The Bodyguard | LGBT x CEO (Excerpt)

01. Watch Your Back, Grayson

Like back in his bed recuperating.

Kyle briefly hung his head in embarrassment. The three visitors sat motionless in their seats, all of them silently judging the notorious Aiden Grayson – the somewhat savvy, incredibly reckless, and short-tempered CEO of Grayson Enterprise. The company is one of the most booming technology-based businesses in the country, specializing in consumer electronics.

The trio was here to make a deal, one that would hopefully be lucrative, and yet as the seconds passed, they wondered if coming here had been a mistake. They all knew of Aiden's unstable personality, how he'd often jump from being hot to cold; however, to be here and witness the insolence firsthand, it put things in a different perspective for the three outsiders.

"Aiden, joining us today is Mr. Pryor, Mr. Wong, and Mrs. Scotts from Hope World, Inc. I spoke with you about them the other day, remember?" Kyle paused, and when it took too long for Aiden to respond, he kicked his brother in the shin from underneath the table.

Aiden had nearly dozed off, but the pain radiating in his shin immediately brought him back to life. He cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat. "Yeah, yeah. I know who they are, but what about them? Why are we here today, Kyle? Get to the point already."

Such a fucking prick, Kyle thought. "I called this meeting today because I believe in Hope World and what they stand for. I viewed some rough sketches of an upcoming project that they're working on, and I think it'd be wise of us to invest in it. Did you see the email that I sent to you last week?" Kyle asked Aiden. "Have you read over it yet?"

Aiden could barely remember what he did last night, let alone what he read last week.

"Briefly, yes."

Kyle knew that was a lie, but he maintained his composure anyway. "With the two of us working together, we'll easily dominate the industry and–"

"Woah, woah, woah. Let's pause for a minute," Aiden interrupted, finally getting serious. "We don't need to collaborate with anyone to dominate the tech space. Grayson Ent. is already doing that and, based on the numbers I saw before coming here, we're doing it extremely well."

Kyle was talking about collaborations and investing, and for these types of deals, the investments were usually made to be in the millions. Although Aiden lived a luxurious and reckless lifestyle outside of work, he did everything in his power to keep Grayson Ent. safe and away from greedy leeches. Making one bad deal could easily ruin everything that his father, Thomas Grayson, had worked so damn hard to build. Despite their differences, Aiden couldn't risk letting the family business go up in flames.

"How you vouch for these people makes me a little nervous, Kyle." Aiden removed his ridiculously expensive shades to give a proper look around the room at his guests. "You see potential in them that I don't. And, if they're really as good as you say they are, then they could easily turn into competition for me one day, given that our collaboration will only be for this one specific project." Aiden dragged his eyes back over to Kyle. "Why would I lend a hand to help my future competitors, Kyle? How do I know that they won't turn around to stab me in the back to take my spot at the top?"

"Aiden, I..." Kyle started.

"Stop. I don't actually care about your answer." Aiden raised a hand to Kyle, silencing him. "But you know what else makes me nervous? The fact that you seem to have already forgotten about the very unsettling scandal that Mr. Pryor was in last year." Aiden smirked after the older man's mouth fell open from shock. "Oh, yes. I heard all the disturbing whispers about your thievery and scam tactics with some of the other companies that you partnered with in the past. I also remember when you tried to do everything in your power to brush it under the rug because the negative press was destroying you left and right, tanking your stock. I may be an alcoholic, but my memory is still sharp as a tick for this business shit."