Except then I realize that he totally will notice if his daughter goes missing and, more importantly, that she isn't the only deterrent to my evening's agenda because two other people have just arrived at the six-person round where I’m supposed to be sitting, and fuck if it isn’t Edward and Hagan Fasbender.
Looks like it’s going to be one of those nights.
7
There’s no way Hudson knows that the Fasbenders would also be sitting at his table. Not when he’s told me to keep the discussion with Nathan Murphy on the down-low. I have half a mind to text him right now and tell him the whole plan is off.
Except I’m not a quitter.
Also, I don’t want him to give me any reason for cutting the night short. I’m fucked in the head for feeling this way, but I’m actually kind of excited about having an excuse to spend a whole meal with Genny, and yes, I do take the excuse to let her stay. My assigned task is already hindered by her father. I might as well let her hinder it too.
We sit and make the necessary introductions. Nathan is younger than Edward by about ten years and doesn’t look as comfortable in his tux as the Englishman. His wife is young and mousy, and either extremely shy or extremely bored, considering the amount of effort she puts into the table interaction.
To be honest, the early conversation has me stifling a yawn myself. It’s mostly business gossip specific to the media world, a world I know very little about since I’ve only learned today that our company owns shares in the industry. Though I look for opportunities to add to the discussion, I can’t find any.
Genevieve is equally quiet beside me. From the furtive glances I’ve cast in her direction, I’ve noticed her lips are drawn tight, and I decide she’s biting her tongue. Whether it’s because she’s bristling over her father’s earlier remarks or because she’s pissed she had to lean on me for help, I don’t know.
Honestly, it’s probably a little of both.
It gives me smug satisfaction. So much so that I feel totally comfortable stretching my arm out along the back of her chair. God, the way she glares at me. If I thought following the conversation was hard before, it’s even harder now. And I do mean hard. I wish I knew what it was about this girl that makes me so completely turned on and intrigued. The mystery confounds me. I’m as far from understanding her as I am from getting what Hudson’s sent me to this dinner to do.
By the time our salad course is being cleared, I’m antsy. My leg is twitching under the table, my arm tingles from where it brushes against Genny’s shoulder, and I still haven’t found a way to talk covertly to Nathan Murphy when, miracle of miracles, he opens the door for me.
“Any special reason Pierce Industries is representing tonight? Are you guys finally looking to enter the playing field? With the innovative direction you’ve gone recently in the tech world, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that you were.”
Genny straightens in her chair beside me, and I feel all three pairs of the Fasbenders’ eyes move toward me.
This is probably when I should really be feeling the pressure, but it’s just the opposite. Even though I know nothing about the topic, I’m excellent at improvisation. “Haven’t got anything planned that we’re ready to announce,” I say, “but I’m interested in your observations. What sort of role could Pierce Industries take in media?”
I direct the question to Nathan—it’s the perfect opportunity to feel him out like I need to.
Except it’s Hagan who jumps in with an answer. “Easy. Network ownership. You already have the people and talent to start your own programming in either a cable situation or something competitive with Netflix and Amazon.”
I hate to say it, but Hagan Fasbender isn’t exactly the dummy that his sister wishes he were.
His father nods. “All the subscription-based services are focused on entertainment. Pierce Industries could bring news and business programming to the market.”
So Dad’s also a smart one. The two of them piggyback on each other for the next several minutes expounding on their ideas. They’ve obviously thought a lot about this. Their thoughts are well-researched, and it’s not exactly uninteresting.
Okay, it really is. Partly because the male Fasbenders aren’t the ones I want to hear from but also because everything is uninteresting next to the female sitting at my side.
She’s particularly interesting, I realize, when her mind is at work. After listening to her father and brother ramble on and on, she seems to lose her resolve to keep silent and pipes in with her own opinion. “Yes, that’s one possible avenue of expansion,” she says, shaking her head dismissively. “But it’s so narrow in its focus. Pierce Industries has the capability of much loftier objectives, like laying down Internet connections that are on par with Google Fiber.”
“Lofty goals are fun until you have to pay the bill. Remember that, Genevieve.” Edward follows up his patronizing remarks to his daughter with an apology to me. “She’s straight out of school. Hasn’t had a lot of hands-on yet.”
Perhaps it’s because I’m also straight out of school, but I think her plan is really intriguing. “That’s smart, actually. It will take years for Google to spread throughout the nation. There’s definitely an opportunity to step in there. It’s not like Pierce Industries can’t foot that kind of endeavor.” Particularly if Pierce Industries comes out of the dark on its affiliation with Werner Media.
The men at the table take a completely different approach to the idea once I’ve affirmed it, adding supporting commentary and looking on like I’m a wizard of some sort. It’s pathetic. Genny gives me a confused smirk, one that says she’s not sure if she’s grateful for my words or irritated.