“Mama, he knows all about Papa. He’s looked through my research. It’ll take some time.”
Turning to her daughter, she asks, “What will happen to you when he decides to not fund your start-up?”
“I’ll figure something out, Mama. This research is too important.”
“You can go to medical school and treat neurological patients.”
I see Bella close her eyes. “Mama, getting a PhD isn’t a bad thing.”
“Academia is not enough. You’ll be eaten alive.”
“Hopefully my company sees her research and finances Black Rock,” I interject before World War III breaks out.
“Don’t give her false hope, Christopher. She needs a backup plan, and you aren’t it.”
“I don’t think I am her backup plan. I think your daughter is bright, inventive, curious, and has an innate ability to figure out problems. I think research is perfect for her, and if she wants to teach, she can fall back on that.”
“You’re foolish to think that, Christopher. She needs people in her life that are honest with her. Not just wanting to get into her pants.”
“Mama! You need to apologize to Christopher,” Bella demands.
I hold my hand up. “No, she doesn’t, Bella. She knows I’m only trying to be supportive, and I know she’s looking out for you.”
I finally think I’ve broken through. Her lips curl. “You’re a smart one, aren’t you, Christopher?”
“Well, I went to medical school myself, and I know that practicing medicine isn’t for everyone.”
Her eyes go wide, and then she smiles at me. “No, it isn’t, but I’m glad you understand the pressures on my baby girl.”
“I do, and I try hard to make sure I’m not one of them.”
She nods and gets up, and as she leaves she says, “Make sure you say goodbye to your aunts before you leave.”
Bella turns to me. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It wasn’t anything I didn’t expect. But remember this when you meet my family. They have expectations of me that I didn’t meet either.”
We dance for a while. When there’s a slow song, I pull Bella into me and hold her close. I know there are many eyes on us, so I’m careful where my hands are and what we do. I see her oldest aunt walk up and tap Bella on the shoulder. “I’d like to cut in.”
Bella looks at me questioning. I nod, and her aunt steps in. “You’re very handsome, you know.”
I don’t know what to say. How do you respond when a woman who could be your mother talks about your looks? “Thank you.”
“I hear you’re rich too.”
I’m a little taken aback by her forthrightness. “Really? Who told you that?”
“I saw the car you drove up in, and I see your watch. I notice things,” she says triumphantly.
I laugh loudly. “Well, don’t believe everything you see.”
“I like a man who’s modest. If you give up on our Bella, give me a call.” She pinches my ass and winks at me.
I grin widely. “I have no plans on giving up on your Bella.”
As the song ends, she whispers in my ear, “I’ve told everyone you’re very good for our Bella. Don’t make a liar out of me.”
“I’ll try.”
She kisses me on the cheek.
“What did you two talk about?” Bella inquires.
“You mostly. All good, I promise.”
“Do tell.”
“Nothing to tell, really.”
We say our goodbyes to everyone and head out to the car.
“You were a great sport tonight,” Bella coos.
“It was fun. Thank you for inviting me.”
We get in the car, and we aren’t even to the interstate when I look over and see she’s napping. I don’t mind. She works hard and needs her rest.
When we arrive at her place, I jostle Bella. “Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. We’re at your place.”
She looks around with her eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“You’re tired. Don’t worry about it.”
We walk into her apartment, and she’s a little lost. I point her to her sleep shorts and a camisole, and I tuck her into bed. I step out of my pants, leaving my boxers on, and crawl in behind her, and she spoons with me. It’s been a long day, and I drift off quickly.
I wake early and reach for her, but the bed is cold. Sitting up, I look across the room and see her bent over with her pencil in her mouth, studying her computer screen.
“Hey, have you been up long?”
Looking at the clock, she says, “Just a couple hours. I have a lot to get done today before we go to dinner tonight.”
“Can I go get you a cup of coffee, or would you want to come with me to get it? I was going to hit that hipster coffee spot on Mission Street.”
“I suppose I could take a break in a little bit and go with you.”
I like that idea, so I shower and get dressed and start preparing for my day. I really need to give her her space; plus I need to prepare myself for tonight’s dinner. I set myself up in the kitchen to work on my presentation, but I need coffee and some sort of sustenance.
“Are you at a point you can take a break?”
She’s dressed in yoga pants and one of my Carolina T-shirts. “Where did you get that?”
“I might have liberated it from your closet to remind me of you when you aren’t around.”
My chest puffs out further, and her comment makes me really happy. “It looks good on you.”
We wander the street to a little Italian coffee spot. I call it a hipster place because the coffee is expensive and the patrons are way cooler than I am. We order pastries and large cups of Illy coffee, enjoying a little bit of morning together while reading through the newspapers. She reads the San Francisco Chronicle, and I read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Life is incredibly comfortable together, and I feel like I can do this for a very long time.
We walk back to her place holding hands.
“I’m really sorry about my mother and my aunt last night.”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about. Just wait until you meet my family. You’ll be equally tortured.”
She spends the day crawling through her computer and the data that she’s received from some of the scientists in her lab. I work through my presentation and watch a hockey game. When we are about an hour and a half from leaving, I let her know so she can prepare. I’ve learned that if I start giving her time alerts, she seems to be able to wrap things up and is less stressed.
