Take a Chance on Me (14 page)

Simon beckoned Sadie over for some introductions.

‘Derek and Graham, business analysts.'

‘Nice to meet you, Miss Turner.'

‘It's
Ms
 Turner, Graham,' Simon said.

‘Oh, sorry.
Ms 
Turner.'

Sadie laughed louder than she'd intended and shook hands with these two younger, geeky looking guys, and then with a few others. The small talk wasn't exactly taxing but her tongue was numb and she felt a little headachy with her tight skirt stopping her breathing properly. She straightened it self-consciously when the next person was introduced to her. The floozy – a particularly nubile looking young blonde in expensive Gucci – shook her hand.

‘I'm Alexis,' she said as if Sadie should know who she was.

‘Hi, I'm Sadie,' Sadie said, and immediately felt stupid.

‘Oh, I know who
you
are,' Alexis replied. A shudder of dislike emanated from the woman even though her smile stayed fixed. Take away the notebook and the glasses perched on top of her head and she could just as easily grace the pages of
Sports Illustrated
. She looked at Sadie with slight curiosity, eyeing up her navy business suit and shoes.

Oh God, where are my sensible pumps when I need them …

‘Nice to meet you. Quite a coup you have on your hands here,' she said in a West Coast American accent, suddenly beaming again. ‘Congratulations for landing the investment of the decade. Mr Anderson will be very pleased.' The girl smiled, opaquely. ‘Assuming you can pull it off in time.'

Sadie scrutinised her, but the handshake was strong, and her face was confident.
Staking her territory,
Sadie wondered? But Alexis would have nothing to worry about from Sadie in that department – stealing a billionaire away from someone with
those
looks would be as likely for Sadie as … well, as ever seeing Mac again.

Damn that man, get out of my head
, she told herself, watching the blonde deliberately sashay away, to start distributing the hard copies of the presentation around the top of the table. Sadie hardly registered the names of the other people Simon was introducing.

‘That's nearly everyone,' Simon said. ‘Unless BJ McKowski deigns to join us – that's Mr Anderson's occasional co-investor. Bit of a character, I'm afraid, but pay no heed. Mr Anderson likes to spread his risk, and BJ's capital is as beneficial as any.'

‘Spread his risk?'

‘Yes, the mega-rich often do this – much of it is like toy money to them, so they play games with each other – politics about whom to include on the latest “get richer quick” deal they're working on. In this instance, Mr Anderson picked BJ, probably because of the undue influence of Alexis over there.' Simon nodded his head towards the blonde, who was eyeing them from a distance. If Sadie wasn't mistaken, she was scowling.

‘Who is she again?'

‘Oh, it looks like they're nearly ready,' he said, either not hearing or ignoring her question. ‘I'll go check on their progress. Just relax, and … good luck!' Simon touched her on the arm, then left, taking time on his way out to rotate a large apple in the fruit bowl on a side table so the reddest side showed outwards.

Sadie was so nervous she didn't know what to do with herself.

She breathed deeply, and closed her eyes, looking in her bag for a top up to her lipstick, as everyone took their places around the large table. She stretched down and took out the weighty glass trophy and lifted it. As she did so, she felt a tiny
rip
in the zip of her skirt.
Oh no.
Sadie sat up, looking around her, but no one had noticed. No one except Alexis, who smiled again then nodded her head slightly.

Sadie put the award pride of place where everyone could see it – and she could hide behind it if her skirt demanded it – slap bang in front of her on the table. She whispered some words of encouragement to herself and gave it a little rub for luck.

Suddenly she was aware of a silence that had fallen and a complete change in the atmosphere – a reverence was sweeping around the room as everyone looked in one direction. She followed their eyes. As the door to the anteroom swung open, a smart, tanned, older man who looked a bit like Father Christmas stepped into the room. Not what she was expecting at all – he'd obviously not weathered well.
Still, that's the man I need to impress,
she thought, studying him. Older than his photos, well, the white beard didn't help, but with an unmistakeable air of affluence – chunky gold chains and rings, a huge watch, and an expensive designer suit.
Didn't expect the cowboy hat, but the über rich are a law unto themselves.

