Page 12 of Masters of the Game: Colton
She broke eye contact with him and glanced at the folders in her arms. It was better to stare at them than at him. They couldn’t rev up her desire like he could. “I’ll make sure the two cities’ economic development agencies provide packets for us to review. Hopefully, they will offer perks and amenities to sway us to consider their city.”
Colton nodded. “That’s good.”
He stood and came from behind his desk. “Alvie is my administrative assistant, but while you’re here, she’ll be yours, too.”
She nodded. “Thank you,” she said, standing as well. She had been in Colton’s presence long enough and felt the need to escape. Like she’d done at Sebrina’s wedding. She’d known each and every time he’d walked toward her, and she’d intentionally walked away. “I’d like to get started reading this, Colton.”
“Then please come with me.” Before opening the door, he stopped and turned to her. “By the way, I’m leaving town tomorrow morning for New York, but I will return on Wednesday. Let’s plan to have dinner at five.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes. I’ll need you to update me on your ideas once you’ve read the information. I have a virtual meeting with Lake on Thursday morning, and I want to apprise him of where we are in the process.”
“Yes, of course,” she said. Kelly knew that she had to stop looking for anything personal in his suggestions. She was here to do a job—one she was undeniably qualified to do. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit sad. They could have been so good together.
CHAPTER 4
“Are you ready to close the deal, Mr. Sharpe?” Colton asked the man sitting behind the huge desk. He and the man had played this cat-and-mouse game long enough. Typically, it was not a COO’s primary role to pursue or personally manage accounts, but this wasn’t just any potential client. This was Richard Sharpe, a man who had more money than he knew what to do with. The kind of client that Masters Unlimited liked courting.
The older man was a shrewd businessman, and after several months of trying to convince him how much better his numerous entities could be with Masters Unlimited handling the marketing end of things, Sharpe still hadn’t come on board.
He had been a referral from Cobra, who’d been the man’s wealth and asset manager for a couple of years now. His brother had warned that the way to handle Richard was to never let the man have total control. No matter how much you wanted his business.
The older man leaned back in his chair and eyed him speculatively. “You’re nothing like your brother.”
Colton didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. “Cobra and I are very different people. And if you were to meet our older brother, Cortez, you’d see just how different brothers can be. We are triplets, not clones.”
Richard smiled. “Yet you do have a sharp tongue like Cobra, although I think Cobra’s is sharper. He would have told me where to go a long time ago. He’s not afraid of me, and he won’t hesitate to stand up to me. I like that.”
Colton lifted a brow. “And you think I won’t stand up to you?”
The man’s chuckle echoed in the huge office with massive wall-to-wall windows that showcased the Manhattan skyline. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you will, but you’ll do it differently. Definitely with a little more finesse than Cobra. Like the snake he was named for, he never hesitates to use his venomous tongue; especially when I give him a hard time.”
Although Colton knew that Cobra and the old man often butted heads, they had a genuine fondness for each other. So much so that their relationship had gone beyond business. Cobra and Richard often played chess every Thursday night--a game Richard had taught Cobra to play, and now Colton’s brother was practically a master.
According to Cobra, Richard’s only family was a granddaughter who’d decided to tour France, the country where her mother was born, after she’d graduated from college. Richard’s only son had married a French woman, and the two, who had been frequent partiers, had been killed when their mini yacht capsized during a storm. Both had known how to swim but had been too drunk to do it. That had left Richard to raise their twelve-year-old daughter--a granddaughter he had spoiled rotten.
“To answer your question, Colton Masters, the answer is yes, I’m ready to close the deal. And I look forward to working with you.” The man chuckled and added, “Although I’m not sure how I’ll survive being handled by two Masters.”
A few hours later, Colton returned to his hotel room feeling on top of the world. Getting the Sharpe account was a major coup. The man had a lot of entities under the Sharpe Corporation umbrella, and he’d surprised Colton by turning them all over to Masters Unlimited, not just the two Colton had pursued.
He was just about to pick up the hotel phone to order dinner when his cell phone rang. It was Cobra. “Hello.”
“Congratulations. Richard just shared the good news. I knew you could pull it off.”
“Thanks, and I appreciate the connection. I’d admit there were times I wasn’t too sure.”
“Like I told you, behind Richard’s bluster is a heart of gold. Now, if he would only get some control over his granddaughter. She’s going to drive him into an early grave.”
“You’ve met her?”
“No, and I hope I don’t any time soon. She’s been living in Paris for the past two years, and the times she’s returned to the States to visit him, I’ve been away on business. But enough about the Sharpes. How did things go when you saw Kelly?”
“Better than expected.” There was no reason to tell Cobra about the butterflies in his stomach or the intense attraction they’d both felt.
“That’s good. So, what’s next?”
Colton lifted a brow. “What’s next?”
