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Why did he?
He never wanted anyone to stay.
Coffee.
He refused to think anymore until he had a shower and coffee. He stumbled to the bathroom and turned the water to scorching hot.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Darius dreaded a confrontation at work that day, but Marc never mentioned what had happened at Darius’s apartment, so neither did he. They’d never determined who’d won their contest, but he doubted either of them was in the mood to collect their reward. He thought Marc might slip out right at six, but no, he was ready and raring to go for their six o’clock fuck. And wow. He only got more creative the longer they kept getting off together.
What was it about Marc that made him so seductive?
He talks back.
He does things with his mouth no man should be capable of.
He’s just so…
That was the real problem. He had some quality Darius couldn’t identify, something that just mesmerized him. Surely he’d get over that. He’d been infatuated before. It was true that he rarely hooked up with anyone more than once, but he did occasionally go back for more. Those affairs always burned themselves out within a few weeks, though. He’d been fucking Marc for over a month.
He was just stepping out of the shower when his phone rang. He glanced at the number. It was his lawyer.
He’d never imagined being the kind of person who kept a lawyer on retainer, but five years ago, Gary Johnson, attorney-at-law, gave him fantastic advice when someone—Darius was certain it was his one and only ex, Oscar—broke into the shop and stole some patterns. A few years after that, Johnson kept a customer from successfully suing him. At that point, Darius decided having a lawyer of his own wasn’t a bad idea at all.
But why was Gary calling him so early? That old racist motherfucker he’d kicked out of the shop better not be trying to go after him.
“What’s up, Gary?”
“I just had a very interesting phone call.”
That was worryingly cryptic. “Interesting like ‘wow, I can’t believe it’ or like ‘someone is going to sue your balls off’?”
Gary laughed. “The former. A man just contacted me about an offer to buy your business.”
“What? Why?” That was definitely not what he was expecting.
“I spoke to the prospective buyer’s lawyer, and all he would say was that it seemed like a good investment.”
“The shop is not for sale.”
Gary chuckled at that. “Everything is for sale.”
Darius flopped down on the couch. “You really sound like a lawyer today. I hate that.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“Who is this prospective buyer?” He said the last words like he might say “sewer rat.”
“The buyer wishes to remain anonymous.”
“What the fuck? Is that legal?”
“It is. The whole deal can be worked through his attorney, who happens to be someone I’ve known for years. He faxed me the paperwork for the offer already, so—”
“Wait. This isn’t just an expressing-interest thing? There’s an actual offer on the table?”
“Yes, but I thought the business wasn’t for sale?”
“It’s not, but how much is this arsehole offering?”
“250,000.”
Had he heard that right? He’d calculated his business’ value, and it was nowhere near that. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Say it again.”
Gary did.
“No bloody way would someone offer me that much.”
“Apparently they are, but more negotiations would have to be dealt with. I have to warn you that deals like these fall through all the time.”
This was way more than he could process this early. “What would you do?”
“Are you saying you’re willing to consider it?”
“I…” Was he? No, the business was his. He’d worked too hard to let someone else take it and screw it up.
“Think about it,” Gary said. “Consider it seriously, maybe talk it over with some friends, but do not feel pressured into selling.”
Friends? Right. Other than Clarice, he didn’t have any friends close enough to go to for advice. “All right. How long do I have?”
“No date was given, but I think it would be best if we had an answer for them in two weeks.”
As much as Darius might grouse and complain, he loved serving his clients, the ones who weren’t shitgibbons at least. What made all the work worthwhile was seeing someone like Ryan, whom Thorne had sent him, look better and thus feel better because of what Darius could do for him. His best clients would get the shitty end of the deal because whoever this buyer brought in couldn’t possibly be as good as he was.
“Thanks, Gary. I’ll get back to you in a few days. You didn’t have to call me so early. Even a bastard like me is okay with you keeping regular hours.”
Gary chuckled. “Despite your foul mouth and your stubbornness, you’re one of my favorite clients. I found out yesterday afternoon, but I wanted to do more research before I talked to you. I had an engagement last night, so this was the earliest I could call.”
