The assistant opened the glass door and held it open for me.
I took my time standing up and walking across the room. “Thank you.” I stepped inside and listened to the door close behind me.
Her office wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t elegant and feminine the way Titan’s was. A large olive green desk sat near the back wall, which was entirely made of glass. Her office was unusual because it jutted out farther than the rest, so every single wall was nothing but windows. Two large tables were along the other walls, covered with notebooks with scribbled notes and calculators. There were electrical apparatuses as well, things I couldn’t even identify.
Two lone chairs faced her desk.
Ms. Alexander rose from her seat wearing a skintight black dress with a deep blue cardigan on top. She greeted me with a smile, but it certainly wasn’t genuine. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Cutler.”
I stopped at her desk and shook her hand. “You as well.” The second my hand latched on to hers, the same erotic images flashed across my mind. I had her in my bed, her thighs squeezing my waist as her dress was pushed to her stomach. Her panties were still hanging off one ankle because she was too desperate for me to take the time to remove them. Her nails dug into my ass, and she pulled me deep into her because she wanted me to fuck her even harder.
Goddamn.
I quickly pulled my hand away then unbuttoned my suit coat before I sat down.
Shake it off. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“My pleasure.” She straightened her dress before she sat down.
I wanted to show her the real meaning of pleasure.
She held herself straight, her posture perfect and her gaze poised. “You’ve reconsidered our business arrangement?”
“I have.” I sat erect in the chair, my powerful shoulders covering the chair from her view. My knees were spread, and my feet were firmly planted against the floor. My arms rested on the armrests, and I stared her down with my intimidating gaze. People were usually unnerved by me. I could keep a conversation going even in silence. I was the strong and silent type, especially with women. Titan was the only woman I actually spoke to. No reason to talk when you were fucking.
Ms. Alexander waited for me to say something, and when nothing happened for thirty seconds, she spoke again. “And?”
She wore a different shade of lipstick that day, and it was hard not to stare at it. She wore a different necklace too. Her watch was still the same, the pristine rose gold color. She had beautiful skin and a slender neck. My teeth wanted to drag across the skin, just to feel how delicate she really was. Something about her power made me more aggressive. I wanted to snuff out of her presence, to overrule her in every way possible. I respected her strength, but that also wanted to make me break her even more. “I should have been more transparent in that meeting.”
She tilted her head slightly, showing her confusion but never dropping her confidence. “I think you were perfectly clear, Mr. Cutler. You aren’t looking for a partnership, and I am. No confusion.” She sounded sexy while sounding professional at the same time. I wasn’t sure how she accomplished it.
“I think if I’d been clearer you would have changed your mind.”
Her mood noticeably darkened to the color of her hair. “No. I’m not the kind of woman who changes her mind.”
“Five billion.” It was more than what I wrote on the paper in my office, but I wanted to offer something she couldn’t resist. Maybe her company was worth hundreds of millions, but she wasn’t even close to her first billion. Any person would flinch at that kind of money.
But she didn’t. “Alexander Applications isn’t for sale, Mr. Cutler.”
“Ten billion.”
She didn’t even blink. “You’re wasting your time.”
I’d just put a ridiculous offer on the table, and she didn’t even nibble. Now I knew this woman had never been playing a game with me. She was more straightforward than I realized. She said exactly what she meant. “Give me a number, Ms. Alexander.”
“Money may mean everything to you, but it means nothing to me. You can go now.” As if the meeting was over, she grabbed her blank tablet and unlocked the screen. “Give my best to Titan. I hope she recovers soon.”
I stayed in my seat, refusing to leave until I got what I wanted. There was no other trick up my sleeve. I didn’t know how to bargain with someone when money wasn’t a chip I could use. She wanted a vision; she wanted a future. “Help me understand, Ms. Alexander. Help me understand how a businesswoman could reject the greatest offer she’ll ever receive.”
She finished what she was doing on her tablet before she set it down again. “For such an intelligent man, you seem to absorb information very slowly. I told you money doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m basically telling you I’m a vegetarian, but you continue to offer me prime rib. Offer me something I want, and maybe we can move forward.” She looked at me again, her green eyes hypnotic. I could feel her soft skin just by looking at it. My fingers ached to explore that shiny hair.
“Money means something to everyone. Let’s not pretend you’re different from the rest of us.”
“It does,” she said simply. “But after you reach a certain point, it doesn’t matter. My life isn’t any different whether I have one hundred million dollars or one billion. It’s exactly the same.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t want to work with Titan. You know she’ll elevate your standing considerably.”
“She will,” she said. “But she’ll also bring my technology to a new level as well. If I simply sell, she’ll have the authority to do whatever she wants. While I respect Ms. Titan, I don’t
