but I’m focused on Rob. He dabs a drop of sweat from his temple as he stares at his open laptop. Frowning, his eyes creased with concentration, he keeps trying to scroll down on something on his screen, but it doesn’t seem to work.
I watch him click a couple of things and then click and click again. Another sweat drop forms and a wave of shivery pleasure laps at my gut, easing higher until my nipples tighten.
“Rob?” I hear someone say, and he and I both realize at the same moment that he’s been asked a question.
“Uh,” he replies. “Yes?”
“Rob, the numbers.” It’s no longer a question but a demand. The partner nearest Rob, Jeremy Browning, who’s distinguishable from the other silverbacks by his retro black-rimmed glasses, is turning nearly as pink as Rob now. He must be breathing in Rob’s whiskey fumes. A vein in his temple begins to throb, slowly but surely. Approachable glasses aside, Jeremy is known for his quick temper.
“Right,” Rob finally says. “The numbers. As you know . . .” That’s all he says, As you know . . . , instinctively repeating a phrase used moments before by one of his bosses. That’s his whole shtick. Mirror the partners and make junior associates do the real work.
It’s not hard for him to fit in with the senior guys. He’s so easy to get along with, and there’s none of the tiptoeing you have to do with the female or minority employees. God, they’re all so prickly. But not good old Rob. He’s just more . . . comfortable to be around.
“As you know,” he repeats; then he clears his throat and tries to get it together with a fierce glance in my direction. I smile.
“As you know, our calculations show there are a shit-ton of fantastic opportunities for you right now.”
Jeremy Browning blinks. Several times.
“Quite a few of the entities we approached were very interested in the high value and low cost that you’re offering.” He frowns again. “All three of the largest school systems in the state . . .”
The client clears his throat.
“Sorry,” Rob says, “I do have the numbers right here.”
Others in the room are beginning to shift and squirm. The whole client team looks toward the partners. They look toward each other. I wait a few more seconds. Then a few more.
“Pardon the interruption,” I say, just as Mr. Browning is tensing to open his mouth. “Robert and I ran the numbers, and we’re predicting district cost savings of over fifteen percent just on frozen processed chicken alone. Frozen raw chicken? Well, that gets even better, and, believe me, the school districts we approached were very excited.”
I flash a smile at the table and dip my head toward Rob. “I apologize, I don’t have Robert’s notes, but let me sum up the numbers for you on the board.” I stand and spin to the whiteboard behind me, snatching up a pen to immediately start jotting down the costs I’ve memorized along with the offers we’ve predicted we could pitch for years one through three.
“These are just rough estimates, of course. We can move forward with a deep dive before negotiations begin, but we all agree that North Unlimited is offering an ideal arrangement, and of course everyone is looking to cut costs, especially in non–education-related expenses. Reduced school funding only works toward your advantage in this environment. I even got a hint of interest from the state college system.”
“Whoa,” the president of North Unlimited breathes. “That would be unbelievable.”
It is unbelievable, because this is absolutely untrue, but who could know that? Four weeks from now, if anyone asks, I’ll glumly inform them that it didn’t work out.
“Obviously, the laws governing raw chicken imports create quite a complication, but that’s why you’ve hired us. So . . . do you think your supplier in Brazil could handle an order increase of three hundred percent? Because those are the kind of numbers we’re looking at.”
“Absolutely.” His supplier isn’t really in Brazil and the owner of North Unlimited is a goddamn scammer, but what do I care?
“So this should be our starting point with the first school districts,” I finish, poking the marker hard into the board. “You’ve indicated that we can afford to budge quite a bit from here, but I’m not sure we’ll have to. They’re excited by your assurances about the product being all-natural and minimally processed at that price point.” I swing back to smile at the clients. “We