by J A Fielding
“Hey, Stacy. Everything okay?” Mitchell asked as he took a seat next to Natasha on the bed. They heard Stacy take a long deep breath.
“Well, it depends on how you look at it. If I was in your shoes, this would not be very good but it is generally good news for the company,” Stacy said matter of factly.
“Stacy, what is going on?” Mitchell asked in an authoritative voice. Stacy knew she was no longer dealing with her laid back boss.
“I had a call this morning about a Naima Nassir, the daughter to Sheikh Fayed Nassir,” Stacy began.
“The Fayed Nassir? The Arab billionaire?” Mitchell asked.
“Exactly. He has been looking for opportunities to invest in the States and he has decided on what he wants to do,” Stacy said.
“Okay, what is it?” Mitchell asked.
“As of ten minutes ago, the Nassir Foundation owns sixty percent of Lovell Telecommunications and Naima made a call to Natasha’s office,” Stacy continued.
“My office? Why?” Natasha asked. “I don’t even know this Naima Nazir,” she said.
“Nassir,” Mitchell corrected her.
“My point exactly,” Natasha said. “Why would she call my office?” she asked.
“Well, your work is known far and wide Tasha. She said the only company she wants handling her campaign is NSCS but only on one condition,” Stacy said. “That Natasha personally handles her campaign,” she added. Natasha looked at Mitchell in surprise.
“Okay,” she said not sure of what she was supposed to say at that point.
“Okay? Baby, the Nassir family is worth billions. Business with them would be a great bump in our financials,” Mitchell said excitedly.
“Really?” Natasha asked.
“Um Tasha, the campaign is already priced at thirty million dollars,” Stacy said. Mitchell looked at her as his eyes grew wide.
“I’m sorry. Did you just say thirty million dollars?” he asked.
“Yes and that said, you guys have to reschedule your plans because Naima will be here in half an hour,” Stacy said. Mitchell and Natasha exchanged glances. “So, yeah. I told you it was kind of good news, bad news situation,” she added.
“I see what you mean, Stacy. See you in a few,” Natasha said as she hung up. She looked at Mitchell and shrugged.
“So much for flying commercial, right?” he said.
“Guess we will just be taking the jet after all,” Natasha said as she walked to her closet. She took off her comfortable pants and top and pulled out a green sleeveless dress. It was just what she needed. Pencil design, knee high and it was the kind of dress that you could wear from the office and straight to happy hour. She pulled out a pair of black peep toe pumps and a red and black checkered coat and then put it on. By the time she walked out of her walk-in closet, Mitchell had loaded their bags in the car. It seemed he had the same thoughts as her. They would do the meeting and then go right to the airport. She waited for him to get changed and then walked out to the car.
“This is it, huh?” she said as she buckled herself in the passenger seat.
“Yeah. Maybe losing a four million dollar account was the pathway to getting a thirty million dollar client,” he said as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.
“So, what do I need to know about this Nassir Foundation?” she asked as she pinned her hair back, letting her rich black curls pile up in a ponytail.
“The Nassir Foundation was set up in the late eighties. It was initially just another charity but soon they began venturing out to more commercial business to fund their charities. They support over four hundred shelters and they also run a school, one of the biggest schools in the Middle East. My grandfather worked with the foundation sometime in the early nineties but that relationship did not last,” Mitchell explained.
“How so?” Natasha asked.
“They were out of commercial business for a while. I had heard rumors about them in merger talks with Lovell but I thought they were just that, rumors,” he said and then looked at Natasha. “If they asked for you specifically, then baby you are the star I always knew you were,” he added.
“Well, I knew I was good but this is the golden feather in my hat,” Natasha said as they pulled into the company parking lot.
“You got this, honey,” Mitchell said looking into her eyes. She smiled and nodded.
“So, one more thing. On a scale of one to ten, where one is the Malibu Princess and ten is the royal family, where would you rate the Nassirs?” she asked. Mitchell smiled.
“Like fourteen,” he said. “These guys could buy not just England but the entire United Kingdom, the United States and still have enough money left to have at least a hundred thousand dollars in every bank account in the world,” he said excitedly. Natasha frowned.
“Really?” she asked.
“Okay, I may have exaggerated a little,” Mitchell said smiling.
“A little?” Natasha asked as she got out of the car.
“Okay, a lot but I did not exaggerate about their net worth. These guys are the definition of filthy rich,” he said as the two of them walked towards the elevator. As they rode up to the office, Mitchell looked at her. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. Natasha shook her head and frowned.
“What for?” she asked.
“Our perfect weekend is ruined,” he said. She smiled and shook her head.
“No it’s not. It’s a meeting. We will strategize and then fly off to Aspen. Then when we come back on Monday we go back to work,” she said as she leaned forward to give him a small kiss just as the elevator doors opened. She smiled at him as they walked out of the elevators.
Natasha was not surprised that it was business as usual. That was the kind of place she worked in. Stacy had already set up the board room.
“You look spectacular as usual,” Stacy said smiling at Natasha who smiled back at her and mouthed a “thank you.” “It’s good to see you, Mitchell,” she added.
