“What?” she asks, her breath hitching.
“Your lips wrapped around my cock.”
Her tongue flicks across her bottom lip, swiping up another crumb. “Is that right?”
A smirk spreads across my face as I run my nose along her jawline until my lips are at her ear. “You’d love it. I’d play with your tits, squeezing and tugging on your sweet nipples. I wouldn’t even come in your mouth. I’d shoot my load all over those glorious tits, baby.”
I glance down her top where the soft globes rise and fall. She squeezes her legs together and I grin, satisfied she’s as turned on as me.
“Wyatt,” she moans breathlessly, her head tilting to the side.
I lean in, ready to take those lips, when the door to the building is thrown open. I stand straight, glancing down at Evie, who has gone pale, her eyes widening and aimed toward the door.
“Yeah, so you’ll have to take this for the quickest route,” she rambles, and my eyebrows pinch together when she gives me a pointed look, jerking her head towards Jaxon. I shake my head, grinning.
She’s cute.
“You ready to go?” Jaxon asks, grabbing paperwork from his desk.
Evie relaxes when he doesn’t say anything more, no doubt brushing off any concern she has about him seeing how close we were. She’s wrong though. Jaxon isn’t stupid. He sees everything.
I turn to Jaxon when what he says registers. “Where are we going?”
“Mr Yang called. He would like to meet with us. He’s staying at the Catherina Hotel.”
Every muscle in my body tenses. After Black’s receptionist let it slip that her boss tried to poach an art dealer and got turned away, we have been waiting months to see Mr Yang. Maybe after today’s meeting we can get answers as to why Black is obsessed with our company and how Mr Yang comes into the equation.
I head over to my desk, grabbing my jacket off the back of the chair. “Let’s go.”
“Wait, what about the Smith removal?” Evie calls out.
Jaxon pauses at the door, groaning. “Get Eli onto it, please, Evie. Tell him to get Rob to cover his job as its smaller.”
“Okay,” she replies, already reaching for her phone.
Once we’re outside, Jaxon punches me in the arm. “Seriously, Wyatt. Stop flirting with our receptionist. She isn’t like the other chicks that come into your life.”
“Jesus, what has your boxers in a bunch,” I snap, rubbing the mark he’s left on my arm.
“We don’t need the extra workload she takes care of for us. Not right now, not when Black has upped his game.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snap. I’m glad he doesn’t know it’s gone past flirting already; I have a feeling he’d kick my arse.
“Good. Now let’s go get some answers. He promised not to delay or cancel this time.”
We’ve dealt with Mr Yang a few times. Not only do we have a container that holds his personal art collection, but we run shipping containers for him overseas. He’s the one who helped get our contract with the shipping company.
If he can help, he will. He has been straight up with us from the start.
*** *** ***
“I feel like I should have changed into a suit or something,” I whisper, narrowing my gaze on the suit who keeps staring at us.
Jaxon, not in the mood to mess around, growls low under his breath. “Fucking ignore them.”
I would if they weren’t acting like we are criminals about to storm the hotel. From the minute we walked in, we have been fussed over. The concierge looked ready to pass out when we pulled up in the van. We had to push past him just to get into the hotel, where he ran ahead to get the manager.
There, we had to wait for the manager to contact Mr Yang and confirm our visit. It’s been a joke from the get-go.
The stares from onlookers are just as bad. And right now, we are in a crowded lift with six other people inside. While Jaxon and I are wearing cargos and our work T-shirts with our logo on, the others are dressed in suits or work attire.
The doors open and I let out a breath when four people get off, giving the rest of us more room. They might have looked good, but someone needed to learn the benefits of deodorant.
The lift attendant shakily looks over at us. “Your floor is next.”
“We don’t even get a ‘sir’ like the rest,” I mutter, bending my knee and resting my foot against the back of the lift.
The woman to the left of me gasps, and when I glance in her direction, she’s shaking her head in disgust, her gaze on my foot.
Jesus, you’d think I was vandalising the place.
The door opens, and instead of waiting for the lift attendant to speak, me and Jaxon push off the back of the lift and step out. I can hear the sighs of relief behind us.
Growling, I turn back around, eyeing each of them. “Get fucked! You might lighten up a little.”
Jaxon pulls me away from the gasps of outrage. “Pack it in,” he snaps. “We’re here to do a job.”
A large bald guy steps away from the door down the hall, a walkie talkie attached to his chest.
“What the fuck does he eat? Children?” I murmur, staring at the wall of muscle.
“Mr Yang is ready for you,” he tells us, pushing the door open for us to enter.
The marble floor gleams when we step inside to a large open-spaced living area. Sitting on the cream, leather, half-moon-shaped sofa is Mr Yang, looking as respectable as ever in his navy-blue suit, a white handkerchief hanging out of the breast pocket.
He stands, his black leather shoes clicking on the marble floor as he approaches. “Welcome,” he greets, giving a small bow.
“Thank you for seeing us,” Jaxon replies.
He gestures for us to take a seat in the two leather single chairs opposite him, before he reaches down, lifting his trousers a little before he takes his own seat.
