A New year to remember
Contract Negotiations
Day five of contract negotiations wasn’t going any better than days one through four had. Once again, Shawn McKenzie sat in a spacious office, surrounded by dainty furniture and ruffled window treatments—southern charm at its finest. Several pages of a lengthy contract were spread across the antique wooden desk in front of him. From his right and left, male voices rose and fell, discussing the finer points of the complicated legalese.
After five days, he’d heard all the arguments. As he listened to them again, he began to wonder if he was somehow stuck in a time loop. Or maybe this was purgatory. The roads were icy as hell on the drive in. Maybe he wrapped his Maserati around a tree and never actually made it to the meeting.
A sharp kick to his shin drew Shawn’s attention. The stunning redhead seated across from him arched a brow. He glanced at the two dark-suited lawyers standing opposite each other and shrugged. The lawyers continued to argue as if he and the redhead weren’t even there.
Amber Rose kicked him again. Her green eyes flicked toward John Exley, Shawn’s top-notch attorney. As Shawn’s godfather, Exley couldn’t stomach what he was about to do. He also didn’t stand a chance against Amber’s lawyer, a merciless shark named Alex Sanchez. The younger man was known for getting his way at any cost.
Deciding this could go on forever, Shawn stood and took matters into his own hands. The lawyers quieted immediately. At least they did until Shawn plucked the signature page from the mess of papers.
“I must advise against this, Shawn,” Exley rushed to say as Shawn reached for the nearest pen. When he put pen to paper, Exley’s wrinkled hand came down on his arm. “What about the men?”
Shawn’s gut clenched when he thought of the possibilities. Exley knew him well. If anything could sway his decision, it was this. His eyes slid over to Amber. Calm and cool, she had him exactly where she wanted him. For all her sweet and innocent looks, he’d learned over the past several days that the twenty-four year old businesswoman had a ruthless streak a mile wide. She knew how badly he wanted this contract. She also knew he’d broken the first rule of business: Never come to the table if you’re not willing to walk away empty-handed.
“It’s a fair compromise,” Shawn said, shaking off Exley’s hold.
He signed his name, and passed the paper to Amber. She added her signature to the document. Shawn fell back into his chair, and pictured her with cute little red horns sprouting out of her head, and a glittery red pitchfork held in her hand. The image brought a smile to his lips. The lawyers signed next as witnesses. Exley had a pained expression on his face, but it was finally done. There wasn’t anything left to argue about.
Sanchez gathered up the papers and put them in order. “I’ll file these with the cartel right away.”
Amber walked him and Mr. Exley to the door. Shawn breathed a sigh of relief. The contract was signed. Now he’d deal with the fallout.
“Any second thoughts?” Amber asked, leaning back against her desk.
Shawn gave her his confident smile, the one he gave potential investors and new clients. “Not a one.”
A dubious sound escaped her, but she otherwise let the lie go without comment. “Do you plan to tell Ava?”
“The countdown is only a few hours away. I’d rather not spend that time alone.”
Head shaking, she smiled slightly, but her expression clearly said she thought he was making a big mistake. “In that case, I’ll have her save you a seat.”
“Thank you, Amber, for everything.”
“The arrangement will benefit us all.”
“I hope that’s true. Just in case, I’ve signed over everything I own to a good friend of mine, Eric Stratton.”
“Oh? Does that include your software company?”
He nodded. “It does, but Exley buried that fact under a ton of paperwork. Trust is everything in cyber security. My customers need to believe I still own McKenzie Enterprises.”
“Your friend, Eric... The two of you must be close.”
“He’s family. More so than anyone of my blood.”
Shawn sat forward, preparing to leave.
“Before you go, I have something for you.” Amber reached back, across her desk, to grab a small silver box. He held out his hand when she offered it to him, but she waited until he met her eyes. “Don’t share them with anyone.”
At his nod, she placed the box on the palm of his hand. The lid was engraved with leaves and vines. He flipped it up and looked inside. Tipping the box, he let one of many tiny red pearls roll out onto his hand. “What are they?”
“Taste one and tell me what you think.”
Even with the mischievous glint in her eyes, Shawn trusted Amber not to give him anything dangerous. Poisoning him wouldn’t be good for business, after all. He popped the pill into his mouth. It was soft and sweet, and melted like cotton candy on his tongue. The taste alone, he might not have recognized. It was usually a sweet, but subtle aftertaste that he’d never consciously acknowledged before. Yet combined with the warmth spreading through his body, it was unmistakable.
He looked to Amber for confirmation. “This is what Ava spikes my drinks with.”
She inclined her head. “Essentially it’s the same substance, but these pills are designed to keep you at a fast idle. You’ll need a little stimulation to go into overdrive.”
Shawn looked into the box again and then snapped it closed. “Any chance you’ll tell me what’s in these magic pills?”
“Ava will tell you when the time is right. Ask her for more when you start to run low. Until then, one pill every evening should be sufficient.”
Of the two women, Ava was more likely to give him answers, so he let it go. Standing, he slid the silver box into his front pocket. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out now.”
“There is one more thing...” She took in his twenty-eight year old appearance with a quick glance, from his shaggy brown hair to his sneaker-covered toes.
Chuckling, he looked down at his Shenanigans T-shirt and faded jeans. Next to her cream-colored designer dress, Shawn was slightly underdressed. “Don’t worry, Amber. I might shun my family now, but they did teach me how to play the game. I won’t let you down.”
