AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sebastian
With a population of barely over twenty-one thousand, I wasn’t expecting downtown Montrose to be a hot bed of activity. However, as I drove down the main streets, I was surprised to see so many people crowding the streets. Maybe because it was Friday at almost noon, so many people anticipating a beautiful weekend. While still chilly, the sky was bright blue with barely a cloud to be seen.
I continued to laugh at the thought that it was the second time I’d paid attention to the sky in two days. I was on a roll.
“At the next intersection, make a right onto Main Street.”
The British accent of the system in the cheap truck didn’t fit the scenario at all. Maybe I should be thankful it came with a GPS system. As I waited at the traffic light, I marveled at the all the colorful flags decorating various shops, neighborhood bakeries, and restaurants. Vivid awnings also adorned most of the buildings, the color coordination indicating a town association of sorts.
With the bustling activity and smiling faces, I could almost see why small towns had become more attractive over the last few years. Who was I kidding? I’d lose my mind in a place this size. And just where would I put my yacht? Grinning, I made the turn, the GPS pointing out the building on the right barely two hundred feet in front of me. The fact I was forced to circle the block before finding a parking space only grew my irritation. I’d found no coffee in the house, not even a single bottle of water.
I was cranky, famished, and a meeting with a man I wasn’t certain I liked wasn’t the best way to continue the shitty day. I’d studied the paperwork in more depth, crashing at three a.m. only to remain wide awake until just before dawn, finally falling into a fitful sleep, the alarm not cooperating. When I’d rolled out of bed it had been past ten-thirty.
On top of the late hour, I’d woken with an erection so hard I’d been in pain. All because I’d had a filthy dream about Big Red, envisioning her naked body writhing in a cage, dancing for me with nothing but diamonds around her neck. Where in the hell that had come from, I wasn’t certain other than a month before, a buddy of mine had invited me to a new club in Miami Beach catering to sadistic men.
Cages had been placed all around the venue with women in various stages of undress, writhing as they danced for tips. It was a rich man’s concept of a strip club, or so he’d told me. I hadn’t been interested, doing little more than sipping my drink as the man had droned on about the latest stock craze he was certain would be a money maker. At least his advice had been spot on, my investment doubling in a single day.
Even now as I thought about the girl, I couldn’t seem to get my mind out of the gutter. Maybe her brusque personality, and my claim of needing to tame her had been the reason for the dream. Fuck. My shaft was pushing hard against my trousers. That didn’t bode well for a business meeting.
I glanced at the coffee shop as soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk then down to my watch. I was already late, something I’d prided myself in never doing. I hadn’t been tardy to a single meeting in as long as I could remember. In fact, I was usually the one who was early.
Coffee would need to wait.
Granted, after the meeting I might be selecting a bar instead of a coffee shop. I snickered from the thought as I pushed my way into the five-story brick building. No, I also had what I expected to be another terse meeting with Sarah Logan at two.
Somewhere in between I hoped to stop at a grocery store.
I buttoned my jacket as I headed to the elevator, grimacing that it was out of order. Not that five flights meant anything to me given my workout routine. Still, it was just another time waster and aggravation that I didn’t need. I took them two at a time, hitting the landing in less than a minute. Hank Barclay’s office was at the end of the hall, the brass plate on the wooden door indicating another attorney was working with him.
As soon as I walked inside, I was struck by the dark wood and massive furniture. The office was nothing like those in Miami where glass and white leather were all the rage.
“You must be Sebastian Cawthorne,” the woman who could have been my mother except she wasn’t wearing designer clothes said.
“Yes, that obvious?”
She laughed. “It’s not often our clients show up in a handmade Brunello Cucinelli suit.”
“You know your Italian suits?”
“I have two big burly sons, one of them living in Milan. So yes, I know them far too well. Come with me. Mr. Barclay is expecting you. The other two gentlemen are already here. Would you like some coffee or a soft drink?”
“Other two gentlemen?”
“Yes,” she said as she guided me down the corridor. “I believe they’re the buyer who placed a contract on Black Horse Ranch. They seem very eager to take over the property. Beautiful location. I know it’s not my place but it’s going to be sad to see it turned over to condominiums.”
What. The. Fuck?
Instead of grilling the poor woman, I kept my tongue. One aspect of business that had guided me through the years was allowing my enemies to make fools of themselves. If Hank believed he was in control of my father’s estate, he had another think coming. While he’d been made temporary executor in the event of my grandfather’s will, he had no authority to make a sale or dole out any of the attributes without my permission. He could only handle what was absolutely necessary. Besides, probate would be complete within a couple of days and he’d have no say in the matter.
I’d see to it.
“Thank you for the offer of a beverage…”
“Milly.”
“Yes, Milly. But I think I’ll wait until after the meeting.”
“Yes, sir.”
