“Yes.” I fold my arms and ponder the magnitude of all this. “I just can’t believe it. What’s the second thing?”
“This is a legal contract that transfers ownership of private stock from me to you. The transfer will be recorded on the corporate books. The problem is that the Board of Directors has the right to acquire all stock from another stockholder before anyone else. It’s called a right of first refusal, which means they have the right to buy the shares first, or refuse them first. Of course they would buy them to retain control of the company. But there is one more thing, Annabelle.”
“One more thing?”
“Yes, the most important one.” Kalin folds his lips in and paces around. “You may want to take a drink.”
“That bad?”
“I guess it depends on how you look at it.” His eyes roam the space in front of him and then lift to mine.
“Tell me, Kalin. What is it?”
“There are only two ways to get around this particular contract. I can only transfer shares to a current equity holder—someone who already owns part of the company. That would mean the very assholes who tried to take control.” Kalin glances at me. “Or an immediate family member. I don’t have any immediate family.”
“I don’t understand.” I furrow my brows at him.
“The contract defines an immediate family member as a child, grandchild, parent, brother, sister, or…”
“Or what, Kalin?” He hesitates, and I browse through the contract, trying to find exactly what’s going on.
“Kalin, or what?” My eyes return to him.
Kalin glides his hand over the nape of his neck, glancing down momentarily. “I hope you feel the same way about me as I feel toward you, Annabelle.”
“What the fuck is going on, Kalin?”
“The contract stipulates that shares can only be transferred to immediate family, which would include my spouse.”
My eyes shift in front of me as I process the meaning of his words. Suddenly, my eyes widen, and my mouth falls open.
Chapter Seven
“Are you fucking kidding me, Kalin? I know you cannot be talking about me. Are you?”
“Of course. That’s why you have the contract.”
“Holy hell! When the fuck did you plan on telling me all this?”
Kalin rubs his face and eyes. “I’m telling you now.”
“So we’re supposed to have a shotgun wedding in Vegas, and then I can save the company with you? Is that what this is all about? What the fuck were you thinking, Kalin?”
“I wanted to tell you what I was thinking, what I was feeling.”
“You were just using me.”
“I wasn’t using you. I was really looking for…”
“I don’t want to hear it, Kalin. All this wining and dining and earth-shattering sex was for one reason. You were using me.”
“I wasn’t using you, Annabelle.”
“What do you call it, then? You have a goddamn contract for me to sign saying only a spouse can help her hubby take control of the company. What comes next, the divorce?”
“Annabelle, that’s not fair. I was looking for someone I can trust.”
“The question isn’t can you trust me, Kalin. The question is can I trust you. I want to go home.”
“Annabelle, please, just calm down.”
“I won’t calm down. I want to go home. Take me home.”
“As you wish. I’m sorry, Annabelle. I didn’t mean to upset you. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you so fast and suddenly. I realize it must be overwhelming.”
“That has got to be the understatement of the year. Not to mention I would be the highest-paid whore in New York City.”
“Whoa. That is not it at all. That is not what this is about.”
“How does a divorce affect the agreement, Kalin? Do you get to keep all of the money and your precious stock, and then dump me back to where you found me?” I grimace.
“On the contrary, you hold all the cards. You get to keep the shares. That’s just it. I’m risking more than you are. You are the one who can leave and take the money. I have no say in the matter. The shareholder agreement only states that if you decide to sell, the current shareholders get a first shot at buying your shares so they can maintain their interests in the company. They have first right of refusal, as the lawyers call it. So yes, you can sell your shares, take the money and run, and leave me hanging high and dry.”
Kalin steps toward me. His eyes come down on me in a plea as he places his large hands over my shoulders. “I need you, Annabelle. I trust you. Will you trust me?”
I cannot look at him like this. My heart melts when I look into his vulnerable, pleading eyes. “I have to have some time to think about this. This is all so overwhelming.” My shoulders curl in the strong grasp of his hands, and I close my eyes and breathe. “I thought I was getting a marketing assistant job just to pay my rent and boost my career, and you want me to be a co-owner with you in one of the largest advertising companies in the world. If that wasn’t enough, you want me to take the shares as your spouse?”