A Business Meeting with Larry Croft

Alana arrived at the location she was supposed to meet Larry Croft at record time. She was dressed in a forest green jumpsuit that accentuated her tiny waist with see-through loose sleeves.

Her straightened blonde hair was placed in a high ponytail with the edges gelled to provide a clean look. Her makeup was minimal, just enough to pop out her natural features.

Alana had a wide smile on her face as she walked towards the restaurant. She was ecstatic today! Not just because she was about to meet the investor but also because, early this morning, a beautiful news had woken her up.

Drake Manchester’s most devastating scandal.

She had to say, Trevor did a wonderful job with the evidence she provided to him. The journalist who had written the article made sure she let out every single little crime that Drake has committed.

Soon after, news headlines passed on the information to the general public and up till this evening, Drake’s devious character was the hot topic on social media.

The public were always overjoyed to find someone they could let out all their frustrations at and this time, Drake served as a great snack for them.

Alana couldn’t contain her joy as she read each and every article that had to do with Drake. She barely stopped herself from calling him just to rub it on his face.

She wanted him to experience the same misery he had put her in by destroying her company. Soon, investors who didn’t want to be involved or dragged into his scandal would pull out, and the police would launch an investigation on him.

He would be labeled as a fraud, a misogynist, and a money-hungry criminal. There was nothing that would make Alana more happy!

Her company would be saved from bankruptcy, she would become successful again while Drake’s business would topple over and he would cry to her on knees to save him.

Confidently, Alana stepped into the restaurant but a frown adorned her face when she looked at her surroundings. The restaurant was empty. 

The place was elegantly lit, casting a warm fluorescent glow over the room. Grand chandeliers hung low from the ceiling as their crystals sparkled with light. Fresh flowers sat on the vases, giving the tables an intimate feeling to create an inviting and romantic atmosphere.

Soft jazz music floated in the background as it blended seamlessly with the relaxed yet refined ambiance.

But Alana felt apprehensive. She had no idea why this looked like something for a proposal. Had she read the wrong address or had she come too early to the meeting?

Just then, as if to answer to her confusion, a waiter approached her, dressed in a crisp white suit with an apron on his waist. His hair was styled to the side as he planted a formal smile on his face.

“Good evening, ma’am. Mr. Croft has prepared a special table for you. Please, follow me this way.” He bowed with a wide smile. 

“A special table?” Alana raised her eyebrows, confused by his choice of words.

“Yes, ma’m.” The waiter said and turned around, heading down the high-end restaurant and past the empty tables and chairs.

Alana could feel something was wrong somewhere but she followed behind him nevertheless. Trevor had arranged for this and somehow, she trusted him. He wouldn’t let her come here if he knew it was dangerous.

In the back of head, she made a mental note to call and thank him when the meeting with Mr. Larry Croft was over.

He had helped her in ways she couldn’t imagine and the least she could do was call to express her gratitude.

Alana still felt cautious about this whole renting the entire restaurant thing but she decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe Mr. Larry Croft just had a very unique way of talking about business. Or he enjoyed his privacy so much that he didn’t find it odd to rent an entire restaurant for an evening of contract negotiations.

That had to be it.

As the waiter rounded the corner to get to the table that housed the ceiling-to-floor window, she saw a few men standing upright, dressed in black and white. It seemed they were Mr. Larry’s bodyguards.

At the table which was decorated elaborately, she finally saw him. A bald old man with a protruding belly that she felt sad for the buttons that were hanging on for dear life.

His smile was very friendly, almost too friendly and his teeth were yellow. When he stood up from the chair, she saw he barely reached her shoulders.

“Oh, Alana!” Larry Croft walked gallantly towards her and grabbed her hand for a handshake. 

“You look gorgeous.” He placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand and Alana stifled a retch.

“G-Good evening, Mr. Croft. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She peeled her hand off him, planting a forced smile on her face.

She just had to endure about an hour with this man and she would be done! Her company would be saved and she might never have to meet him again apart from the formal events and occasional meetings to review the contract.

