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He lifts his shoulders and even though he’s wearing a shirt, I visualise his naked flesh beneath. ‘Which is probably why I admire that skill. In any event, my point wasn’t that there’s a right way or a wrong way, only that I can see why your father relates to your business in those terms.’
‘Do you?’
He frowns. ‘Honestly?’
I nod.
‘I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked into your company some more today.’
I make a small laughing sound then realise he’s serious.
‘I was curious,’ he explains.
My heart rate picks up.
‘Why?’
‘It’s what I do.’
Just like my dad and Simon. I straighten a little, uncomfortable at the idea of this man in particular trying to pull apart my business for his own commercial gain. ‘And?’ I say, though it’s pushed through gritted teeth.
‘And it’s a solid offering,’ he says. ‘As you are no doubt aware.’
I wait, silently.
‘Obviously there’s a lot of potential to grow the app and the community, the services you provide; I imagine that’s what you’re focussing on in the next eighteen months.’
Eighteen months happens to be the exact timeline I have in mind.
‘So you’d be looking for a partner rather than a wholesale buy off.’
I nod. ‘I’ll never relinquish control of She-Shakes. I know that having some of the biggest names in tech offering to buy me out is flattering and maybe I’ll regret not just selling to them but, honestly, I can’t imagine doing that. I can’t imagine a world with She-Shakes where I’m not at the helm.’
‘I get that too.’
‘Do you? You don’t think I’m crazy?’
One side of his lips lifts in a smile that is captivating and mesmerising. ‘I think you’re passionate and brilliant. I think you’re the right person to run the business and if anyone wanted to buy it and not utilise you then they’d be crazy.’
His words are a support I hadn’t realised I needed.
‘If I were you, I’d be seeing it a bit differently.’ He says it calmly, as if he’s happy for that to be the end of it; he’s leaving the conversation for me to pursue or not.
‘Differently how?’
‘You’re not selling She-Shakes. Why would you?’
‘Go on.’
‘You’re open to the possibility of an injection of capital—so you can expand.’
‘Go on,’ I prompt, moving my heel over his cock with a teasing smile. I feel safer discussing this with him. As if he gets what I’m doing with the app and why it matters to me. He’s different from my dad and Simon. In this way, probably not in any others.
‘In exchange, you hand over some of the app’s shares.’
‘But not the majority,’ I say firmly.
He nods. ‘And that’s your sticking point.’
