* Lawrence *
The conference call had run ten minutes over, and I hated that. Time wasted was money lost, and at Dankworth & Co., neither were things I tolerated lightly.
I set my phone down, tapped the edge of the contract in front of me, and signed the final page with a clean, decisive stroke. Another deal sealed. Distribution rights for the quarter secured. No loose ends. That's how I liked it.
Still, even with the ink drying, my mind was already on the next move.
I hit the intercom. "Clara, get the department heads into the main boardroom at three. Marketing, finance, operations. I want the projections on the big screen before I walk in."
"Yes, Mr. Dankworth," she replied, her voice crisp.
"And Clara—" I leaned back, rolling my pen between my fingers. "Tell them no dead weight tod
