Page 6 of Catalyst
The tension in Ellie’s shoulders drop, and a smile tips up the corner of her mouth. “I’m not sure if you’re wanting me to make up a meeting so you don’t have to talk to Mr. Byrnes or if that’s a genuine question.”
A laugh bursts from my chest. It’s not the first one of the day either, which has been weird. Ellie’s ability to throw a quip out there when I’m not prepared is astounding.
“I’m good with either option, just need to know which way you’re leaning.” She grins.
“It was a genuine question, but I’m not opposed to you making something up.”
She pauses. “That doesn’t help me pick the right answer.”
Shaking my head, I tell her to send the call back as long as I don’t actually have any conflicts, and she nods her head. I shouldn’t notice how long her legs look in her nude heels. I shouldn’t know how good her ass looks in that dress either, but I do.
The day has flown by with only a fraction of the items on my to-do list getting done. The blonde ray of sunshine in the other room has effectively made me useless. People were constantly stopping by to say hello to her, and Matthew brought her lunch and proceeded to flirt with her the entire time. I refuse to analyze the multitude of reasons that pissed me off.
She’s a major distraction while being exceptionally good at her job. It’s driving me crazy.
My phone rings with the incoming call. “Clifford, what can I do for you?”
“Adam, I wanted to follow up with you on our conversation from a couple of weeks ago. Now that you’re back in town, I figured we could set up a time to meet.”
I clench my jaw, glad he can’t see my face. I shouldn’t have taken this call. I knew that, but instead of listening to my gut, I got distracted by my employee’s flawless legs and fantastic wit.
Before I left for New Orleans, I told Cliff there wasn’t a need to meet because there wasn’t going to be a partnership. He doesn’t have anything new to offer me as an incentive. It makes me wonder how he’s been able to stay in business if this is how he normally goes about his negotiations.
“Look, Cliff, you know I respect your company, but as I’ve said before, this partnership isn’t what Sideline needs right now. If it becomes something I want to pursue, I will reach out to you, but until then, there’s no reason for us to continue discussing it.”
“Son, I understand running your own business is a lot to handle. I’ve been doing it for almost forty years now. I’m only looking to help you succeed. This partnership could open doors for you.”
What a condescending asshole. This is one of the biggest reasons I don’t want to partner with him. He believes he has one of the top Fortune 500 companies when, in reality, he has a few stores lining the East Coast that barely make any money. And the money he does have was inherited, not earned. I would be an idiot to take his business advice.
“I’m perfectly capable of opening doors for myself, Clifford.”
For years, I’ve been kind to Cliff. I’ve listened when he wanted to talk, politely declined his requests to partner every time he brought it up, and done everything I could to not make an enemy. But I’m tired of catering to him. It’s only encouraged him to keep needling me and my staff to make a deal.
In all this time, he’s never once tried to sweeten the deal for me. He hasn’t changed his price point or what I’m getting out of it, wholly believing this deal was the best thing I could do for my career. I have stores all across the country; I think I’m doing pretty well on my own.
“I can understand wanting to stand on your own two feet. It’s not a mark against you to have help, though. That’s what I’ll provide you.”
At this point, my temper gets the best of me. I’m done dealing with this prick. “I have all the help I need. Listen, I know you want this deal to go through, but it’s not going to happen. No matter how many times we talk, I’m not going to change my mind. Therefore, there is no reason to continue this discussion, now or in the future.”
“You’re going to regret this decision. And when you do, I won’t be so willing to negotiate.” Clifford’s voice is hard, harder than I’ve heard before. I guess I’ve thoroughly pissed him off this time. I don’t have a single regret.
“I’m willing to chance it. Have a good evening, Cliff.” I hang up the phone with a sigh. I didn’t want our conversation to turn ugly. It’s never a good idea to make enemies in this business, but after years of dealing with Clifford’s backhanded digs at my youth and lack of intelligence, it was past time to put my foot down.
“Hey, Ellie!” I shout, since the door is still open. Her blonde head pops around the corner.
“Yes, sir?”
Ignoring how my body reacts to hearing her saysir, I do something I should’ve done a long time ago. “Clifford Byrnes is no longer approved to be patched through.” There are only a few people who have made thedo not calllist. Each one gets sent straight to voicemail when they call.
“Of course. May I ask the reasoning for future reference?”
“He’s pretty pissed at me for finally putting my foot down and telling him no to a partnership. If he calls, he’s liable to rip someone a new one, and I’d rather not put my employees through that hassle.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks.”
Ellie nods her head before disappearing back to her desk. Her first day with me exceeded all my expectations. If I could stop being distracted by her, we’ll be smooth sailing for the next five months.
