The Protege - S01 E22

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The Protege - S01 E22

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 22

them is convincing Cynthia to invest in their stock as part of her investment fund's assets. The afternoon would finish off with a fall fashion show, featuring several major designers.

Then the conversation turned personal and comfortable. We sat facing one another with our feet folded beneath us, knees touching. When her perfume hit my brain, I leaned forward without thought and kissed her shiny red lips. Electricity pumped through me, so soft and warm. I breathed in her perfume and pressed my tongue into her warm mouth. She began to reciprocate, and another wave of tingling warmth washed through me. When I placed a hand on her cheek, she grabbed it and pulled it away, breaking the kiss.

"This can't happen Alecia, I am sorry if signals were crossed, but it would be wholly inappropriate for so many reasons..."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, please...' I said frantically, until she cut me off.

"Relax, Ms. Carmichael, these things happen. I am not offended, and you are not in trouble. It was just a misunderstanding, it's Paris, we had wine... Let's just get some sleep and get ready for a big day tomorrow," she said calmly, as she stood up and sat her wine on the table. "Please trust me. It is not a big deal, and it will not affect your job in any way. Get a good night's sleep. We have an exciting day tomorrow. Good night.

Overwhelmed by the moment, all could say was, "Good night."

I laid there awake most of the night, afraid I blew my whole career to pieces in one stupid moment of weakness. If it was not a big deal why did she call me Ms. Carmichael?

The next morning in typical Cynthia fashion, she acted as if nothing had happened and I followed her lead. We had early moming sessions at the spa to have our hair done. Mine was a classic straight hanging cut, but they worked magic to put some body and fullness to it and my dark hair shimmered like I had never seen.

Cynthia's was a combination of a shag layered flowing hair style that framed her face perfectly and looked stunning from the back. I was afraid to comment for fear of making my situation worse. As we looked in the mirror in our robes at the spa, her comment relieved my anxiety a bit.

"Excellent work Filipe and Elaine, we are gonna turn some heads

today. She looked at me in the mirror and gave me a warm smile.

I struggled with my clothing choices for this trip. What do you wear for business meetings with fashion Icons and then a fashion show? I picked a sleeveless white dress with full shoulders and a low cut back that was open to just below my shoulder blades. The skirt was somewhat flared, and the hem was mid-thigh. It was risqué for me. I felt exposed with the combination of short and flared, but when in Paris risque is the norm.

The top was form fitting with a V-neck exposing some cleavage and the fabric was a synthetic satin covered in white lace that extended just slightly below the hemline. I had a grey form-fitting suit jacket that gave it the professional look for business and could be removed for the fashion show

Cynthia wore a nearly full length light blue form fitting dress with a slit up the left side that would allow full leg exposure if she wanted. It was a U-neck front that highlighted her breasts beautifully, with long sleeves.

My jaw dropped when she turned. The back was fully open forming a V shape dangerously close to her curvy ass. The arch of her back was possibly the sexiest thing I had ever seen. There was a subtle valley up her spine that disappeared beneath her flowing blond hair mid-way up her back. Her entire back was exposed with the upper half hidden beneath her golden hair. I wanted to shift her hair aside and kiss every inch of her exposed skin.

Much to my dismay, she put on a matching jacket that covered her completely. She turned back and looked at me, giving me the once over

"Beautiful Leasie, take off the jacket and let me have a look." took It off and she smiled, making a turning motion with her pointer finger. I turned a full 480 degrees, ending with my back to her. The air lifted the skirt up and out, terrifying me that may have exposed myself to the world.

"Wow," she said in a sultry voice.

I was confused and a little angry. Now she was calling me Leasie and flirting with me, it seemed.

When I turned to face her, she sighed and bit her bottom lip with a come-hither smirk.

"Excellent choice Ms. Carmichael, were going to close the deal today, I can feel it." she said, looking me up and down.

I was angry with myself as I could feel my wetness just from the look she gave me.

She removed her jacket and looked at herself in the mirror. When she turned her back to me, I was speechless. Her perfect tan against the powder blue was amazing. The V cut lead my eyes to her perfect pear shaped ass. The dress tucked into her ass crack and clung to her cheeks, creating an inverted V shadow that looked like a reflection of the V shape of her exposed lower back. I wanted to slide my hand under the dress and feel the warm curve of her firm ass.

She seemed to be playing mind games with me; last night the cold shoulder and today, flirting blatantly. I put my jacket back on and did my best to ignore her. She put hers back on and with both hands slid her fingers under her hair in back and pulled it out from under the jacket, letting it flop back behind her.

We headed off to the Paris office for our morning meetings. The first was with execs from Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci parent, Kering SA. The meeting went quite well as Cynthia seemed to have them eating out of her hand. They had been in negotiations for some time and Cynthia was able to put the finishing touches on an agreement to manage retirement and pension accounts for the next 7 years. I like to think I helped clinch the deal. When they reached a sticking point that she was willing to compromise on she engaged me off to the side with a whisper.

As instructed, I shook my head no, and then she lead me down a path to close the deal. "I don't see how we could take this sort of risk, at these thin margins. What if we stipulate to that point but in exchange add three years to the deal to make it eight years in exchange for the additional risk."

Their COO countered at six years.

"Giulio, you are relentless. You need to give us seven or will have to follow my new associate's advice and direct our efforts to others who understand the value we bring," said Cynthia with calm confidence.

