I told her she could go home early, so it’s just the two of us,” he responded.
“Oh, I see,” she said, her brown eyes growing slightly bigger before returning to their normal size.
He was sure she didn’t see the big picture. Not fully anyway. Malik was a careful thinker. He was the type of person who could develop a plan that would take years to execute. And he would maintain his patience until every task of the plan had been completed.
“Where will you stay?” she asked.
“I own an apartment complex in Hyde Park. I have tenants in all units except the penthouse, so I will reside there while I’m in Chicago.”
“Nice,” she said as she began removing items from her bag. “Did you decide how long you will stay?”
I’m sure much longer than you’d like. “Probably at least until the auction. After that, I’ll play it by ear.”
Malik stood up and walked to the corner of the conference room where the Keurig was placed. “Would you like some coffee?”
“I don’t drink coffee,” she stated as she jotted something down in her notepad. “But tea would be great if you have it.”
“Yes, I do,” he said as he placed the sugar holder and stirrers on the conference table. “So, how about you tell me the overall goal of the fundraiser.”
“Sure,” she said as she crossed one leg over the other. It took all Malik’s strength not to drop his eyes to her legs. He distracted himself with making his coffee and her tea instead.
“At Elite Events, there are a variety of organizations and events that we sponsor. One of my most cherished sponsorships is the work we do with Chicago after-school programs. There are two programs in particular that we donate a hefty amount of money to annually. But a few months ago we learned that our efforts to save those programs weren’t effective, and they will have to permanently close before the start of school.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Malik responded as he placed the hot drinks on the conference table.
“Exactly,” Mya stated. “After talking with my partners, we’ve decided to open our own after-school program. The employees who currently work in the programs that are closing have agreed to transition to our program since they will be out of jobs soon. It will take a lot of hard work to make everything happen in a little over three months, but we have a lot of support, so I think we can do it. I’ll also be spending one or two days a week as needed working in the office of the after-school program instead of the Elite Events office.”
“Wow,” Malik stated as he absorbed everything Mya had said. “I admire your dedication, it will really make a difference in the community.”
She smiled before she slid a piece of paper across the desk. “Thanks. I just hope we can help the students that benefit from the programs that are closing and also bring awareness to those who don’t follow what goes on in the education system. We can’t fund the entire program and keep it running without the help of the community, that’s why we are having the charity date auction next month.”
“I’d say you’re well on your way and I like the idea of a date auction to raise money. June is a good month to have a singles event because people probably spent last fall, winter and spring preparing mentally and physically for the hot weather.”
“Exactly,” Mya said nodding her head in agreement. “You know the streets overflow with people as soon as the weather gets above fifty degrees. And it will take place right after school ends.”
“So,” Malik said as he stirred around the sugar and hazelnut cream he’d poured into his coffee. “What help do you need from me?”
“Well, that piece of paper details everything,” she replied as she pointed to the paper she had slid across the table. “It’s a tentative schedule of all deadlines including dates for auditions to see what singles we want to auction off and many other details. My partners and I have settled on auctioning off twenty singles...ten women and ten men. Of the twenty participants, I want at least half to be business professionals or well known individuals in the Midwest states to up the ante and get singles more excited at the possibility of going out with a local celebrity. I already have two business women and two Chicago athletes who have agreed, so I’m looking for about six more.”
“I can definitely reach out to a few people as well,” Malik added.
“Great! We may charge a small fee to enter the auction and since we’re event planners, we will plan dates for a few lucky couples in the audience.”
“How would that work?” Malik asked.
“Two weeks before the auction, we will email a questionnaire for everyone to fill out. Anyone interested in winning a date will only have forty-eight hours to fill out the form and return it to us. Then we will shuffle through the data and match at least six singles. We will announce the matches at the auction.”
“It looks like you and your partners even have the media plan for the event taken care of,” Malik said as he skimmed the sheet of paper.
“We do,” Mya said as she nodded her head. “Which is why I knew we didn’t really have to meet tonight to discuss anything further. I will let you know when I need you.”
Malik laughed. Nice try. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mya.”
“How so?” she asked as she scrunched her forehead.
Malik spun in his chair and reached for the red folder he’d placed aside before Mya arrived. He quickly glanced at her before removing a sheet of paper from the folder and handing it to her.
“What’s this?” Mya asked, not even bothering to look down at the paper.
Malik crossed his hands in front of him on the table. “If you take a look at that document, you will notice that I need to be involved with every step of the process.”
Mya yanked the paper off the table and skimmed the contents stated. “A contract? You drafted a contract? For what? You’re just a cohost, so all you really need to do is support, promote and be present for any rehearsals and of course the day of the auction.”
He smirked and ignored the hitch in her voice. He knew she wouldn’t like the idea of working with him more than she’d planned. But she’d just have to deal with it.
“It’s not a draft,” he stated in a calm voice. “If you pay close attention, it’s an actual contract that Lex, Imani and Cyd signed when I left your office the other day.”
Mya stood from her chair and slammed the paper on the table in front of him. “I don’t know what bullshit you’re trying to pull, but I never signed this contract and since I’m the lead planner of the event, this isn’t valid.”
He shot her a sly smirk, knowing the action would make her even more upset, but he couldn’t help it. He enjoyed seeing her all hot and bothered. “Quite the contrary, Mya. It clearly states in the fine print that only two members from Elite Events need to sign off on a contract.”
He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she came to the realization that he had her pinned in a corner. “If you look closely,”
