Commercial Sales Ch. 02

Kate busied herself going over commercial real estate lessons, including state laws, city ordinances and other relevant information she'd need to impress Patterson's people when she met with him Thursday. She didn't return to her office and by Wednesday night, she no longer worried about the other realtors' perceptions of her working with Patterson.

Thursday afternoon, Kate dressed in a cream, twill button-front blazer with a knee-length navy split skirt. She definitely wanted the 'dress to impress' look. She looked in the mirror prior to leaving for The Riviera and felt she had accomplished her goal. She gave herself time to fight traffic and arrived with plenty of time to spare.

Just as she texted Matt for his ETA, he entered the lobby. "Katherine!" he announced from across the lobby. "C'mon; this way," he motioned. Kate stood and walked in his direction, putting her phone in her handbag.

"We're going to one of the private dining rooms upstairs," Matt told her as she approached. Kate followed Matt to a door marked "Private".

On the other side of the door, a young man dressed in a suit stood behind a podium. Behind him, a carpeted staircase with an ornate, dark wood railing on one side and intricately-carved wooden panels lining the opposite wall.

"Your party, Sir?" he asked.

"Patterson. Two guests, Matt Anderson and Katherine Ross," Matt replied.

The man looked at a notebook on the podium to verify the information. "Yes, Sir. Please proceed. It'll be the first door on your left at the top of the stairs," he told Matt. Then nodded at Kate as she passed him, "Ma'am," the man softly acknowledged. Kate smiled back at him.

While ascending the wide stairs abreast of each other, Matt asked, "Ready?"

She took a deep breath nearing the top and confidently contradicted herself in a whisper, "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," Matt softly replied as he opened the door marked "Patterson Party".

They entered the room seeing several men in suits standing near a small bar on rollers where a bartender made drinks. Kate immediately recognized a man from the back; Jay Patterson. He had a hand in his pocket, holding a drink with the other and speaking to two other men. She'd never met him before tonight. She had seen photos of him and heard many stories about him, but she definitely knew it was Patterson.

"Here we go," Matt whispered as he led Kate towards Mr. Patterson. About ten feet from Mr. Patterson, he turned and watched as they approached.

"Matt! Long time. Good to see you!" Mr. Patterson greeted. Kate stood by Matt with her hands in front of her; handbag over her shoulder.

"Yes, it's been over a year; I believe," Matt responded. "Mr. Patterson, this..."

"Kate, I presume?" Mr. Patterson interrupted, looking at Kate.

"Uh, Katherine. Yes; good to meet you, Mr. Patterson," she responded, offering her hand to shake his. Matt rolled his eyes upon hearing Kate correct Mr. Patterson. Yet, Mr. Patterson likes people with a fighting spirit. Kate certainly just showed some balls, as it were.

"Jay. Please; call me Jay," he replied, shaking her hand gently. He looked at Matt, "That goes for you, too, Matt. Call me Jay," Jay smiled at them both. "Look, it's a few minutes early. Please, help yourself to the bar. Anything you want. Excuse me while I return to these two gentlemen. I'll make introductions at dinner. Again, please, help yourself," he stated.

Matt offered his hand towards the bar and they both approached and ordered. Kate was mesmerized by Mr. Patterson. He wasn't that old; maybe mid-to-late 40s. He was a handsome, slender man with dark, wavy hair; maybe 6'2 with brown eyes. He wore a double-breasted navy pin-striped suit with a blue and yellow diagonally-striped tie. She watched him standing; talking to his colleagues. He stood with confidence and spoke with a slight smile.

"Katherine," Matt motioned, pulling her away from the bar and others. "Swift move," he said with a slight glare.

"What?" she replied.

"That's Jay Patterson. If he wants to call you Kate, for God's sake, don't correct him," Matt said in a hushed voice, staring at her. "He can open doors for you. He can stuff your bank account, "IF" you do well with him," he added.

"But...I go by Katherine at work," she replied, then paused, looking at Matt staring at her. "Oh...um, yeah; sorry," she replied, taking a swig of her drink. "I may need another drink before dinner," she said under her breath, staring back at Mr. Patterson.

About that time, Kate spotted a shapely blonde woman wearing a black, split-skirt suit with white trim and white buttons approaching. The woman smiled at Matt and Kate, holding out her hand.

