Page 100 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
I tied off loose ends with my Zafiro staff, reviewed and signed off on the seven Owners we’d welcome tomorrow morning, and listened to three voicemails from Trent Ramsey, who, growing increasingly angry with every message, demanded I returned his call, before venturing over to the Owners’ Retreat to check on the three new possessions we’d acquired.
“Any issues?” I asked Gideon and Memphis when I joined them in the resort’s intimate yet spacious dining room.
Both men had finished their dinners, their empty plates sitting in front of them, both nursing beers.
“All three have been catalogued and are put away for the evening,” Gideon explained.
“Plans for the week?” I inquired as I took a seat at their table, motioning for Auberon to bring me a beer.
Gideon was quick to walk me through the initial plans to integrate them into the training program, who was assigned to which trainer, and so forth.
“How’d the others do?” I asked. “Any disruption to their routine due to my request?”
A smile curved Gideon’s full lips. “Not at all. We run a tight ship, boss. All’s well.”
“It’s going to be a busy week.”
Memphis nodded. “That it is. Zion informed us he’s got three additional trainers coming in.”
“Yes. That should be enough. Just assign possessions to various tasks related to caring for the guests, and I think we’ll do fine.”
“It’ll help,” Gideon agreed. “I plan to have them manage the new possessions while we work with each Owner and their potential possession.”
“Twelve possibilities?” I asked. While an Owner was only permitted to acquire one possession at a time, they tended to entertain more than one during the selection process.
“Correct. Three I see as pretty much guaranteed,” he said after taking a pull on his beer. “Two of the Owners are returning for a second time, one of whom I don’t see making a final decision this go around, either.”
I knew exactly who he was referring to and I agreed. It wasn’t rare for Owners to be discriminating. After all, they paid a pretty penny to acquire the perfect possession.
“I might be overstepping,” Memphis prefaced, “but is there any word on what Ransom’s role will be here?”
I leaned back, took a drink. “I want him to take his time adapting. I figure it’ll be a month or two before he finds his footing. Ultimately, I’d like him to take on the role as chief operations officer.”
Memphis was the one who seemed surprised, but I knew that was because he was well-versed in the world of executive management. Being that he was currently the chief marketing officer for a large technology company, he understood what that role would entail.
“Interesting selection. I thought Tiegan was slated for that role.”
I grinned at Memphis. “I’ve got another proposition in the works regarding that.”
“I assume my role will remain the same?” Gideon asked, glancing back and forth between me and Memphis.
“It will. I only ask that you start keeping him up to date on what’s going on and look to him when you have pressing matters. You can still come to me as needed. Ransom’ll be a good addition to the team, but I want it on his terms.”
Both men muttered agreements.
“What about you?” I asked Memphis directly. “Any prospects?”
I could see his disappointment, knew Memphis was no closer to choosing a possession than he’d been when he arrived three months ago.
A dark-skinned, bald black man with eyes so dark the pupil blended with the iris, Memphis Ward was one of those who caused you to do a double take when you caught him at a glance. He had a hard face thanks to the narrow ridge of his brow and the sharp jawline. But the combination made him appealing in a way not many bald men were. He was compact and bulky, no more than five foot seven, and two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Memphis had a penchant for fair-skinned females, and while he assisted with the male possessions, he was strictly heterosexual.
“I’m going to change things up this week,” I informed both men, though I kept my eyes on Memphis. “I’m restructuring your focus.”
He watched me intently, clearly waiting for additional information.
I glanced at Gideon. “You’ll be without Memphis, so I expect you to reassign his possessions so they’re managed by one of the visiting trainers.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
I nodded at Gideon. “Could you give us a minute?”
Gideon glanced at Memphis then back to me before he got to his feet. “I’ll go work out the training schedule for the others.”
When Memphis and I were alone, I motioned Auberon to bring two more beers, gave Memphis a moment because I knew he had something to say.
“Are you sending me on my way?” he finally asked.
“Yes and no. The proposition I mentioned…”
His chin lifted.
“I’d like to offer you the position of CMO of Owned, Incorporated.” I sat up straight. “And before you tell me you’re happy where you are, I want you to consider it. Zion and I have prepared a benefits package that I think is rather generous. Far more than what you’re getting now. However…”
