Seducing His Opposition / Secret Nights at Nine Oaks: Seducing His Opposition

She bet he did, he was probably losing money with each day that they waited to break ground on their new market. But she was here to make sure that he realized that he couldn’t come in and replace traditional markets with a shiny upscale shopping area with no ties to the community.

“What is your largest concern?” he asked. “This was a Publix supermarket strip mall before you first came to it, Tomas. So you have had chain grocers in the neighborhood before. We can invite another retailer if you’d prefer that.”

Selena realized that Justin didn’t necessarily understand what their objection to his building in the community truly was.

“Justin, this strip mall is part of the Cuban American community. Our family’s store isn’t just a place for people to pick up groceries, it’s where the old men come in the morning for their coffee and then sit around and discuss the business of the day. It’s a place where young mothers bring their kids to play in the back and have great Cuban food.

“This is the heart of the neighborhood. You can’t just rip it out.”

Justin knew this meeting wasn’t going to be easy. He’d figured that out the moment he met Selena. She was the kind of woman that made a man work for it. And he knew that she was looking out for the interests of her community and to be fair he needed that community to want to shop there. Even though they’d do a good crossover business from the club and he had an arrangement with some local tour companies to add the new Luna Azul Market to their tourist stops once it opened, it would be the neighborhood residents that would make or break this endeavor.

“I’m open to your suggestions. So far Tomas has only demanded that we leave the strip mall the way it is and I think that we both know that isn’t a solution.”

“We both don’t know that,” she said.

“Have you been down to the property lately?” he asked her. “The mall is old and run-down. The families that you speak of are dwindling, isn’t that right, Tomas?”

Tomas shrugged but then glanced over at Selena. “The buildings need repairs and the landlord … you, Justin, should be making them.”

“I want to make more than repairs. I’m not even sure if they meet the new hurricane wind resistance standards.”

Selena pulled out a notebook and started writing on it. “We will check into it. Have you considered forming a committee with the community leaders and your company? “

“We’ve had a few informal discussions.”

“You need to do a lot more than that. Because if you want the neighborhood support you are going to have to open a dialogue with them.”

“Okay,” Justin said. “But only if you serve on the committee.”

She blinked up and then tipped her head to the side. “I don’t think that I need to be on there.”

“I do,” Justin said. “You grew up there, and are also familiar with the legal and zoning issues. You will be able to see the bigger picture.”

“I don’t think—”

“I agree with him, tata, you should be on there,” Tomas said.

“Tata?” Justin asked, smiling.

She glared at her grandfather. “It’s a nickname.”

She blushed, and it was the first crack he’d seen in her all-business, tough-as-nails shell.

The business deal was going to go through whether Tomas and his allies wanted it to or not. Justin had already scheduled a round of golf with the zoning commissioner, Maxwell Strong, at the exclusive club he belonged to to get him to change his mind. And over the next week he’d work on finding a way out of the legal hole that Selena had dug for him. But he wanted to see more of her.

And this committee thing would be perfect. Plus, he did actually want the community behind the project. “Myra, will you set up a meeting time for us … I think we should use Luna Azul. Tomas and Selena will send you a list of people to invite.”

“I’d like to take a closer look at the plans for the market,” Selena said.

“I’ll leave you two to discuss that,” Tomas said. “I need to call around and see when everyone will be available to meet.”

“Myra will show you to an office you can use,” Justin said.

After Tomas and Myra left the room, Justin studied Selena for a minute. Her head was bent and she was making notes on her legal pad. He noticed that her handwriting was very neat and very feminine.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I thought I already told you that I like the way you

look.”

“That wasn’t just you trying to … I don’t know what you were up to. Did you know who I was in that lobby of the zoning office? “

He shook his head. “No. I wish I had known.”

“Why?”

“Maybe I could have talked you out of filing that injunction,” he said with a laugh.

She chuckled at that. “Wow, that’s putting a lot of pressure on your supposed charm.”

He grabbed his side pretending she’d wounded him. “Good thing I’m tough-skinned.”

“You’d have to be in order to work in the neighborhood you do. How did you and your brothers manage to make Luna Azul a success without getting the community behind you?” she asked him.

“Some locals do frequent the club but we rely on the celebs for business. They bring in their own crowd of followers. We book first-rate bands and we have salsa lessons in the rooftop club … so we do okay. Have you ever been there?”

She shook her head. “I left Miami before you opened your doors.”

“Why did you leave?” he asked.

“None of your business,” she replied with a tight look that told him he’d somehow gone too far.

“My apologies. I expected you to say you needed some freedom … would you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Why?”

“I believe in keeping my enemies close.” “Me, too,” she said. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“It is a yes. But I’ll pick the place.” She wrote an address at the bottom of her legal pad and then tore the paper off and handed it to him. “Be there at seven. Dress casual.”

“Do I need to bring anything?” “Just your appetite.”

She gathered her things and then stood up and walked out of the conference room. He watched her leave.

Inviting Justin to her family get-together was inspired. He wanted to do business in this community but he didn’t understand it. This would be his lesson.

On her way home, she’d driven down to the strip mall to see her grandfather’s store, and it had been run-down more than she expected.