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“And,” chimed in the head of marketing, “they’re happy to pay extra for that.”
I nodded. “Of course. It’s what makes our company unique. Without it,” I explained, “we’re just another run-of-the-mill airline. We aren’t CAA. We aren’t,” I concluded resoundingly, “unique.”
There was silence in the boardroom.
“A unique product is a good one,” said Tom McLaughlin.
“But not,” he added, “in a time of recession. In a time of recession, people want similar products. Outliers and exceptional candidates don’t survive.”
I chuckled mirthlessly. Tom McLaughlin would hardly know, having never been especially exceptional himself.
“What are you proposing?” I questioned.
“It seems to me,” said Tom, slowly, his voice oozing honey, so unlike mine, “that if you were to perhaps take a leave of absence, or even,” he hesitated, clearing his throat, “divest your stock, the necessary adaptations to CAA for an uncertain future could be made.”
I nodded, smiling, but inside I was as angry as ever. “You want to buy me out,” I said.
“Now, Jake,” said Karen, “no one said that—”
“But that’s what you meant,” I butted in. I would normally never interrupt a meeting, but this was unacceptable. “Let’s get one thing straight,” I hissed. “I founded this company. I built its success. It continues to be successful, and profitable. I willnotlet you turn it into a budget airline. And I’ll be damned,” I said, “if any of you try to take it apart behind my back.”
I stood up. “This meeting’s adjourned,” I said as I left the boardroom.
Iwasfumingallafternoon. The nerve of McLaughlin and his cronies to try and buy me out! And for what? Their plans were ridiculous to start with. It was possible that by stripping CAA of everything which made it special, they might squeeze a few extra pennies out of the stock value. But there was no point in that, as far as I was concerned. As the wealthiest person in the room, all my money meant nothing if I had no integrity.
I’d calmed down a little by the time an Uber driver dropped me off at the hotel. Inside, I headed straight for the gym on an empty stomach. I started off with some simple bodyweight exercises, then I bench-pressed five reps at 260 pounds. It was a pretty impressive feat for the average fitness enthusiast, but I knew I was capable of more. Still, I wanted to feel the burn of multiple reps in the gym today, and I finished my workout with a twelve-mile run on the treadmill. I felt wiped out afterward, my body screaming with hunger as it began to consume fat and muscle mass. I went back to my room, showered, and finally ordered some lunch. Now the rush of endorphins in my brain was slowly quashing the burning rage inside. I ordered a steak, rare, and a quinoa salad from room service, and ate slowly and purposefully on the balcony, not wanting to make myself sick.
As I watched the sun set over Bel Air, I realized that I had no idea where Alicia was. I texted her on my cell.
Where are you?
The reply came back pretty quickly.
At the hotel. Want to talk prep for tomorrow?
I smiled. She was so eager to excel in her new role. I’d definitely made the right choice.
I looked at my phone for a while. I wanted to see her.
Fancy a drink at the bar?
Nothing. She didn’t text back for ten whole minutes. I felt sure she wasn’t going to. Then:
Sure! Would love to. Meet you there in 15 mins? X
I grinned. Looks like I was going to see my favorite new employee after all.
I found her in the lounge, nestled in a comfortable booth. Alicia had changed out of her work uniform, but she still looked just as attractive in a sweet yellow sundress. “I got you a whiskey and soda,” she smiled, pushing my drink gently across the table toward me on a napkin.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Duh!” she laughed. “I asked my brother, of course.”
We both laughed and toasted to her maiden voyage with CAA.
“How did your meeting go this afternoon?” asked Alicia.
I shook my head. “It was a pretty tough one, actually. Sometimes I forget that I’m not always going to agree with the people whom I’ve employed to run this business with me.”
