“I’m sure you’ll get there…eventually.” Victoria said as she waltzed out of the bathroom through the door that Victoria still held open.
Harper rolled her eyes as she followed Victoria back to the board room where the meeting was taking place. That woman was a bitch, but it wasn’t the first time she encountered someone like that. Nor would it be the last.
Harper sat back down and looked around the room. Everyone was there except for Bryce.
“Mr. Petros had to leave to take a call.” Victoria said. “Bill Mason is going to step in.” She motioned to a balding, overweight white man who was sweating profusely.
They began to talk about the proposed deal, but Harper’s mind was again on Bryce. She tried to focus but she kept glancing through the glass walls that surrounded the conference room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bryce.
He came in about 30 minutes later. His face was stoic. Whatever phone call he took part in, it didn’t seem to have any impact on him emotionally.
Harper almost gasped when his eyes made contact with hers. She looked away quickly, hoping that he didn’t realize that she was staring at him.
“We’re going to have to wrap this up.” Bryce said after about ten minutes. “I have an event tonight and I think we reached a stand-still. We’ll need to re-evaluate things from our end and then continue discussions.”
Everyone stood and shook hands. Bryce was congenial but frosty with the partners of the firm. But after he said his goodbyes, he left without saying anything to Harper. She stood back. She didn’t feel insulted. He could probably tell through the course of the meeting that she wasn’t there to take part in the negotiations, but was more of an observer.
They all left and she went back to her office. She felt dejected. Drained of energy.
She slunk down in her office chair and spun around to look out the window. She saw Bryce and Victoria get into their chauffeured town car. She admired his broad shoulders. That athletic physique.
“Damn, he’s so hot.” She said out loud.
“Who is?”
She spun around and looked up at her boss. She bit her lip, trying to cover for what she just said. “It’s hot in here, don’t you think?”
Her boss looked around, seemingly unconvinced with her fib. But he didn’t embarrass her.
“Harper, I wanted to talk about the negotiations.”
“Yes?” She said, standing. She began to feel a sense of trepidation. It wasn’t like her boss to sound so serious.
“The partners and I thought this would be a good opportunity for you. We want you to step up and take the lead on this.”
“Sir?” She said, not believing her ears. She had handled some high profile work in the past, but she hadn’t ever really gotten the credit for it. This would be an opportunity to really prove herself.
“We think you will be more than able to handle this. Plus, you’re personally invested in making sure that the deal is a good one.”
Harper squared her shoulders and smiled professionally at him. “I think I’m more than up to the task.”
“I certainly hope so. Because we have another party who’s interested in buying.”
“Really?” She said, raising her eyebrows. “That’s interesting.”
“It is interesting, because it’s personal. It’s Roman Santos.”
“Roman Santos? The internet mogul?” Harper definitely knew about him. He was a tech genius, creating a social media network when he was still in college. And not only that, he was extremely attractive. She remembered once going to a law conference where he spoke a few years back. While all the attorneys were dressed professional, he came out wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt that highlighted his developed pec muscles. His gorgeous biceps almost busted out of his shirt sleeves.
She didn’t remember much of what he talked about, something about the legal ramifications of internet privacy, but she certainly remembered how attractive he was. Despite his exotic name, he had dark blonde hair and crystal clear blue eyes. His time spent on the beach as a surfer, one of his favorite hobbies, showed in his tan.
“That’s the one.” He responded.
“Why would he be interested in something like this? No offense to anyone involved in this deal, but it’s a pretty small-time label. I mean, their revenue is dwarfed by Roman’s income from all his internet businesses, I’m sure.”
He shrugged. “We’re guessing it’s personal.”
“Personal?” Harper cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. How could a deal over a record label be personal? She reviewed the financials and minutes from board meetings and never saw one mention of Roman Santos or any Silicon Valley company. “How the hell is this personal between Roman Santos and Bryce?”
“They’re cousins.”
“Cousins?” Harper said, not believing it.
“And apparently there’s some bad blood between them. I’m not sure of the specifics, but I’m sure we’ll find out one way or another soon enough.”
Harper shook her head. She was still trying to process this information. “Whatever’s going on between the two of them, I’m assuming that I’m going to be in the middle of it.”
Her boss smiled at her. “It will be good experience. But it might get messy.”
Harper nodded. “I can handle it, sir. But I wasn’t expecting this…at all.”
“Neither were we. We just got a meeting request during our afternoon session.”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Harper. “What if they’re colluding? What if this is just some type of trick? One will low-ball and the other one will offer slightly more?”
