Page 34 of Vivacity
I need every fucking advantage I have.
Sophia throws her phone into her ridiculously large bag. It’s a Birkin. I should know. I bought several of them for my ex-wife.
‘I should warn you, I’ll know quite a few of the Montague party,’ she says perkily. ’Just as long as you don’t think I’m a spy.’
‘You’d be terrible at corporate espionage.’
‘I don’t know. I could be one of those hookers who gets all the secrets out of the enemy the moment before they shoot their load. I wouldn’t underestimate my feminine wiles.’
I roll my eyes, although the thought of Sophia fucking her way through enemy ranks makes me feel vaguely queasy.
‘I know Miles and his brother, Theo,’ she continues. ‘And their parents, Charles and Laura. They’re so lovely. I told youI was a bridesmaid at Theo and my friend Nora’s wedding, I think.’
She did tell me. I grunt in response.
‘And I know their Finance Director, Jonathan Holmes, too. We were all at Cambridge together—me, Theo, Nora, and Jonathan, that is. He’s a good guy. He dated Nora for years and years. It’s so funny—he’s literally Theo’s polar opposite. You’ll see. Can’t imagine what a boring shag he’d be—Jonathan, not Theo—but he was born to be an FD. Anyway, I told Theo to let them all know I was working for you. I didn’t want it to be awkward when I walked in with the nasty Kingsleys. At least they don’t know I’m actuallysleepingwith the enemy. That would be awkward as fuck.’
‘I can’t imagine they’ll spend a moment thinking about it,’ I retort when she finally pauses to draw breath. ‘And this is a very important business meeting, not a soap opera. You’d do well to remember that.’
She turns and looks at me properly, her dark eyes flashing. She’s truly magnificent. ‘Here are a couple of life lessons for free, Ethan, because I know how much you enjoy them. One. If you think personal relationships don’t matter, especially in situations like this, then you’re a lot less smart than I thought you were. I wouldn’t betray my friends for you,ever,but at the very least, you’d think that my knowing them would work to your advantage. And two, you’re even more unbearable than usual when you haven’t come. If you won’t let me touch you before events like this, you should really consider beating one out in the shower first thing. It’s the decent thing to do for everyone else’s sake, after all.’
Her dark eyes drop to my crotch. Before I can react, she reaches over and places her hand over my dick. I can feel the warmth of her instantly, even through my trousers and boxers.Lightning quick, I grab her wrist and hold her in place, my eyes boring into hers.
‘Iwantto be unbearable. Did you think of that? I want every person around that table to understand the full force of what I’m bringing to this deal.’
We stare at each other, and my dick twitches beneath Sophia’s warm hand. A couple of seconds pass like this. It’s not like her to miss an opportunity for a quick retort.
‘What are you thinking?’ I demand.
She snags her bottom lip with her teeth before responding, her hand pressing more firmly against my dick.
‘I’m thinking that the more objectionable you are, the more I want you to rail me. And I’m thinking that that makes me seriously question myself.’
From the unimpressed line her lips make when she’s finished speaking, I know she’s telling the truth.
Sophia wasn’t lyingabout knowing half of the Montague delegation. What should be a tension-filled meeting between two parties who dislike and distrust each other threatens, for the first few moments after we file silently into the large oak-panelled boardroom, to become a family reunion of sorts.
I watch with deep unhappiness as she kisses Miles Montague, the man responsible for every headache I have currently, warmly on both cheeks. She then full-on accosts the cocky-looking guy next to him, who must surely be his brother, Theo. They rock from side to side as they hug, and he whispers something in her ear that has her throwing back her head and laughing. It’s completely inappropriate for the occasion.
My father, who came in another car with our Finance Director and Senior Counsel, mutters from behind me, ‘She could be an asset.’
I don’t turn around. ‘No.’
Once Sophia has finished effusively greeting everyone, including the senior Montagues and their FD, the guy she deems to be “a boring shag”, the rest of us make our introductions far more curtly. The Montagues may be cursing our very existence, but at the end of the day, we’re all British. We shake hands and murmurhow do you doandgood to see you again.
Mistrust is etched into every line of Miles Montague’s face, but his greeting is perfectly civil. His brother, on the other hand, shakes my hand a little too hard. Cocky little shit.
It’s time to show these people who’s in charge. We take our seats as a couple of assistants hand out coffee. We may be on Montague turf, every oak panel a reminder that they favour a classic look as clearly as we prefer minimalism, but this is our deal, and this is our meeting. The Montague Group is under siege, and its board damn well knows it.
‘Thank you for hosting us,’ I say. ‘Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge that last week’s disclosure to the market, and the friendly approach that preceded it, may be unwelcome to some of you.’ It doesn’t hurt to be gracious. It doesn’t hurt to produce a semblance of empathy. ‘After all, we’re both relatively small, family-founded parties in a sea of aggressive and bloated acquirers. It could be us sitting in your seats just as easily.’
Charles Montague nods his brusque acknowledgment, if not his approval. He won’t give anything away that easily.
‘That said,’ I continue, ‘we find ourselves here, having acquired the requisite three percent and continued to amass a stake from there, attempting to find common ground on which to build a joint vision for our future. I’d be grateful if you’d spareme a few minutes to paint a picture of how I imagine that future to be.’
There’ssomething reassuring about the machinations of a hostile takeover, machinations that are firmly rooted in the Financial Conduct Authority’s acquisition playbook. With the friendly offer, we had no control over the situation. Montague were free to call the shots, to ride roughshod over a proposal we’d spent years finessing.
But now that we’re going hostile, the dynamic has shifted and, with that, the control. Assuming the mega-corporates—Hilton or IHG—don’t try to waltz in and fight for our prize, we can control this deal. Not the price we pay, sure, but pretty much everything else. And, even as our presentation is met with increasing amounts of displeasure from the Montague Group board members around the table, I hold on tight to that knowledge.
