The Ultimate Merger

The Ultimate
Merger

by Delaney Diamond

Copyright © May 2012, Delaney
Diamond

Cover art by MTheresa Arts © May
2012

Delaney Diamond

Atlanta, Georgia

ISBN: 978-0-9852838-3-4

This book is a work of fiction. All
names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's
imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any
electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file
sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Delaney Diamond.

Dedication

To the women below, who acted as beta readers
by donating their time and offering me feedback on the story. Your assistance
was greatly appreciated!

Belinda Green

Brooke Oliver

Jackie Wallace

Rahab Mugwanja

Sherika Williams

Tiffany Krepps

Chapter One

Sabrina Porter stormed in and
slammed the door to her windowless office. She didn’t give a damn if they
heard. Slapping the sheets of paper in her hand onto the desk, she blinked back
tears of anger.

It’s so unfair
, she thought. 

She had worked harder on the Japanese
project than her co-worker, Devin, but
he
was the one sitting back in
his chair, smiling like a Cheshire cat, hoarding the accolades from the senior
analysts.
He
was the one they decided would be the lead on the merger. And
why? Because she didn’t play golf?

Too wired to sit down, she paced
the floor with a fist jammed into her hip bone.

A soft knock shifted her attention
to the door. Before she could answer, Ernestine, the assistant she shared with
Devin and four other analysts, poked in her head.

“Is it safe to come in?” she asked
with a timid smile.

Sabrina gave a curt nod.

 “How’re you holding up?”

Ernestine pushed her gold-framed
glasses up on her nose and clasped her hands in front of her. She’d been
working at Global Investments, Inc. since the formation of the company fifteen
years ago. Despite the difference in their ages and the fact that Sabrina was
one of her supervisors, they’d become friends when the firm hired Sabrina two
years ago.

“How am I holding up? You took
notes in the meeting. They gave the Japan project to Devin. That fu—” She
closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then she took
another deep breath and let it out slowly, too. “That
freaking
brown-noser.
Apparently, you don’t need any real skill or intelligence at this firm to
handle a multi-million dollar merger. All you need is a penis!”

Ernestine’s pale cheeks reddened to
the same shade of her hair. She cleared her throat. “You might want to lower
your voice. You don’t want anyone to hear you, do you?”

Sabrina let her head roll back and
stared up at the ceiling, knowing Ernestine was right. “No, I don’t,” she said
in a heavy voice. She walked over to her desk chair and collapsed onto it.
“It’s just so unfair. I work twice as hard as Devin does—three times, even, and
I produce good work. I’ve been here two years, Ernestine. Two years, and every
time a major deal is in the works, one of the male analysts gets it. Why am I
even here? Did they have to fill a quota?”

Ernestine lowered onto the chair on
the opposite side of the desk. Her sympathetic gaze connected with Sabrina’s.
“Your work will be recognized eventually. You’ll see.”

“When? I thought that busting my
butt would get me recognition, but it doesn’t seem to matter. As far as the
senior analysts are concerned, I might as well have gone to Jane Doe University
and not even bother to come in to work every day. I’d get the same amount of
respect.”

Ernestine took a deep breath before
responding. “You’re going to get even more upset when I tell you what I’m about
to.”

Sabrina sighed. “Lay it on me.”

“They’re moving Devin into a bigger
office. One on the same hallway as the senior analysts.”

Sabrina slumped back in the chair
and stared in disbelief at her co-worker. “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish I were. I was told to start
coordinating the move with the building facilities manager.”

“Unbelievable.”

Sabrina shook her head. She worked
so hard, but it all seemed for naught. Two years ago she’d finished magna cum
laude with an MBA from the University of Chicago. She’d hoped to land a job in
a firm where she could work her way up in her specialty—mergers and
acquisitions. However, even though she consistently churned out excellent work,
she never received any of the exciting projects nor received the respect granted
to her male counterparts.

“Why don’t we go out for a drink
tonight?” Ernestine offered. “Seems like you need it. We’ll go to Giovanni’s
and listen to music.”

“You won’t drink with me.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t go out.
I’ll have cranberry juice, and you can have one of those mojitos or whatever
you like—on me. How’s that?”

Sabrina smiled genuinely for the
first time all day. Ernestine was so sweet. Having someone in her corner helped
to temper her unhappiness.

Normally, she didn’t drink much
because growing up, she’d seen the adverse effects of drugs and alcohol on
those around her, but she needed a drink tonight.

“Nah, go home to your hubby and
kids,” she said. “In the mood I’m in, I’ll need more than a few drinks. It
might be better for me to go straight home.”

