Business Deal

She knew he'd keep her waiting. He was that type of person, a hard-hearted and ruthless businessman. She wished there was another solution to her dilemma, but time was running out and she was becoming increasingly desperate. Despite his reputation, she'd been assured he was the only person who had the compassion to take on her request. Whilst she hated going cap-in-hand to anyone, all she had to do was remember the people who would struggle without this and it was enough to spur her on.

"Mr Hart will see you now,"a voice disturbed her reverie, and looking up she saw the rather over-efficient grey haired receptionist peering over the top of the desk opposite her. "It's the third door, on the left."

Standing she nodded, "thank you."

Knocking the door she stood and waited patiently...again. By the time a deep voice responded, after what felt like an hour, but was less than a minute, she was furious.

"Come in." 

Opening the door she stepped into the lion's den. Her eyes scanned the large room, and for an office it was huge. The wall to her left was covered in bookshelves all filled with leather covered tomes, to her right, floor-to-ceiling glass gave a flawless panoramic view of the Thames, straight in front of her was a huge and imposing desk. Behind it sat Liam Hart, his black-haired head bowed over a wad of papers. 

"Sit!" he gestured to a chair opposite him without looking up.

Annoyed at his deliberate disdain, she remained standing, a foot from his desk. She'd have accepted him being engrossed in a phone call, but her fraught nerves and the  anger that had grown since she'd set foot inside this building was threatening to erupt at his blatant rudeness.

Liam had had a horrendous day, he'd not remembered this appointment, and as such was missing out on an auction across town, he'd been after a certain piece of land for a while, and now he had to rely on his assistant to secure the deal. 

Laying down his pen he looked up, his eyes leveled with a waist, clad in a cerise thick woollen dress. He raised his eyes upwards slowly, taking in large, but firm breasts, slender neck, rigid jaw, then flashing, angry, brown eyes. She glowered down at him. The fingers on her free hand flexing and straightening in an almost methodical fashion. She was angry, suddenly he felt a little frisson of excitement. He loved a good argument, and he rarely lost. 

"You are...?" From the look on her face, he thought she'd explode with anger. One - nil! 

She shook her head, "Mr Hart, you know exactly who I am. Less than six months ago in my hour of extreme grief, you were hounding me relentlessly wanting to buy my company. Now you act as though I am a stranger? Or is this a deliberate attempt to undermine me before we even discuss the reason for my visit?"

He was surprised at her acumen, but hid that with a laugh, "you are so cynical Miss Wharton. We have never actually met, but your anger and cynicism tells me you are the same person responsible for the barrage of emails I received from your company whne I merely enquired as to whether you would consider selling to me. Please have a seat and explain the reason for this unexpected appointment."

Finally sitting opposite him, Melissa Wharton leaned back to cross the legs he had only just come to notice. He took a deep breath and settled back into his own chair, propping his elbows on the arms and watching her, his chin resting on his steepled fingers.

She ignored the goading look in his fathomless blue eyes, inhaled then informed him.
"I want to discuss you buying Wharton's."

He hid a gasp of surprise. It was like a very early birthday present. For years he'd wanted to monopolise the construction industry in the South East, the industry that had directly ruined his family. Wharton's was the largest independent commercial construction company left, and he wanted it. But less than six months ago he'd laid a very substantial offer on the table at Wharton's and had been virtually thrown out of the building by Stanley, Melissa's father and the then CEO. He'd tried to reason, explain his intentions, but all he received back was a spate of aggressive emails that spelled out exactly why his interest wasn't welcome.