Mendacious Page 3

  “Alex.” Benedict gets to his feet to shake my hand. “It’s good of you to arrange this meeting. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  I return his shake. “You have me intrigued. I’m sure you have something up your sleeve to warrant your barrage of phone calls to my office yesterday?”

  “All will be revealed,” he replies, gesturing for me to take a seat. “We were just discussing it before you arrived.”

  “Alright, mate?” Sean asks as I take a seat opposite and help myself to the jug of water in the centre of the table. “This deal has potential you know ...”

  Taking a sip of water first, I lean back in the chair and cross one leg over the other. “Before we start, I want answers on the Oakley bid.” And more importantly, which one of them let this slip by undetected. “I can’t let Ivy take the hit completely. I think one of you two should have been aware of what was going on.” I narrow my eyes at both men. Sean is a picture of perfect composure, whereas Benedict suddenly seems nervous. I catch his face glistening under the dim chandelier light above our table.

  Guilt?

  Regret?

  I’m placing the blame at his door. But, he’s a big lad and I’m sure he’ll get over it.

  “Let’s not play the blame game,” Sean pipes up. “It’s happened. We need to focus on moving the company forward with the next big thing.”

  Quirking an eyebrow, I study him for a couple of seconds, wondering where this sudden boldness has come from. We’ve been best friends for years, but our personal relationship has never strayed into business. I made that decision a long time ago, and we’ve both stuck to it well. There isn’t any special treatment in my office, and I treat Sean the same as any of my other employees. But I’m just curious as to why he’s been challenging me recently. He did it at the meeting yesterday and he’s doing it again now. Honestly, it’s starting to piss me off ... a lot.

  “I-I agree,” Benedict stammers.

  “Fine.” I decide I may as well leave this where it is for now, but make a mental note to speak to Sean at some point. I want to know what’s going on in his head because something seems different. “Let’s hear about this next ‘big thing’ you’ve been discussing. The Oakley bid really screwed us over the other day, so we need to come back with a bang,” I say, changing the subject. “And to say I’m expecting you to deliver the world on a plate is an understatement. I’m expecting this ‘thing’ to be the dog’s bollocks to put it lightly.”

  My warning sinks in and Benedict nods swiftly. “I think we’ve really got a winner here, Alex. You need to forget about that poxy management company you were trying to invest in. I think your next angle into the big leagues is retail.”

  “Retail?” I sneer. “That’s your big idea?” I shoot a look across the table at Sean and find him watching me carefully. “Are you both shitting me? No. Retail has never been on the cards for this company because it’s too unpredictable.”

  My head feels suddenly overwhelmed and I know I’m starting to lose my patience with them both. I honestly have no clue why I pay people so much money when they do nothing but piss me off.

  “Stop overthinking it,” Sean says, picking up some papers from the table. “I genuinely think this could be a good move for the company. It’s a moderately sized lingerie and swimwear retailer that’s based online and looking to branch out onto the high-street in a few locations. They have a solid business plan, but they just need that investment to get them there.”

  “So get a fucking loan,” I snap, looking up to see if a waitress is actually going to bother taking an order from us at some point tonight. “I’m not investing in an underwear shop. I’ve worked too bloody hard to just piss my money up a wall.”

  “At least look at the proposal—”

  I cut Benedict off before he finishes his sentence. “Are we going to get any service tonight or what?” My voice is loud and full of arrogance, but at least it catches the attention of a waitress I can see bent over a table in front of us. I cock my head to the side and flash a charming smile to attract her over.

  A quick flirt is the easiest way to great service.

  “And how are we tonight, gentlemen?” she asks, pulling a pencil from behind her ear and leaning against the empty chair at our table. “Are you ready to order?” She licks her lips as she watches me recline in my chair, my hand running lazily across my jaw. “I’m Cece by the way,” she offers, flashing a set of sparkling white teeth at me.

  “Nice to meet you,” I reply with a very brief, curt nod. “I’ll have the Rib-Eye, medium-rare. Can I also get a Jack Daniels and Coke?” I wait for the other two to give their orders before turning back to Cece. “That’ll be all,” I thank, waving her away from our table so we can continue with business.

  “Alex,” Sean tries to reason, passing me the papers. “You may think differently after reading the proposal.”

  Taking the paperwork from him, I cast my eyes over the heading and find my eyes immediately drawn to the company name.

  “Sexy Bum?” I scoff. “No. I can’t do it.” I refuse to entertain the idea any longer. The name is enough for me. There’s not a chance in hell I’m putting my company and reputation anywhere near this thing. “Find something else,” I snap, throwing the papers on the table. “This isn’t going to work. I’m not a charity. Why should I invest and help some damsel in distress? It’s a female, right?”

  Benedict nods.

  “Alex—”

  “Yeah, I’m not doing it,” I reply, cutting Sean off. “So I guess you’d both better look for something else to show me.” I pick up my glass of water just as Cece appears with my Jack Daniels. She places it on the table in front, but not before she bends over far enough to flash a good chunk of cleavage in my face. I mean, really? This girl doesn’t have an ounce of class about her.

  “Can I get you anything else?” she asks, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at me.

