A Billionaire's Mistake

49|Antidote

Lincoln

I wasn't surprised when my mother called and told me this meeting would be held on the Upper East Side. I didn't even bat an eye at the lavish steakhouse that cost over one-hundred dollars a plate. It's typical for meetings to occur in a swanky place like this. The low lighting and loud, boisterous conversations of the people around me are the perfect opportunity to drink some liquor and persuade my hopefully soon-to-be partner to invest more than he bargained for.

Over the past six months since I've met Sienna, I've felt more established in my CEO position. I'm no longer intimidated by these types of meetings now that I have the correct knowledge and can apply it to my company without a second thought. I took Sienna's advice about researching a potential investor, and it didn't take long to find out that Don, Kendall's father, is obsessed with his little darling daughter. Photos are plastered of the two of them everywhere. On trips to Morocco, riding horses, bike riding in the city... She is his entire world, and I'll work that to my advantage.

I slip the waiter a couple hundred-dollar bills to snag a booth in the back of the restaurant. Sienna said it's always best to get to the meeting first. It automatically establishes power.

God, Sienna. Sienna and her long legs that were wrapped around my head the entirety of last night. She's insatiable, and it's an effort to keep my head in the game when I'm itching to return home to her.

I spot Kendall first before her father. She's wearing a dress that's certainly not professional—a bright pink mini-number that her breasts are spilling out of. She's never dressed like this before, and I can't help but wonder if she's dressing like this because she saw Sienna all dolled up last week at the bar—if she changed her style to impress me.

Her father walks in behind her in a pinstriped suit that is finely pressed. He has a thick mustache and slicked-back brown hair with fine wrinkles that are still noticeable, even with an obvious attempt at Botox.

"Lincoln." Kendall grins and goes in for a hug, and I only allow it because of what Sienna said. She's okay with this so long as I don't cross any boundaries, but I keep my hands well above her lower back. "It's so nice to see you. This is my father, Don."

He grunts and extends his hand out for me to shake. I can tell he's wary of whatever proposition I'm about to make. He likely only accepted this meeting because he used to golf with my father or because his daughter hopes to marry me. Either way, I'm going to win this. I have to be confident.

"It's great to see you as well," I tell her. "You look lovely. And it's nice to meet you, Don. My father talked about you a lot when I was a kid. It's a shame we're just now meeting."

Kendall blushes, her cheeks dark crimson as she slides into the booth beside me. I would feel guilty about it, but she only wants to get with me because of my money. I remind myself of that as Don tells me a story about my Dad shooting a hole-in-one during one of their annual championship games. He remembers it like it was yesterday.

I wonder why I don't let myself think about my father. I can't. The moment I do, my chest hurts, and then I feel like crying, and I can't cry. I refuse to after all of the tears I released at the funeral. The one Don here didn't even bother to attend.

When the waiter comes by, I order the best wine for the table, and he scurries away to retrieve the bottle for us.

"Word in the news is that Nash Enterprises is making a comeback," Don says. "Will the Los Angeles location be the first to open after the renovations?"

I nod. "That's the plan. Numbers are great from all of the media attention we're currently getting. At this rate, we expect a fifty percent increase once the LA location opens in March."