Page 33 of Untamed Billionaire
Chloe stepped away from the woman’s desk and wandered over to one of the walls, pretending to examine the artwork. It was really just a cheap replica of some impressionist painter, but it was pretty. Plus, examining the painting allowed Chloe to give Bill a bit of privacy so that his assistant could hide the bottle of bourbon that was most likely being consumed, despite the fact that it was only ten o’clock in the morning.
“Ms. Forsythe, Bill can see you now,” the assistant announced.
Chloe turned and smiled, then walked into the man’s office and stopped herself from squinching her nose at the smell. Bourbon, of course. It didn’t matter what a man might actually prefer, the men in this town drank bourbon. At least, the members of the good ole boys network did.
“Chloe!” Bill called out enthusiastically. “What brings you here on the day before your wedding? Do you need help with something?”
Chloe waited for the office door to close before she replied. “I’ve come to discuss warehouse space with you, Bill.”
Bill was startled, his features frozen for a moment. But he rallied and clapped his hands together. “Oh! Well. Um…okay. What do you need stored? I’ll have my foreman shift some things around for you.”
“Let’s talk, shall we?” she said, gesturing to the sofa and chairs even though Bill had moved over to sit behind his big desk.
Chloe sat in one of the club chairs, then lifted her eyebrows, waiting for Bill to join her.
He laughed patronizingly, then nodded. “Of course. Would you like a drink for this conversation?”
She shook her head. “No. This won’t take long.”
Bill sat down opposite her, stretching one arm out and crossing his leg. “Okay, tell me how I can help you.”
She gritted her teeth at his condescending voice, but continued. “It’s actually how I can help you, Bill,” she started off, sitting comfortably in the stuffy, ornate chair. “Do you know the piece of land that sits about a quarter mile from the wharf? It doesn’t look like much now. It used to be a boat yard about fifty years ago.”
He chuckled. “Of course I know that area. It was bought up by some unknown investor about five years ago. If you’re looking for a place to build your new home with Hudson, I wouldn’t recommend that area. I believe the land is still zoned for commercial use. I might be able to talk to a few people if you want it rezoned for residential development.”
Chloe smiled and shook her head. “I don’t want it rezoned, but thank you for the offer.” She paused before she dropped the bombshell. “And I’m the owner of the land. I bought it five years ago under one of my business entities. I bought it as an investment and I believe it was an excellent move. With the market the way it is now, the land is worth approximately sixty-three percent more than what I paid for it five years ago.”
The man’s jaw dropped open and it took him several moments to pull himself back together. But before he could reply, Chloe continued.
“I’ve heard rumors that you are refusing to rent warehouse space to Marco Hudson when his shipments arrive in approximately ten days. Is that true, Bill?”
The man blinked, his arm dropping from the back of the leather sofa. It took him a long moment, and Chloe waited patiently for him to catch up.
He didn’t. The man was completely obtuse. Or maybe he was just drunk.
Suddenly, the man smiled, leaning forward to rest his arms against his knees. “Chloe, that is a business issue. You don’t need to worry yourself with these kinds of details. I’m sure that you have plenty of things on your mind with your wedding on Saturday.”
Chloe didn’t stop her eye roll. She then leaned forward as well, mimicking his posture. “Yes, I’m sure that you believe that I should be focusing on getting my nails done and wondering if the cheese balls will hold up during the appetizer course.” She tilted her head. “However, I’m more concerned with this rumor.” She tapped her forefinger on her knee. “Part of my concern is that you own a large percentage of the available warehouse space right now. Do you know why you’re the only person with plenty of available warehouse space, Bill?”
The man sputtered for a moment, then said, “I don’t think I’m the only one with…”
“You aren’t. There are others who have a limited amount of space available. But they don’t have enough space for Mr. Hudson’s shipment. And the reason why they don’t have enough space in their warehouses is because the others are out there undercutting your rates, Bill. The other companies that rent out warehouse space are hustling. They are outbidding you on projects, stealing your clients, by offering better, more secure facilities at lower rates than what you are offering.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “Not just that, but they have sixteen percent more staff on hand to move their customers’ orders so the products only get stored in the warehouse for small periods of time. It doesn’t make any business sense to store something in a warehouse when you could be selling it to consumers.”
More sputtering. His jaw was completely slack as she shared her business insight with him. “That’s just…”
Chloe waved her hand, not in the mood to listen to his mansplaining of the business environment. Especially when it was apparent that the man was completely out of touch with current business practices. He was lazy and a drunk. “That’s good business, Bill. So even if your salespeople were hustling to get people to rent your space, customers don’t trust your staff to get their products onto the trucks when they arrive.” She shook her head. “The big problem here, Bill, is that you haven’t kept up with the competition. You haven’t kept up with what your customers need.” She paused again, letting that insult sink in. “However, you could have a pretty major customer, if you were smart. And if you hustled. Marco Hudson has several shipments that are coming in. He’s efficient about getting his product in and out, faster than most. You’d have to build a dynamic pricing schedule in order to handle his business, though.”
“I don’t…”
“You do have the space, Bill. Not only do you have the space, but you’re about to go out of business. I know that you’re on the brink of financial disaster. You’re holding onto your image as a wheeler and dealer by the skin of your teeth. You think that keeping company with your friends, people like my father, will send you more business. But I’m here to tell you that they aren’t going to send you more business, Bill. They are in more dire financial straits than you are.” She waited while he absorbed that news. “Yes, Bill, my brother is quickly destroying my father’s business. Not that my dad was very good at investments either. It was really my grandfather who was the smart one. My father, bless his heart, didn’t go bankrupt, but as soon as Steven joined the firm, the idiot lost so much money for his clients, they’re all jumping ship faster than rats on a sinking barge.” She sighed, brushing a non-existent piece of lint from the hem of her skirt. “So seriously, you don’t want to wait around for my father to toss clients your way. And since my father is probably the person who told you not to rent space to Marco, perhaps you should re-evaluate that decision.”
“But…”
Chloe lifted her hand impatiently. “Here’s the thing, Bill. I own the land next to yours. It’s zoned for commercial use. Even after knowing that my father is floundering, and that he’s most likely going to take you down with him, I suspect that your instinct is to continue maintaining the good ole boy system that used to work, even though every bit of evidence clearly shows that it isn’t working anymore.” She once again paused for dramatic effect, “If you don’t right the ship, Bill…if you don’t rent your empty warehouse space to Marco Hudson, with updated pricing and better staffing, then I’ll be forced to sell the property next to you. And the highest bidder so far is Mechlin Storage. They will build state of the art warehouse facilities less than a quarter of a mile from your own storage space.”
Bill’s eyes were as wide as saucers now. “That will…” he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “You’ll put me out of business! I can’t compete with Mechlin! The only reason they haven’t put me out of business yet is because my warehouses are closer to the harbor!”
She smiled and nodded, not showing any mercy. “Exactly! So, I think you should make an appointment with Marco immediately and offer him the best rates you can possibly afford. Maybe even go below market rates initially to get his business. You’re going to need to entice him, Bill. And what are you going to do with the new profits that flow into your business?”
