How to Avoid a Billionaire(11)

“Maybe. I’ll let you know.” He stabbed the button to disconnect the call. Now all traffic came to a standstill, and he squeezed the steering wheel until the leather squeaked. She had a date? A date! She’d in essence turned him down. He couldn’t remember the last time that happened. No, it had never happened, not even in school. Of course, back then he had never approached any girl he didn’t already know he could have. That was another lesson his father had taught him.

He swore and peeled out of the lineup when he spotted a small hole in the next lane. Forty-five minutes later, he pulled into the reserved parking space with his name painted on the wall and headed toward the elevator. Christian met him as he headed to his office and dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, bud, so where are you taking her tonight, or are you going straight to her place?”

Ryder cut his gaze to his cousin briefly and then turned away. He slammed the door in the man’s face and locked it. A stab at the phone line produced Jodie’s cheery voice. “No calls!”

“You got it, boss.”

He dropped into his chair and shut his eyes. Melanie Cai did not know who she dealt with. But she would before long. He made a few phone calls, and a couple of hours later, a text came through to his phone. He frowned at the information but put another call through anyway. Another hour passed before Jodie buzzed him with a message that his eleven o’clock had arrived.

“Prompt,” Ryder muttered. He stood and slipped his suit jacket on and buttoned it. The door opened, and the man walked in. Ryder examined him from head to foot, an African American with a tentative step but a semi-firm handshake. The suit looked cheap but not worn. Ryder knew from the information he had gathered that Antwon Jones was twenty-four and had graduated from University of Charlotte two years previous and had landed a decent position with a midsize firm. With the right carrot, Ryder had no doubt he could lure him away. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have acknowledged Antwon, but he and Melanie had dated for several months, and their relationship had cooled. Antwon sought to rekindle it, which had led to his invitation to dinner tonight. Ryder couldn’t have that.

“Mr. Neyland, it’s an honor to meet you,” Antwon gushed.

Ryder nodded. “Please have a seat. Your name came across my desk recently, and I wondered if you would consider a proposition.”

Being so young, Antwon couldn’t hide his excitement. “That would be incredible.”

“You haven’t heard what I’m offering yet.”

The younger man sat back in his chair, taking Ryder’s tone as a warning. “Uh, sorry about that. Like I said, it’s an honor.”

Ryder waved his hand and opened a folder on his desk. Jodie had printed out the proposal, one he’d drafted not long ago. A few tweaks made it acceptable for what he wanted to offer Antwon. He slid the page across the desk and waited while Antwon read. The salary and benefits were generous ones. He watched the younger man’s eyes widen reading the figures and how he suppressed the threatening grin.

Antwon looked up. “Is there an interview?”

“There are two caveats to this offer,” Ryder explained, ignoring the question. “Your new position is based in Aurora.”

Antwon’s eyes bugged. “Colorado?”

Ryder nodded.

“And the other? You said there were two caveats.”

“You leave for training this afternoon.”

Antwon’s jaw dropped. He stuttered and scratched his head, studied the sheet in his hand again, and looked at Ryder. “I would need to give notice. If I leave without doing that, it’s going to reflect badly if I have to look for another job down the line. What about packing, finding another place to live? Sir, if I could have a few more weeks…”

Ryder stood up. “When you walk out that door, this offer expires. The salary and the position are enough incentive to take this chance. If you do a good job for me, there won’t be a need to look for another position. I promote from within, but if you feel there’s something, or someone that keeps you from making this decision now, I suppose you aren’t the right man for the job.”

“No!” Antwon barreled from his chair. “I’m your man. You accept, and you won’t regret it.”

They both sat down and discussed further details, and then Ryder dismissed Antwon to make whatever plans he needed in order to move across the country on short notice. Ryder had given him names and resources plus an advance to get him settled without a problem, but made sure no time was left for him to make his date that night. Everything came together with the ease of a phone call for Ryder. He was used to ordering lives with the blink of an eye.