I woke the following morning, alone in his bed and slightly disoriented. I sat up and glanced around, my eyes landing on a note sitting on the end of the bed.
I had to take off on an unexpected trip. I'll be back in four days. If you want to stay, you can. Dan can get you anything you need.
I shook my head in wonderment, uncertain how to even absorb his note. No matter what, I wasn't staying. I almost laughed aloud at the idea of asking the uptight, badass doorman for anything I needed, as Lucas indicated I could. Part of me felt a tug, a desire to remain here and putter about Lucas’s luxurious penthouse, but it didn't feel quite right. I took another shower in his ridiculous bathroom and left.
All the while, questions tumbled through my mind about what I had allowed to happen and where it might go next.
Chapter 10
Lucas
I stared across the table and bit back a curse. This was the third consultation I'd had with this company in California. I’d made a joint offer to buy them out with Seth Lawrence from Energy Synergy. I was beyond annoyed with the negotiations, mostly because they were dragging on needlessly. The company was on the verge of bankruptcy and thought they had a leg to stand on negotiation wise. They had some promising technology, but they had seen none of it through to fruition. I’d made the offer to purchase the company solely to own the patents. That was it. We could do what they had failed to do and would bring those patents beyond a dream.
I stared at the table for a beat before spinning to glance at Seth Lawrence. “I think we’re done negotiating. Seems to me they’d rather go bankrupt than take our offer. What do you think?”
Seth got a glint in his blue eyes. I knew Seth well. We'd worked together for years after crossing paths at a conference. We held all the power in this negotiation simply because we were offering these guys the best deal they were going to get.
Seth shrugged and ran a hand through his black hair. “Agreed.”
At that, I stood and strode across the room, glancing back when I reached the door.
The two men on the opposite side of the table shifted in their seats. John and Leonard Collier were brothers and had been sought after by many engineering companies after stellar success on a project in grad school. They'd overreached and ran out of money far before they could do anything with their ideas.
I felt a twinge of guilt about it, but it was either Seth and I buy up their company, or far less scrupulous corporations would do the dirty work for us. I watched as John glanced to Leonard. He looked back at me, his gaze resigned.
“Fine. Can't blame me for pushing as hard as I did.”
I waited at the door for a beat. “Fine what?” I countered.
John sighed. “Fine. We’ll take the deal.”
I returned to my seat, considering whether to push them even lower, but decided against it.
“This is the smart decision even if it sucks. Both of you are welcome at either one of our companies, and you know it. Or you can take a step back and try again to develop your own projects again. You guys are great at the ideas, not so great at the business end of things. I can't say what your best choice is, but think it through next time.” After we finalized our deal, John and Leonard left, and the door to the conference room clicked shut behind them, Seth caught my eyes.
He shook his head with a chuckle. “How many times have you done this now?” he asked good-naturedly.
“Good engineers don't always make good businessman. You and I might be the exceptions to the rule.”
Seth barked a laugh. “I'm not so sure about that. I think it's more we lucked out on timing, and we’ve got good people around us to guide us right.”
I grinned. “That's exactly what I mean. That’s why I hire good people.”
Seth leaned back in his chair and cocked his head to the side. “I actually liked those guys. Do you think they wanted take a position with one of us?”
“I'm not sure. They like owning their ideas. Either they'll get over that, or they'll surround themselves with better people next time.”
“Time will tell,” Seth replied.
“How are things around here?” I asked him.
“They're great. I couldn't be happier,” he replied with a wide smile.
Seth had done what many thought was crazy a few years ago and moved Energy Synergy from his main base in Boston to a small town in the edge of the Sierra Mountains. He loved the outdoors, loved to ski and wanted to work in a place he loved. I’d actually
been up to visit a few times because I enjoyed outdoor photography. The Sierras were a dream for that. Seth had a smaller team and kept Energy Synergy low profile, and I think he liked it that way. He and I worked well together. He didn't have much ego, and wasn’t afraid to spar with me over ideas. It was one of my strongest professional partnerships, and one I intended to keep for the remainder of my career.
Seth had also fallen head over heels in love with an engineer he’d hired a few years back. He’d been married over two years now and had gone from a rather uptight workaholic to a far more relaxed workaholic. He was happier and at peace. His transformation had surprised me.