“What can I do for you gentlemen? It seemed pretty urgent.”
“What do you know of Andrew Black?” Jaxon asks, getting right to the point.
Mr Yang’s jaw clenches, and he nods to someone over our shoulders. I don’t bother to turn as I listen to footsteps approaching. A woman enters, carrying a tray with a tea pot and three mugs.
“What would you like to know?” he drawls, taking the drink offered. Jaxon and I decline, both intent on getting answers.
“Why does he want our business for starters, and what does it have to do with you? His receptionist let slip that he approached an art dealer. And you already know about the attempted break in, one of which would have been your container.”
“As you know, the art I deal with is very rare. There are people all over the world who would love to get their hands on it. I chose your company as it was off the beaten path, so to speak.”
Neither Jaxon nor I take offence. We know this is the case with most of our clients. Why look at some low-income company with nowhere near the security as others when they could go to a top of the line company elsewhere? But it’s why they choose us. No one would think to look or rob a place like ours. We don’t care that that’s their reason for picking us either. It pays bills and brings us in an income that lets us improve.
“We know that,” Jaxon replies, when Mr Yang gives us a moment for that to sink in.
“You also know that I couldn’t contract out the shipping route myself. As an international buyer and seller, I don’t have jurisdiction. Helping you get the contract helped me and whoever else uses that shipping route.”
We do have others. There are many stops along the way, and it’s much longer than flight shipments. However, we avoid border checks and only do product checks when that container hit its destination. It’s complicated, and although we own that contract, we don’t run it. We just give the when and where and details to our handler. He’s a friend Jaxon grew up with who joined the Army at eighteen. When he left due to an injury a few years ago, Jaxon hired him. It worked out since neither me nor one of my brothers wants to leave o
ur family home.
“I don’t get what that has to do with Black,” I offer, itching for information.
Mr Yang gives me a weary smile. “Mr Hayes,” he drawls, looking directly at me. “You have a container filled with artefacts and paintings that don’t go through the correct border channels. Tell me, why would someone want their hands on that?”
“Drugs,” Jaxon breathes, sitting straighter in his seat.
“What?” I ask, looking between the two men, missing something. “But the containers are still checked once they reach the destination.”
“And if given the right amount of incentive, that could be overlooked. Mr Black came to me a while back with an offer to take over my shipment. He said he could move more product. Insulted, I put him straight, which is when he told me his plans to use my container to move product.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us?” I growl, clenching my fists. “Our brother was stabbed, we’ve nearly had our warehouse set on fire, and just this Saturday gone, we were stuck in a burning building that Black had thugs set alight.”
“I am sorry for the delay. I hadn’t thought Mr Black would approach you. But I can see why he has. In buying your company, he would be buying our contracts that come with it.”
Mr Yang’s calm composure is grating on my nerves. Jaxon holds his hand up when I go to argue.
“But why did he break into the containers on our property? What do you have that he wants?”
“I don’t have anything he wants. He’s after something he can use. If I were to guess, Mr Black assumes I’m hiding stolen goods and wants to use it as blackmail. Which wouldn’t be the first time if my intel is correct. He has done this before, and many have given in to his demands. I, however, do not deal with anything illegal, I can assure you, so therefore, there is nothing for him to find. This must be frustrating to him, so he’s upping his game on buying your company.”
“You knew this was going to happen,” I state, watching him closely. I know he’s intelligent, but he always seemed too stuck up his own arse to clue in to those around him.
“I’m a wealthy man, Mr Hayes. I did not get this far in life being clueless. I make it my mission to know potential threats around me. I’m also good at reading people, and Mr Black is a desperate man. He will do anything it takes to get what he wants.”
Jaxon runs a hand over his jaw. “So why now? You’ve been avoiding us for months and we nearly lost our business. Why tell us this now?”
“Because I am aware that you and your family, Mr Hayes, are proud of the company you built. If you are the man I know you to be, then taking on investors would be an insult to what you have built.”
“You’ve got that right,” I growl. We worked too hard to get our company up and running for people to come in and tell us how to run things. We aren’t a brand, but we are the fucking best at what we do.
“Which is why I never offered to invest. But you see, even without a percentage of your company, I am invested in it succeeding. So, I had my team draw up a plan,” he announces, flicking his fingers, gesturing for someone to come in.
I glance over my shoulder and see a beautiful woman who looks to be in her late twenties walk in, her long black hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her black pinstripe suit fits her body perfectly, accentuating her hips as they sway from side to side.
“This is Ru Tang. She is one of the best fact finders and business women I know.”
She bows, smiling at Yang. “Thank you, Mr Yang.”
She sits down and places booklets in a line across the coffee table between us.
“In front of you are contract—”
“We aren’t selling or looking for investors,” Jaxon growls, standing.
“Sit down, Mr Hayes. This is not a contract for investing or buying your property, I assure you.”
Sitting back down, Jaxon shares a look with me. I shrug, not knowing what to think either. “What is it then?”
