Page 4 of British Billionaire
“I am.” I continue with my little speech. “And like I said, I don’t hire assistants, I hire associates. Talented people. Bright people. Passionate people with fire in their bellies and a desire to make a difference in the world.
“Does that sound like you?”
“Yes.” This time when she answers, there’s none of the timid insecurity from before. Her eyes are alight like a furnace in a ship sailing through a stormy winter night in the middle of a war. Hellbent on getting troops and equipment to the front line. “I do want to make a difference,” she says. “I want it more than anything in the whole fucking world.”
I pour another glass of scotch and pass it to her. She drinks it without coughing or spluttering. A solitary tear runs down her face. The only indication that the alcohol had any effect on her. I fight back the urge to lick it off. To taste her sweet, salty pain.
“Upstairs you will find a bedroom. It has an en suite. A desk. A balcony. There’s a mini-fridge with drinks and snacks and anything you don’t have you can pick up the phone and ask Glenn. There's even a wardrobe fulls of clothes dry, clean clothes.”
I rest my hand against her face. It feels so natural to be touching her. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. A primal urge swells inside me. Demanding that I rip her clothes off and make her mine.
“You have until nine o’clock this evening to make your decision.” I kiss her gently on the cheek and take the scotch glass from between her fingers. She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. I know she’s fighting back the same feelings as me. “You’re whole future depends on what you do today, Poppy. Some people can’t handle that kind of pressure. I don’t think you’re one of them.
“This could be the day your life changes forever. For the better. Embrace it. Enjoy it. And whatever you do… don’t fuck up.”
3
Poppy
The alarmon my phone goes off. Eight o’clock. Only an hour until Jacob wants my decision and I have no idea which company I’m going to choose.
I squeeze the bridge of my nose and close my eyes.
The jet lag is really starting to kick my ass.
I feel like I could snuggle up on the huge, comfy bed and fall asleep for about a month.
Besides me, there’s a massive stack of applications. They’re the ones I definitely don’t want to pick.
Next to them is a considerably smaller pile.
There are about ten to fifteen applications in that pile.
They’re the maybes.
The ones that are kind of good, but for some reason gave me a weird feeling in my tummy.
A gut instinct that says they aren’t quite what they seem and that any investment is going to be money down the drain.
The final pile is the yes-pile.
There are only three companies in it. They’re all totally frigging awesome. But all for completely different reasons.
One is a total money machine. It will make Jacob a billionaire all over again. He'll get in on the ground floor of an emerging technology. Maybe have his name written about in the history books of the future.
It’s the obvious choice.
The second one is a bit more of a gamble. There’s a lot of technical stuff I don’t understand. The market’s really crowded. But the team is awesome and they have great credentials and an even better product. They’ve come up with a real game-changer.
The final company is a wild card.
I probably should have put it in the no-pile a long time ago. But there is something there that keeps me coming back to it.
Financially, it’s not even in the same league as the other two.
Jacob will be lucky to get his investment back in a decade.
But in terms of what will make the most difference in the world, this one is the clear winner.