Sadie cleared her throat and stood up.

Then, to her utter surprise, into the room behind him stepped …
What? Surely it can't be …

Oh dear God, what on earth was Mac doing here?

Mac?

As in McKowski? The business partner?

Sadie felt sick.

Mac looked … well … amazing, having shaved and dressed in an immaculate suit. Taller somehow, but just as attractive, and a definite air of confidence. Her heartbeat went stratospheric. She hardly recognised him at first, cleanly shaven and hair groomed, with designer glasses on his head. But that telltale half-smile was there, and that stance, that confident posture. He was shaking Simon's hand warmly, leaning in to whisper something. Then, turning, he stopped dead.

If anyone ever looked as though they'd been hit between the eyes with a slingshot, Mac did, right now. He did a double take as he spotted Sadie. His eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline, then down again, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, before he regained his composure. All in an instant.

She walked over to greet Simon and the investor, glancing sideways at Mac to give him a quizzical look when he made no move to show he knew her. With just a heartbeat's hesitation, Sadie smiled her biggest smile at the small group.

‘Gentlemen, meet Ms Sadie Turner,' said Simon.

‘Mr Anderson,' said Sadie. She took the hand of the older guy first, glad of his firm grip since her own hand was shaking so much.

‘Sadie, this is BJ McKowski,' Simon continued, and Sadie turned towards Mac, the flush in her cheeks and the glare in her eyes hopefully warning him against any sudden confessions.

‘Nice to meet you, Mr McKowski,' she said to a bemused Mac, letting go of the older man's warm hand and going to take Mac's. Simon coughed, and gestured towards Mac.

‘Ahem. No,
this
is not Mr McKowski, this is Mr 
Anderson
, Sadie.'

‘Oh.'
OMG.
She'd never heard her voice sound so small. ‘This is Mr 
Anderson
?'

Simon continued unabated. ‘Mr Anderson, this is the instigator of your latest business opportunity, Ms Sadie Turner.'

Sadie shook his hand, her fingers suddenly completely numb. Her potential investor, the man who could make her business dreams come true was there before her, looking at her with somewhat confused eyes
. The same azure-blue eyes that had gazed up from between her legs not ten hours ago.

She was still shaking his hand in bewilderment. For a moment, no one spoke and a flicker of confusion crossed Simon's face. He looked at Mac, curiously, then Mac spoke.

‘Sam.'

‘Sadie,' she said. ‘Not Sam.'

‘Not Sam.'

‘No. It's … Sadie.' She gulped, her hand still firmly in his grip. ‘My middle name's Sam.'

‘Oh, easy mistake to make,' he said, looking directly into her eyes, without blinking.

‘Pleasure to
meet
you,
Mr Anderson
,' she managed
.

‘The pleasure's all mine.' His face had become impenetrable as he finally released her hand
.

Whatever's happening, someone had better let me in on it double quick,
Sadie thought, fighting to control her urge to ask him a) what the hell was going on, b) whether she was the victim of some elaborate set up and c) why he moonlighted on big boats fixing small engine parts.

But there were no cameras, and no one had batted an eyelid so Sadie snapped herself out of it. Too much was at stake.

‘No, I can assure you,' she said, playing along, ‘it's an honour and it's all mine. Thank you so much for taking the meeting at such short notice. Simon tells me you have a very busy schedule.'

‘Mac was in town anyway for the racing – he loves fast cars … and fast women!' BJ McKowski laughed and slapped Mac on the back. ‘But don't worry – you're safe. He never mixes business with pleasure!'

Mac winced. Sadie frowned. BJ laughed and Simon looked on quizzically.

‘Unless it's beating his rivals hollow. He takes great pleasure out of that. Ha-ha!' Then the big guy leaned towards Mac and lowered his voice. His big belly got in the way so he turned slightly sideways, as he patted his top pocket where his mobile was. ‘As Tremain knows only too well. Mac here is smug because he just beat off his arch competitor for my attentions. I told him no-go, I'm in bed with Mac on this one – but maybe next time.' BJ's eyes twinkled mischievously. Mac narrowed his, but didn't reply. Then BJ raised his voice again and turned to Sadie. ‘Now, what's this special water you've found us, Miss Turner,' he went on. ‘It sure cured my hangover this mornin'!' His southern drawl betrayed his Texan roots, that is, if the bootlace tie and hat didn't. ‘Mind you, nuthin' like hair of the dog. Whisky, Mac?' And he headed off towards the drinks table.