He shrugged. “It’s very possible. But that’s up to you to figure out.”
Harper sighed and shook her head, but then smiled confidently. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”
“It sure is. But it’s a good chance to prove yourself to the firm. To show that you’re worthy of being a partner.”
He turned and left. Harper was alone once again. She couldn’t believe her ears. Was she seriously being considered for a partner position? If that was the case, then she would be the youngest female ever made partner in the whole town of Oak View. That was definitely something to be proud of.
She took a deep breath and sat down. She fired up Google and started searching for all the information she could find on Roman Santos. Overwhelmed did not begin to describe how she felt in that moment. She had to figure out which deal was better between two famous billionaires, both of them incredibly attractive and notoriously charismatic.
Am I really up for this? Harper thought to herself as she scrolled through the search results. Was she out of her league? Would she be able to help Brian Washington, the label owner, get a business agreement where he could still help direct the activities of the label, the business he started from the ground-up over 30 years ago?
I’m not sure, she thought, but I’m certainly going to try to make it happen.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“So what’s going on? What can you tell me?” Lola said. They were at the Four Leaf Clover Bar and Grill on main street, one of their favorite places to go because it was close to the location of Harper’s workplace.
Bryce detected the nervousness and apprehension on Lola’s face. She knew that Lola was trying to be strong, but she could sense her fragility. Her vulnerability. The label was essentially her employer, and if the new buyer didn’t like her or think she was bringing enough to the label, it was plausible that she could get the boot.
“We’re in the beginning stages. I’m going to do my best to make sure that none of the artists get dropped.”
Lola pushed a loose strand of her hair back from her face and took a sip from her daiquiri.
“My calls aren’t getting returned. What’s even going on over there? My song is in the top 10 on the charts. My second single hasn’t even officially been released to radio and it’s in the top 50. I need to shoot that video to get that promo that I need. But they aren’t calling me back.”
“I really don’t know. All I know is…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know if she should tell Lola.
“Know what? What do you know?” Lola leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Harper.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say anything. I didn’t sign a non-disclosure agreement, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to keep this under wraps.”
“Spit it out. I need to know.”
“Brian is sick.”
“Brian Washington?” Lola leaned back. She seemed surprised by the news. Obviously this was the first time she was hearing from it.
“Yeah.” Harper said. “Apparently he’s not doing too well.”
“So I guess that’s why he’s entertaining these offers.” Lola shook her head in annoyance. “He always vowed that he’d stay independent. Not be at the mercy of those huge corporations that try to control the artistic output. He must be losing his mind.” Lola paused. Her lips were pursed. “What is he sick with?”
Harper shrugged and uncrossed her legs. “That’s the extent of what I know.” The bartender came by and freshened up their drinks. Harper smiled at him and then turned back to Lola.
“Harper, I can’t sleep. I’m a wreck. If this label gets into the wrong hands, who knows what could happen to me. I’m over 30. My songs do well, but I’m a singles artist mostly. If I can’t sell albums, they’re going to drop me. I just know it.”
“Relax, I got you.” Harper said reassuringly. “We’ll find a good buyer.”
“I sure hope so.” Lola said. Her words slurred, like she was getting a bit of a buzz going on. Feeling the effects of the alcohol.
“You better cool it with the drinking, sister. Don’t you have that television appearance next week?”
“I do. My vocal coach says I just can’t drink a week before I do the performance. And it’s exactly in seven and a half days. So I got a few hours left to enjoy this liquid pleasure.” She smiled wryly at her as she took another big gulp of her beverage. She tossed her hair back and took a deep breath after swallowing.
“Just be careful,” Harper said cautiously.
“How about we go to Soul Food and get some dinner. I can call some of the Divas up and we can make a night of it.”
“But I have work in the morning!” Harper exclaimed. “And I know whenever we go to Soul Food on a weeknight, you guys always make me go to the clubs.”
“You need to live it up, girl.” Lola said to her seriously. “You’re not going to find a man sitting in that office all day.”
Harper’s thoughts immediately jumped to Bryce. The man she was interested in literally walked through the front door of her office building that very day. She still couldn’t believe it.
“I take that back.” Lola said with a laugh. “You just might.”
“That would be so unprofessional. Plus, what if he’s not a good man? What if he’s not the right person to buy out the label?”
“I guess you’ll have to spend some time with him and figure out what type of man he is.” Lola said with a wink. “And I hope you share all the…intimate…details.”
“Girl, stop!” Harper said. She playfully swatted at Lola.