"You must be Kate. I'm Mikki; Jay's wife. So good to meet you," she said warmly. She then looked at Matt and shook his hand, greeting him, "Long time, Matt." Matt nodded and smiled. She put a hand on Kate's upper arm and lightly stroked it. "I've heard a lot about you. Jay's hoping you can help our real estate group with the local market here in the metropolitan area," she smiled again, looking deeply into Kate's eyes.

"Um, sure, I'm going to give it my best shot," Kate mumbled, taken a bit off guard by Mikki's beauty and charm.

"Great. Listen, we'll have a lot to talk about after dinner and in the coming days. I just wanted to introduce myself," she added, then walked over to her husband.

Kate watched Mikki walk away. She was about 5'7, late 30s, her dark blonde hair was in a semi-short, tangled pixie cut. She was fair-complected with gray eyes. She wore sparkling earrings; which Kate correctly presumed were diamond.

"Give it your best shot? That's all you could think of?" Matt asked looking at her with his head tilted.

"Shit. I know...she caught me off guard," Kate mumbled.

Matt breathed deeply. "Katherine. You need to get a grip and get it quickly. These people are the highest of the high rollers. They don't have time for people who get caught off guard. You need to be on your game one hundred percent of the time with them," he whispered sternly. "They're here to make money. You need to understand that right now or you won't work with them in the future," Matt added with encouragement and a bit of frustration in his voice.

Kate stared back at Matt, biting her lip for a few seconds in silence. She then downed her drink and went back to the bar. Matt watched her go to the bar and order. He began to have second thoughts about Kate, but still held confidence she'd be fine.

Kate returned to Matt with a new drink. As she reached Matt, she glanced at Mikki who was looking at her, then Mikki looked away. Kate stood next to Matt eyeing the small group of people gathered. A total of twelve, including Matt and her. She took a sip of her drink when she heard Mr. Patterson call everyone to take a seat.

Everyone sat at the table while Mr. Patterson remained standing and started the introductions. When he introduced Kate, she could see Mikki eyeing her and smiling. This time, Kate felt a slight blush come over her. She looked away from Mikki pretending to listen to the rest of the introductions, but she definitely felt Mikki's eyes upon her.

The Patterson's offered three meals from which to choose; chicken, steak and fish. Everyone ordered their meal choice and drinks. After the waiter left, a gray-haired man stood and introduced himself as Thomas Howard; one of the lead consulting realtors of Patterson Holding, Inc. He proceeded to show a projected map on the wall, outlining the eastern half of the city where the old industrial district still stands, although some of the buildings had already been demolished or renovated. He gave a brief presentation outlining the overall project, marketing strategy and sales objectives.

After dinner, Matt and Kate schmoozed with Jay, Mikki and members of the real estate group. Kate asked specific questions about the zoning plans for the old industrial district. Jay seemed impressed by Kate's prowess and depth of knowledge of the current market.

A few of the attendees departed when Jay and Mikki interrupted Matt and Kate's discussion with one of their staff. "Kate, if you're available tomorrow, I'd like for you to meet with Mikki at the house. She has some information that will be helpful for you," Jay stated, looking at her with a smile.

Kate looked at Jay and could see how he became successful. He definitely had the charisma and charm to win over almost anyone. "Sure. I'd be glad to meet with her tomorrow," she replied to Jay, then looked at Mikki. "What time do you prefer?" Kate asked.

"Is mid-morning, around ten, okay?" Mikki answered.

"Sure. Ten's fine," Kate replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Great. Do you have a card? I'll text you the address later," Mikki said.

Kate reached in her handbag for a card and handed it to Mikki. "Thank you," Mikki said, then followed with, "Kate...I know you like to dress nicely and I think that's a wonderful and successful trait, but tomorrow, please come as you are. My house is a home; not a board room."

Kate gave her a puzzled look for a second. "Don't be confused, Kate. Whatever you wear around your house is fine for wearing around my house," Mikki told her, hoping to alleviate any questions.

"Um, sure. Okay," Kate responded with a touch of curiosity.

"Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow," Mikki stated.

"Matt, you and Kate are welcomed to stay and have some more drinks. Otherwise, I think this concludes tonight's dinner. Please, feel free to mingle and drink or call it a night," Jay said looking back and forth between the two.

Matt and Kate shook hands with Jay and Mikki and thanked them for dinner and the opportunity to work with their real estate department. Both passed on having another drink and went downstairs to the lobby.

While descending the steps, Matt quietly said, "Wow; I guess we're in. This was no interview. There are no other agencies involved."

