by R. R. Banks
“We have to leave tonight?” asked Hannah as she slowly began panicking.
“We’re leaving in the next two hours,” answered Alexis. “However, if you’re running a few minutes behind, I don’t think the plane will leave you.”
Hannah tried to suppress her emotions as she questioned Alexis. “Why not?” she asked, thinking back to all the times that she had to sprint through airport terminals to make sure she didn’t miss a flight.
With a hint of deception, Alexis smiled genuinely. “Because the majority owner of the company is flying us out there on his private jet and letting us stay in his home while we’re there.” Hannah looked at Alexis with wide eyes and subtle headshake as she stood up to start packing, surprised that her best friend finally went and got what she wanted. “Hurry up,” announced Alexis, motioning for Hannah to start packing so they could get to the airport, hoping to start the flight sooner rather than later. Alexis ran into the bathroom and showered while Hannah tossed all of her clothes into the suitcase, not opting to fold anything or separate out what was clean and what was dirty, instead, just placing it in the bag and zipping it shut. Alexis got out of the shower quickly, dried off and walked out of the bathroom to find Hannah waiting patiently in the living room with her suitcase in front of her.
“I thought you wanted to hurry?” asked Hannah, folding her arms while sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine. She stood up and pointed at Alexis with her wine glass in her hand. “This, Alexis, is not hurrying.”
Alexis looked at the bag, seeing how misshapen it was before looking at Hannah with a hint of confusion. “Did you fold anything?”
“Do they not have irons in Australia?”
“Have you ever ironed anything in your life?”
Hannah paused and looked at Alexis with her eyes halfway closed. “Once, I think, and it was terrible,” she answered in a very serious, yet playful tone.
Alexis turned and walked away, knowing that Hannah was now waiting on her to get ready for them to embark on their new journey. Fortunately for Alexis, her obsessive need for organization made packing incredibly simple. She placed her dirty clothes in a plastic bag and set it on the bottom of her suitcase before unloading the clothes from the drawers in the room, taking out the contents, folding them gently and placing them neatly in the bag. After a few moments, her bag was pristinely backed and she was able to close it and drag it into the living room. “Have you called for a cab yet?” asked Alexis.
“Was I supposed to?” asked Hannah in a reply to Alexis. “Give me a second, I will call us one.”
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Alexis as she reached into her small handbag and pulled out the card from the night before, texting the number on it to see if that driver would come and get them. After a few short seconds, the driver replied back with a confirmation. “He’s on his way. Let’s get downstairs.”
Hannah was confused. “You have a taxi driver’s number in your purse?”
“From last night,” replied Alexis. “I wanted to make sure I had a way out in case the date went terribly wrong.”
“Oh, so you wanted to have an escape hatch in case he proved to be some kind of creep or asshole,” quipped Hannah. “That’s not a terrible idea.”
“I felt like it was something you would have done,” replied Alexis. “I figured I should at least act like you a little bit when it comes to my emotional and romantic life.”
Hannah laughed as the two grabbed their suitcases and started rolling them out of the room. “You don’t want that,” she replied playfully. “You’ll end up with a list of seventy-four numbers for guys that you can’t remember what they look like.”
Alexis chuckled as they reached the elevator, pressing the button and it opened immediately. “I don’t know. That could be a little bit of fun.”
“Stick with your one guy,” stated Hannah. “I’m the only one who can pull off being me, just like you’re the only person capable of being you.”
They walked onto the elevator and rode it to the bottom floor, stepping off to find the taxi driver already waiting on them. “Good morning,” he announced as he reached for their luggage and placed it in the trunk of his car. “I’m glad to see that your encounter went well last night.”
“Thanks,” replied Alexis with a smile. “It went better than fine, though. It went perfectly.”
“Excellent,” he replied in his thick African accent before walking around to the front of his car and stepping in. The girls stepped into the backseat and the taxi took off, heading down the main streets of Dubai.
The taxi reached the airport and was allowed entrance to the back hangars where the private jets and other smaller planes were stored. He drove past a few structures before coming up to the one that Alexis told him to go to. Hannah and Alexis stepped out of the car to see a beautiful plane waiting on them to taxi out to the runway. It was white with a blue stripe down the side of it with the initials “NJ” written on the tail. Alexis paid the taxi driver and thanked him as Hannah grabbed their luggage from the trunk, rolling both suitcases behind her as she gazed at the airplane and the man stepping out of it.
Hannah pulled the luggage as Alexis walked up to Nathanial, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips as Hannah stood behind them. “Glad to see you made it in good time,” stated Nathanial as he and Alexis stopped kissing. She let go of his neck as he looked past her, seeing the blonde ponytailed Hannah waiting impatiently on the two of them to finish. “And you must be Hannah,” he remarked positively. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
“I’m….” Hannah paused, not knowing how awkward to make this moment, though heading for the path of politeness instead of being her normal, sarcastic self. “It’s great to meet you,” she said, completely out of character, which prompted Alexis to look at her with a confused look. Hannah pulled the bags up and handed one to Alexis, which Nathanial grabbed from both of them and carried them onto the plane.