  “No thank you—”

  “It’s Libby’s company, Alex,” I hear Sean interrupt.

  For a moment, my body feels completely paralysed. I’m literally welded in place as I process his words.

  “Please could you leave us?” Sean politely dismisses Cece as he catches my shift in character. “Did you hear what—”

  “I heard you.” My tone is curt as I force the words out of my throat. Immediately, I snatch the papers back from the table and cast my eyes beyond the hideous title of the company.

  And there it is ... right there in black and white.

  Fuck.

  They’re right. This does change everything I previously thought. They must have a plan involved with this, I can tell. They wouldn’t have picked Libby without a damn good reason.

  “Ready to hear the plan?” Benedict asks me with a grin. “We think we have the perfect proposal for you.”

  Sean clears his throat and rests his arms on the table. I stay silent although I’m curious as hell, and take a quick sip of my Jack Daniels, the fiery alcohol burning a passage straight to my stomach.

  “Look, I know there’s history between you and Libby, and I’m not sure how you’re feeling about this at the moment, but we need to take a risk here. If it pays off then we could be looking at some serious profit. It has the potential to expand, and with that, take us along for the ride. But there’s one thing we need to sort out first ...” Sean trails off and gauges my reaction.

  I’m not sure I’m going to like where this is going, judging by the devious glint I can see reflected in his eyes. But then again, it’s exactly what could work in our favour. It’s all part and parcel of this dog eat dog world we’re competing in.

  Cunning.

  Sly.

  Dangerous.

  Surprisingly, I’m leaning closer to the idea, and I haven’t even heard their plan. There is just something about it that is capturing my interest. But I hope they propose something to take this in the right direction, and not straight down the shitter. Otherwise, this could turn into a big fucking problem,
and something we don’t need the added stress of sorting out. Dealing with an ex-wife could be potentially messy, but I’m keeping an open mind until I’ve heard them out.

  “Go on,” I press, resting my glass on my upper thigh.

  Sean sighs. “The bottom line is we don’t want to just invest in this company, we need to own it instead. I’ve mapped out the future progressions and I believe with the right marketing, we could sell this for the right price when a buyer comes along.”

  Owning it? I’m not sure I agree with this, and I make my reservations known with the slight grimace that’s tugging at my lips. I may consider her public enemy number one, but do I really want to shit on Libby from such a great height? Am I that much of a bastard?

  “Yes, yes you are,” Sean replies to my unspoken questions with a smirk. “Don’t overthink this, Alex. It’s just business at the end of the day and you need to do what’s best for your company.”

  Benedict decides to chime in as well. “He’s right. This could be huge if it’s done right.”

  I cock my head to one side and study him closely for a couple of seconds, the idea playing over and over in my head. “And how do we go about this?”

  Sean slams his hand on the table. “We need to sort it so she has no choice but to hand it over to you. When she realises what a mess she’s in and that she can’t handle it, that’s when you make a play and get her to sign it over.”

  Right ... I think he’s finally cracked.

  Lost it.

  Gone.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I growl. “How do you expect me to convince her to sign it over? Do you actually think we’re going to get anywhere near it when she realises it’s me trying to invest?”

  “And that’s why she won’t know it’s you ... yet,” Sean smiles. “We send him, instead,” he says, cocking his thumb at Benedict, “to lay the initial groundwork. Plus, we’ll throw in a separate clause giving the company, i.e. you, the right to exercise control over the expansion.”

  He’s still holding my attention, although I’m a little concerned he feels so strongly about running Libby into the ground. Yes, I went through hell, but for some reason Sean seems to be taking the weight onto his own shoulders and making this his own personal vendetta.

  “You seem very ... for this,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes, but still gesturing for him to continue.

  Sean clears his throat. “I’m thinking about the future of the company, Alex. Because once the deal is done and dusted we’ve got it halfway there, and then you can surprise your lovely ex-wife and move onto phase two of the plan, where the fun starts.”

  I nod along, slowly grasping where they are coming from with this. But there are still so many questions. “What is phase two? And how do we move and takeover?” I’m a stickler for perfection and I can’t help but have every angle covered.

  “It’s easy. You need to make her fall in love with you,” Benedict replies almost nonchalantly.

  Catching me off guard, I knock my knife and fork to the floor and splutter, “What?”

  “Romance her. Try and reignite that old flame between you two, so it’ll be easier when you try and convince her that you’re better placed to run the business instead. And if that fails, then we’ll simply force the bitch out with some blackmail scheme and take control anyway.” Benedict folds his arms triumphantly when I pass my dirty cutlery to a passing waitress. “She can take the easy or the hard route. We are merely creating the game, but in the end, it’ll be Libby that decides how we win.”

  It sounds impossible, but I love a challenge. And with Libby being the target, the thought lures me in further to the point of no return. I picture her weak and fragile, practically begging me on her knees to relinquish the control I’ve stolen through a series of carefully strategised manoeuvres. It’s the ultimate revenge.

  “When can we get a meeting booked?” I ask.

  Benedict looks at Sean sheepishly before dropping his eyes. A sigh escapes my lips and I drum my fingers on the table. I know the look they’re giving each other. It tells me they’ve already gone ahead and arranged something—without me.

