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My heart thuds heavily at her bizarre warning, but I don’t have time to ask for clarity. The sliding door opens once more, and Dex appears, fully dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, holding the empty coffee pot. He’s wearing a huge smile.
“Well, I was going to give you guys shit for leaving me no coffee, but you two hugging is a much better start to my day.”
Denny turns her head and smiles at him. “Your wife and I were just bonding.”
“Thank you,” Dex mouths to me.
“Did you enjoy sleeping in for once? It’s nice, right?” I pump my eyebrows at him.
“Trying to lure me to the dark side, Mrs. Hessler?” He winks. “I wasn’t sleeping. I just didn’t come downstairs. I’ve been in my office for the past hour or so attending to emails. I’m just now coming up for air and some coffee… What?” he asks, surveying my perturbed expression.
“You’ve been working since about six a.m. with no coffee?” I stare at him like he has two heads.
“Yes. People can function without coffee, Len.”
Highly incorrect.“And why are you already dressed?” I ask. “Did you have a meeting?”
Dex steps through the glass doors and grabs the small suitcase behind him. He grimaces as he holds it up, then sets it back down. “I have to take care of something in Miami.”
“What’s going on?” Denny asks, ears perking up.
“I received an interesting email from Royal Bahamas this morning. Richard offered his sincerest condolences and asked if Grandma’s merger offer was something I’d still be willing to honor. He wants a meeting.”
Denny rolls her eyes. “Sharks smelling blood in the water.”
Dex crosses his arms, standing a little taller than usual. He carries a different demeanor when he talks business. It’s a stark contrast to the easygoing scuba instructor I know so well. But I like this new Dex, too. He seems confident and so sure of himself, like he’s in his element. “It’s worth hearing him out. A merger like that would create a lot of opportunities for our workforce. The one partnership I’d be very eager to acquire is their exclusivity agreement with Balton Hotels.”
“True,” Denny adds. “That’d be maybe an extra billion in revenue potential a year?”
“Somewhere in that ballpark. I woke Fisher up to run the numbers and come up with an implementation plan. He said he’d have them for me by the time my flight lands.”
Denny pivots to face me. “Lennox, to catch you up, Richard Spellman is the CEO of Royal Bahamas Cruises. He’s finally realized that a merger with Hessler Group might be easier than trying to compete in a market that we dominate. The only bargaining chip he has is a deal he signed with Balton Hotels twenty years ago. Balton is behind several major hotel chains, and they have an ironclad partnership that’s kept Hessler Group out of some promotional opportunities that could be very lucrative revenue-wise.”
The way Denny’s explaining this, it sounds like she should be the CEO of Hessler Group. I guess that’s what happens when you spend so much time with the person in power—osmosis.
“I thought Hessler Group was already very successful… Why do you need more revenue?”
Denny opens her mouth, but I appreciate Dex beating her to an explanation.
“At this point, it’s not about how much money is in our pockets. It’s taking care of the workforce. There are over a hundred thousand jobs within our company, scattered across the globe. The more revenue we have, the better gainshare. Better benefits. Happier employees, less turnover. Fewer lawsuits. All in all, it’s like going the extra mile to have the best for your family.”
Oh, that I like. That makes more sense than the rich getting richer. I mean, when you have billions, what’s left to strive for?
“Do you need me to go with you?” I ask with a grimace, nearly choking on the words.
Dex smirks. “Wow, Trouble. Please try to control your enthusiasm.”
“Funny,” I sass. “But I said I’d do this job…I’m ready. If you’re considering a merger, doesn’t that involve the CEO? I have a lot to learn. Best to get started.”
Dex crosses the patio to sit down in the chair adjacent to me as there’s no room with me and Denny on the sofa. He squeezes my knee. “The shares were yours the very moment we said, ‘I do.’ Only a handful of people know about Grandma’s will. A lot of people assumed I’d be taking over as CEO, so this is going to take a bit of an explanation. I think we’ll start with a meeting introducing you to the board and executives. Then, we’ll do a company-wide introduction via email. Once we do that, we’ll have you sit in on meetings. But I told you, I’ll do all the work. I don’t want you to have to lift a finger.” He sweetly strokes against my outer thigh, tickling me through my sweatpants.
Dex is unabashed in his affectionate gesture. Denny seems suddenly very interested in her coffee mug, as if a hidden treasure, merely a few gulps away, is at the bottom of her mug.
I kiss Dex’s forehead. “Sweet…but condescending. I’m not going to sit around and be a bump on a pickle for a year, Dex. Even if it’s fetching everyone coffee, I have to do something to earn my paycheck.”
“Bump on a pickle?” Dex asks.
“Useless,” I explain. “Literally serves no purpose.”