“That was incredibly awkward,” stated Alexis as they watched Nathanial enter the hull of the airplane. “What were you going to say before you stopped yourself?”
Hannah laughed. “I’m aware that you like to have passionate, boring sex on the first date,” she quipped with a smile on her face, bringing out a look of disgust on Alexis’s. “What? You asked and I was polite. Just remember that.”
“You were,” replied Alexis. “As weird as it sounds, you were.”
THE END
Boss Me Dirty
Chapter 1
The wind blew gently from the south as the two men gripped their small cups with steam emitting from them. They sat comfortably in their small chairs with their back to the open sea, able to turn around and look over the cast-iron railing to see the bustle of the small market that bordered one of the many harbors in Monaco. With a quick glance from the two gentlemen, looking down at the sights and sounds of fishermen peddling their fresh catches and other merchants trying to sell their various wares, the markets near the ports in Monaco – especially in Monte Carlo – were always active on sunny days. Though the temperature was a bit brisk, requiring a light jacket for comfort but nothing really more, the people in the area were able to go about their days as normal.
“Can you imagine not being successful?” asked a very arrogant Robert as he sipped on his coffee. He sat in his chair with his back facing the Mediterranean Sea, allowing the breeze from the open sea to blow on the back of his head and brush his hair to the side. He paused briefly, turning to look at the man sitting at the table with him, also with his back to the sea. “I mean, think about it. If the two of us weren’t successful, there is no way we would be sitting here discussing our investments while enjoying a fabulous cup of espresso while in Monaco.”
“But you live here, so I can imagine that you would be here anyway,” rebuked Dillon Flannigan, the man sitting across from him. “Success is only what we have today.”
“So how has the tech
nological world been lately?” asked Robert as he sipped on his coffee while looking out toward the entrance of the café and the several young, attractive women walking in. “I’ve been considering a few new investments.”
Dillon sipped on his coffee without looking toward Robert, also noticing the young ladies walking into the café. “I wouldn’t,” he said softly, sipping on his coffee before setting it back on the table. “The technological industry right now is incredibly top heavy.” he explained confidently before setting his coffee back onto the table.
Dillon paused a bit while still focusing on the ladies in front of the café, who suddenly started to huddle in front of the door as if they were waiting for someone. “You should honestly continue your foray into oil and other energy companies. It’s a much safer investment right now.”
Robert Acostis, was a middle-aged businessman with an immense reputation for shrewd dealings, and some perceived under-handed dealings, depending on who you talked to. His dark hair was slightly tinged with a touch of grey above his ears, and a smooth olive complexion. He towered over most of the men and women that he dealt with in the professional world, not only because of his incredible height of six feet five inches, but with the regal and authoritative way he carried himself. He was incredibly fit, spending hours in the gym lifting weights to maintain an impressive physique.
Robert treasured his Greek heritage, spending summers in Athens with his grandparents, during which, he would smash grapes with his bare feet, standing in a small wooden bucket for hours. With his teenage years, Robert was taught more of the wine business, when he wasn’t chasing after beautiful women that is. Those humble beginnings still held a fondness in his heart and made living in Southampton the rest of the year bearable.
Robert’s first foray into business was taking up the reigns for his grandparent’s company as his mother and father relocated to London. After three short years of tireless work, Robert’s wealth had already grown to over ten million United States dollars.
Dillon, on the other hand, was much different compared to his friend Robert, though incredibly relatable in terms of process and ability. He was nearly as tall as Robert, only standing two inches shorter, with a pale complexion and sandy blonde hair. Dillon was incredibly intelligent, spending more time in the library and computer labs instead of the gym, though still taking time to run and do light weightlifting to keep himself in shape. He was much more reserved than Robert, keeping his composure in all walks of life and taking a great deal of time think out his moves before making them.
Growing up in Miami, Florida, Dillon learned to tolerate the sun while detesting what it did to his fair skin. His family worked in the import business, using all the various ports in Florida to their advantage. During his early years, he spent months working with his father, learning about investing and business. After a few stellar years in Vanderbilt, he quickly became the man “in the know” as he made a reputation of his business intelligence.
“Speaking of oil and energy, how goes your foray into the Australian company?” asked Robert, prying for information.
Dillon shook his head. “Not well,” he replied reluctantly. “After the whole embezzlement thing, the company was turned over to the majority stockholder.”
Robert reached down and grabbed his coffee cup, bringing it up to his lips and sipping on it again. “I knew it was experiencing some hardships.
“It all started with bad leadership prior to Nathanial Jenkins taking over as a majority leader,” began Dillon, looking a bit perturbed as he took his eyes off the ladies huddled in front of the café, noticing how several men showed up to escort them in. “Even though I only own a single percent of the company, it cost me a great deal and now it’s appearing as if I’m going to lose everything I had in that investment.”
Robert smiled. “The man has a lot of charisma and is very good at building relationships and talking to people,” explained Robert, defending Nathanial Jenkins slightly. “Unfortunately, that can only get you so far.” He paused briefly while Dillon started looking out in the other direction, noticing several seagulls landing near the café to search for scraps. “Dillon, what if I told you I could save your investment?”
