"Hibernia Bank Building is one of the oldest historical buildings in San Francisco. Although it's mostly one story, its architecture is classic and powerful." Martin explains like a tour guide. "After the two other replicas style Hibernia buildings were built it became a visual landmark for San Francisco. One is a private residence the other the corporate office. It was featured in many architectural magazines. It's more expensive to build in that style than to simply build a glass and metal skyscraper. But the Hibernia buildings are a major feature to the Heron Inc. history." Martin drawled out the last part as if he was pulling out his own dick and doing a helicopter with it.

It's 12am in the historical building and he sounds like he's been working for Heron Inc. for years instead of hours. Our meeting with the CEO somehow expanded to include so many more people. Paul aka, Mr. Joker, and Martin of the compost company that was bought were both in the mix. From time to time when I would want to say something one of them would be talking. It was like a conversation you had to know people they knew to be involved in. I did have tons of questions because the art and layout were interesting. I also saw a few art pieces that were stunning. It was mostly seascapes but somehow they had this powerful feel to them. I thought I might know the artist. But the paintings were hung high so I couldn't take a close look. Martin who now works for Heron as environmental liaison whatever that meant. Kept going on and on so I kept my mouth shut and walked with the group. The actual people invited to this meeting with the CEO of Heron Inc. Issa aka Mr. Midnight in another midnight meeting, Steven aka Mr. Nice guy himself, Toni, and me. The more we walked through the historical building the more it felt like some grand adventure.

The office waiting room could have been out of the Dracula comic book. Everything was Victorian and red. A careful black letter H framed on the wall. Where the desk was it should have had a secretary but instead it had a tall monitor with the word Airy on display. A man and a woman standing outside the door like sentries.

Toni goes over to the monitor like a kid in a candy store. Issa follows her with a smile. We spent a lot of time going over the binders for this event. Airy is an Artificial Intelligence system that Heron is known for. It was one of many high-tech products that put the company on the map. A type of company that Toni should be working at. I watch the two of them together. My arms wrapped around myself. That same apprehension that somehow all of this falls apart and doesn't work out. We sunk every dime into the business. We aren't in trouble but the what if's always got to me. Because Toni would have been really good working for a corporation. She could have run circles around anywhere that hired her for the good.

The huge red double doors open. A new man walks out of the big red doors. A moderate price suit that fit him ok and sharp brown eyes. His eyes moved like he was cataloging everything that was said like police or military do. He smirks at the man just outside of the door as if with his eyes he's saying check. "Well, Mr. Valentine, thank you for taking my meeting on such short notice."

"My card," he hands his card through the door. "Detective Edward Cruz at the front desk when you get back to me with the info." The security man at the door shuts the red doors after the Detective walks out.

Martin starts his diatribe up again. Almost like he was reselling himself for the job he already had in the bag. Issa smiles, "George, Franky, can you see Detective Cruz, Martin, and Paul out, please? We will see ourselves in." George, the security looking man on the door and the woman Franky, lead the detective, Martin, and Paul out. It cuts Martin off mid-sentence from his next round of bluster. The monitor with the AI, AIry turns a different color.

"Mr. Valentine will see you now," says the Airy system. We all head into the office down a long hallway. The hall has different centuries knights' armor in glass boxes. Red lights lit up the armor in the mostly black room, it was as if the glass box knights were alive. It wasn't scary but had this ominous feel to it. But I could see if it was morning the natural light would make the room look different. If I didn't know any better, I was in some sort of quest in my game. At any moment would start the adventure portion of the game and the knights in the glass box would come alive. A dungeon? I wonder why that thought pops into my head as if I'm completing a level in a game.

Puffy tufted leather wall panels are at the end of the hall. The buttons on the tufted leather pop out better because of the red light in the room. The wall panel slides open by itself. Behind it, a man sits at a large desk with three monitors working. Four Victorian style chairs are in front of his desk. Behind his desk is a black drum set lit up by red lighting with two large speakers next to the drum kit. To the right a bar with a door next to it. To the left bookshelf with a door seated into it. And the geeky part of me wanted to see what books were on the shelves. When you work on a farm or ranch, there's time where you are simply waiting. Although I have a tablet and could read that, a physical book is better sometimes. You sit out under the stars with just a little light and cows while reading a book. The pages turning under your fingers feels so satisfying. I kept checking out the room, a large picture window that looks onto a courtyard rock with a sliding door out to it. The office is extremely spacious and as Martin told us this was the executive building. It was a very classic executive, except for the drum kit.

"We're here," Steven yells. Both Issa and Steve sit down in the chair. Steve unties his tux tie as if he's removing the weight of the world. The man behind the desk continues to write. He sets his pen down and at the same time the three monitors lower down into the wooden desk. The slowly lowering monitors don't make a sound and are so smooth. It's almost like watching a curtain go down instead of up and then he stands up. His handshake pauses midway. Hard sapphire eyes connect with my brown. One eyebrow comes up in question and shock rolls across his rugged expression.

Me too muthafucka.

My stomach drops to the floor. I've had a few times in my life where throwing up was an improvement on a hard situation. This might just join the list. Robotically I shake his hand. He was absolutely striking in his black tux. A man way too big for any suit to look anything but painted on to his thickness. Something so imposing and big about him. He didn't match but he fit all the same. As his big hand wrapped around mine, swallowing it in his grip his callus hand held mine. It wasn't an asshole handshake like some guys do... but something about it was... covetous. Dark, liquidity, and deliciously covetous.

