Pulse (8 page)

“Take a seat!” Rafael said to us. “Right over here. There’s a spot over here for all of you.”

There was a small table off to the side for the three of us to sit. I could feel the eyes of every single board member upon me as I made my way to my seat.

“Why don’t we start with some introductions?” Rafael said, his enthusiasm unwavering. “Who wants to start?”

“Travis Johnson.”

“Wesley… Wesley Brooks.”

The two men waved sheepishly to the less than enthusiastic audience. Then they all turned and looked at me. Rafael stared at me and even he was no longer smiling.

“A-Alice Pratt,” I said.

I tried to ignore the fact that I was the only woman in the room but it was too glaring. Everybody was staring at me. Even Wesley and Travis were looking at me. I looked down at the table and waited for Rafael to begin my first day on the job.

“It will be light work for you all today,” he said. “While your offices are being prepared, you can observe what happens exactly in our meetings. I assure you that nothing should go over your heads. That’s as long as your resumes were accurate and you bothered to look over the information that was sent to you. Here’s the agenda…”

Rafael worked his way back to the front of the room. I felt relieved when they finally turned their attention away from me. Rafael explained an important business meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. He talked about the company they were dealing with. He explained that he planned on buying them out. Barnett Industries had more than enough money to acquire them but now it was just a matter of convincing them to take our lowest offer. I took down several notes as everybody in the room spoke their opinions. Thankfully, I studied enough last night so that I knew what he was talking about.

As I watched Rafael stand at one end of the room and listen to everybody’s opinion, I couldn’t help but be captivated by him. Even if I didn’t know that he was a billionaire, he had enough charisma to fake it. He smiled his perfect white teeth when it was appropriate and shot down any inappropriate suggestions without being too condescending. He paced back and forth in front of the room with an enthusiasm that was infectious. I found myself paying attention to him not only because I wanted the information but because I wanted to hear everything he had to say.

Several hours passed and Rafael raised his hands to put everybody at ease.

“All right, everybody,” he announced. “Let’s take a break for lunch.”

The doors opened and a number of men and women in uniforms walked into the room. Some of them began setting a table up on the side while others began working their way around the main table. They took down every man’s order for lunch.

“So, how are you doing so far?” Wesley asked me.

“I’m doing fine,” I sighed. “It’s a lot of information but I seem to be getting most of it.”

“You’re doing better than I am.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think they’re expecting much out of us in tomorrow’s meeting.”

One of the perks of working in the boardroom was the free lunch. It was a relief to not have to worry about working for the moment. I sat at the desk next to Wesley and Travis and the three of us enjoyed our temporary reprieve. While the other board members sat in the same place with their lunches, I noticed that Rafael sat by himself in the corner. He was eating just the same as everybody else but he was also on his computer. It looked like he was focused on his work more than he was taking a break. I wasn’t in any position to walk up and question him though.

After lunch, the meeting continued with more discussion of the company we were trying to acquire. Rafael continued to emphasize the importance of the meeting tomorrow. We went over all of the different options. At the end of our discussion, I had taken more notes than I had after several years of sitting around in lecture halls.

I stood up from my seat and stretched myself out. I marveled at the way the older men didn’t look any worse for wear. They shuffled out of the boardroom and headed toward their offices. As I made my way out of the room with Travis and Wesley, Rafael stopped me.

“Alice, may I speak with you for a moment?”

“Of course.”

He pulled me off to the side of the boardroom. The door closed behind me and the two of us were alone. He took a seat on the table and smiled at me with his arms crossed. Even though his demeanor was relaxed, I still didn’t feel completely comfortable around him.

A few nights ago he was fucking you up against a wall. Now he’s sitting in front of you and you can barely look at him…

“Are you all right, Alice?”

“Of course, Mr. Barnett. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I said call me Rafael. And I’m asking just to make sure that you’re not overwhelmed by anything.”

“I’m fine, sir. And I think Wesley is more overwhelmed than I am.”

“I wasn’t talking about the information for tomorrow’s meeting.”

“…Then what are you talking about?”

“Alice, you’re the only female in the room. Do you know the last time we had a female on the board of directors?”

“No.”

“Never. But if you manage to live up to your expectations, you’ll be the first.”

“I…”

“No pressure, Alice.”

He winked at me then started to chuckle. He stood up from the table then placed his arm upon my shoulder.

“But I didn’t hire you just because you’re a woman. I said that before and I’m saying it again. I want to make it perfectly clear to you. You were hired because you were better than any of the other candidates.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Alice…”

“Yes?”

He stared at me. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. He suddenly began to laugh then lowered his hand from my shoulder.

“It’s nothing,” he sighed. “Head down to your office and see if you can brush up on everything we just talked about. Remember. No pressure.”

He winked at me then escorted me out of the boardroom. We stood next to one another as we waited for separate elevators. I didn’t say another word to him. I only nodded to him and headed down to my office while he headed back up to his.

Chapter 9

The name of the company was Corve Tech. They were a small start-up company that managed to find success thanks to their founder, Jason David. Jason was a young man in his mid-twenties. After graduating from university, he used all of the resources he had from his part-time job to mess around with some of the ideas floating around in his head. Now his company was worth more than anybody could estimate because of all of the fresh and innovative inventions he was able to create.

I learned all about Jason and Corve Tech after spending several ours alone in my new office. It was nice to have a new workplace, even if the work was more intense than anything I’d ever studied while I was in school. When I got home, I gleaned even more information about him online. Combined with all of the notes I received from Rafael and the rest of the board members, I knew more about the company we had a scheduled meeting with than anybody would about a person they’d never met before.

The plan was to buyout Jason David. Because he was a small start-up, there was still potential for growth. Rafael emphasized getting a hold of the company before it grew even larger. Now the trick was trying to convince Jason David to sell his company. This was the growth Rafael was talking about. This was another step toward expanding his business and finding more success for Barnett industries.