“Okay, I’ll be ready.”
She takes a shower, and then I hear the hair dryer going. I just sit patiently on the couch. She changes in to a pair of jeans that make me appreciate her backside and a tight sweater that shows off her curves. The guys can eat their hearts out. She grabs an overnight bag and throws it in the back of my car along with her messenger bag. As we drive down to Hillsboro to our dinner and meeting, we talk about what she can expect. I don’t want to sway her opinion of anyone, so I’m careful to just give her the highlights.
I pull into the circular driveway amongst many other cars and turn to her. “There’s going to be a pack of dogs any second that will come barreling out of the house and surround the car to greet you. Are you afraid of dogs? I’ve never asked that before. They’re just curious when everyone arrives.”
“No, I’m good with dogs. I grew up with several.”
No sooner than the car turns off, we’re surrounded by half a dozen dogs in various sizes, barking and greeting us. I get out on my side and walk over and shoo them away before opening Bella’s door for her. As she exits the car, I can see she’s a little nervous. I kiss her temple. “You’re going to do great.”
She grabs her messenger bag, and I grab mine, and we walk in the house while the dogs are distracted by the next car arriving. The first person we meet is Margo, and I introduced her. “Bella, this is Margo, and this is her house. Margo, th
is is Bella, my girlfriend.”
Margo opens her arms, brings Bella into a hug, and says, “We’re so happy to meet you. It’s nice to see someone has finally captured Christopher’s heart.”
“Thank you, it’s great to meet you.”
Greer rushes over and hugs Bella with several of the women trailing behind her. I know she’s shared meeting her already with the girls.
“Isabella, it’s so wonderful that you came,” Greer gushes.
“Please call me Bella.”
“Of course. Bella, I’d like you to meet CeCe. She’s one of our advisers, as is her father, and this is her parents’ home.”
“Nice to meet you.” Bella says.
“Give me a hug. You’ve tamed the man I didn’t think could ever be tamed.” CeCe demands with a huge grin.
Bella looks at me carefully. “Did he date a lot?”
“We’ve never met anyone. We knew he dated, but he’s never brought anyone here. We’re so glad.”
Greer continues, “This is Sara. She’s our chief legal counsel and happens to be CeCe’s sister-in-law.”
“So nice to meet you.”
Sara squeezes her hand. “We’re thrilled you’re here.”
“This beautiful redhead is Hadlee. She’s engaged to Cameron, one of the partners.”
“Don’t let this group intimidate you. I’ve known many of them for a while and know all their weaknesses,” Hadlee jokes.
“This blonde bombshell is Emerson,” Greer says.
“I met you and Caroline at the farmers market a few weeks ago. At Jordana’s, remember?” Bella shares.
“That’s right,” CeCe says. “My friends call me CeCe. You did my mother’s flowers—which she absolutely loved.”
“Oh my goodness, I remember that,” Emerson adds. “You were with another woman who was just adorable.”
“Yes, I was with my best friend, Ellie. It’s great to see you again.”
Greer looks pleased that Bella is already acquainted with some of her friends. She continues making introductions. “And this is Annabelle. She’s involved with our managing partner, Mason.”
“Nice to meet you,” Bella murmurs.
“How did you two meet?” CeCe asks.
“Believe it or not, we met at The Church.”
“A Catholic church or the new club in SOMA?” CeCe inquires.
“The club—although I should remember to call it a Catholic church, so my family digests it better.” The group laughs. “I was at my best friend’s birthday party, and he was chivalrous when someone wasn’t taking a hint and going away. He pretended to be my boyfriend, and here we are.”
“I like that chivalrous way about him,” Emerson says.
Dillon walks over, puts his arm around Emerson's shoulders, and introduces himself. “Hi. I’m Dillon, and I work with Christopher here. I can tell you all the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
I’m almost ready to protest when I spot the evil eye Emerson gives him. “That’s not true. He’s an honest golfer, and he saves damsels in distress. Run along and don’t spoil this for him.”
“I think we’ve been dismissed,” Dillon says to me.
I look at Bella and raise my eyebrows to make sure she’s comfortable with the girls. Her smile puts me at ease.
“I think we can pull together two foursomes if everyone wants to play,” Cameron says.
“Are you in?” Mason looks at me expectantly.
“When are you talking about going?” I ask.
“Friday afternoon. Does Bella play?” he inquires.
“I don’t think she plays, but she doesn’t go out much. She’s pretty wrapped up in Black Rock and finishing the research for her dissertation.”
Margo calls dinner, stopping our golf outing plans, and we work our way to the dining room. Margo directs Bella on where she’d like us to sit. Looking around the room, I notice that it is getting full, but I think we could easily add another ten people if we needed to, and probably an additional six if they changed out the chairs. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to continue these dinners, but I enjoy them. The added bonus is that we include our significant others; I really value that the company puts focus on more than the heavy hours that we work.
