“I think that your business talents would be a shame to lose, and I think the bigger deal to be made here, as far as I’m concerned, is one with you, yourself, Bette,” he started, with a calculating look to his eye.  He was trying to be casual, as he sat back, and continued to shake his glass, swirling the ice in his drink.

Bette had seen this tactic before with him, when he asked her help in acquiring a late-modern painting from a New York gallery.  He was like a leopard, waiting to pounce.

Bette didn’t want to play, however.  So she reached over to him, tapped his forearm, and said softly, while looking straight into his eyes, “George, it’s me.  You don’t have to play your games with me.  Just tell me what you want.”

It completely disarmed George.  He sighed, yes, Bette knew all his tricks, and could counteract all his moves.  So he put it to her straight, “Alright, I want you to be my adviser. And I don’t mean the business jet service… I mean the holding company in New York, it’s much bigger, and may soon get bigger, and I want someone that I trust to advise me.”

“What?!” Bette was taken aback.

“Will you at least think about it?” George said, mistaking her hesitation for something else.

“I’m sorry, George, I didn’t mean to make it come out that way,” Bette said, as she reached out and rubbed his arm affectionately.

“I just don’t know if I’m qualified to advise you in that way,” she started to say.

George interrupted her with a wave of his hand, “Nonsense, Bette. I think you are more than qualified.  You have a good head, smarter than most people I know, and street-smart, I might add. You know how to structure a deal, charm the pants of your adversaries, and generally get your way.   I would rather have you on my side, than 10 Harvard MBA-types.”

“And if it’s a matter of time commitment, I think we can start slowly, say you can come in twice a week, until you feel that you can take on more of a load.”

Before she could respond, he leaned toward her, grasp one of her hands between his, “I know you’re making a big change in your life, following Tina to New York, setting up a life there with her.  So I won’t ask for much.  You can get settled first, come in when you can, and help me generally keep tabs on what is going on.  I’ll tell everyone that you’re my special adviser, and really, my plan is that I don’t want to make any big decisions out of New York until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

“It’s a win-win, Bette. I think you’re underselling the value of the jet service, because although it hasn’t officially launched yet, you’ve put in all the ingredients that’ll make it a success.  So that piece of business is a no-brainer for me.  I may just hire the guys who have been helping you with it, in the process, to help run it since they’ll know what to do right away.  So yes,  I will take it over at the price you’re suggesting.  But the larger business… the holding company in New York?  That one, I’d really like your involvement in.”

She remained silent, so he pressed on, “Look, it’s almost like you’re doing me a solid twice… one, selling me your interest in the jet service, and two, advising me about the holding company.  I’m going to be eternally grateful, that goes without saying.”

Bette thought a moment.  This was an offer that she didn’t expect, and hadn’t figured into her planning.  But, on one level, yes, it did make sense.  She could try it out, and if she could see it would present a risk to her and Tina, she could just beg off, and tell George that she’d rather do something else, or spend time with Tina.

So she smiled at George, and closed her other hand over his.

“It’s a deal,” she said.

She couldn’t wait to tell Tina, who said she was just staying back at the hotel to wait for Bette to return after her business talk and dinner with the three.

And she wondered what Mike would think about it, too.