"Mr. Bottega, no one has delivered as consistently as we have over the past 15 years. Simply the best performing fund portfolio on the market. I can honestly say this is the most generous offer I have ever seen." It was the only offer I have ever seen. "You drive a hard bargain, but it's time to get this done so we can provide stability to your workforce, and let you focus on your passion. You cannot find a more consistent performer anywhere. Not to mention we have the largest percentage investment in western European assets of any global investment manager period. Great performance and invested in your global core markets, you've already won."

He leaned back and smiled, and the deal was done.

After the meeting, I looked and Cynthia and gave a fist pump and a grin. Her expression got serious. "You were an excellent wing- woman, but you need to be very careful Ms. Carmichael. If he had questioned your experience of deals you've made it could have been a disaster. Not all men are swayed by entrancing brown eyes and a pretty smile. Nonetheless well done."

"Thank you, your point is well made. I won't take that risk again." I said seriously.

"Risks are a part of success, Ms. Carmichael. We just need to understand the consequences and be prepared if things don't work out as we plan. Your instincts are good. You have a knack for understanding what others want and giving it to them, even if they don't fully know they want it. That is a trait that can serve you well." she smiled as she looked into my eyes.

I turned away and her words processed in my head. Was she talking about the meeting or us? "Thank You Cynthia. Coming from you, those words mean a lot." I just wished I knew exactly what she meant

"LVMH will be tougher. They have been unrealistic on expectations for fees and have been arrogant enough to suggest they should have some control of where our funds are invested. That will never happen. I suspect they are simply using us to drive a better deal with their current asset managers," she said, perplexed. "But regardless of the outcome this was a major win this morning. Come to my office and let's review the strategy."

As we prepared, the scent of her perfume started the slide show in my head again. I did manage to push it out as we reviewed the strategy and I could shift my attention to the numbers.

LVMH is the parent company of Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior with over 45 billion in assets under management. If it were landed today, it would without a doubt be the biggest day in company history. However, there was a long way to go in this negotiation, it could be months if not years.

Later, as the meeting progressed, their demeanor became much more hostile and it appeared things were going to deteriorate. The VP of HR of all people made a comment that sounded very sexist and condescending. Cynthia's face reddened and her anger was apparent. I stood up and cut in as she searched for words.

"Misogynistic egos aside, we are in fundamental agreement on ninety percent of the issues. Why don't we take ten minutes and everyone can collect their thoughts, and begin again after a short break."

The sexist HR leader looked shocked at first, but took a breath and nodded in agreement. I pulled Cynthia out of the room and presented her with an idea.

"They have unrealistic expectations on our fees, and there is no room to move... but what if we considered a stepped-up fee. If we give them the fee they are asking on the first 7% of return, but double our fee on everything after that. We've averaged 15% or higher for 17 consecutive years and not less than 10% in 35 years. The math would actually work in our favor if they accept. What do you think?" I asked tentatively.

She thought for a moment, "Actually not bad. I'm not sure can live with the precedent this would set and the risk with a prolonged downturn would be high."

"You managed through the crash of 2008 and would have come out ahead through that." said with a grin.

"Ok but 5% not seven. Your idea you sell it. If you can convince François, the account is yours." she said, smiling. "Are you ready?

"You bet that gorgeous ass, I am, I said without thinking. The picture of the magic diamond popped in my head.

Fighting the urge to apologize for crossing the line again, I walked back to the conference room. When the meeting reconvened, Cynthia wasted no time introducing me.

"Gentleman, against my better judgement, Ms. Carmichael has convinced me to move on the fee, and offered a new approach to the issue. I will allow her to explain. She is my right hand and I will tell you if we reach agreement, she will personal manage your account. She is the brightest and best portfolio manager I have ever seen." she said, sitting down and yielding the floor.

I removed my jacket and looked at the letch with the attitude. I knew immediately his hormones were going to get the better of him. I presented the concept and with some negotiation we settled at 6% for threshold for the fee adjustment but could not quite close. They needed to review the proposal internally and we agreed to meet again on Wednesday in their offices. That sounded to me like we would be closing for sure.

At the end of the meeting, Cynthia took me into her office and closed the door. "We got em! Congratulations Ms. Carmichael, you've got yourself $48 Billion to manage. I gotta tell you, I looked at your fund models and the parameters you used for investment ***********ion and I am truly impressed. I have analysts with twenty years on the job that don't have your instincts. I meant what I told them. You are the brightest and best I've ever seen. I'll want you to handle Wednesday's meeting, with my assistance preparing of course.

"I need to go talk to HR about your new title and salary. So, you can collect your thoughts on closing, and I will be back soon." I stood up as she walked toward the door. She stopped and looked back.

"You nailed it, Leasie... Damn that dress looks good."

She spoke with someone outside and walked off. An office assistant, apparently. He stepped in and said, 'Ms. Liebert asked me to have lunch brought in for you. Would you like Gruyère Cheese Soufflé, Cheddar and onion quiche, or..."

"Cheese Soufflé please," I smiled.

"Great thanks," he said with a bit of an eye roll.

I stepped toward him with my hand extended. "I'm Alecia, what's your name?"

"Stephon," he replied.

"What do you do here Stephon?"

I am the General Manager of European Operations."

"Oh! it's a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for taking care of us so personally. I am honored." I said, giving him a piercing eye stare.

His grip softened and his smile widened, "My pleasure Mademoiselle." he said, walking out.

About an hour passed before Cynthia returned, and I had the makings of a good outline for the meeting Wednesday. When she walked in, she removed her jacket and took a seat across the desk from me.