AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 22
Brodie
That nightI dreamt of my dad, and how all the bad stuff went down.
“Brodie, I need to talk to you.”
I look up from the books I was working on, learning how the hotel’s accounting worked. My dad always wanted to make sure I learned every aspect of running the place.
“You have to know how to do this, son, so you can teach others,” he had assured me during the miserable summer when he had my fifteen-year-old self cleaning rooms. That was one lousy assignment, but boy, did I get a new appreciation for the housekeepers who hustled around the hotel, working their asses off.
“Yeah, Dad?” I asked, not looking up from the financial statement I was trying to put together.
“Son, you know how last year we had a shortfall of cash?”
I looked up from my work. “Yes, what about it?”
He looked down at his hands. He had an expression on his face that I couldn’t read. Something was not right. “Well, I took out a couple lines of credit.”
“Okay. We’ve done that before, right?” I asked.
“Yes, we have. But this time, I didn’t put the money where I should have—to pay the hotel’s outstanding bills.”
“What do you mean? What else would you do with the money?”
His eyes got red, and he looked up at the ceiling.
“Dad? What happened? What’s going on?”
His voice cracked. “I…had to use it for some bills at home.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, I got behind on a few things and thought I’d be able to pay it back before anyone noticed.”
“You’re gonna pay it back, Dad, right? I mean, can’t you just pay it back?”
He shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand. “I can’t. I can’t.”
My heart started to pound. The line of credit wasn’t his to take. He had business partners he was accountable to…
“Okay. What do we do then?” I asked. I was sure there was a way to rectify the situation. We just needed to figure it out.
“It’s too late, Brodie. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” A sob escaped his mouth and tears ran down his face. The pain he was in hit me like a knife to my own chest.
He continued, “The business partners know. They’re pressing charges. I may go to prison.”
“Dad, how could you keep this from me? How could you…how could you…”
Somebody was shaking me but when I looked around my dad was gone.
“Brodie. Sweetie, wake up. You’re having a bad dream,” Nara said, stroking my hair.
I looked around the dark room, still disoriented. “But my dad…my dad…”
“Shhh. Let’s go back to sleep. It was a dream…”
* * *
Morning came too soon,the dream about my father still fresh as if Nara had woken me from it only five minutes earlier. She lay with her eyes wide open.
“How long have you been awake?” I asked her.
“Oh, not long. Just enjoying how sunny this place is.”
She sat up in bed and the sheet fell to her waist, revealing her delicious breasts. I felt a twitch as my cock said good morning. I reached for her and pulled her back down.
“Hey, I gotta get up soon,” she protested.
“I do, too. But we have a few minutes.”
I propped myself onto my side and made circles around her pink nipple, which immediately sprang to attention. Like something else in the bed.
“You had a nightmare last night,” she stated.
“I did. All that stuff from my dad came rushing back. Like your body stores it and springs it on you every now and then.”
“What happened in the dream?” she asked.
“He was telling me what he’d done. I was so devastated first, that he did it, and second, because it happened right under my nose.” I hadn’t realized how worked up it still got me.
“You don’t blame yourself, do you?”
I thought for a sec. “For the longest time, I did. I guess I still do to an extent. That’s why I want to repay my business partners, my dad’s partners’ sons. But Dad had done such a good job of hiding it; I don’t know how long it would have taken me to find the discrepancies. The business partners only found out by accident when the bank had called one day when they couldn’t get through to my dad. Guess it was a blessing that an end was put to it. But it was also the beginning of his being labeled a criminal.”
She shook her head. “That must have been horrible.”
“Still is. Causing nightmares and all. It’s funny. I haven’t had that dream in a long time.”
“Glad I was here to wake you.”
I pulled her close to feel those lush lips. They were comforting and a turn on all at once as evidenced by the way my cock hardened.
We both had busy days ahead. But they could wait a while longer.
* * *
I sentNara home in an Uber since I liked to do a pass-through at the hotel on Sundays just to make sure the place was in decent shape after a busy Saturday night. As I settled into my office, my cell rang. It was my attorney, Joe. Why was he calling me on a Sunday?
“Joe? What’s up?”
“Did you have a run-in with a guy named Simon Robinson last night?”
That English shithead. “I did. He threatened my date, Nara. I slugged him.”
“Well, it seems he’s pressing charges.”
Oh, for chrissakes.
“That little fucker. You know what he’s doing to her—”
“Brodie, I don’t care what he’s doing to anyone. My job is to keep you out of trouble. Please don’t go hitting people.”
Goddamn. Why hadn’t I killed that little weasel? Well, because then I’d be headed to prison. Just like my father.
“Brodie? Can I get your word? That you won’t go hitting anyone else?”
“Yes, Joe, of course. You’re right. I had a lapse in judgment.”
“Cool. Okay, I’m getting back to my Sunday. Tomorrow I’ll work on getting the charges dropped. Be a good boy.”
“Will do, Joe. Thanks for calling.”
Perhaps I’d had a lapse in judgment in trying to take care of Simon on my own. Next time, I’d have someone else handle him for me.
* * *
“Dalt.”It was early to be calling my brother in San Francisco, but I really needed to talk.
“Bro, what’s up?” he asked with a big yawn.
“Hey man, sorry I woke you.”
“You okay? All good out there on the East Coast?” he asked me.
“Yeah. I suppose.” I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
“I’m glad you called,” he said. “I think I’ve got some investors for you to talk to.”
I sat up straight in my chair. “Get the hell out. You’re kidding me.”
“No, man. They’re heavy hitters and they trust my judgment. I think they’d like to invest in a property in San Francisco and New York.”
My heart was pounding so hard it made my head hurt.
“Dude. Are you shitting me?” I asked.
“Put together a proposal, show off what you’ve done with Hotel Vertigo, and I think you’ll be able to sell them.”
“Holy shit, Dalt. You are fucking kidding me.” My head reeled with the possibilities.
Maybe everything would be okay. Could I even hope? It had been so long.