Dillon smirked as he took his attention away from the seagulls and turned to face Robert. “I knew you had to be going toward something with this,” he stated plainly. “What are you selling?”
“Dillon, I’m sure you’re aware that I bought into the New Zealand Oil Company and with the failings of the Australian company, I’m going to attempt to push my way into their distribution network,” he explained. “Hear me out before you tell me no.
“I don’t know if the Consortium of Oil Traders would allow that to happen,” said Dillon. “The moment that it appeared that you were making a play for power, they would do whatever they had to, to stabilize it for their own personal gain.”
“We can do this without them.”
“No, you can’t,” stated Dillon plainly. “COT is the most powerful entity in the world when it comes to oil.”
Robert paused briefly as he looked on with frustration. “So, you don’t think they’re beatable?”
“I know they’re not beatable,” replied Dillon without hesitation. “They are the biggest player in this game and they will bully anyone who attempts to muscle them out of an incredibly lucrative area.” Dillon looked at Robert as he could see the frustration building on his face. “But what if you joined them?”
“Join them?” asked Robert with a confused and perplexed look. “I’ve never joined any kind of network like theirs, nor have I ever needed to.”
“You’ve never been in oil,” replied Dillon. “I’m not trying to make things difficult, I’m trying to help you understand.”
Robert appeared frustrated, heading into the conversation thinking he could persuade Dillon to join his cause. “So, you’re saying you won’t help me?”
“I’m not saying that,” replied Dillon defensively. “What I am saying is that you’re going about this the wrong way.”
“Excuse me?” asked Robert.
“Think about everything you told me that your company in New Zealand has done over the past couple of months.” declared Dillon. “They would be fortunate to have an owner like you in their organization.” Dillon paused for a moment while he watched Robert comprehend everything he told him. “Robert, I will make you a deal right now. I will purchase a five percent ownership stake.”
Robert’s eyes lit up as he looked at Dillon. “Five percent?”
“Five percent, but that’s only if you can convince the Executive Committee of COT to allow your company in.”
Robert looked at Dillon with a calm and reserved expression, doing his best to subdue his potential excitement. The deal was not complete nor was it close to finished, but he felt that this was a step in the right direction. “I’m still not sold on the idea of joining this incredibly large organization,” explained Robert slowly. “However, if you honestly feel that this is the way to go and the best way for this company to be successful, I will try to schedule a meeting in the coming days with them.”
“Really, you only need to impress one person right now,” said Dillon reluctantly. “You have to impress Sulagna Patel.” He pulled out his cell phone and started looking up various bits of data, researching quickly while Robert looked out at the ocean. “Robert, do not be surprised if she knows a lot about you. She is incredibly smart, astute, and knowledgeable when it comes to the dealings of her industry.”
“I’ve never failed at a negotiation,” replied Robert quickly as he watched Dillon tinker with his phone. “Dillon, I always win when I have to.”
Dillon smiled, still keeping his face affixed to his phone. “I know you do, but this is a bit different.”
“Are you telling me they’ll muscle me out of business?”
“Of course not,” replied Dillon. “But they will deny you entry and beef up the supply in that region to ove
rtake your supply lines if you upset them.”
Robert smirked as Dillon placed his phone on the table. “You’re in luck,” announced Dillon. “Sulagna Patel and her daughter, Mina, will be in Monaco tomorrow at the Stade Louis II to watch AS Monaco host Paris Saint-Germain in an incredibly important soccer match.”
“You mean football,” corrected Robert. “Just because your homeland likes to be different doesn’t mean that the rest of the world should follow suit.”
Dillon smiled. “You don’t have to hate me because I’m an American,” said Dillon playfully. “You can hate me because I’m the one that’s informing you that the game is sold out, so getting in might be a problem.”
Robert’s face went from calm and confident to potentially devastated. “So, she will be in town, but I won’t be able to see her?”
“I didn’t say that,” stated Dillon. “I’m saying you’re going to have to talk to a lot of people and see how many of them will be willing to help you.”
“You don’t have any possible leads?”
“Not a one,” replied Dillon. “I’m sorry, but if you need any help, let me know. I will see what I can do.”
Robert sipped his coffee and placed the empty cup on the table. “I suppose I have my work cut out for me then.”
Dillon nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” replied Robert sarcastically.
Chapter 2
“Jackson, I need a huge favor,” he said in his phone, looking down at the list he constructed with the many names already scratched off it. He’d been at it for hours, going through every potential friend, client, and acquaintance that could get him into the game. With the list of names dwindling down to the bottom, Robert continued to work his magic and skills of persuasion to get him into the game and up into the luxury suites without much of a hindrance. “Look, I know it’s a long shot, but do you possibly have a way into the game at the Stade Louis? I really need to get in there to talk to somebody, but it’s sold out and I can’t seem to get any traction.” He paused as Jackson disappointed him on the other end of the phone, not being able to offer any way for him into the stadium. “Well, I appreciate you thinking of me. Give my best to your family,” he said as he hung up the phone, shaking his head in disbelief as he moved down to the next name on the list.