CHAPTER ELEVEN
REBECCA SAT BEHIND her desk, and with a red marker, she crossed off another name. One by one, she was scooping up shares in Daniels International. It was her only way to secure power and keep it away from Brett or anyone else who might try to wrestle it from her hands. She smiled, satisfied. She’d already acquired nearly a third of the shares, including those shares her father had given her when she was younger, and what she inherited. Hopefully, it would be enough to hold Brett at bay, and make her a majority shareholder.
The man whose name she’d just crossed off had accepted the offer she’d sent to buy his shares of the company. That put her in direct competition with Brett and Alex. Just a few more and she’d be done. The huge weight on her shoulders was lightening, the noose loosening, and she smiled again. Nothing could spoil her mood. She had been working her ass off, and soon it would pay off. She would soon own enough shares in Daniels International that she wouldn’t have to worry about losing it ever again. Her dreams were just a breath away from being a reality. But it wasn’t a guarantee yet.
The shareholders’ annual meeting was scheduled for the upcoming Friday. In only five days, she would drop the bomb on Brett and the rest of the board that she was majority owner. Or she would be, once she secured those shares belonging to the few stragglers who hadn’t committed either way. She just had to make it to Friday and get to them before Brett did. She frowned, remembering the look on his face when he’d caught her trying to listen in on his phone call. And how his attitude had changed once she’d exited the bathroom. The easy rapport they’d established had been broken, and she’d left not long after. He knew about RMD, and he had to know that she was up to something. It was only a matter of time before he put the pieces together.
Her office door was open and she looked past it, seeing a deliveryman exit the elevator and come onto the floor. He was carrying a huge bouquet of tropical flowers. She went back to her work, indifferent to his presence, and she was surprised when he stopped outside the door to stand in front of her assistant’s desk.
Amy stood and came to her door. “Ms. Daniels,” she started, a bright smile on her face. “There’s a delivery for you. I already signed for it.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said, welcoming the deliveryman into her office. He crossed the floor and plonked the huge bouquet down on her desk.
The flowers were beautiful, but they took up a huge portion of the surface of her desk. What was she supposed to do with them while she worked? She picked through the buds and eventually found the card. And she smiled when she saw the inscription. Rebecca, thanks for last night. Meet me tonight at Di Terrestres. Eight o’clock.
It wasn’t signed. But there was absolutely no doubt whom it was from. And she knew that he wasn’t asking her to join him. It was an order. She cocked her head to the side and looked at the flowers. Maybe Brett wasn’t so mad after all.
* * *
“Okay, dude, walk me through this,” Alex told Brett. They were having lunch at Thalia when Brett had let him in on his plans for later that evening. “You’re doing what?”
“I’m going to take Rebecca down to one of the exhibition rooms,” Brett said. “I’m going to turn this around on her. Make her weak, make her beg, and then I’ll show her that I’m in charge, and there’s no way she can take me down.”
“But why?” Alex asked. “I don’t know how this helps us professionally—it’s starting to sound like wounded pride is running things here. She’s beating us, and you’re desperate.”
Brett bristled at his friend’s accusation, no matter how true the words might be. He wasn’t sure why he’d framed it as a business move—perhaps what he really needed was a friend right now, and Alex was that. He might have been desperate. But the desperation wasn’t just to win, it was for Rebecca. The pure crush of desire and wanting leveled him, so he felt it was difficult to think of anything but being with her again. He cursed his weakness and lack of focus.
“That isn’t what’s happening.” Brett said it forcefully, but Alex knew him better than he knew himself. He did have a score to settle with Rebecca. She’d managed to pull his focus. And it made him madder than hell, especially when she seemed so capable of keeping her head in the game. “Besides, she’s definitely up to something. We were together the other night. We’d made amends and decided to just forget the business for a little while, but you have no idea how easily she came back around to the subject of the takeover. And then she was listening in on our phone call. If she’s using sex against me, I need to, too. She’s bounced back from our bid stronger than we thought, but sex has always been the way we get to each other. I know I can make her vulnerable this way.” Brett folded his arms stubbornly across his chest.
“I don’t know.” Alex sighed. “Isn’t it risky, taking her down there? It’s not like the rest of the club. Not just anyone can go down there. What if she leaks what happens there? Sure, she’s seen the main room, but downstairs is another world.”
Brett didn’t respond. The exhibition rooms were the secret of Di Terrestres, not open to the general population—just their VIP clientele, who were looking for some more immersive, erotic pursuits. The takeover might have been on his mind, but it was grossly overshadowed by Rebecca and getting her downstairs. He wanted it. And he knew that she would want it, too.
Alex frowned. “Brett, honestly, I still don’t know why we’re doing this.”
“We’ve had run-ins with her for months now. I’m finishing it.”
“And this has nothing to do with whatever you have going on with the CEO. This is too personal, and I don’t like it. Listen, man, I respect you and your decisions, but I’m afraid you’re not thinking with a clear head. Do you think it’s the right thing? What if we just cut our losses, give up on this?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Brett looked, incredulous, at his friend. “Since when do we give up when something is a challenge?” He paused, reflecting on a question that he’d asked himself several times in the past couple of days. Why don’t we give up on this? He blew out a heavy breath. “And besides, we can’t stall the takeover now. How would that look to our own shareholders? It’s too risky to appear weak.” He shook his head. “I started this, and I own that. But we have to see it through. Our only option is to keep going and hope we can get Rebecca and RMD to back off.”
Alex exhaled a deep breath, and he pushed his blond hair back. “Yeah.”
Brett knew his friend wasn’t convinced. “We’ve never been this divided on a move before, but trust me. This is going to work.”
He hoped he was right.