‘No, thanks, BJ.'

‘I think we'd better get started,' Simon said, casting a disapproving gaze at BJ and handing over the laser pointer and remote mouse to Sadie, ‘or Ms Turner will be apoplectic with anticipation.' Simon's droll sense of humour lightened the tension.

‘And I wouldn't want to miss my flight,' Mac added, coldly.

Feeling the mounting pressure, Sadie stood and walked past Mac to the front of the room. As she passed, he leaned towards her and whispered softly, ‘Everything rests on the next hour. Everything. Depending upon what I see, we'll chat after.'

‘Yes, yes, of course,' she stuttered and tottered unsteadily away towards the front of the room.

‘Nice shoes, by the way,' Mac added, and Sadie blushed.

She began her presentation in the same way she'd rehearsed, using the PowerPoint slides to guide her audience through the various points, each slide filled with impressive images and charts and graphs.

‘As you know the new power-water, Frish, is taking the US health food stores by storm. It's produced by the Galloways – a small “mom and pop” organisation, as they call it, based in Hawaii. When Bill Galloway saw my science marketing proposal, he asked for a private meeting, and the rest, as they say, is history.' Sadie paused for a response. None came. You could have heard a pin drop. Or her heart beating. Mac was looking at her like he'd never seen her before, so she forged ahead.

‘Word of mouth is creating huge demand, they can't keep up.'

‘Especially from people who realise that it makes your whisky more powerful when you mix them!' BJ joked as he sat down in between Alexis and Mac, sloshing his tumbler of drink. Mac gave him a glare. ‘What?' BJ asked, indignant. ‘It does – doesn't it?'

Sadie cringed. ‘Well, according to some anecdotal reports listed in their small print, it would appear that whatever you take with it may well be absorbed faster by the body, yes. But that's phase three or four of our research plan – initially I and my university colleagues …'
ex-colleagues
thought Sadie, ‘… will do urgent trials in the Surrey testing facility where I used to work. The Galloways appear to need a massive cash injection to take their Frish to the next phase. With my involvement they believe their expansion can all happen much faster, and that, I'm told, is why they want me involved. This, gentlemen – and ladies – is how we plan to do it.'

Over the next half-hour, apart from feeling Alexis's eyes piercing her like knives occasionally, Sadie became quite confident that she was doing well – with her presentation at least.

If someone had completely erased Mac's memory of the last twenty-four hours, he couldn't have acted more formal and business-like than he did in that boardroom. As Sadie took them all through the slides, her hands gradually stopped shaking each time she pressed the button for the screen to change. And her heart gradually stopped pounding every time she thought of his touch, his body, hot next to hers, his …
Focus!
He is now well and truly out of bounds, she told herself. Especially if mixing business with pleasure is forbidden.
Well, that's fine by me,
she told herself.

After a wobbly start, Mac looked more and more interested in the deal. He leaned forward, ignored Alexis when she sidled up to him and slid a note under his elbow – which Sadie took ridiculously great pleasure from, especially because Alexis even appeared to pout a little as he just passed her ‘vitally important note' over to one of his staff without looking at it. His aides were writing copiously, and he nodded appreciatively as Sadie went through the history of the product, the founders, the anecdotal evidence of better sports performance, and the mixed sales results so far. The company were well-placed for massive expansion, with a new production plant in the offing, and the secret formula had just gained its protection with a new patent.

It sounded good. She warmed to the task and hoped she looked confident. But if anyone studied her closely, they'd have seen white knuckles clutching the laser pointer and a little trickle of sweat running down her neck.

Why? Well, what Sadie
didn't
reveal to the room was that finding an investor for this deal would earn enough commission to prop up her and her little company for the next two years. Longer if she became the sole importer in the UK. It was everything, this meeting. A step up, a foothold on sanity and a reprieve from staring bankruptcy in the face.