"Hadrian Valentine CEO Heron Inc.," he grins, "Mr. St. Hottie..." I close my eyes as it hits. The fucking pink binder, the one I didn't read to save time. The one I should have read.

"St. Hottie?" Steven asks.

"She had a system for keeping everyone straight. Her and her friend gave us nicknames." Hadrian says back to Steve his smirk still in place. Toni's hand hits mine just out of view of the three overly handsome men. She catches my eye asking without words what is going on. I give her the, I fucked him double eyebrow lift. Her mouth opens on an 'O shit' she mouths. Her head snaps back to look at Hadrian.

"Her friend nicknamed all of us. You are Mr. Nice Guy Steven, Issa is Mr. Midnight and your brother Paul is Mr. Joker." They laugh at the naming.

"I'll have to tell Paul about this," Steve chuckled.

I blurt as fast as my mouth will let me. "I'm Akeisha Hart and my business partner Antonia Carpenter. Thank you for taking our meeting." I plop in the chair hard and do my best to shut up.

"Toni, and thank you for taking our meeting." Toni re-introduces herself with her nickname, instead. She catches my eye quickly. Only people who call her by her full name are her parents so I was acting weird. She shakes his hand next. Toni takes over the meeting while I try my best to control the massive mortification waves. Hadrian sat back at his desk. His blue eyes never left mine but that little crack in his gem hard eyes wasn't there. Those tiny exposed bits that if you put just a little light on it you could see in. No, his eyes were as hard and unforgiving as the expensive and elusive as the sapphire gems I called them. But he looked at me like he was doing multidimensional math.

We had some pleasantries before the business talk started. Hadrian and I were not speaking at all; it was up to Toni, Issa, and Steve to. Our absence in the conversation was noticeable. A bunch of small glances from both the men and Toni. A lull in the conversation started and in its own way it was louder than all the speaking before.

"I have this problem with the lawn." Hadrian takes out his phone and shows me the picture filling the hole in the conversation. Both our mothers are nurses at the same hospital. The biggest problem with being a daughter of a nurse is people have the habit of doing weird things. Maybe it's a product of the Americans non-existing medicare for all. Once when I was at the store a woman unbuttoned her pants to show my mother a weird mole. I wasn't expecting a moment like this, a mole moment for me. But even in my own farming and garden profession I get these mole moments. My eyebrows went up and curiosity got the better of me as I leaned into his photo.

"Zoom in please," the grass was off-colored. The blades at the end had brown and white tips. "The blades on your lawn mower are dull. It's ripping the grass instead of cutting it. A cut would give you a cleaner edge and heal nicely."

"It's a DIY designed robot to cut the grass on the golf course. It's a combination of two hobbies." And just the single talk of hobbies that gets my sex greedy brain thinking again. That tiny space in my Bluebird. Him, so deeply stuffed in me, bottoming out nicely. Those weird moments of natural unexpected intimacy in an act that was supposed to be one and done. The faster my mind races, the deeper I get. I was out of breath while talking to him like I ran a race or like we were again back with him between my legs.

"I'd love to get a look at that robot," I say to Hadrian. Steven gave me that Mr. Nice Guy gaze and went back and forth between us quickly. But the world was shrinking to him and me. Mr. Midnight, Mr. Nice Guy, and Toni were fading away. My eyes couldn't leave that man, I leaned forward just a little. And that wicked smile of his snuck out, a tingle spread across my body. Then I quickly crossed my legs. He looked at me like I was a solution to a problem.

"I think this is going to be a good fit, Hadrian." Steve slides a red envelope on Hadrian's desk over to me. Mr. Midnight shrugs in his seat, maybe for him he was either way on whatever they were offering.

Hadrian says, "Heron Inc would like to acquire Garden Girl." I should say something out loud. I had nothing, the shock was too much. Toni had a business professional straight poker face. He slides a red envelope over the desk to us. Inside were so many zeros.

"No," I snapped out without thinking. I turn to Toni and my fear that this might be something she will want. She shakes her head at me.

"No, thank you. It's a generous offer. A very nice offer. A stupid nice offer." I slow my word vomit down. "It's not something we can do. Besides, certain parts can't be broken out of our businesses. Those not-for-profit parts are the backbone that make the rest work. Garden Girl wouldn't be Garden Girl if we sold it. It's not a simple idea. What we want is to reform the food system. Everyone eats." I sigh. "I'm not very good at this corporate stuff but I know growing food. I don't think we could hit our goals if we did."

I took a second look at all the zeros and my stomach cramped.

"We would like to start a not-for-profit community center gym in at-risk areas. More environmental design for Heron Inc Campuses. Also, we have a gym that we would like major renovations that are not connected to Heron. It's called The Castle. Can we contact you for consultation?" Hadrian asked his jaw, doing that irritated tick. Is that irritating, annoying, or stress? It's a big tell either way and it might be all of thee above.

"We'll think about it." Toni answers him.

A/n: "Hello Mr. Valentine"

A/n: Yo, I'm late by 1 hour. I wanted to get 1 more in before black history month was over lol. Just give yall a nice nugged. I'm soooooooooooo thankful that people are reading along early. I was a little scared it would end up me posting most of the book without anyone reading until much later on. So, I'm forever thankful for your support. It's really motivating and I've been dying to share this story with yall. What do you think of Hadrian?