Potential Partner?

"What do you mean you have a condition before investing in our business?" The chairman of the board of directors asked, a frown marring his forehead in form of folded flesh that came together to form a wrinkle.

At the head of the U-shaped table Ricky sat, with Ginger beside him taking notes and wondering just when the meeting would end.

She thought they had gone through this before, meeting the terms and conditions of their foreign investors. The meeting was supposed to consist of shaking hands and signing documents.

But now, disappointment had her sighing beneath her breath at the way they were slyly stalling. 

  "We got a report that your company has been losing deals of late. Or isn't that true?" The cranky looking old man in loose slacks and jacket so large Ginger thought it was hand me down asked, adjusting his tie.

Ginger wondered exactly what he was adjusting. The tie had been undone even before he came in with the two other younger men. 

Ricky heaved a sigh then, wondering how they had known, and cursing J.K. Raymonds in his mind. 

 "Yes, that is true. But we aren't suffering any losses as a result." The chairman answered, making brief contact with Ricky.

Of course they were suffering losses as a result of the recently lost deal, having two of their major shareholders withdraw their shares the previous day had them panicking, but technically the company was still doing well; paying its employees without problem.

But that didn't mean that Raymonds Corporation's most recent act of mischief had no effect on them.

It wasn't the financial aspect that worried Ricky. They could of course get over that with one or two projects. It was the reputation of the corporation and his image as a businessman that had driven him to go as far as meeting the infuriating woman himself.

He regretted it as he replayed the events that had taken place in her office.

He regretted it again the moment he felt a throb in his pants. What the fuck was he doing accomodating a boner during such an important meeting?

 As though choosing to punish his mind, the old man spoke again, his scanty brows raised upwards. "We can only invest in this deal if you get Raymonds Corporation to partner with you." 

   Ricky jerked mentally alert and quickly stood, his eyes blazing in anger. Sensing his mood, no one spoke for a minute, but instead allowed the impact of the words they had just heard to sink in. 

They half expected, half hoped not, that Ricky would rudely tell the investors to go to hell with their offer and put an end to the meeting. Beside him, Ginger tightened her hold on the pen she had been taking notes with, and like everyone else in the room, waited.

"Okay then, if that's what you want. Thank you very much for coming. I will discuss with the board and contact you." He finally spoke, shocking them all as he buttoned his jacket and walked towards the potential investors to shake hands with them.

As soon as they left, he slumped in his seat and braced his elbows on the table, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. 

 "Are you going along with that?" The middle aged Asian woman who was an influential member of the board asked, breaking the silence.

 "Do I have any other option?" He was rude, and he knew it. But she somehow reminded him of the female CEO with her classy dressing and professional personality.

 "So what's the plan, because I doubt the CEO will agree to that. By the way, how was your meeting with him? Did it go well?"

   Ricky narrowed his eyes to slits, the muscles of his jaw ticking as he got worked up all over again at the memory of how he had been embarrassed and asked to fix an appointment first.

Staring straight at the Chinese lady who name was Huan Juan or something else that sounded like that, he answered, "It's a she, the CEO, and a young one at that."

   He  wondered then why he had given them the last detail, for talking about it made his chest clench even more in anger.

 "Oh, I see." The woman muttered, followed by loud gasps in the room. Satisfied watching the same shock of realisation he had felt dawn on them, he went on.

"I will do what I can to get her to partner with us then, and get the deal back. I will send a message through my P.A. when I am ready for another meeting. That will be all for today." 

* * * 

 "Good evening sir. You called?" Ginger stood in front of Ricky's desk that evening, trying to resist the strong urge to pluck out every hair on his arrogant head and feed them to him. How inconsiderate could he be not to notice she was tired already?

The day had taken its toll on both of them. Why then was he acting as though he were  the only one stressed out and taking out his frustration on her, making her work overtime? 

"I want you to contact my private investigator. Tell him I want every information he can get on J.K. Raymonds and his..." He stopped, inhaling  deeply and letting the impact of the right word sink in before he continued. 

"Her corporation before tomorrow. And tell him to focus on every dirty job, every little secret. I want them all."

The muscles of his jaw ticked as he let the words out, disguising nothing of the kind of effort it took him to acknowledge that she was of the female gender.

All women cowered before him, but if she had proven to be different, then he would employ the same dirty method he used to wipe other rivals from the competition. 

 "Okay Sir." Ginger replied, ignoring the chill she felt at the power of his words and grabbing her handbag to let herself out of his office. As soon as she was out of the building, she let out a deep breath, and muttered, her chest heaving in anger, "Dickhead, inconsiderate asshole."