by Livia Grant
The men shifted uncomfortably in their chairs having been caught red-handed jumping to the conclusions they were being accused of.
Madison smiled. “It’s okay. I get it. I’ve had to scratch myself to the top over and over because of the way I look. I’m not afraid to do it again with you guys. Now, what else can I tell you that will convince you that I’m the best person for this job?”
A pregnant pause fell on the room as all eyes fell to Jaxson. It was clear the decision was now his. She’d convinced Chase.
“So exactly how much is it going to cost me to lock you into the position? And more importantly, how can I lock you in for at least a year?”
“Well, now, that’s my kind of question!” She laughed as she slammed her scrapbook closed and pulled an iPad out of her bag next. Chase glanced at Maxine who had her own iPad in front of her. He guessed the women had more in common than he’d noticed on the surface.
Madison moved her chair around closer to the men and laid the tablet on the table where they could see it. “You’ll see I took the liberty of making up a proposal for you. I assume you’ve had to sink a major investment into both the property and renovations to get things ready for opening. Because of my unique situation, I’d like to propose a rather low base salary, but I’d like a cut of gross revenue. That way you only pay me if I’m making bank for you.”
“That sounds generous of you, but I’ll have to pass on gross revenue. Now, if you make it a cut of net profit, we might have a deal,” Jaxson negotiated.
“Interesting. That puts a lot more pressure on me. Risky.”
“True, but profit is all we really care about. We need to see a return on our investment or we won’t be in business for long. As a businesswoman, I’m sure you understand,” he added.
“Yes, indeed I do. But there are many things that I’ll need to be able to control in order to sign up for that deal. After all, if you refuse to give me the budget to accomplish what I need to, I won’t be able to effect change. I mean, what if you make boneheaded decisions that I don’t agree with?”
The tiny woman was fearless, facing off with the dominant man that intimidated many, including Chase at times. Jaxson crossed his arms over his chest, holding her stare until she parroted his stance. The two remained in a silent stare down. Chase glanced at Maxine who was grinning from ear to ear.
Unbelievably, Jaxson caved first. “I see why Maxine likes you so much. Are you sure you two aren’t related?” Jaxson deadpanned before finally smiling. The other two people seated at the table sighed as the tension seeped out of the room. “Here is my counter proposal. We’ll start you with a full six-figure annual salary we had planned to pay our manager. You’ll agree to stay a minimum of six months after which we’ll sit down and renegotiate. By then you’ll know that you can trust me to do the right thing by the business, and I’ll know for sure that you’re the right person for the job long term. If so, we can talk profit sharing. Deal?”
Madison hesitated, chewing her gum extra hard as she appeared to weigh her options before thrusting out her tiny hand with meticulously painted and pointed long fingernails. “You have yourself a deal, Mr. Davidson.”
The two shook hands to seal the deal before Jaxson spoke again. “I hope you can start right away. Maxine has been doing a fabulous job, but I’ve promised her husband that I won’t keep her out here away from her family for too long after the club is open.”
“I just need tomorrow off, but then I’ll be all yours.”
Jaxson turned to Maxine and asked, “I assume you’ve covered all of the NDA and security topics with her, including the more private purchasing we’ll want her oversight in, correct?”
“Of course.” Maxine sounded insulted that he’d even asked. “She even consented to a background check which Miguel finished already. Obviously, she wouldn’t have been selected as the front runner if we’d found any problems.”
“Excellent.” Jaxson pushed to his feet, bringing the interview to an abrupt end.
“It was nice meeting you Ms. Taylor… Madison. I look forward to working with you as we turn Runway West into the premier club on this coast.”
The pint-sized woman stood to shake Jaxson’s hand once more. She was over a foot shorter than him, even with her high heels. “You won’t regret hiring me. I promise you that. I’m so stoked to get started.”
“That’s good. We have some long weeks ahead of us until we get everything running smoothly. I hope you’re up for that.”
“You bet I am.”
“Excellent.” Jaxson then turned to Maxine to add, “Chase and I need to head out. We’re going to pick up Emma and then we’ll be out of pocket until mid-day tomorrow. Text me with emergencies only, okay?”
“You got it. I need to track Ted down and get the restroom situation straightened out. That’s the last major obstacle that could mess us up, but with five days left until the grand opening, we should get across the finish line just in the nick of time.”
Jaxson paused and then surprised them all. “I already talked to Avery and she’s on board with a slight change in plans.”
“Oh no, I don’t like changes this close to the finish line,” Maxine grumbled.
“Then you’re going to hate this.” Jaxson glanced nervously at Chase and then back at Maxine and Madison. “I’ve booked a small private party for some good friends for the day before the grand opening so we are down to four days, not five.”
The women both started to argue with Jaxson about it being impossible, but he cut them off.