* * *

Our meeting with Jason David was scheduled for that afternoon. I showed-up to work that morning after what was surprisingly a good night’s rest. I knew that they weren’t expecting much out of me. I wondered if I would even have any say at all. But if Rafael or any of the board members needed my input, I would be able to give them more insight.

I sat there in the boardroom. It was a glaring fact that I was the only woman in the room. And my youth reeked of someone who didn’t have the experience of dealing with men responsible for billions of dollars. Two fellow interns alongside me wasn’t enough to deter how anxious I felt about the pending meeting.

“All right,” Rafael said as he took his place at the front of the room. “Jason David is scheduled to speak with us soon. We’ve read all of the estimates on what most financial experts put Corve Tech at. We’ve had our own people analyze it and we’re well aware of the forecasts. It’s clear that it has a bright future. But only if it can maintain this kind of success. Our maximum offer to Jason will be three billion. No more. If he wants anything more, then we’ll just have to convince him to come down.”

I didn’t say a single word. I was tense the entire time. Rafael continued to discuss everything with the board members and I found myself captivated by everything. At least, that’s what I was trying to tell myself. My nerves were beginning to get the best of me. There was so much money at stake here and to think that I might be witnessing such a major acquisition on my second day on the job was unbelievable.

Rafael took his place at the front of the room after receiving a phone call. We all turned our attention to the large monitor that was on one side of the room.

“All right, we’re ready to receive him,” Rafael said to the person on the other line.

The screen turned on. Sitting there was a man who couldn’t be a few years older than I was. His brown hair was long and unkempt, tied back into a ponytail. His face was free from any blemishes and hair, as if he was still a teenager. He had a baby face. His cheeks were round with dimples that made it look like he had a smile on his face at all times. As he sat there and looked back at everybody in the boardroom, Rafael greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Jason David,” Rafael smiled. “Thank you for taking the time to listen to us.”

“Rafael Barnett,” he replied. “It’s my pleasure. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”

“Is that right? Mr. David, I’m not planning on wasting any of your time, so I’m going to get right to the point.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barnett. I can appreciate that. And please, call me Jason.”

“Only if you call me Rafael.”

“Sure.”

Jason smiled at Rafael, who began pacing back and forth in front of the screen. Rafael rubbed his palm across his chin as he looked down at the ground.

“What you’ve done with Corve Tech is impressive, Jason,” Rafael began. “You’ve brought some new ideas to the forefront and managed to do it all by yourself. The designs you’ve created and the ideas you’ve made come to life are nothing short of innovative.”

“There’s no need for flattery, Rafael. Get to the point.”

“It wasn’t just flattery. I needed to make it clear to you. You turned down several offers before. And rightfully so. It was only appropriate that you didn’t accept an offer before you heard what I had to say.”

“Go on.”

“One billion dollars, Jason. Barnett Industries will acquire Corve Tech and all of its assets. Under our umbrella, you’ll be able to flourish. More importantly, you’ll no longer have to work hard. You’ll be set for the rest of your life.”

“I’m already set for the rest of my life, Rafael. Any more money would just be superfluous.”

“Would it now? Then what do you say to two billion?”

The smile that was always on Jason’s face disappeared. He no longer looked like the youthful and exuberant man I had seen when he first appeared on the screen. Instead, there was a look of seriousness that made me worry that things wouldn’t go as Rafael had so meticulously planned them to. There was an excitement building inside of my stomach and I began shifting in my seat as I waited for Jason’s response.

“Two billion?” Jason said. “That’s a very generous offer.”

“It is. But it’s definitely what your company is worth.”

“Maybe. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn you down. You see, Corve Tech isn’t something that I can just give away. This isn’t just about the money.”

“I see… I’d like to take a moment to speak with my board of advisers, if you don’t mind, Jason.”

“Not at all.”

Jason smiled at all of us. Rafael shut the sound of the monitor off. I could still see Jason sitting there and waiting for us but Rafael told us that he couldn’t see or hear anything we were doing.

“Ideas, gentlemen?” Rafael asked the board members.

“He’s holding out for more money,” one of the men said. “Just give him the three billion and be done with it.”

“And what if he asks for more?” another man said. “He knows that we want his company more than he’s willing to sell. Jason David isn’t an idiot. He’s not just going to hand over his company when he could just wait a few years and make double what we’re offering him.”

“Then what do you propose, gentlemen?” Rafael asked. “Do I increase the offer? I’ve already doubled my initial offer. Is there any indication that he’ll accept a third offer?”

The board members all looked at one another then started talking among themselves. A low whisper slowly evolved into a tense argument as the board was split on how to further these negotiations. Standing at the head of the table, Rafael crossed his arms and shifted his eyes back and forth, trying to listen to everything they were saying. I had never seen him like this before.

Rafael was significantly younger than everybody else on the board. He was half the age of the youngest man there. And yet here he was in charge of all of them, pondering a decision that could cost him billions. There was a stress on his face that was unmistakable. His throat shifted as he swallowed. His chest was rising and falling as he tried his best to maintain his composure.

“Gentlemen,” Rafael finally raised his arms to quiet everybody down. “This is getting us nowhere. We have Jason David right here. I’m not going to get back to him later. As soon as this call is over, I want to have an agreement with him to acquire Corve Tech. How are we going to do it?”

One by one, Rafael asked for input from every board member. The dozen men were split. Half of them were in favor of raising the bid until Jason David eventually accepted. The other half wanted to offer the initial limit Rafael set then walk away, which seemed more likely of the two. As Rafael contemplated his decision, he ran his fingers across the hairline on his forehead and stared at the ground.