“Listen, if that man can distract you so much that you can’t even pay attention to my Whitney-esque singing, then he must be something special.”
“I was paying attention! I swear!”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is our time is running out in this dating game.”
“Don’t say that. That’s so depressing.”
Lola took another sip. “Who knows. Maybe getting dropped would be a good thing. Then I could focus on finding a man. Starting a family. Maybe move out to Hollywood and try out for some acting jobs, where my baby could be on set with me.”
“You can’t talk that way.” Harper said. Her brow was creased. “Singing is your number one passion. You’ve devoted your life to it. You can’t give up on it that easily.”
Harper shrugged. “I’ve had a good run. Maybe this is a sign from God. A sign that I need to pursue other things in my life.”
“Okay, we’re going.” Harper stood up and threw two twenties on the bar. She grabbed Lola’s free hand while the other one still cradled her daiquiri. “I can’t stand to listen to this depressing talk.”
“I’m not finished!”
“We’re going to Soul Food. On the way, text the girls and tell them to meet us there. Whoever is free.”
The two women hailed a cab and made their way downtown. About ten minutes later, they pulled up at the restaurant in the heart of the city.
Lola stepped out of the cab and was immediately recognized by a paparazzi who was loitering outside the restaurant.
“Lola! Lola, over here! Give us an over-the-shoulder shot, Lola.” Lola soaked in the attention, turning this way and that way, tossing her violet-streaked hair over her shoulder and striking a pose.
But just a moment later, a shout went out among the paparazzi and they raced across the street, stopping traffic. One man with a telephoto lens stood back, but climbed up onto a heavy-duty trashcan and started taking some shots.
Lola messed up her face, disappointed that someone more important had come along.
“Who are you papping now?” She said in a surly voice. “You’re acting like it’s Beyoncé.”
“It’s Roman Santos. We got a tip he just got into town,” the paparazzi said hurriedly as he focused on his target. A steady series of clicks came from his camera. “Someone from the hotel called and said he’s staying at that hotel.”
Harper went up on her tip-toes to try to get a glimpse of him through the crowd. She could see the top of his head - his spiky blonde hair. But then he disappeared through the front door into the lobby. She was familiar with that hotel as she had had many meetings that were held there in the conference rooms. Many of the firm's clients would fly into town to discuss business, but they were important enough that she’d have to go to them, not the other way around.
“Roman Santos. I know that name.” Lola said as they walked into the restaurant.
“Yeah, the billionaire.” She didn’t know if she should tell Lola that he was also interested in buying the label. She decided against it as it might add more stress to her already stressed-out condition of having her job potentially being compromised by a new owner.
“Wonder what he’s doing in town.” She said.
Kierra was behind the bar and spotted them and walked over. “Hey girls.” She said with a broad smile. “What can I get you?”
“I’d love a rum and Diet Sprite.” Lola said as she crossed her legs, leaning her head on her hand.
“Water for me.” Harper said.
“Are any of the other divas coming? We had a big group cancel their reservation, so I could put you guys in one of the private rooms in the back.”
Harper actually preferred this, as it meant she and the other divas could get as wild and crazy as they wanted without the other patrons of the restaurants seeing them. Sometimes people Harper knew from her work life would come in, and she’d have to maintain that professional appearance and personality. She’d often have to rein in the other divas when they were getting too loud and crazy.
“That’d be great.” Harper said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Kierra said as she turned and walked away.
Just then, Harper noticed Telah and Kendall walk over to their table. Kendall was obviously coming directly from work at the nonprofit she was the director of, and was wearing an old and worn-looking pantsuit. Harper couldn’t help but sigh and shake her head. She looked every inch the crunchy granola hippie girl she was. Telah looked the exact opposite. Her 1B hair cascaded around her face in an updated Farrah Fawcett hairstyle and she was wearing a form-fitting navy bandage dress. She was teetering around on sky high stilettos and was carrying a Louis Vuitton briefcase.
They grabbed some seats and Telah immediately began talking.
“You won’t believe the cal
l I got this afternoon.”
“Believe what?” Kendall said, adjusting her outdated looking prescription glasses that were perched on her nose.
“It was Bryce Petros. Harper’s Bryce.” Telah winked at Harper as she said this.
“Now cut that foolishness out,” Harper protested. “I have to stay professional.”
“But isn’t he gorgeous?” Telah asked. “How can you stand it?”
“I’ll admit it’s a bit…distracting.” Harper said carefully.
ROMANCE: His Ebony Blood Jewel - A Novel (BWWM, Paranormal, Vampire, Billionaire New Adult Romance) Page 4