Keep Me Wanting by Avril Ashton

Author:Avril Ashton [Ashton, Avril]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay & Lesbian, Literature & Fiction, Fiction, Gay, Romance, Gay Romance, Multicultural, Genre Fiction, Lgbt, Gay Fiction, Multicultural & Interracial
Amazon: B016YCK32M
Publisher: Sinner's Haven Publishing
Published: 2015-10-20T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Mrs. Renault.” Damian held out his hand to the woman who sat at the conference room table across from him, and she shook his hand firmly, her grasp soft but confident. He liked that. He retook his seat and ignored the others in the room.

His representatives, disapproving as they were.

Hers. Skeptical as hell.

Aline Renault was the owner of an up and coming hair, beauty and skin care company. All natural. Catering mostly to the African-American community. She was popular, almost cult-like, but in bigger, wider circles, her name and company were unknown.

Damian wanted to change that.

He did his research, did his due diligence, and while this would be the first hair and beauty brand Archer might be investing in, he felt in his gut that this was good.

“I called this meeting because I wanted to meet you, Mrs. Renault.” He smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. He didn’t take offense. “I’d like to congratulate you on what you’ve done with Franny’s Homemade, and what I’m confident you’ll continue to do.”

She pursed her lips. “Why am I here, Mr. Archer?”

“Archer Enterprises would like to invest in Franny’s Homemade.”

“I’m not looking for investors.”

Damian shrugged. “You’re not, no. But despite your popularity amongst African-Americans and the rapidly growing natural hair movement, you’re still a relative unknown.” He leaned toward her, hands on the table. “I get that you want to remain true to who you are and what your brand represents, but you’d also like to earn a living. To expand. That’s just good business. That’s where I come in.”

She was shaking her head before he stopped speaking. “Not interested.”

“Why?” His voice rose in urgency. “I’m not looking to buy you out or take over. I want to invest a minority stake in your company. I bring Archer Enterprises with me, and all the power we wield in the corporate world. I can get you into the stores, get you in front of more eyes, get you farther up the ladder than you could possibly get on your own.”

“What’s in it for you?” She cocked her head, eyeing him almost like a puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out.

“I believe in what you do. I admire it, and I think there should be more companies like yours.” He chuckled at her disbelieving scoff. “More startups, more companies catering to people of color. To their needs and unique individualism. I don’t want to change Franny’s Homemade or turn into a watered-down version of what it used to be,” he said softly. “I think you can do amazing things. I’d like to be associated with that.”

“Do you know why I started Franny’s, Mr. Archer?”

Damian shook his head. “Tell me.”

“To stop putting my hard-earned coins in the pockets of people like you. Companies who couldn’t give two fucks about the people in their communities. Who simply care about the bottom line. The very last thing I want is to get in bed with one of you.”

Damian couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. He liked her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.