In the lobby, they found a couch in the waiting area and sat. "Any questions?" Matt asked.

"No. No questions, Matt," she paused slightly, then concluded, "Thank you so much for this opportunity. I won't let you down."

"Great. I knew I could count on you, Katherine." Then, Matt slid to the edge of the couch to look more directly at Kate. "Kate, don't overthink this. I'm telling you; this is your Willy Wonka golden ticket. Play the game they want you to play and you'll do yourself a huge favor," he smiled, looking at her as she looked back. "Trust me, Kate. You're going to be fine."

They both stood and Kate held up her hand and Matt high-fived her as each smiled confidently. "I'll let you know how everything goes," Kate said as they departed in opposite directions.

Kate drove home and told Mark about her evening and her meeting tomorrow with Mikki. While talking to Mark, her phone pinged. Presumably, it was Mikki with her address and reminding Kate to dress in comfortable attire. It also told her to text when arriving at the gate and Mikki will open it. Kate went to their laptop and entered the address. From her house, it will take almost an hour. Luckily, mid-morning traffic won't be an issue.

The next morning, Mark wished Kate good-luck and left for work. Kate worked-out on the treadmill and readied herself for meeting Mikki. Kate actually had somewhat of a problem dressing "comfortably" for a meeting with such an important person, albeit at her own home, but decided on a pair of nice jeans, heals and a button-up blouse.

She arrived about ten minutes early and texted Mikki to let her know she was at the gate. Within a few seconds, the gate opened and Kate entered the property. There was a secluded driveway, curving to the left around some tall bushes. She arrived in front of the house; it was a magnificent single-story. Just from the outside, it looked to be at least 7,000 square feet.

She parked in the circular driveway and took a deep breath before grabbing her large bag with a notebook full of documents and her laptop. She walked up to the door and before she could ring the bell, Mikki opened the door, welcoming her with a broad smile and open arms. As Kate entered, Mikki grabbed her upper arms, hugged her, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Kate smiled at Mikki and returned the hug, although it was still a 'business meeting' in Kate's mind. Kate looked at her attire and Mikki wasn't kidding about wearing something comfortable.

"Welcome! I'm so glad you made it safely!" she said with joy. "Please, come in, come in." Mikki wore form fitting bicycle shorts with an off the shoulder sweatshirt, exposing the straps of her sports bra.

Kate entered and was immediately taken by the decor of the house. It was absolutely stunning. "Um, take off my shoes?" Kate asked.

"If you want, Kate. In fact, yes...I told you not to dress up, so take off those heels," Mikki replied with a smile.

"Um, but I'm not dressed up...am I?" Kate asked with a puzzled voice.

"Oh, geez, girl." Mikki laughed. "You're fine. I was expecting shorts and a t-shirt," she added with a loud chuckle.

"Oh, um...sorry? I guess?" Kate responded, still confused.

"No, no, no...you're fine, Kate, really. I'm kidding!" Mikki laughed as she watched Kate remove her heels. "I worked-out this morning and after my shower, I just threw this on. Please, don't worry," she paused. "Listen, Kate; if you're going to work with me, you have to get used to me kidding a lot," she added.

Kate took off her heels and looked around. "Wow, Mikki, you have a beautiful home," she told her.

"Thank you," Mikki replied as she led Kate through the house towards the kitchen area. They passed a huge fireplace and, on the mantle, stood a wooden signed reading, "I still remember the days I prayed for what I have now". Then Kate saw a wide stairway leading downstairs.

"This house has a downstairs, too?" she asked.

"Yes. You can't really tell from the front, but this house is built into a hill. Downstairs is a party room, TV room, small gym, with a hot tub and small pool outside. The downstairs is less than half to size of the main floor, however," Mikki told her.

Kate tried to wrap her head around the splendor and size of the Patterson's house. They arrived in the kitchen. It was also huge with a table for eating, although they had a formal dining room, as well. On the table was a small stack of folders and notebooks.

"Have a seat, Kate. What would you like to drink?" Mikki asked.

"Um, water or Diet Coke is fine; thanks," Kate answered.

"No, Kate...you don't understand. I asked you what you wanted to drink; not taste. Wine? Beer? The hard stuff?" she asked.

Kate was taken aback again. "Uh...um, not beer and I'm not much into wine," she stuttered.

"Okay, girlfriend. I'm having a Long Island iced tea. You'll have one with me," Mikki replied.

