Business and Pleasure Read Online Free Page A

front. My knowledge of style allows
me to recognize he’s wearing a very nice, gray Armani suit. My
knowledge of the opposite sex allows me to recognize he’s one of
the nicest-looking men on the planet. Definitely in the top ten
percent.
    Why are we here again? Sheesh. My mind’s
going to mush. His fitted suit does nothing but make me wonder what
he might look like without it. I even imagine walking my fingers
down the front of his shirt, releasing each button along the
way…
    I give my head a shake . Snap out of it,
Elizabeth! The man is here to take over your company . I should
not be fantasizing about him. Thank goodness, Bob begins to make
the introductions.
    “Elizabeth, this is Christina Miller, CFO of
Preston Enterprises.”
    Christina stands up finally, and we shake
hands. Her palm is icy cold against mine, and I quickly release her
hand to turn and greet her extremely good-looking associate.
    “And this is Alexander Preston, CEO.”
    Our eyes meet as he leans forward to shake
my hand. I feel an instantaneous spark, but I try to ignore it.
    “Elizabeth.”
    I nod. “Alexander.”
    “Please, call me Alex.”
    I nod again; very aware of the fact that I
am borderline staring. Once again, Bob saves me from completely
embarrassing myself.
    “Okay,” he says, and claps his hands, “shall
we get down to business?”
    We sit and talk for an hour, easy,
constantly going back and forth with no real results in sight. I
just want these people to leave and never return. I will admit,
they make a good argument. They make the idea of selling sound like
a good idea—beneficial to everyone, but especially to me. But this
company is my baby, not theirs. They will not care for it the way I
do. Preston Enterprises owns everything. They buy out all their
competition. They already own several small publishing houses, so
why do they need mine? Oh…that’s right, I’m the competition. Even
though I do not feel like I am. I never look at the publishing
business that way. I never see myself as competing.
    As the meeting wears on, I become more and
more frustrated, and Bob is no help. He seems to love the idea of
Preston Enterprises taking over, introducing a whole new set of
authors to us, opening the doors for “bigger and better things,”
but Bob doesn’t own this company. I do. Me. Not him. Not them. I
will not let them take over and turn my business into some stupid
empire where no one actually works or cares about their authors or
the material that comes through their doors. Worse yet, I will not
allow them to buy me out, only to shut down the business. Although
they’ve assured me that’s not their intention, I’m smart enough to
know it’s always a possibility.
    “I hear what you’re saying, Alexander, but
again, I’m not interested. I started this business three years ago,
and I have no plans to sell it. Not to you; not to anyone. We’re
doing just fine—which you already know, obviously, or you wouldn’t
be here. So, thank you for your offer, but we will not be
selling.”
    “You do realize I’m offering a partnership,
not a take over? You would still be CEO of Hamilton
Publishing.”
    I give him a slight nod. “Yes. I understand
completely, and I am still not interested.”
    He looks downright depressed. “Okay. Well, I
thank you both for meeting with us.”
    I stand up immediately, relieved this
meeting is coming to an end, and offer my hand to each of them.
Christina barely said five words throughout the entire meeting, and
now she barely returns my handshake. Alexander, however, seems
unwilling to release my hand once he has it. A part of me
recognizes and returns the attraction, but the other part of me,
the more rational part of me, wants him out of my building. Bob
steps up, interrupting the magnetic moment, and shakes their hands,
as well.
    “Sorry things didn’t work out, Alex.”
    “That’s all part of business, but again,
thank you for arranging this meeting.” Alexander releases