20
ISABELLA
Parker had never seemed genuinely nervous to me. He was always confident. Underneath any other emotion I’d seen from him, there had been a strong belief in himself.
Today, however, was different. I didn’t know whether it was because he had been shot down so many times or what, but the man’s thoughts were all over the place.
As we arrived at the skyscraper housing the offices of the potential buyers for Parker’s Get Fit, he was quiet. Uncharacteristically so.
“It’s just a meeting,” I said, hoping it would soothe him. “Just another pitch. You’ve got this. Our team has been working with theirs to come up with some numbers and they’re excited about them. All you have to do now is sell them on why your system is worth it.”
He tugged at the lapels of his jacket, craning his neck as he rolled it from side to side. “You set up this meeting yourself, right?”
“Right.” I caught his wrist, forcing his hand down when he started messing with his already straight tie. “They’re impressed with what they’ve seen so far. Your people have done a great job with the groundwork. The foundation has been laid and it’s rock solid. Today, you just have to build on it.”
“Oh, is that all?” he snapped, then drew in a breath and released it before shooting me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
When his deep brown eyes met mine, I saw the uncertainty swimming in them, giving me yet another glimpse of the butchering his confidence was taking on account of the nerves. I stopped our march across the marble-tiled lobby, walking around to face him and putting my hands on his forearms to stop him from fidgeting with his collar.
Hoping that he could see my belief in him shining from my eyes even when he didn’t feel it himself, I patted his chest as I gazed up at him. “You know this pitch backward and forward now, inside out. Just like we practiced. There’s nothing they can throw at you that we haven’t already covered. You’re ready for this.”
He squinted at me. “Am I? This is huge, Bella. These people control fitness centers operating nationwide and they’re expanding to Europe.”
“Exactly. They need something big and new to bring in the membership contracts to ensure that their expansion is a success. Something sexy that gives them an edge over the competition both here and abroad.”
“And you think I’m that something sexy?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice again, which was comforting, but now really wasn’t the time.
“I think your business is that something sexy, yes. It’s unique, it’s fun, and it’s fresh. No one has copied your method yet and there aren’t hundreds of people offering the same experience in their fitness centers that customers can get in yours.”
As I spoke, it was almost like I could see my words hitting their mark in his brain. He drew himself up a little closer to his full height, his features starting to transform back into that mask of cool, quiet confidence.
“So what you’re saying is that they need me more than I need them?”
My eyebrows twitched. “Maybe not exactly, but something like that. They need a brand like yours to give them a boost here and to lure people in on the European side of things.”
I didn’t want to undo all the good work I’d just done of injecting some of thatva-va-voomback into his self-esteem, but this was far from a done deal. These buyers weren’t only looking at Parker’s company. Although his fit the bill perfectly, there were other contenders.
“What do you mean ‘not exactly’?” he asked. “What do I need to do to eliminate the ‘not’ and turn it into an ‘exactly’?”
“You need to be spectacular today,” I said honestly. “Knock their socks off. Sweep them off their feet. Show them thatyou’rethe guy they should be getting into bed with.”
“Isabella Atkins, are you seriously doubting that anyone would want to get into bed with me?” He batted his lashes, his gaze suddenly snapping up and away from mine, scanning the lobby until it came to rest on the elevators. “You’re right. I’m ready. I can do this.”
Long powerful legs springing into action, he took my arm and steered me toward the security checkpoint between us and access to the investors behind it. I scrambled to keep up with him, cursing my heels even though I was usually quite good at walking in them.
Satisfied that my pep talk had worked, however, I didn’t even try to slow him down. I would run a marathon in these heels if it meant getting this deal. We wouldn’t have had a shot at all if he’d gone in there as a nervous wreck.
Unfortunately, it looked like I should’ve hung on to said pep talk until we’d gotten off the elevator. As we climbed on and I hit the button for the top floor, his eyes widened and he swallowed visibly.
“They have the top five floors of this thing?” he asked, eyes locked on the panel beside the buttons displaying the names of the businesses on each story. “Holy fuck. How much money do they have?”
“Enough to buy you out.”
He still didn’t look away from that fucking display. “I can’t do this. Do you have any idea how much each square foot of this building costs in rent? It’s insane. Their holdings must be massive. There’s no way they’re going to be interested in a system designed by a boy from Brooklyn.”
“Theyareinterested,” I stressed, being careful to keep my voice down so we didn’t cause a scene in the crowded car. “You might’ve started out as a boy from Brooklyn, but what you’ve built is so much bigger than you. That’s the man they want to see. They’re not concerned about where you came from. Not in any sense other than to see the growth of your business over the last couple of years.”
Our ascent was faster than I would’ve liked, given this little wobble, but every low ding brought us closer to our destination as other people climbed off. The car emptied out within minutes, leaving us traveling to the top alone.