Just One Night, Part 3: Binding Agreement Read Online Free PDF Page A

match it with a tight-fitting blazer with a peplum flare. Under that I’ll wear my silk sleeveless top in a green that reminds me of the Everglades. It’s so light you almost expect it to be sheer. It’s an illusion, a hint of mysticism encased in the harsh realism of a business suit. I’m making a statement.
    “Today’s my day,” I say again to the mirror.
    My reflection looks back at me, doubtful.
    I grab my briefcase, my grip a little tighter than usual, and walk out. No need to go to my office. My team will meet me at Maned Wolf.
    As I drive there I think about the name, Maned Wolf Securities. A little research has taught me that the maned wolf is the largest canid of South America and, thanks to its long legs, it stands taller than any wild canid in the world. It bites the neck of its prey, shakes it violently until it’s limp. But unlike other wolves, this one doesn’t form a pack. It claims a large territory that it roams and defends with only the help of his mate. Together they work to keep all threats and challenges to their authority at bay. The maned wolf mates for life.
    But for all its height and aggression, the maned wolf is considered a vulnerable species. It’s hunted.
    Driving now through Beverly Hills I decrease my speed and wonder if Robert sees how much he resembles this animal. I think Robert’s a vulnerable predator. And I could be his mate, helping him rule and expanding his territory.
    But we’ll still be vulnerable.
    Eventually I reach his Santa Monica building. Tinted glass walls stretch up to the sky as if appeasing this city’s need to see its own reflection. I park on the street, straighten my posture, and breathe. My team knows that I’ve slept with the man we’ll be presenting for. They’re judging me. If I mess this up and still get a promotion, I’ll invite nothing but disrespect and derision. I’ll have to turn down the promotion, maybe even leave the company.
    That simply can’t happen. I swallow hard and walk through the doors of the massive building. I stride past the security desk and on up to the conference room. I’m ten minutes early but people are already in their places. My team sits with the Maned Wolf executives all ready for my performance. Only Robert is missing. I walk to the front of the room. Taci has everything set up for the PowerPoint presentation.
    I stand in front of them all and idly reach for the laptop that stores the visuals I’ll be using. I wonder if anyone else notices the slight tremble of my fingers. The executives flip through their iPhone apps, read e-mails; a few grace me with quiet smiles. If their thoughts are lewd, they hide them well under their bland, almost disinterested expressions. I’ve spoken to every one of them over the last few weeks but none of them address me now. They all just wait.
    And then he enters the room. The energy immediately shifts. Everyone lifts their faces to Mr. Dade but as his eyes stay trained on me, the others follow suit. The intensity of the attention hits me like a wave of heat from a controlled explosion. I click on to PowerPoint and begin.
    I start with market trends, boring stuff to most but not to me. The trend of the market is a mathematical manifestation of the expectations and values of an entire class of people. The ticking numbers of the Dow can tell you if thousands of people are feeling hopeful or scared. Are they pulling their money out, hoarding it like one would hoard water before an impending disaster? Are they investing in pharmaceuticals, predicting that more of us will find solace in a pill? But the trends that are relevant to Maned Wolf are even more interesting. Their alarms and safeguards can give the insecure a sense of safety. So the question here is, will investors be attracted to the market value of fear?
    And the answer is, always.
    I walk them through the different aspects of their business that will appeal to investors and find the areas that will mean little to them.