His driver called for them at six, the sky still dark and filled with wet clouds that showered the Bay in a drizzling sort of rain. Their flight was delayed, and as they waited, Denny drank his coffee as she, for the millionth time, went over the contract she had written.
"Sweetheart," Denny said, glancing over to watch her gnaw at her thumbnail, "will you put that away? You're only making yourself nervous."
She groaned out in frustration. "I know. I just don't want to forget anything."
He chuckled and continued reading the newspaper. "Like what? Expected growth factor?" She sighed and closed the file. She knew he was right, it was just difficult letting go and trusting it was all under control.
They touched down at two o'clock local time. As they only had two carry-ons, they quickly made their way to the car rental service hub. Alessa was surprised that he hadn't simply hired a driver, especially when they hit traffic the moment they left the north side of the monstrous airport. Denny navigated the traffic coolly, making lane changes decisively. He had them at the Westin in the northern financial sector of Dallas within twenty minutes of leaving the airport, giving them enough time to check into their rooms and grab a quick bite before they were to meet at the Banham offices at three. The first meeting with the Seoul Mingo office was set for five p.m. CST, making it seven a.m. in Seoul. There weren't any last minute details to decide upon, but Denny was giving the last summarized information to the financial backers before the final details were agreed upon and signed in blood.
The Banham international corporate offices were one of a thousand uniquely designed financial institutions strung along the Dallas North Tollway just on the north side of Dallas. It seemed each architect was set to outdo the last in the grand style of over-the-top design that exemplified Dallas. Not only was the hair big, the vaulted pediments were, too.
Alessa, never having been to Texas, watched entranced as one bizarrely shaped building after another passed by. An exciting thrill at being in the center of some of the world's largest financial happenings fluttered through her stomach. Once at the Banham offices, the two were taken up to the twenty sixth floor and introduced to Mariella Sanchez, a petite woman with delicate features and brown eyes so dark Alessa couldn't see her pupils. She was one of the dozen of vice presidents at Banham who oversaw financial backing for Asian market expansions. She smiled warmly at the pair as they approached.
Giving them the quickest of tours around her floor, she ultimately led them to a spacious room that could serve as a conference room as well as a joint work space. She explained their interactive telecommunications system had state of the art video conferencing and would be used to communicate in real time with the Seoul office. Before long, they were joined by Kenneth Mingo and his small team. He was the current CEO of the equipment company his father begun almost fifty years ago, and had been so impressed with Denny's vision for his company that he hired Wiles, Mayer, and Schecter LLP to helm the expansion the day Denny unofficially pitched it.
"Denny, good to see you again. How've you been? Getting us ready?"
Kenneth had a thick van Dyke mustache that was as much gray as it was the dust blonde that matched the hair on his head. He was somewhat overweight, but looked kind and hard working more than anything. Alessa had seen him once on video conferencing, but hadn't as of yet spoken to directly.
He turned his gray eyes to her then. "And you must be Ms. Allen, the brilliant mind Denny won't shut up about."
She smiled at him, reaching out to take his offered hand in a hearty shake. She tried to ignore the roll of pleasure that Denny's praise caused, and instead focused on exuding that veneer of confidence she always tried to maintain.
"Mr. Mingo, very nice to meet you. It's been a pleasure being a part of this team. I'm very confident that Mingo will stand out in the equipment market, not only here but in the Asian markets as well."
"Please, call me Ken," he requested smiling broadly. Alessa surmised his perfect teeth must be owed to the fact they were dentures. "And if the results are half as promising as the research you and Denny put together, then I'll be more than pleased."
After all the introductions were made, the very large team sat down at the conference table, several of the lesser players sitting in chairs against the wall as there wasn't enough space for everyone. Alessa didn't know if she should put it down to chivalry or as a professional compliment when Denny insisted she sit next to him with the main players. Either way, she was given a positon to make herself invaluable, and she was deeply driven to earn his good opinion.
At five, the Seoul office came on line, greetings were made and then Hale Jebson, the CFO of Mingo began the meeting, thanking everyone for their time and listing in itemized fashion the objectives of the meeting, stating it was their intention to have all the contracts agreed upon and signed before they left. Though there were a few points of contention, either from Mingo or the financing company, eventually, all the large and fine points of the proposed expansion had been agreed upon. It was nearing seven the next morning when the last of the documents were signed, Alessa guiding the members in the Dallas office through the multi-step process. Her counterpart in Seoul took care of the key players there.
Alessa sat, languidly gathering up all the important documents, storing them carefully so they could be filed with the appropriate agencies. Denny was speaking with Ken and Ms. Sanchez, informally wrapping up the long and exhausting meeting with an agreement to meet them for dinner at Ken's invitation.
"But I think I can safely speak for Ms. Allen and myself when I say the first order of business is a long nap," he chuckled good-naturedly.
"I hear you on that," Ken replied. "See you this evening, then. Eight-thirty. Need directions?"
"I'm sure I can manage," Denny smiled reassuringly, before nodding and walking to Alessa.
She had stood and was waiting politely a few feet away. Ken gave her a smile and congratulated her on her work, at one point stating they wouldn't have gotten through it all if it hadn't been for her. She only smiled and said it was her pleasure.
Despite all the coffee she had drunk through the previous evening and night, and the unparalleled high that came with being an important and integral part of such a monumental and weighty deal, Alessa was asleep before Denny had driven them back to the hotel. Though the travel department had arranged for two rooms, Denny ushered her into his, helping her undress and then slip into her night gown before he laid them down into bed. Alessa slept like the dead.
At four her bleary eyes opened to the sound of Denny's low voice on the phone. It took her a moment to orient herself to the new surroundings and make out the content of his words. Apparently he was speaking to someone back in San Francisco about business. She slowly turned in the warm cocoon of thick duvets that covered the bed. The curtains were drawn, but she could make out his figure in one of the plush chairs. His feet were propped up and she could see his pensive face contrasted by the casual white t-shirt and black boxers he wore.
When she moved, Denny's eyes caught her and he smiled softly. He was able to finish up the conversation in a few more sentences, then hung up and tossed his phone onto the little table.
"Hey there, Sunshine."
"Hey," she answered groggily. Alessa stretched her hands above her head and arched her back, feeling her body come alive with the tense movement that was near orgasmic.
Denny stood and came to lay across the bed, propped up on his elbows so one hand was free to brush the strands of hair from her face. "Now that you're awake and we have some free time, I'd like to show you something."
Alessa's brow shot up at that. "Really? And what would you like to show me?" her stomach filling with butterflies at the prospect that he had something fun for them to do.
"Get dressed. If we can leave in fifteen minutes, we'll beat most of the rush hour traffic," he explained bounding up and grabbing his own clothes.
Alessa frowned in confusion. They were going for a drive? She watched him put his black slacks back on and loosely button and tuck in his crisp, white shirt. He didn't put his tie or suspenders back on, and the buttoned-down look was just as sexy as when he had worn the tuxedo to the ball.
"Where are we going?" she asked with a voice still husky from sleep.
He only gave her a sideways glance and grinned. "It's a surprise," he answered cryptically.