Margo and her small army of helpers bring out several racks of lamb and places them throughout the table. They bring dishes of fingerling potatoes, grilled artichokes halves, salads, string beans, and sautéed mushrooms.
Bella looks at me. “Do you always eat like this?”
I nod, and CeCe says, “My mom loves to entertain. This is the highlight of her week.”
Margo looks at her daughter with affection. “Yes, it is. The energy in the room is young and vibrant, and it’s fun to plan the menus.”
“Dinner is outstanding,” Bella says. “Thank you for including me.”
We laugh and joke through dinner, mostly to try to impress Bella. I’m really enjoying myself. Finally, Margo’s team brings out strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream for each of us.
When the grandfather clock on the wall rings eight o’clock, we—the partners and advisers—all retreat into Charles’s office.
“You’ve chosen a nice girl,” Charles offers.
“Thank you. I think so too,” I tell him.
We go through our agenda, and I’m second on the list.
When it becomes my turn, I hand out a paper copy of a PowerPoint presentation, and I walk them through Black Rock Therapeutics and their needs. I explain that Bella is one of the founders at Black Rock and stress that I met her before my meetings started with Black Rock and didn’t know her involvement until after I had spoken with Dr. Johnson on multiple occasions.
Emerson fidgets in her seat, and I know her well enough to know something is bothering her. I prepare myself for her to say I’m too close to this. Taking a steadying breath, I ask, “Emerson, you seem to have some questions?”
She picks her words carefully. “What are you recommending?”
That’s the hard question to answer. I know a lot more through my relationship with Bella, and I don’t trust Dr. Johnson. “I don’t want to influence anyone, but I’d recommend that we move forward with Black Rock to the next round of evaluation. I think their technology and what they’re trying to develop is, from my research, cutting edge and a very interesting replacement and possible improvement to Parkinson’s care.”
“How are they financially?” Dillon asks.
I sit back in my chair and carefully figure out how I’m going to answer this without destroying the credibility of my relationship with Bella. “It’s going to be tight for them to wait six months for funding. They’re getting close. They’ve probably got about two to three months of funding to cover rent, equipment leases, and payroll.”
“Anyway for them to offset the cash crunch?” Mason asks.
“I’m not sure.” I look at Dillon, and ask, “What do you think after looking at their books?
“There are a few things that seem a little strange, but it could easily be a bookkeeping issue. I can’t say for sure without interviewing the person doing the accounting.”
“What kind of relationship do Dr. Johnson and Bella have?” Sara asks.
“Well, it’s a partnership. She owns 51 percent. Although I have to tell you, when I met with Dr. Johnson, he didn’t represent himself as the minority owner but rather the sole owner. It may be because Bella doesn’t have his credentials, but Bella set me straight the first time we met in their offices and has included their partnership agreement, which is attached at the back of your handout.”
“Have you asked him why he misrepresented himself? In my experience, he may have something up his sleeve to take the company out from under her,” Emerson advises.
“I haven’t asked—not because I was afraid of his answer, but because under normal circumstances I wouldn’t ask, and I didn’t want it to appear I’m favoring my girlfriend.”
Mason sits back in his chair. “What are some of
your concerns?”
I weigh my options carefully. Finally, I share, “Well, part of my concerns come from my relationship with Bella. Dr. Johnson always positioned the company as his own. He occasionally referred to a research assistant, but she wasn’t there the first time we met. I asked for a meeting, and he was slow to set it up, so I showed up unannounced, and it ended up being Bella. I only wanted to speak to the researcher because he couldn’t answer my questions about the research. My second concern is that in his initial request, his proposal was ten million, but once we started meeting, he adjusted to fifty million. I don’t have a great feeling as to why the investment requirement is so much steeper. He’s the name to invest in, but I’m concerned if, as Emerson says, he takes the company out from under Bella, he won’t be the guy to get it over the finish line.”
Emerson says, “Thank you, Christopher.”
“She described it as her job is the science side of the company and he’s the business side. Quite honestly, I’m not sure where his business head is at because he’s made some decisions businesswise that I’m not a hundred percent sure about. I’ve not looked at their books, and these are based on Bella’s view rather than an actual business perception. And, with all of that being said, I would say that I believe that the business is a sound decision. There are competitors out there, and we all know that getting therapeutics to market requires a runway of about $300 million, so it’s pretty significant to ask at this point for something at this stage. I also know that there are three pharma companies that might be interested in them, and it might be something we could offload quickly. So there are a lot of options.”
“How close is Bella to getting her PhD?” Sara asks.
“This research is a major part of her dissertation, so I’d imagine a good year to eighteen months out,” I tell her. I ask the question I know that Bella will want to know. “I guess the bigger question would be, can we do the investment without Bella or without Dr. Johnson?”
“Dr. Johnson’s credentials and award make it a much better buy. So the reality is, we could do it without Bella but probably not Dr. Johnson.”
I’m completely crushed. This is Bella’s baby, and I know that she is the science behind this drug. I need to figure out how to get the two of them working together cohesively. “I can leave the room if you all would like to talk about this without me being present. I realize that, given my relationship with Bella, I’m compromised.”
Longing (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #7): A Billionaire Romance Page 12