“Stop. It’s too late. I’m committed to this plan. It will be for less than fifty guests. Avery is onboard for the food and beverage. The grounds are close to ready. Security and music are ready. I know it is a bit of a hassle but look at this as a practice opening with an intimate group.”
Chase hadn’t a clue who Jaxson had made the promise to, but whoever it was had snuck in under the radar. Madison surprised them all by supporting the idea.
“I like it. As long as the guests understand they will be our guinea pigs, it should be fine.”
“Yep, don’t worry about that. You ladies just work towards a Wednesday mid-afternoon party around the pool and then a sit-down dinner for around fifty in the ballroom. It should wrap up early enough to get things reset for the next day’s fashion show during the day and concert in the evening. I’ll share more details tomorrow after we get back.”
Jaxson stopped long enough to take his Ray-Ban sunglasses out and put them on, making him look like the celebrity he was. “Now, Chase and I are running late. Later.”
Chase took his cue from Jaxson who nodded towards the back of the house. The men walked silently side by side through the great room, avoiding the still half-full kitchen and exited through the sliding doors onto the back deck of the mansion. The afternoon sun beat down on the men as they made their way down to the lawn to skirt around the pool towards their house.
They were almost there when Chase finally spoke. “So who the hell did you promise a party to for next week? That seems pretty risky scheduling something earlier rather than later with the deadlines we’re under.”
Jaxson avoided answering the question until they were in the shade of the back patio. He stopped just before opening the sliding glass door and turned to Chase to answer. “You’ll find out soon enough and then you’ll understand. Right now we need to wake up Emma and head to the car.”
“But…”
Jaxson cut him off, placing his fingers over Chase’s lips. He couldn’t resist sucking the quieting fingers into his mouth in a filthy emulation of sucking on other body parts.
An almost feral groan came from deep in his Dom’s throat. “Shit, the things you do to me. We don’t have time for that right now.”
Chase bit down just hard enough to nip the fingers as Jaxson retracted them, causing them both to break out into an easy laughter. Chase’s heart swelled with the love he felt for the man he hoped to spend the rest of his life with. He wasn’t su
re which version of Jaxson he loved more. The ultra-bossy, take charge, alpha dominant or this mischievous, easygoing lover. When Jaxson swatted his ass playfully as they entered the air-conditioned house, Chase decided it was this light-hearted version he loved more, if only because it was reserved for only Emma and him. They had to share dominant Jaxson with the world.
The men stopped just inside the door when he noticed Emma asleep on the couch. She’d curled up around a throw pillow.
“She looks so peaceful. I hate to wake her,” Chase bemoaned.
Jaxson peeked at his watch before answering. “We’re already thirty minutes later than I’d planned. We can’t delay, so we’ll have to wake her.” He moved towards Emma, but Chase reached to hold him back.
“Let me go start the car in the garage. Maybe you could carry her out and she could sleep a bit longer.”
“Yeah, okay, we can try that. I’ll follow in a few minutes.”
Chase jogged to the kitchen, grabbing the keys to his new SUV from the counter and dashing out to start the car just in time for Jaxson to carry a sleeping Emma out. He helped his lovers get settled in the back seat before taking the driver’s seat and putting on his own sunglasses.
“Thanks for joining us, Mr. Davidson. My name is Chase and I’ll be your driver today. What address, please?” Chase tipped his imaginary hat at the rear-view mirror.
“Smartass. Just head towards the 405 and then go south.”
They were a few blocks away when Chase prodded him again. “When are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“So you’ve said. Don’t you think I might need to know since I’m driving?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. I’m not going to tell you without Emma.”
Chase detected a nervous vibe rolling off his Dom, which was so unusual that it put him on edge. With each mile they put behind them, Chase’s anticipation grew until he wanted to scream to wake up Emma in the hopes Jaxson would finally spill his big secret.
“Okay, take the next exit and head west.”
“You do realize we are eventually going to hit the ocean, right?” Chase sassed.
“Just drive towards the marina, will ya?”
A spark of excitement helped Chase speed up. They’d talked about renting a boat to go out on the ocean for a day but had agreed that they were just too busy with the club openings to fit that into their schedule for a few months. If Jaxson had rented them a boat, he had really messed up though since it was already late in the day.
“Emma, baby. It’s time to wake up. We’re almost there.”
Chase looked into the rearview mirror to watch Jaxson trying to rouse their girl who stretched and yawned as she tried to get her bearings.
“Turn into the next driveway and stop at the guard shack,” Jaxson instructed.
Chase went along with the game of follow directions they were playing. Once he was stopped at the entrance, he rolled his window down, unsure what he was going to say to the uniformed guard who approached the SUV’s window.