There was no need to show her displeasure at his discomforting actions.

“The pleasure is mine, indeed.” His black eyes blinked up at her and she couldn’t tell if he was staring at her face or her chest. Maybe he was just too short to crane his neck up at her.

“I see you have a very…peculiar way of holding your meetings.” Alana moved to sit on the chair as she placed her clutch bag behind her.

“Oh, sure sure, I do. Given it was the first time we were seeing each other, I wanted to make it a little special for you. I hope you’re not burdened by my actions?” He sat across from her and grinned.

“Of course not, the place looks lovely.” Alana smiled, and moved her eyes to the table where she saw that he had already ordered food. “You must have waited too long for me. I’m sorry I arrived late.” 

“No, no, this was merely an appetizer.” Larry Croft waved his hand and the waiter came forward to clear up the dirty plate. “What would you like to eat, dear? Seeing as you are this slim, you must be on a diet.” 

Alana’s eyebrows raised at his comment but she said nothing. Even though she had had a few advances from men before, his manner of approach was quite vulgar and unsettling.

She bit her lower lip, not wanting to blow this chance away because of a single statement. Keep calm, she told herself in her head.

“No, Mr. Croft, I eat whatever I want and when I want.” Alana responded with a polite smile. 

“Ooh, I’m not quite sure about that. Look at how skinny you look, how are you going to give birth when you have no hips?” Larry Croft laughed, shaking his head as though he thought her a fool.

“I believe that has nothing to do with our meeting tonight, Mr. Croft.” Alana said with gritted teeth and clenched her fists under the table.

She was hanging on a thin thread, and it was only a matter of time before she snapped. The man was ugly, rude, and overly suggestive.

Alana couldn’t handle him any longer but she knew she needed to be patient. If Mr. Croft was going to save her business, she mustn’t anger him and as long as he didn’t cross his boundaries, she wouldn’t do or say anything in her mind.

To close the topic, Alana took the menu from the table and eyed up the dishes and drinks.

“Everything looks so delicious.” She murmured as she scanned through the menu.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could feel Mr. Larry Croft’s eyes on her but she pretended to not notice it. After placing her order with the waiter, Alana turned to the man, wanting to get this done and over with.

“So, Mr. Croft, I would like to know the details of the investment you plan to make. I am sure you must have seen that my company hasn’t been doing its best recently, and a generous amount would go a long way to help.” Alana remained as formal as she could, not wanting even a single word to give the old man a wrong idea.

She knew the best way to deal with such people was to be curt and sometimes, menacing.

“Oh, are we already talking about business? Quite an impatient lady, aren’t you?” He winked at her before waving his hand in the air. One of his bodyguards stepped forward before placing three different cards on the table.

Alana looked closely and saw that they were hotel rooms’ key cards.

“Come on now, make your pick since you want it quick.” Larry Croft chuckled before taking a sip of his wine. 

Alana’s mouth hung agape when she deduced what he meant. He wanted her to sell her body in order for him to make an investment.

The mere thought of it boiled her blood. It was very offensive that he would think she was the type of woman to use her body to get what she wanted in life.

There hadn’t been a time that she had sold her dignity in exchange for money or authority and there was no way she was going to start doing that now. No matter how desperate she was to save her company from the peril it was in.

“I don’t understand what you mean, Mr. Croft.” Alana kept her voice calm but inwardly, she wanted to take a knife and stab the man in the eye.

“Oh, come on, don't act so coy now. You know exactly what I mean.” He got up from the chair and strode towards her, holding the glass of wine in his hand.

Alana remained still as he laid his hand on her shoulder, leaning down to whisper in her ears. “We all know how ladies like you make their way in this industry. It’s nothing new.” Larry Croft reached down and grabbed her thigh suggestively.

That was when Alana lost it. 

In the blink of an eye, she stood up from the chair and slapped the man across his face, knocking down the glass from his hand and shattering it to the floor.