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"Twenty percent bounce in sales That's all I needed to hear" Mike slid the lens back in place, blinking hard He needed saline solution, but his storowled louder than his eyes were dry A piece of brie called his name and he shoved it and a strawberry Followed by a slice of sala the truth?"
The food turned to lumpy, wet sawdust in his e and pulled out another beer, the liquid et down For someone as meticulous in his investment research, he felt like an idiot It hadn't occurred to him to double-check that stat
"They lie because they're reality TV producers," Jere is twisted and oals, dude Product placement, consumer pushes, you name it -- you should know that better than anyone You run a fucking media company!"
"I'm the CEO I don't deal with the details"
"Your dad did" Ouch
"The difference between the business my dad built and what I run now is like the difference between a canoe and a cruise ship"
Jere on a salaot the sub roll Why was he buying food he couldn't remember? "Your dad sold you the company for a share of your start-up's stock options You made him a happy man" His voice faded out Mike's dad, Joe Bournha co it to database andlist level, and in the late nineties Joe had sold it to hi time, and that had made it easier to fund his dad's medical bills when the pancreatic cancer made its deathBournhaernaut had helped ease the pain of his dad's loss
"When did we get so fucking serious?" Mike asked, his stokok on the beach while you peruse new o over the twenty-seventh mission statement revision"
Mike just cleared his throat Silence Jeree in the rooible "If you really want to talk about threesokok isn't the one I reminisce about" The twowomen Not many – in fact, exactly two One had been a fluke, in college Debbie was a cheerleader who decided to experiment, and Mike and Jere-star quarterback her senior year and was noell-known football wife in the NFL If they crossed paths at charity events, she acted like she didn't know Mike
Which was just fine He didn't need acknowledgment He knew her
Jeremy pitched back another beer and cocked his head "Dana's done with us You know that" After two years of a pereaot over it in, a feeeks Jeremy still wasn't quite over it, a year later
"And we should be done with her"
Nodding, Jererabbed another bottle "Wild tiet you out of jail after propositioning a gender-bending prostitute?"
"You live for that!" Jeremy recoiled in mock horror, as if offended "Did I ever leave you on a roof in Vegas?"
Snort "No, but Ito kok brothel visit as Mike was of forgetting Lydia
Da his brain
"Why'd you make me come here? I'estured to his face "This I realized I can't live ular life for six weeks, because then my cover will be blown"
"Cover? You sound like a DEA narc"
"How do you know I'm not?"
Bzzz Saved by the bell He read the eood My tech access is set up for Matt Jones At least she did soht"
"She?" Jereot soain Except he had nothing in his ether, but just the thought of her na it hard to think clearly "New ado has an admin? Is she cute?" Jereranite slab, intrigued
"Lydia's, well"
"A dog, huh" Ser welled up in him out of nowhere "Don't talk about her like that"
"Ooooo, Matt Jones has a nerve, and I just hit it"