Instead she stared Mac in the face – the man who in less than twenty-four hours had turned her whole world upside down.

Once or twice Sadie held her breath a little too long. Once or twice she lost her place – but only briefly. And several times Sadie caught a sexy-as-hell billionaire gazing intently at her shoes. On one of those occasions, Sadie saw Alexis's eye following where Mac was looking, and it made Sadie stand even more proudly in front of the room.

Throughout the whole process, Sadie was painfully aware of his gaze. Even though she couldn't tell for sure, she wondered if his eyes were undressing her, and she had to use every ounce of her being to remain calm, composed, and professional. Which she did. Only once did she slightly trip when walking to the other side of the projector, at which ‘that woman' crossed and uncrossed her impossibly long legs, tittered slightly and elbowed her colleague then started whispering. If she was trying to put Sadie off, it didn't work. Well, it did a bit. But too much was resting on this so she fought it, kept calm, and carried on.
So far, so good.

Then came the projections.

In the speedily prepared but thorough business plan, which Simon had helped her with, an impressive cash flow forecast predicted massive profits in year three, assuming the new scientific studies were published, and the dramatic new claims would finally have enough usable proof to be incorporated officially into the marketing materials. Then everything would explode. But even the preliminary trials could give it a lift. The science was groundbreaking, pivotal, and at the root of what made it so right for Sadie. Everything – the worldwide launch and the international projections – rested on both clever marketing, and on the scientific community buying into the new research which Sadie outlined in full. It was vital, and without careful handling, the entire rising success of this product could be a mere flash in the pan.

She concluded with a reminder of the deadline.

‘The international distribution rights all hinge on getting the research done swiftly. With your investment, Mr Anderson, the new bottling plant can be fully financed, and the studies can begin. And then in phase two, with the publishing of these new scientific studies – assuming my own early results are confirmed – everything changes for Frish. And for us.'

‘And for you,' Mac said, and rubbed his chin, stubble free and clean. Sadie noticed his skin looked perfect, super-smooth. There was an expensive-looking watch in place of the old one he'd worn last night. ‘No offence, Sam, I mean Sadie, but I have to ask this question – why you?'

Sadie faltered.

‘They … as I mentioned, they … they said they were impressed with my marketing expertise, my credentials. But mostly with my crucial contacts.'

‘Ah, yes – what does it say here …' He flicked through a hard copy in front of him. ‘In the three major Sports Science university research departments.'

‘Precisely.' She could feel her palms start to sweat. ‘The, er, studies can be done speedily but still using the applicable methodology. The right way,' she added, when she saw Derek and Graham look at each other, puzzled.

‘Yes.' Mac nodded. ‘I can see how the results could turn around their whole campaign, once they can back up their claims. And they allowed you this thirty day window to obtain the investment.' She nodded and he asked, ‘Why?'

His question was brusque. ‘Because I told them I can make it happen faster.'

‘And can you?'

‘Of course.' She felt hurt.

‘How?'

‘My connections – plus my PhD in nutritional science.'

‘Your what?'

‘It's all in the brief, Mac,' said Simon, coughing a little and shifting in his seat. ‘You reviewed it as usual, presumably?'

‘I, er, was tied up a bit last night. Sorry.' He met her eyes and she looked away. ‘So, you're a scientist too, then?'

‘Used to be.'

‘Simon, you often find me surprises, but this whole thing has to be one of the biggest.'

Sadie blushed.

‘Thank you, Mac. It's what you remunerate me for,' puffed Simon.

‘Yes, it is. And another question that's been bugging me, Sadie, one that I'm sure you knew I was going to ask.'

Sadie's heart was in her mouth, as she waited for the next question.

‘Why the huge rush? Thirty days is an unheard of timescale for a deal like this. I normally wouldn't have given it the time of day, but for … circumstances. What did they tell you about their reasons?'

She felt relief wash over her. ‘Only that firstly it would test my mettle, see what I was made of. They informed me, of course, that they had other options, but if I could swiftly bring in the extra investment to cover the studies, it would change their whole business plan.'