Day five of contract negotiations wasn’t going any better than days one through four had. Once again, Shawn McKenzie sat in a spacious office, surrounded by dainty furniture and ruffled window treatments—southern charm at its finest. Several pages of a lengthy contract were spread across the antique wooden desk in front of him. From his right and left, male voices rose and fell, discussing the finer points of the complicated legalese.
After five days, he’d heard all the arguments. As he listened to them again, he began to wonder if he was somehow stuck in a time loop. Or maybe this was purgatory. The roads were icy as hell on the drive in. Maybe he wrapped his Maserati around a tree and never actually made it to the meeting.
A sharp kick to his shin drew Shawn’s attention. The stunning redhead seated across from him arched a brow. He glanced at the two dark-suited lawyers standing opposite each other and shrugged. The lawyers continued to argue as if he and the redhead weren’t even there.
Amber Rose kicked him again. Her green eyes flicked toward John Exley, Shawn’s top-notch attorney. As Shawn’s godfather, Exley couldn’t stomach what he was about to do. He also didn’t stand a chance against Amber’s lawyer, a merciless shark named Alex Sanchez. The younger man was known for getting his way at any cost.
Deciding this could go on forever, Shawn stood and took matters into his own hands. The lawyers quieted immediately. At least they did until Shawn plucked the signature page from the mess of papers.
“I must advise against this, Shawn,” Exley rushed to say as Shawn reached for the nearest pen. When he put pen to paper, Exley’s wrinkled hand came down on his arm. “What about the men?”
Shawn’s gut clenched when he thought of the possibilities. Exley knew him well. If anything could sway his decision, it was this. His eyes slid over to Amber. Calm and cool, she had him exactly where she wanted him. For all her sweet and innocent looks, he’d learned over the past several days that the twenty-four year old businesswoman had a ruthless streak a mile wide. She knew how badly he wanted this contract. She also knew he’d broken the first rule of business: Never come to the table if you’re not willing to walk away empty-handed.
“It’s a fair compromise,” Shawn said, shaking off Exley’s hold.
He signed his name, and passed the paper to Amber. She added her signature to the document. Shawn fell back into his chair, and pictured her with cute little red horns sprouting out of her head, and a glittery red pitchfork held in her hand. The image brought a smile to his lips. The lawyers signed next as witnesses. Exley had a pained expression on his face, but it was finally done. There wasn’t anything left to argue about.
Sanchez gathered up the papers and put them in order. “I’ll file these with the cartel right away.”
Amber walked him and Mr. Exley to the door. Shawn breathed a sigh of relief. The contract was signed. Now he’d deal with the fallout.
“Any second thoughts?” Amber asked, leaning back against her desk.
Shawn gave her his confident smile, the one he gave potential investors and new clients. “Not a one.”
A dubious sound escaped her, but she otherwise let the lie go without comment. “Do you plan to tell Ava?”
“The countdown is only a few hours away. I’d rather not spend that time alone.”
Head shaking, she smiled slightly, but her expression clearly said she thought he was making a big mistake. “In that case, I’ll have her save you a seat.”
“Thank you, Amber, for everything.”
“The arrangement will benefit us all.”
“I hope that’s true. Just in case, I’ve signed over everything I own to a good friend of mine, Eric Stratton.”
“Oh? Does that include your software company?”
He nodded. “It does, but Exley buried that fact under a ton of paperwork. Trust is everything in cyber security. My customers need to believe I still own McKenzie Enterprises.”
“Your friend, Eric... The two of you must be close.”
“He’s family. More so than anyone of my blood.”
Shawn sat forward, preparing to leave.
“Before you go, I have something for you.” Amber reached back, across her desk, to grab a small silver box. He held out his hand when she offered it to him, but she waited until he met her eyes. “Don’t share them with anyone.”
At his nod, she placed the box on the palm of his hand. The lid was engraved with leaves and vines. He flipped it up and looked inside. Tipping the box, he let one of many tiny red pearls roll out onto his hand. “What are they?”
“Taste one and tell me what you think.”
Even with the mischievous glint in her eyes, Shawn trusted Amber not to give him anything dangerous. Poisoning him wouldn’t be good for business, after all. He popped the pill into his mouth. It was soft and sweet, and melted like cotton candy on his tongue. The taste alone, he might not have recognized. It was usually a sweet, but subtle aftertaste that he’d never consciously acknowledged before. Yet combined with the warmth spreading through his body, it was unmistakable.
He looked to Amber for confirmation. “This is what Ava spikes my drinks with.”
She inclined her head. “Essentially it’s the same substance, but these pills are designed to keep you at a fast idle. You’ll need a little stimulation to go into overdrive.”
Shawn looked into the box again and then snapped it closed. “Any chance you’ll tell me what’s in these magic pills?”
“Ava will tell you when the time is right. Ask her for more when you start to run low. Until then, one pill every evening should be sufficient.”
Of the two women, Ava was more likely to give him answers, so he let it go. Standing, he slid the silver box into his front pocket. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out now.”
“There is one more thing...” She took in his twenty-eight year old appearance with a quick glance, from his shaggy brown hair to his sneaker-covered toes.
Chuckling, he looked down at his Shenanigans T-shirt and faded jeans. Next to her cream-colored designer dress, Shawn was slightly underdressed. “Don’t worry, Amber. I might shun my family now, but they did teach me how to play the game. I won’t let you down.”
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