“Hey Stacy,” Mitchell said.
“You guys are just in time. Naima should be getting here any time now,” Stacy said. “I assume Mitchell has already briefed you on everything you need to know about the Nassir family?” she asked turning to Natasha.
“Bits and pieces,” she said. Stacy handed her a tablet.
“That’s everything on the family, their foundation and basically anything that could come up,” Stacy said. Natasha frowned.
“You do know I am not some crazed paralegal with a photographic memory right? I can’t have all these in my head in five minutes,’ she said scrolling through what seemed like hundreds of files.
“I should have said for future reference,” Stacy said before turning to look outside. “I think she is here,” she said as Natasha noticed a tall brown-skinned woman walking towards the board room.
Natasha had to admit, Naima Nassir was not what she expected. She had the whole image of her in a burqa but the woman making her way towards them was tall, maybe five nine, and had a slim figure like a model or something. She had long brown wavy hair cascading onto her shoulders and she wore a short black dress and a matching pair of black platform heels.
“So, I am guessing she is one of those reformed Muslim people?” Stacy asked as they looked at her.
“Actually there is no such thing as a reformed Muslim. According to my knowledge,” Mitchell said.
“Hmm, just smile, people. We can talk about this when she leaves,” Natasha said as the front office girl opened the door to the boardroom.
“Mr. Schmidt, Mrs. Schmidt, this is Naima Nassir,” she said before turning to Naima. She whispered a few words and then walked away, leaving Naima and two other gentlemen with Mitchell and Natasha. Natasha guessed that they must have been her bodyguards.
“Miss Nassir, it is nice to meet you,” Natasha said smiling.
“Oh, please call me Naima,” Naima said shaking Natasha’s hand.
“It is an honor to meet you,” Mitchell said. Naima smiled at him.
“The tabloids were not exaggerating. You are ruggedly handsome,” Naima said smiling.
“Well, the camera never lies, now does it?” Mitchell said smiling.
“And you have an even better looking wife. I can imagine that little girl that you have kept a well-guarded secret is a killer in her looks as well,” Naima said looking at Natasha.
“I do not want to sound like I am patting my own back but she is the most beautiful little girl to me,” she said. “But then again, I have to say that. I am her mother,” she added laughing. Naima laughed.
“I’m sure she is a looker,” Naima said. She turned to Stacy and smiled. “You must be the lovely lady I talked to on the phone,” she said.
“Yes, Miss Nassir. I’m Stacy,” Stacy said, trying hard to hide her excitement. “But my work here is done. I’ll be at my desk if you need me,” she said before practically running out. Naima smiled as one of the men pulled out a seat for her as Mitchell did the same for Natasha.
“So, shall we get started?” she asked as she sat down. Mitchell sat down and looked at her.
“I understand that you are now the managing partner at Lovell, congratulations,” he said with a smile.
“Actually, my family’s foundation is. I am merely a representative for the foundation’s interests. I have been a big fan of the work done by NSCS and I found out that most projects were headed by Mrs. Schmidt here. That is why I thought she would be perfect to head this project,” Naima said as she took two files from the other man and gave them to Mitchell and Natasha. “As you can see, we have big plans for Lovell,” she added.
“Are you not planning to change the name?” Natasha asked as she flipped through the pages. Naima shook her head.
“No. Lovell is a brand everyone is familiar with and that is our biggest bargaining chip because we plan to expand to the Americas. Having a brand that was already known will work in our favor,” Naima said.
“The Americas? Just how big of a campaign are you planning on?” Natasha asked.
“Eight weeks, maybe more. We will see how the first phase goes, but I know the project is at least eight weeks,” Naima said. “I trust Stacy already gave you our budget. I was hoping your CFO would be here to discuss that,” she added.
“I am representing the CFO. He is away on another business meeting in New York but he will be briefed,” Mitchell said.
“Okay in that case please mention that the Nassir Foundation would like to have NSCS on retainer,” Naima said, looking at Mitchell and then at Natasha, who was struggling not to swallow hard.
“We will be happy to have you on board again. At least this time I get to work closely with you,” Mitchell said with a smile. Naima smiled at him.
“Yes, I heard that you worked with my grandfather…or is it that our grandfathers worked together?” she said. “So, Natasha. When can you start working your magic?” she asked.
“We can schedule the first meeting for Monday and then I’ll have a full report for you by the end of the week. How does that sound?” Naima looked at her and nodded.
“Perfect. I love what you have done with other brands and I am sure that you will be great with our Lovell acquisition,” Naima said. Natasha smiled.
“The pleasure will be all mine,” she said.
“Good. Then I guess I will see you all next week,” Naima said standing up. Natasha was surprised. After working with the Malibu Princess, she had expected a headache of a client in Naima but she was exactly the opposite. She was actually likeable. Natasha stood up and shook her hand.
“Yes we will,” she said. “I’ll have our lawyers liaise with yours on the contract before then,” she added with a smile.
“By the way, your shoes are to die for. What are they, Christian Louboutins?” Naima asked. Natasha laughed and raised an eyebrow.
“Good eye,” she said.