Ernestine rose from the chair. “You
need to get out more.”

“What? You’re the one who rushes
home every day after work. I’m surprised you even offered to go out with me.”

“And you’re the one who hasn’t been
on a date in months.”

Sabrina groaned and covered her
face with her hand.

“You know it’s true. Why don’t you
let me fix you up?”

“I don’t want any more hook-ups.”
Last time her co-worker tried to set her up had been a disaster. The date ended
in an argument with the guy calling her “you modern women” in a tone that
clearly indicated it was not a compliment.

“Okay, I screwed up the last time,
but I do have another man in mind for you. He’s more your type. You need
someone with your drive and ambition and someone who appreciates it in you. Clark
wasn’t the right person.”

“Yah think? He practically told me
he wanted me barefoot and pregnant.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m not.”

“The man I have in mind for you
this time is different. He’s—”

“No.” Sabrina wagged her finger at
Ernestine. “Just because he’s black, doesn’t mean he’s perfect for me. You need
a better screening process, and because of that, you are not allowed to set me
up ever again. Comprende?”

“One more time. I promise you’ll
like this one. He’s nice, but he’s the kind of man who could handle you.”

“No. I can find my own dates, thank
you very much.”

“Fine.” Ernestine headed for the
door. Before walking out, she said, “If you change your mind, let me know. The
right man can help you relieve some of this work-related stress.”

“If I need to relieve stress, I’ll
get a massage.”

“It’s been so long, you’ve
forgotten how good it can be.” With a saucy wiggle to her hips, Ernestine
reached for the doorknob.

Sabrina shook her head. “You have your
husband wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”

Laughing, Ernestine said, “I’ll see
you later,” before closing the door behind her.

Sabrina took a deep breath and
swiveled in her chair to face the computer screen. She needed a man like she
needed a hole in her head. Besides, if she wanted to get laid, she knew who to
call. In fact…

She picked up the phone and punched
in the number to her friend-with-benefits, Samuel. It had been a long time
since they’d connected, but maybe she’d get lucky and he’d be free tonight.

“Hello, beautiful.”

What a nice way to be greeted.
“Hey, you busy tonight?”

“No. What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner and drinks at Giovanni’s.
My treat.”

“Do I have to put out if you buy me
dinner?”

She twirled the phone cord around
her forefinger. “Yes.”

He chuckled, and she imagined his
coffee-colored eyes crinkling at the corners. “Rough day?”

Sabrina sighed. “Yeah, you could
say that.”

“I got you. Call me before you
leave work and I’ll meet you there.”

“Thanks.” Sabrina hung up.

Now she had something to look
forward to at the end of the day.

Chapter Two

Renaldo da Silva stood and
stretched in the living room of the suite he had at The Drake Hotel in downtown
Chicago. He rolled his shoulders to alleviate the tension in his muscles. He
might as well have been in a basement for all the attention he paid to the deluxe
room with its stunning view of Lake Michigan in the distance.

Ever since he’d arrived in Illinois
a few days ago, he’d been in and out of meetings and spent the rest of his time
on his laptop conducting research and communicating with his staff. He’d hoped
to be farther along in the deal by now, but he’d just have to be patient a
little while longer.

He flexed his shoulders and grabbed
the room key from the desk. He’d been in the room all day, and it was now dark
outside. He needed a break. Time to get out and see a little bit of what
Chicago had to offer.

Downstairs, he asked for a
recommendation to a place where he could get a drink and unwind. Before long,
he headed out on foot to a nearby restaurant recommended by the concierge. When
he arrived at Giovanni’s he could hear music playing and the weekend crowd had
already started gathering.

One of the best ways to relieve
stress was in the arms of a woman. Unfortunately, he’d been so busy he hadn’t
had time to make the acquaintance of anyone during his short stay. The energy
of the patrons and the beat of rock music would have to suffice tonight.

Renaldo sat at the bar and ordered
a scotch. As he nursed his drink, mentally listing everything he had to accomplish
next week, a tall black woman walked in. She entered the restaurant with a
straight spine and a confident walk. At first he gave her only a cursory
glance. She appeared to have just left work, dressed in a plain gray business
suit with a white silk blouse and very little jewelry. After she took a seat at
the opposite end of the bar, his eyes strayed to her again.

With her kinky, chestnut-colored
hair pulled back from her face and clipped neatly at the back of her head, he
couldn’t tell its true length. She didn’t wear much makeup on her tawny-colored
skin. Good thing, too, because she had an attractive face.