Chapter Twelve

At first glance Hank and Ron Vine looked like two overgrown college kids. Blond hair flying in all directions, thin black-rimmed glasses, giving them a studious air, and dressed in casual t-shirts and ripped jeans.

Ness had never considered what a person looked like as a barometer for how many ideas they might have or how hard they worked. Looks were often deceiving, and Ness had made a lot of money out of businesses forged by people with greasy hands and a lack of social skills.

It had gotten to the point that Ness would often be more cynical and distrusting of those who wore the sharp suits and spoke in a constant stream of buzzwords. Yes, he was interested in a product that met a gap in the market, but more important was the passion the inventors had for their ideas and how they wanted them used.

Waiting for the brothers the next morning, a few minutes before Hank and Ron were due to arrive, Ness was alone in the conference room. It was a new-to-him space, one of the many meeting rooms in Cyrus’s hotel, a couple of floors down from Cyrus’s penthouse suite. Cyrus suggested he use it, and Ness didn’t see any problem in agreeing. Previous meetings with the brothers had been at the other hotel he’d stayed at during earlier trips to Vegas, so in a way his upcoming meeting wasn’t going to be any different.

He was surprised Cyrus hadn’t accompanied him, not that Ness needed him there. But after spending every minute with his mate since Cyrus had knocked on his door, Ness felt weird…slightly off. Cyrus had gotten a text message just as they were making their way downstairs and said he had something to do in the main lobby. He assured Ness he’d be there shortly before hitting the elevator button for the ground floor.

I’m sure I’ll freaking survive without him for five minutes, Ness chided himself. This being mated business was still something he was getting used to.

A quick tap on the door and Hank and Ron came in, nervous energy only partially hidden by bright smiles. Coming over to the table, they both held out their hands, which Ness shook, before taking a seat.

“Mr. Duncan, you really didn’t have to make another trip out here just over a few contract matters,” Hank said. He always gave the impression he was the more confident of the two brothers, and Ness figured he was probably a few years older than Ron. “We could’ve handled all this via email.”

“I had other matters to attend to while I was here, so this was no bother,” Ness said, opening up the folder in front of him which had a copy of the contract and the email the brothers had sent asking about the changes.

“Yes, but here?” Ron said, looking around as if he thought the walls were going to fall in. “This isn’t your usual haunt.”

“The location fit in with my other meetings. Now, I’m sure you’ll both agree the extensive number of changes you’re wanting in our contract comes across as a red flag by itself.” Ness tapped the email printout. “We had a meeting barely more than a week ago, one where you outlined your projections and forecasts, and this contract was written up accordingly. What’s changed?”

The two brothers looked at each other, and the anxiety in the air increased. Ness’s animal side wasn’t the most astute in picking up those cues – in comparison to a wolf or bear shifter for example - but surviving for so long came with perks.

“We’re thinking we might have to change manufacturers,” Ron said just before the silence became uncomfortable. “A newer company approached us, and over the long term, their offer seemed more beneficial to us.”

Ness glanced through his papers although he already knew what he was looking for wasn’t there. “Do you have a copy of that new offer?” he asked, looking up and meeting Hank’s eyes. “I must’ve forgotten to print out any of the attachments you added to your last email.”

“Oh, no, we didn’t attach anything to the last email,” Hank said. “The offer is still at the verbal stage at the moment, but it’s looking very promising.”

Resting his elbows on the table, Ness smiled, channeling his mate’s inner shark. “When do you think an agreement with this manufacturer will be finalized?”

“Not more than a week or so.” Ron joined Hank in the nodding head department. “Once the contract for the finance has been signed, the manufacturer has agreed he will put our order in a priority queue.”

“I had wondered about that.” Ness tapped the email. “In here you want to adjust the first deliverables for this agreement from six months from date of signing to one year. I’m failing to see how this can be beneficial to your company, when someone could easily come along with a desktop CNC metal cutting machine in the meantime and make the parts for themselves. At least enough for a prototype.”

“Part of the initial funding will go toward applying for patent protection,” Ron said.

“As for the deliverables, we discussed in our last meeting that we wanted to give ourselves a buffer when it comes to the timeline. All good businessmen factor in those little ‘life happens’ contingencies into their plans. The new manufacturer felt our six months’ timeline was too optimistic and after long consideration we agreed.” Hank was being overly bright in his tone. “It’s vitally important that we get every stage of this process right from the start.”

“Fair enough.” Ness didn’t need to be a wolf or a bear shifter to know he was being shit on from a great height. “I respect that you have more expertise in that particular area than I do. However, the one thing I do know about is financing. I will be happy to agree to a change of manufacturer, after you’ve sent me the company details – you can just forward them to my email if you don’t have them with you. The last thing we want is to give your company money to a manufacturer on the brink of bankruptcy.” He laughed, and after a moment, Ron and Hank chuckled as well.

“I’m also concerned about the increase in funding required for the first installment, especially if this company you plan to work with is supposed to be bettering the offer you sent in with your original proposal. But we can decide about that once I know the company you’ll be working with.” Ness looked up. “I have a lot of business contacts myself, so once I’ve seen the offer, I might be able to arrange something more cost effective for you.”

“It’s not just about the cost,” Ron said after Hank elbowed him. “Business relationships are about finding the right fit for the vision of our new company.”

“I agree, but anyone going into business without considering the cost factors are fools. They’re the ones who end up filing for bankruptcy and leaving a lot of other businesses and individuals out of pocket. We don’t want that, do we?” Ness grabbed his papers between both hands, tapping them onto the table. “All right, so the situation we have at the moment is that you need to send your manufacturer’s details to me so I can do a check on that offer, make sure there’re no little fine print details that could mess things up. We’ve been through this before…” he added.

“Er…that’s the problem, Mr. Duncan,” Ron jumped in quickly. “The new manufacturer won’t give us a contract until we can prove we have the financial backing in place. That’s why we needed the signed loan agreement from you.”

“Hmm.” Ness tilted his head to one side. “All right, I can see why they might do that and it’s not a problem. Give me the name and contact details of the person you’ve been dealing with, and I’ll have a chat with them personally. There’s nothing wrong with putting my reputation to work for us. Now, with regards to the finance installments…”

There was a sharp knock at the door and when it opened, Cyrus wandered in looking very sharp, followed by two men who looked like they ate bricks for breakfast, who quickly closed the door and framed either side of it.

“Cyrus?” Ness smiled, although the stench of fear suddenly filled the room, and it wasn’t coming from him. “I’m just about finished with my meeting. Is something wrong?”

“Not with you, darlin’. Never with you.” Sauntering around the table, Cyrus dropped a kiss on Ness’s head, before facing the two men sitting across from him, both of whom looking as though they were about to shit themselves. “These two however… Are you going to tell Mr. Duncan what’s actually going on, or shall I?”

“Mr. Marinus, sir. How…why…This is a private meeting.” Ron went to get up from his chair, but Cyrus growled – a low and very sexy sound that had Ron fall in his seat again.

“Try again.”