Mergers & Acquisitions: A MMF Bisexual Romance Page 4
Her hair cascades over her shoulders like golden silk, framing the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. Her crimson lips are like rubies on her skin, and I can’t help but wonder how it’d feel to kiss them.
“That’s me,” I finally manage to say, and she places both her hands on the desk and stands up to her feet. I stop breathing as my eyes go down her curves, her tight dress tracing the contour of her hips in such a way that I feel my cock twitching inside my pants. For a fraction of a second I imagine bending her over the desk while I pull down the zipper of her dress, baring the skin on her back while I reach for her breasts and --
Get a hold of yourself, Lucas, I chide myself, and then take one step forward and offer Daphne one hand. She shakes it—more strength in her grip than I expected—and then waves at the chair right in front of her before she sits back down.
“So, your plan, let’s hear it,” she starts with a casual wave of her hand. Straight to business; I like that. It seems that there’s more to Daphne than just her looks. Although, if she’s as shrewd as she’s beautiful, buying Union Airlines might prove to be more of a challenge than I anticipated.
“Your little PR situation created a shit storm, as you’re well aware, and your profit margins have been taking quite a beating,” I respond, trying to outline a coherent strategy while, at the same time, I try to pull my mind out of the gutter. “What I propose might not be easy, but it’s the long game I’m talking about in here. The way I see it, Union Airlines has to reduce all non-essential activities, go back to core routes and revamp its whole image; only then can it start thinking about building up its profitability again.”
“Seems like you have it all figured out, Mr. Blake. Just like my last visitor said you would,” she smiles, and I notice a provocateur edge to her words. No wonder, she just dropped Ares right in the middle of our conversation.
“I can assure you, whatever Ares has just told you, you can dismiss it. He only cares about lining his own pockets, and all he sees in Union Airlines is a buy-it-and-flip-it opportunity.” Or worse—if I’m having this knee-jerk reaction to Daphne, I can only imagine how he felt when sitting across from her. If I know something about Ares it's that things tend to get messy when there’s a beautiful woman involved.
“Well, we’re too big for that. I figure Mr. Strong hardly has pockets deep enough to buy us out. And the same goes for you. Things might be bleak right now, but it’s not like our demise is so imminent that we’ll allow ourselves to be sold on discount. But, I’m curious, why do you see yourself as a good fit for Union Airlines?”
“I like challenges. And you sure as hell seem to have quite a tough one on your hands.”
“My hands can handle quite a lot, Lucas,” she says, casually lowering her voice and offering me an easy smile. She locks her hands together in front of her face, and my heart skips a beat as I imagine just exactly what her hands can handle.
“Maybe your hands will be too full with this particular challenge,” I shoot straight back at her, leaning back against my chair and running my fingers down the length of my tie.
“No challenge is too big for me,” she continues, that smile of hers driving me completely mad. Are we even talking about business anymore?
“I like a woman who talks like that,” I reply, placing my elbows on her desk and leaning forward. “But more than just talk, I appreciate a woman who acts.”
“Lucky for you, Lucas,” my name slips out from between her lips like honey, and I find my cock twitching inside my pants once more, “I’m exactly that kind of woman.”
One thing I can say for sure—she’s telling the truth. She’s the kind of woman who walks the talk.
And that means she’s trouble.
7
Daphne
Do you see now why I enjoy what I do so much? Where else would I have an hour’s time of the two most eligible bachelors in the entire country?
First came Ares, with that fire in his eyes, and now Lucas, a rough beast hiding behind a polite man’s facade. Oh, yeah, make no mistake about it, despite his consummate professionalism and upstanding behavior, I can tell that there’s a beast inside him yearning to be set free. And, right now, I’m rattling its cage.
What can I say? I just can’t help it.
“You’re quite a woman,” he says, his words coming out of his mouth almost as a growl. I narrow my eyes slightly, imagining how he must look under his tailored suit, and then reach across the desk to lay my hand on top of his.
“You have no idea,” I whisper, and then take my hand back. He looks at me in silence, my touch momentarily making him forget himself.
“Well, in that case, I’d love to find out just exactly how much of a woman you are, Daphne.” Finally we’re both on a first name basis. “What do you say we have dinner?” he says and then, remembering that we’re both CEOs of behemoth companies and that thousands of jobs hang in the balance, he clears his throat and adds a few words to his invitation. “So that we can discuss the situation.”
“Discuss the situation, of course…” I repeat his words back at him, adding a layer of faux security to the whole thing. By the time we’ve had dinner, a few glasses of wine overruling every ounce of judgment we might have, I figure we’re going to do many things, and not all of them will have anything to do with discussing the situation.
“This Friday? I’ll send my limo around to pick you up,” he tells me, and his words are as hard as a slab of rock; he has already decided on the details, and none of them are up for discussion. I don’t mind it; it’s nice to be let off the hook once in awhile, especially when it’s a man like Lucas Blake taking the reigns.
