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Chapter one
Montgomery William-Price
Montgomery waited patiently inthe waiting room for Richie to join him. He wasn't alone, as other inmates were also getting visits from friends and family. There were several looks his way, but he ignored the attention. For one thing, he was used to getting it. For another, he didn't care. It'd been over a month since the last time he had a chance to visit his best friend, and he'd been quite busy. Problems with the family business and just family in general had been weighing on him. But the bit of great news he had to tell his friend had his spirit uplifted. He checked his watch once more, and when he heard the door open, he looked up. Smiling, he rose to greet Richie, who looked different every time he'd seen him. He looked more defined in his muscles. A result of working out, he was sure.
The two men hugged, then released each other before settling down. “Damn, Zach, you look good, mate,” Monty said, his upper-crust British accent as crisp as his suit. He used Richie's nickname, the one he'd been calling him since they were children. He ran his blue eyes over Richie from head to toe, taking in the full account of his friend's appearance.
Richie smiled. “Thanks. Been working out a little. But hey, you look great too. No three-piece suit today?”
Monty chuckled. He was dressed in what he considered casual wear. Slacks, button-up shirt, and blazer. Still extremely stylish. His blond hair was combed back to tame his unruly curls. “It's my day off, family business has been keeping me occupied. Sorry that I couldn't visit last month.”
Richie waved dismissively. Sure, he had become accustomed to getting those precious visits from Monty, but he understood. Besides, he'd received several visits from the members of the Lords of Chaos, including Dasan and Dragon's other brothers and sisters. “Don't worry about it. I know that shit happens.”
Monty nodded and sighed as he looked around. “How is it going in here?”
Richie shrugged. “Not bad. I mean, as you know, I'm still prospecting for the Lords. Got to meet a few of them and they are an intimidating bunch. I mean, I got a taste of them from Dragon, Dopey, and TT. But meeting Ace, Maverick, Burger, Sofia, and Gina was an experience, to say the least. No one sibling is the same.” He laughed and shook his head. “I also met the club president and his old lady. Better known as Dragon's Mom and Dad. Dasan was scary as hell and now that I think about it, so was his wife, Liliana. But she still welcomed me with open arms. I guess Dragon told them how much we mean to each other.”
Monty listened to the updates as they came, happy to see his best friend was in good spirits. He knew that a lot of it was just Richie's fortitude, but he also knew that falling in love with Dragon and finding friendship with the Lords played a huge part in why his friend could smile so brightly.
“I'm happy to hear that you're in love,” Montgomery said.
Richie grinned. “Deeply, madly... crazy in love. Oh man, I can't wait for you to meet Dragon. You'll love him.”
“If he can make you this elated, I'm sure I will.”
Richie nodded. “So, tell me about you. What’s going on? Did your family make you get married?”
Montgomery snorted. “They had been pestering me to do so. To marry a nice, rich boy. The son of one of my father's friends, but more importantly, a business associate. I refused.”
“Why would they try to force you to marry anyway?” Richie asked.
“By tradition. It's old school, but rich people still want their kids to marry other rich people. Someone who can keep the wealth growing. Hence the reason why our circles consist of people in our status bracket,” Monty said.
Richie sighed and nodded. He wasn't nearly as rich as Monty, which was one of the reasons why Montgomery's family never really approved of them being friends. He was even told to stay away from Monty when he was fourteen, but Monty wouldn't have any of it. He defied his parents back then for their friendship and they just had to accept that Richie was a part of Monty's life even when they didn't like it. He could only imagine how much they hated Monty being his friend knowing he was a criminal now.
“Of course, it wasn't until recently that I discovered why my parents were trying to marry me off. The business is in a bit of a predicament. We've had some bad investments on my father's part that has the company in jeopardy. Now, I'm just trying to figure out how to cut costs to keep us afloat. We may have to claim bankruptcy,” Monty said, and his lips thinned in a line that was just shy of a frown.
Richie's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open. “Holy fuck,” he gasped. He leaned forward to whisper. “What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to enjoy my time with my best friend, then I'm going to relieve some stress later tonight at Scarlet Letter. Thelast thing I want to think about is the family business. It's been consuming my every waking moment for the past three months. My father had wanted to marry me off before any reputable families got wind of our financial woes. When I refused, I inadvertently ruined any chance of saving our company through a corporate merger with a wealthier family. Needless to say, I'm not my family's favorite person right now.”
“Fuck them,” Richie snapped. “They fucked up and then want to put the weight of their poor choices all on your shoulders. It's not your responsibility.”
“I bear some responsibility, though. This is also my company. I'm the sole heir and it was mine to inherit, Zach,” Monty said. “I just need a night where I don't have to think about it.”
Richie wanted to ask so many more questions, like what would he do if they did go under? Would he lose everything? But he saw the sadness in Monty's blue eyes and decided to curb his curiosity. “So, you're going to the Scarlet Letter tonight?” he asked, changing the subject to one he knew would put a smile on his friend's face.
Monty nodded. “I must after the week I've had.”
“So, have you found a sexy sub boy there yet?” Richie asked, then gave his friend a lecherous grin.
Monty chuckled softly and shook his head. “Not yet. I'm very particular. I prefer to watch and on occasion, I may do a scene.” He thought about his last few visits to the club and sighed. “There is this one boy, though.”
Richie's eyebrows arched inquisitively. “Oh? Who?”
“A brat who goes by the name, Ren. One who has boldly approached me, demanding that I become his Dom. I find him utterly annoying. I can tell he's spoiled and used to getting his way. A sub like that is more challenging than I'd like trying to break him in. He turns me off,” Monty said, a sneer on his lips.
“Ahh, I see. Yeah, he does seem like an asshole.”