  “Tomorrow afternoon. But it was only booked as a preliminary measure, and it can be cancelled if you don’t want to go ahead with it,” Sean quickly drops in as my mood shifts from average to sour in the space of a few seconds.

  Rule number six: Never assume anything. I will be the one to tell you what to do and when to do it.

  I roll the tumbler of Jack Daniels in my hand, contemplating my next move. Should I be an arsehole and just cancel the whole thing? Or should I suck it up and take a chance?

  “Both of you in my office tomorrow morning, and I’ll give you my decision then,” I say, knocking back the rest of the alcohol as Cece approaches with our food.

  I’m taking the coward’s way out, but at least it buys me some time to think. Do I really want to open that door again with Libby? I already have enough scars from the first time. Do I need more?

  Yeah, I’ve not had another woman in my life, but it hasn’t been too bad. I still get laid. It’s just a fuck at the end of the day. Almost as if I’m scratching a recurring itch. They’ve never meant anything to me because nobody has come anywhere close to Libby.

  The girl is a firecracker in the bedroom. My cock pulses just at the thought of one more night with her. And despite everything that’s happened between us, I’d have no regrets in fucking her one last time for the sake of pleasure and maybe business. You know, a little payback doesn’t hurt. Especially, when your ex-wife is involved and she is a lying, scheming little thing, who I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw her.

  ~

  Stepping into the lift first thing this morning, I’d found it impossible to stop the millions of thoughts trying to plague my mind. Even though I’d had the entire evening to think about what I was going to do, I’d still ended up making a snap decision after finding Sean and Benedict waiting for me in my office.

  “Any news yet?” I bark into the intercom a little after four in the afternoon. Benedict was due out of the meeting over thirty minutes ago and I’m pissed that I haven’t heard anything.

  “Nothing. But I’ll let you know as soon as I do,” Kelly replies. “Can I get you anything in the meantime?”

  “No.” I release the intercom and stand from my desk in a rush. Thankfully, my blinds are closed. I’m sure people would think I’ve lost it if they could see me pacing backwards and forwards across the length of my office like a madman.

  This isn’t Alex Lewis.

  I’m not usually this type of guy.

  I’m always the one that has control of the situation. I should be the one in that meeting and negotiating the deal. But instead, I’ve had to send my bloody solicitor who seems to be floating around in a fucking daydream lately.

  I’m not happy about this, at all.

  “Fuck!” I exhale deeply and sit back down.

  My eyes are instinctively drawn to my inbox, the one that still hasn’t had a new message from Benedict.

  Shit.

  I bet it has all gone tits up. No doubt Libby’s found out about me and put the brakes on everything. There goes another deal and another strike against my solicitor’s record.

  In fact, he’s lucky he’s still here. It’s only because I’m safe in the knowledge that when he pulls through, he really fucking smashes it out of the park. But you’re better off not counting the times in between that he screws up.

  My intercom starts to flash while I’m busy wallowing in my own misery. In my haste to reach the button, I manage to knock over virtually a full cup of cold coffee. “Bollocks,” I curse as the contents splatter across my desk and papers.

  “Is everything alright?” Kelly’s voice is smooth and efficient through the speaker. “I have Benedict on the line for you.”

  I’m trying to mop some of the spilled drink with the remaining paperwork on my desk, but I’m getting nowhere fast. “I need your help. Put him through to
my headset and come sort out the mess I’ve made here,” I bark, dropping the soggy papers and reaching for my Bluetooth headset. “And I need you to get one of the girls to reprint the Harwood report for me.”

  “Right away.”

  My headset beeps almost immediately and I hit the button to allow the call to connect as Kelly comes bustling through the door. She takes one look at my desk before bringing her eyes back to me with a shake of her head and a warm smile.

  Yeah, I know what she’s thinking.

  What an idiot.

  “Alex?” Benedict’s voice suddenly fills my ear.

  My mind switches back to business mode in a split second. “Tell me,” I order, getting up from my desk and walking over to the window. The collar of my shirt begins to rub against the back of my neck. I’m feeling warm all of a sudden.

  My God.

  I need to get a fucking grip. He hasn’t even told me and the anticipation is already killing me.

  Benedict pauses and I hear him clear his throat. “Well, I’m the man.” He suddenly cheers and I swear I hear him slapping his hands against what I assume is his steering wheel. “I went in there and they ate it up. They couldn’t be happier with the offer and want the contract drawn up as soon as possible.”

  A grin spreads across my lips. “Brilliant.”

  “I knew you’d be happy. I’m heading back to the office now to get the contract drawn up. I’d say that if we work quickly, the deal can be done and dusted within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours or so.”

  I’m secretly rubbing my hands together in my head with complete fucking glee. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

  “Good. Get it done as soon as possible. I’m not sitting around on this. No doubt Oakley will catch whiff of it, so I need it going through quickly. Call me once you’ve sorted it out. ”

  “Understood. I’ll get right on it,” he agrees as I disconnect the call.

  Kelly is just throwing the last of the soggy paperwork into the bin as I huff out a deep breath. “Thank God,” I breathe, sinking back into my chair.