“This Friday, then,” I offer him one polite smile and come up to my feet. I offer him my hand and he squeezes it once more, his fingers lingering against the palm of my hand for two long heartbeats. I feel a shiver going up my spine as our eyes lock, and I find myself imagining how it’d feel to look into those eyes while his cock is deep inside my pussy. It feels wickedly good, even if it’s just in my imagination.
“Glad we’ve met.” His words are heavy and, judging by the look he has on his face right now, I guess he’s imagining a scenario quite like the one I just dreamed up.
“Likewise.” With that, he finally lets go of my hand and peels his eyes off mine. He turns on his heels and marches out of my office, not bothering to look back at me, although I guess that, judging by the stiff way he’s walking, he’s doing it because he wouldn’t be able to leave my office otherwise.
Ares Stone and Lucas Blake … I don’t even know what to think right now. I was pretty excited when I knew that both of them wanted to meet me; that’s why I even changed my schedule so that I could meet them first thing in the morning, but I wasn’t expecting both meetings to be so … intense. If only all men were like these two!
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a minute and push all indecent thoughts to the back of my mind; I have work to do right now.
“Who’s next, Karen?” I ask my secretary, pushing one of the buttons on my intercom.
“It’s a Mr. Seymour Lee from the, ah, United States Federal Aviation Administration,” she says in one single breath, and I just tell her to send him in with a sigh. It’s never good when the FAA wants to hold a meeting, especially after a PR screw up has just taken place. They’re always out for blood, and I guess this time the smell of it was too strong for them to ignore.
Two minutes later a gangly figure clutching an oversized briefcase steps inside my office. Seymour Lee is in his mid-forties and, judging by the comb over with which he tries to hide his growing baldness, I guess the years haven’t been too kind to him. There are a few laugh-lines around his thin lips, but I don’t trust these; from an awkward man like him, these lines are probably a representation of his thinly veiled hypocrisy instead of any true joy.
“Ms. Kane!” he chirps happily, offering me his hand. I give him a firm shake, his long spidery fingers brushing against the inside of my wrist. “
Glad you could meet me on such short notice. Quite glad indeed!”
Too jolly, too soon, I already don’t like him. Which doesn’t really help him, since I’m the kind of woman who places a lot of weight on first impressions. There’s something about a woman’s instinct that shouldn’t be dismissed, and I would be a fool to do so.
“How can I help you, Mr. Lee?” I ask him cordially, although something in his eyes tells me he’s about to slip a noose around my neck.
“Straight to business! Very well, very well!” he continues to chirp in that annoyingly happy tone, sitting down in the chair facing me and balancing his huge briefcase atop his knees. “It has come to our attention that Union Airlines is facing quite, ah, the situation! Isn’t that true? Of course, such an unfortunate situation! But alas, here we are, aren’t we?”
Jesus Christ, just listening to him makes me feel like ripping my eyeballs out of their sockets. Just get on with it.
“I trust that you came in here representing our good government, haven’t you?”
“Why, of course, Ms. Kane, of course! The government saw this unfortunate situation unfold, and we believe that this is quite the opportunity for everyone involved.”
Yeah, right—quite the opportunity for the assholes in DC to lay their hands on my company. Nothing that I wasn’t expecting—business as usual.
“I think that Union Airlines would soar under the government’s management. Wouldn’t you agree? Just imagine, a company like Union Airlines being run by the people, for the people. A wonder, wouldn’t it be?” Swear to God, judging by the way he’s talking right now, I’d swear he has just creamed his pants. “So, ah, the government wants to buy Union Airlines, Ms. Kane. We’d make this horrible nightmare disappear, you’d make some money on top of it, and our great country would benefit, of course! What do you say to that?”
“It’s easy: I say no,” I tell him flatly, staring at him coldly. “Now, if you’d be so kind, you can leave my office. I have many other meetings to attend.”
“Ah, but Ms. Kane, that doesn’t seem like a wise decision. No, not at all! Many important people back in DC have decided that this business is too important. You must realize that --”
“What I must realize is that the US is not some socialist backwater country run by bureaucrats. No way I’m going to let the government ruin Union Airlines just because some politician wants his nephews to have a cushy job. And now, if you’d be so kind … get the fuck out of my office.”
The laugh-lines in Seymour’s face deepen as his lips curl upward, and I realize that they’ve been etched on his face because of the unsettling way he likes to gaze at people: smiling vacantly, as if he’s taking their measurements for a suit and a casket. This guy gives me the creeps, seriously, and if he doesn’t get out of my office in the next five seconds I’m calling security.
Thankfully, he reads the look on my face well enough and, without a single word, rises to his feet and walks out of my office. But not before looking back at me over his shoulder and saying his parting words.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Kane. We’ll be in touch.”
I bet we will, Mr. Seymour Lee, I bet we will.
8
MarketWatch Journal
All the money news you can pay for…at your fingertips.
Sticker Shock
Carter Jeffries today raised its bid for Union Airlines to $32 dollars a share. Financial markets around the world reacted with frenzied buying as Union Airlines stock became valued more than blue chip benchmarks.
Indeed the raised bid for Union Airlines today makes this the costliest and most expensive corporate takeover in history. Whoever wins will end up paying close to $800 billion dollars—more money than the Gross Domestic Product of some medium-sized countries.