"Oh...okay," Kate replied, thinking it was still mid-morning. She thought she'd only have one and sip it slowly while she went over the information Mikki had to share. Kate took a chair at the table in front of the stack of information and took out her laptop and the information she had researched, combined with the information Matt had given her.

Mikki sat down with two drinks and slid one over to Kate. "Okay, let's get this show on the road. We have a lot of people to meet and lots and lots of money to make," she said while pulling the top notebook off the pile.

Kate listened intently as Mikki laid out the strategy for sales in various parts of the industrial district. Kate was like a sponge. She took notes and listened carefully to Mikki's words. Kate learned a great deal from Mikki's knowledge of tax codes, tax exemption strategies, zoning laws and commercial real estate, in general. During that first hour, Mikki had made their second drink.

While Kate assumed the Patterson's were greedy people, she also saw a very giving side of Mikki's plan. Jay had donated some land to one of the southern sections of the industrial district to build a school near a low-income housing area. A new school is desperately needed, but land was an issue. While Kate didn't ask, and Mikki didn't state, Kate felt confident the Patterson's were also receiving some sort of tax credit or other favors from the city for helping with a new school. Probably nothing illegal, but again, this was Patterson Holdings, Inc. There's always a way to make money, even when helping others.

Mikki went to the restroom while Kate studied some more information. Mikki returned with a fresh Long Island iced tea. "Drink up, girl. This is a casual business "party". Mikki giggled as she put her fresh drink on the table, she leaned over Kate to set her refill down, gently rubbing Kate's back momentarily. Barely another 40 minutes had passed and this was their third drink...and at least Kate's drinks were strong.

They poured over more information on the strategy for a while longer. There was no wonder Jay and Mikki were successful at such a fairly young age. While Kate still had volumes to learn about commercial real estate, she could tell Jay and Mikki were masters at covering all possible angles where money could be made. Kate wanted to learn as much as she could.

Mikki finished her drink as the ice cubes slid inside the glass, making a definite noise. "C'mon girlfriend, drink up," Mikki said, looking at Kate as she set her glass down.

Kate's mind was trying to grasp how Mikki is so well-spoken, so business savvy, so intellectual; yet so casual, informal and down-to-earth when speaking to her. No one had called her "girl" or "girlfriend" like Mikki had. Kate still had less than a half-glass of her cocktail remaining, but picked-it up and downed her drink, as Mikki requested, remembering Matt's advice about playing the Patterson's game.

"Geez; look at the time. Way past noon, already," Mikki stated, looking at her phone. Kate took that as a signal the meeting was over. "What do you say we have lunch and another drink?" Mikki added.

Surprised the meeting wasn't over, Kate replied, "Um, sure. Whatever you want."

Mikki stood and started making a fourth set of drinks. "Look in the fridge. There's a freshly-made salad. I have some chopped-up ham and turkey and shredded cheese if you want to make a homemade chef salad," Mikki said while making the drinks. "There are also some deviled eggs I made yesterday. I also made some egg salad, if you want to throw some between bread and make an egg salad sandwich," she told her, as Kate opened her over-sized double-door fridge to explore.

"I'll make a salad," Kate replied, pulling the bowl of salad out of the fridge. "Would you like one, too?" she asked her host.

"Sure," Mikki answered, as she carried two new drinks to the table.

The two sat at the table, pushing their notebooks away to make room. Kate tasted her drink. Again, this one also seemed fairly strong. "What do you think so far?" Mikki asked.

"I can't tell you how much I've learned just since sitting down with you. Really, Mikki, I truly appreciate it," Kate answered, as both enjoyed their salads. They made small talk about local news pertaining to the project, how they met their husbands and so forth, while they ate. Kate felt genuinely welcomed by Mikki's hospitality.

Mikki finished her salad and took another drink, looking at Kate. "Still hungry? There's plenty," she offered.

"No, thanks. It was good," Kate commented.

"Grab your drink. Time for a tour," Mikki said as she stood with her glass, giving Kate another unexpected surprise.

Mikki guided Kate through the upper level, showing her the house. Whether from the alcohol or the beauty of the house, Kate felt very relaxed; at ease with Mikki.

As they went downstairs, Mikki grabbed Kate's hand, descending the wide stairs. At the bottom, Kate was even more impressed. Against the stairs stood a small bar with a microwave, small refrigerator and sink. There were wooden cabinets with glass doors, stocked with plenty of alcohol. The bar itself had five stools in front of a stained, wooden countertop.