“And here I thought a Middle Eastern woman would be different,” Mitchell said as he shook Naima’s hand. “Shoes seem to be an international language with women,” he said. Naima laughed.
“Shoes are the one language women of all nationalities, color and creed understand,” she said smiling. “By the way, I am sorry for interfering with your travel plans. Stacy told me that you were supposed to be leaving for a vacation today,” she said.
“Yes, but don’t worry. It’s no problem,” Natasha said.
“Where are you off to?” Naima asked as she picked up her clutch bag.
“Aspen,” Natasha said smiling. Naima raised an eyebrow as her glance shifted from Natasha to Mitchell and then back to Natasha.
“Aspen? Is there some romantic skiing trip that I don’t know about?” she asked.
“No, why?” Mitchell asked. Naima laughed and opened her purse. She took out a card and looked at them.
“There is only one reason a couple takes some time off and Aspen is the farthest thing from romance I can think of. Here, my friend owns this place. I’ll make a call. You guys should have the best time there,” she said as she handed Mitchell the card. “I look forward to our meeting next week,” she said before she walked out of the board room. Natasha looked at Mitchell and shrugged.
“What’s the name of the place?” she asked. Mitchell shook his head.
“I cannot even pronounce it. Some chateau in France,” he said.
“So, no Aspen?” Natasha asked. Mitchell sat down and did a quick search of the chateau. He looked at her and smiled.
“Definitely no Aspen. This place looks amazing!” he said as he showed her the search results. It was just what they needed. A lakefront manor and a never-ending tree cover. It looked so peaceful. She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“I’m game,” she said just as Stacy walked in.
“So, how did it go?” she asked. Natasha smiled at her.
“We have a new client,” she said proudly. “And that is one of the good reasons I should give you for carrying my laptop on vacation,” she added as she looked at Mitchell.
“This is after the fact,” Mitchell said.
“It does not matter. The point is we got a new high end client because of me,” Natasha said.
“Wow, way to be modest,” Stacy said. “So is this a good time to ask for a raise?” she asked, looking at Natasha. Mitchell stood up and took Natasha’s hand.
“Yes, this is a very good time to ask for a raise but after we come back,” he said as he led her out of the board room. Natasha looked at Stacy and smiled.
“I’m sure we can make something work,” she said as she walked past her.
Chapter 4
After a great meeting with Naima, Natasha had to admit her mood was more than set. She was never really worried about herself when it came to company matters, but she did worry about the rest of the employees. She lived a life of luxury but she also never forgot where she came from. She would have hated to make cuts in the budget that would affect the lives of some of the hard working employees of NSCS. She could not help but smile as she walked out of the board room. The day had been a great success even though it was still morning.
“Can we leave already? I’m thinking of a number of ways in which I would like to celebrate,” she said to Mitchell in a whisper. Mitchell looked at her and smiled.
“Well, I share the same thoughts but the fact is that since we were flying commercial…” he shook his head. Natasha frowned.
“We missed the flight didn’t we?” she asked.
“Well, yes, but the jet should be back in a few hours. We can leave then,” he said.
“How many hours is a few?” she asked looking at him.
“A couple,” he said, smiling sadly. Natasha looked at him and shook her head. “But I can promise you one thing. We will be in that chateau tonight,” he added in a whisper.
“Until then?” she asked. Mitchell shrugged and then looked at Stacy who was back at her desk.
“Girl talk?” he asked. “She needs to talk to someone, especially after…” his words failed him as he looked
for the right way, the politically correct way, to tell his wife that her cousin had broken her assistant’s heart.
“What happened?” Natasha asked.
“Well, there have been a number of developments,” Mitchell said in a serious voice. Natasha playfully hit his arm.
“Just tell me what you are holding back on, already,” she said in a hushed whisper.
“Your cousin and Stacy…it didn’t work out,” he said. Natasha frowned.
“What? When?” she asked.
“I also just found out…like two days ago. She put on a really brave face,” he said. Natasha looked at him and frowned. “So, girl talk,” he said again. She smiled and nodded.
“And where will you be?” she asked.
“Let me worry about that. See you in a few,” he said before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and then walking away. Natasha slowly made her way to Stacy’s office.
“Hey, I thought you would be long gone by now,” Stacy said as Natasha made her way to her desk.
“Well, we planned on taking a commercial flight but the meeting made sure we missed it so Mitchell thinks that it’s just better to wait for the jet,” she said as she sat down.
“With what they are worth, you would think the Schmidts would have more than one jet,” Stacy said as she typed something on her computer.
“They only needed the one. And Mitchell had to go above and beyond the call of duty for some client. So I guess that cost us in one way or the other,” Natasha said, frowning. She was not so sure what she had said had made any sense to Stacy. It hardly made any sense to her. Stacy smiled, probably due to confusion. “So, how are you?” she asked looking at Stacy.
“Good. Why are you asking?” she asked.
“Because I just found out that things between you and my cousin hit the rocks. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Natasha said. Stacy looked up and shrugged.
“I didn’t think you needed to know…I mean, not in a bad way. Just that, there was a lot happening…and I’m over him anyway,” she struggled to say. Natasha frowned.
“You are?”