“We believe the value still exists within Union Airlines even at these prices and Carter Jeffries is prepared to go after it,” it’s CEO, Lucas Blake announced during a live press conference.
No comments were made at the time of this publication on whether Strong Capital would match the bid that had been made by Carter Jeffries. If matched, then it would take the bidding process past the stratosphere where it currently exists into the realm of the unimaginable.
“I have to believe that shareholders are going to say enough of this at some point,” commented an industry watcher when questioned about the uncontrolled bidding. “If these companies don't watch what they’re spending they may end up winning Union Airlines, but be too broke to do anything with it.”
While both Ares Strong and Lucas Blake are looked upon as masters of Wall Street, they have sharply differing ideologies on how to run their investment companies. It’s safe to say that there is no love lost between the two men as evidenced by their on air fight several weeks ago.
But sources close to the situation have reported that the two men are interested in Union Airlines at more than a professional level.
“There is a very, very strong interest in Daphne Kane,” a source familiar with both men reports. The source has requested to stay anonymous due to continued work being done with both companies. However the unnamed source went on to say, “This is more than just the best value for an airline. There’s a lot of ego in here. There’s a lot of determination of who has the best business philosophy and which one is the bigger alpha male.”
One thing is clear though to outside observers—whoever does end up with Union Airlines at this point will have more to worry about than simply administering a new company. They’ll have a large amount of debt to worry about.
“If you’re Ares Strong, then you’ll have taken out a lot of junk bond debt that will severely limit how you’re able to operate,” says Megan Wright, Chief Economist at Barclay’s Bank. “But if you’re Lucas Blake and you’re cutting costs, the level of money that you’ve paid – if it’s more expensive than the company itself, then you’re going to have to sell core assets to raise your purchase price.”
Neither option may be the best case for Union Airlines shareholders or employees.
It remains to be seen how Daphne Kane will bring her company to a successful outcome with the scenario as it has evolved.
9
Lucas
By the time the limo drives through the Upper East Side, the rain has already started to fade back into a soft drizzle.
“And there she is,” I whisper to myself as the limo slows down, halting in front of Daphne's’ apartment building. She’s standing under the doorway, a midnight black dress clinging to her skin like an old lover, the hemline stopping just shy of her knees.
“I got this,” I tell the driver through the intercom as I grab my umbrella and step out of the limo. I walk toward Daphne, my heart suddenly racing inside my chest, and she steps under the open umbrella.
“Like a true gentleman,” she says, lacing her arm in mine. My skin prickles as I feel her touch, but I keep poised and in control.
“Of course.” I walk her back to the limo and then stand aside as she takes her seat; I follow one second after, and not much later than that we’re rolling down the busy streets of New York.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Masa,” I reply, suddenly realizing that I’m hoping my choice has impressed her. Masa is one of the most expensive restaurants in New York City and, at the same time, one of the hardest places to secure a reservation in. Especially when one tries to make a same day reservation, but of course, it’s not like they would turn me down. Being a billionaire has its privileges.
“Masa? You managed to get a reservation at Masa?” She looks at me, one eyebrow arched; although I can tell she’s somewhat impressed, it doesn’t look like I’ve swept her off her feet. But that’s to be expected; Daphne is CEO of one of the biggest companies in the States; a $2,000 dinner bill won’t even have her batting an eye.
“I did. We can go anywhere else, though.”
“No, Masa’s fine. I know the chef,” she says, flashing me one mischievous smile that seems t
o say displays of wealth won’t impress me. No, this isn’t the kind of woman to be dazzled by money. And you know what? That’s part of what drew me to Daphne in the first place; she’s the kind of woman that won’t allow herself to be tamed, and she’ll look any man in the eye as her equal.
“Have you considered my proposal?” I ask her, changing gears and focusing on business, after all, this is a business dinner. Or, at least, that’s the lie I’m trying to tell myself. Just play along, alright? It’s not like I’m going to fuck up a business opportunity just so I can get into her pants.
“Proposal? We haven’t even discussed numbers, Lucas. Don’t think I’ll hand you Union Airlines on a silver platter.”
“No, not at all. But you have to agree; my methods are the best fit for Union Airlines.”
“I know nothing of your methods. You talk a good talk,” she lowers her voice, the corners of her mouth curling upward into a grin, “but that’s not enough. I’ve gotta see it to believe it.”
Looking into her smart eyes, I forget where I am for a few seconds. I just gaze at her, taking in the smooth lines of her face and, before I know it, my eyes have already wandered down to her cleavage. Fuck! I snap my eyes back to hers and she grins at me, more teasingly than I expected.
“My methods,” I finally say, my brain somehow remembering to start working again, “never disappoint, Daphne.”
“That’s good,” she leans back against her seat, turning around so that she’s facing me, and crosses her legs. “I don’t like to be disappointed.” I hold my breath as the hemline of her dress hikes up a few inches, baring more of her naked skin, and I feel warm blood rushing toward my cock.
“I have what it takes,” I tell her, but I don’t even know why I chose those words. They just flew out of my mouth before I could even think of anything smarter to say.