well…but…” he sputtered.