“We are, in a better term, donating money to your company. It will be put through as an investment, but not in a way that gives me shares to your land or company. I want to improve your security system if you are to take my offer. I have already contacted a team that can install steel-force doors and walls to protect your buildings, and since speaking with you, I will also ask if there is any way to enforce a fireproof system. It is my wish, though, to donate a new building. Miss Tang, please explain,” he lightly orders, sitting back with his tea.
I’m stumped because there has to be a catch. There always is.
Ru leans forward, resting her hands on her knees. “After conducting research on you and your family, we found out that the factory or warehouse wasn’t originally meant to be that close to the home.”
“Um, no,” Jaxon mumbles, shaking his head. “I didn’t have a lot to start with and the foundation was already there from the old barn. It just made sense to build it there. Our mum wasn’t happy to begin with since it was an eyesore.”
She nods, lifting a sheet of paper and setting it down on the table. It’s a bird’s eye image of unused land on our property.
“I took the liberty, at Mr Yang’s request, to find a suitable place on your land to build. With my expertise, and after enquiring with a few people, we believe this plot of land to the south is the best to build on. It used to have a residence there, but it was knocked down in nineteen-sixty-two. It hasn’t been used since then. It has a road that can be restored, and gates can surround the area of land without it ruining the land or view from other owners.”
“I’m sorry to be rude, but what on earth is going on?” Jaxon asks, glancing between Yang and Ru.
“Mr Yang would like to donate the money to have this new build built. Here, with the plans that are drawn out, would not only set you away from your family home, stopping visitors from coming and going, but it would be bigger than what you have now. We can give you a unit that will be hard for anyone to break in.”
“Why would you think we want to move our company?” I ask. “And something of that magnitude would take months, if not over a year to build.”
Jaxon curls his lip at me. “More to the point, why would you do this? What is the catch?”
Mr Yang sits forward, buttoning up his jacket. “Because I do not like being messed with, Mr Hayes. From my understanding, Mr Black nearly drove you to lose your company. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen. This will ensure you get more business and better security. Wasn’t your sister hurt during the break in?”
“Yes, she was, and it won’t happen again. We have taken more measures to make it safe.”
My Yang holds his palms up. “I’m not here to tell you how to run your business. You have no complaints from me. I, too, started from the bottom, and I respect those who do the same. Mr Black, however, I do not, and I would like to make sure he doesn’t get a chance to take it from you. It will affect me also.”
Sitting forward, I clasp my hands together. “Mr Yang, you do not need to spend thousands, if not more, on a new building to keep your art safe. We can dissolve your contract at any time for you, and if we thought you’d ever be at risk, we’d do it without question.”
He shares a smile with Ru before turning back to us. “Which is why I am doing this, Mr Hayes. Please, take our proposals and think them over. We would not be exchanging anything for this… donation. Everything will remain yours and yours only. Or we can merely improve the current location.”
“I can’t promise you anything, Mr Yang. I, personally, don’t feel comfortable with you giving this to us. Not when we haven’t earned it,” Jaxon warns him.
“He’s right. Our brothers might feel the same way about it. What you propose isn’t far from Jaxon’s original plans, so we will think about it.”
I, for one, know Mum was gutted when Jaxon used the land she had hoped a few of us would build homes on. The land has been handed down for generations and is owned outright. It was her plan to make sure it stayed that way.
“That is
all I can ask.”
“Is there anything else we should know?” Jaxon asks, taking the papers from Ru as he stands.
“Just that he is a very angry man. His father, much the same. They built their business on blackmail, and Andrew Black is the worst. It seems that… what is that word, Ru?”
“Karma,” she answers, smiling at her boss.
“Yes, that Karma is catching up to him since he met you.”
“Well, thank you for seeing us, and for the offer,” I tell them, still speechless as to what to say.
He bows his head and we make for the door, but Jaxon pauses halfway out, turning around. “Do you know what he uses to blackmail them?”
Yang looks from Ru to us, his eyebrows drawing together. “From the rumours I have heard, he has anything from voice recordings to video recordings to records and photos.”
“And?” I ask when I see him look away.
“And a friend heard through the grapevine that Mr Black has also threatened those closest to his target to get what he wants. I would keep your family very close, gentlemen.”
“Fuck,” Jaxon growls, running his fingers through his hair. I know he’s thinking of Lily and their unborn baby right now, and I don’t blame him. Black has a lot to answer for.
We give one last farewell to Mr Yang and Ru Tang before leaving. Once we step out into the cold air outside the hotel, Jaxon turns to me, his face somewhat pale. “We need to call a family meeting now, at the office.”
I nod, confirming that we do. There is no way we can make this decision by ourselves. This will affect everyone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
WYATT
I can feel the tension in the air as everyone congregates in the warehouse, waiting for Jaxon and me to finish informing everyone of what we learned during our meeting with Yang. Even Reid, who is still recovering, arrived. He instantly moved towards his desk chair, where he collapsed, sweat pouring from his temples.
Jaxon told Evie to stay since she has a right to know if any changes are going to be made. He wants her to be aware of the seriousness of the situation when it comes to Black too.
Eye for an Eye (Take a Chance Book 2) Page 12
