Page 17 of Open To Negotiation

Our business now has three main pillars. First we have the investment division, we find companies to invest in or acquire that will turn us a profit. Asher spends the majority of his time there.

Second is the property division that Noah heads up. We buy and sell commercial and apartment buildings and manage construction projects as well.

Third is our security division. We provide highly sought after services for both physical security, including bodyguard services, security system equipment and step up, and technology security products for large enterprises. Jaxon runs that division.

Will is our head lawyer spanning all three pillars just like Oli is responsible for all the financials. Any deals, contracts or acquisitions in all three divisions required both of their review.

Despite their initial protests, I’d made them all c-level executives, and they were the only other members of our board. The six of us were the ones who made all the decisions on the business and we trusted each other implicitly.

Now at thirty-five we all had more money than we knew what to do with.

“To be fair,” Noah piped up, “I would say he was more serious than grumpy, some moments he was downright chatty, very out of character.”

I ignored them as they discussed my behaviour. They weren’t wrong, Asher and I didn’t do the good cop bad cop thing, we were both bad cop. No one would ever describe us as approachable. In a company this size we needed people’s respect. Plus, a little fear meant people delivered. They had the others for pleasantries. Based on our growth and revenue, it worked.

“What pissed off boss man today?” Will asked as we all finally settled in.

“Not what, a who.” Noah wiggled his eyebrows as he looked at the men gathered around the table, enjoying the attention on him. “And it was yesterday and I have been dying to talk about it.”

We have all been in business together for almost ten years now and at this point we were all brothers, a family we chose. And they were the only people I would fight for. Being in business together was incredibly simple and enjoyable.

Most days.

“Can we get this meeting started?” I asked uselessly, no one was paying me any attention.

“Wait.” Jaxson held up his hand to me which had me letting out a sigh. “What is Noah talking about?”

“Our business lunch with one of daddy’s minions was not with a stuffy old man but a smokin’ hot—”

“Watch it.” I glared at Noah who had a sly smile on his face. A possessive feeling had surged in my chest, not something I was used to. She was stunning, he wasn’t lying. But it didn’t mean that I wanted Noah to talk about her that way.

Fucker knew exactly what he was doing.

“They passed us off to some low-level employee, she didn’t even know who we were,” Oli added. “We took her to Pedro’s—”

“What the hell?” Will threw his hands up in the air just as Noah predicted he would. He had found the restaurant and charmed Valeria when we first went there, so he felt a sense of ownership and always made a big deal about us going there without him. “You assholes went there without me?” I looked at Ash who just shook his head, unimpressed with all of us.

“Can we focus on the hot girl?”

“Jaxson.” I turned my glare on him, I could tell they were enjoying this too much.

“I haven’t even told you all the best part yet.” Noah turned the conversation back to him.

“Does no one care that we need to discuss the acquisition of Locke Holdings?” None of them looked at me, even Asher seemed interested in the conversation and he normally ignored all the nonsense.

“He asked to see her last night… and she said no.” A few laughs sounded around the table, and I glared at them all. Most men would cower with that one look but these men didn’t bat an eye. “He then asked for her number and she said no again!”

All the men absent for my rejection turned to look at me in shock, and I just raised an eyebrow daring them to say something. I didn’t bother mentioning that I was rejected again today, twice.

“And you just accepted that?” Will asked. They knew me well, when I wanted something I went after it. I wasn’t used to being turned down, in any area of my life.

“For now.” I rested my arm on the table and drummed my fingers along the top. Asher raised his eyebrows at me.

“Want me to track her down?” Jaxson asked with a gleam in his eyes. He was like a dog with a bone when he wanted information, he did all the background checks on employees and looked into the owners of companies we worked with. His skills had saved us from getting into business with questionable people a number of times. “Just need her name.”

I could have let Jaxson track her down, but I didn’t want him digging into her life. I wanted to find out about her myself.

I shook my head at him. “We need someone focused on marketing, especially with the opening of our North American business.”