To his surprise, the guy welcomed him by name. “Mr. Cartwright, we’ve been expecting you.” The guard stuck his head into the window to glance into the back seat before adding. “Mr. Davidson. Ms. Fischer. Welcome to the marina. You can meet your party in the slip next to the California Yacht Club. Just take this main street around as it curves to the left and follow the signs. You can’t miss it. I’ll phone ahead so they know you’re coming.”
Chase didn’t have a damn clue who ‘they’ were that the guard was talking about, but he followed directions, pointing the SUV in what he hoped was the right direction. Several blocks in he saw the sign he was looking for and turned, weaving through crowded parking lots and narrowing streets until he came to a dead-end at the club.
“Go ahead and park in the lot behind the yacht club,” Jaxson instructed.
Chase played along, his curiosity piqued.
It was Emma’s turn to question Jaxson. “Why are we here?”
Only after the car was locked up did Jax reach to grab Chase with one hand and Emma with the other. “You’ll see in just a few minutes. Let’s go.”
The trio made a wide swath that filled the sidewalk leading towards the water. In the distance Chase saw slip after slip filled with boats. Some were motorboats, others sailboats and at the end of the pier were several opulent yachts. They passed boat after boat, narrowing down the selection for their final destination until the only boat left was the biggest yacht they’d seen. He was about to turn and ask Jaxson what was up when Connor Lambert, their lawyer, stuck his head out of the interior cabin to make his way to the back of the ship where it was docked.
“There you are! I was beginning to think you were ditching me,” their lawyer observed.
“Naw, we had to finish up an interview before we could head out.”
“Suit yourself. I’m glad my flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow though.”
Connor reached out to help steady Emma as she climbed aboard, followed by Jaxson, and Chase brought up the rear. He was distracted trying to think about why Jax had kept it a secret that they would be seeing their lawyer and why the hell the meeting was on a boat instead of dry land.
Once they were all onboard, Connor invited them inside. “Come on in. I’ll show you around.”
Chase couldn’t help but comment. “I know you lawyers bill a pretty penny per hour, but we are seriously paying too much if this is your yacht.”
Their lawyer chuckled. “I wish. But it’s nice to have friends in high places. I think I’m going to bring Gabriella out next visit and we can take a trip out to Catalina Island.”
After they crossed the back deck, the trio triggered an auto sliding glass door that opened into the opulent main cabin. Unlike most boats he had been on before, the interior was high enough for even the tall men to stand upright without fear of bumping their heads on the crystal chandelier style lamp in the center of the spacious cabin.
Once his eyes adjusted to the closed space after the bright sunlight, Chase glanced around to find an older couple standing at attention on the far side of the room near what looked like a fully stocked bar.
Connor waved the couple closer to the new arrivals.
“I’d like to introduce you guys to Captain Thomas Burrows and his wife, Camille. The Burrows are going to be your hosts and will be taking very good care of you on your journey today.”
Chase didn’t know what the hell was going on, but Jaxson stepped forward to shake the captain’s hand while nodding at the middle-aged woman next to him.
“Captain. Mrs. Burrows. Thanks for agreeing to sail with us today at such short notice. I assume Mr. Lambert has brought you up to speed on why you are here?”
The older man nodded. “Of course. We’re honored to play a small role in such an exciting event.”
Chase couldn’t hold his tongue. “It’s nice someone knows what the hell is going on around here since I haven’t a clue.”
Jaxson didn’t turn to look at Chase as he scolded him. “You’ll know when I want you to know and not a minute before. Got it?”
Chase could feel the blood rushing to his face, embarrassed at the admonishment. His “Yes, sir,” was reflexive.
Jaxson continued his conversation with the older couple. “And the paperwork? All signed?”
Mrs. Burrows answered, a twinge of indignation in her voice. “All signed, but we have worked for Judge McDonald for years. I resent the implication that we would…”
“Camille that will be enough.” Her husband reached for her arm, squeezing as he pulled his wife closer as he addressed Jaxson. “I’m sorry, sir. My wife takes her role rather seriously. What she means to say is that it’s our honor to be trusted with such an important event and we will ensure not only your privacy, but the confidentiality that you deserve.”
“Thank you, Captain. We do appreciate it.” Jaxson acknowledged before adding. “We just need to wrap up a bit of paperwor
k before Mr. Lambert will be disembarking and then we can head out.”
“Very good, sir. We’ll go up to the bridge. Just ring the bell when you’re ready for us to shove off.”
“Will do, and thanks.” Jaxson nodded and watched them go towards the front of the boat through a narrow hallway and a door at the far end before turning toward Chase and Emma.
Chase wasn’t prepared for the uncertainty on Jaxson’s face as he stumbled for his next words. “So… I…” Jaxson paused, taking a deep breath before plunging forward. “Connor has some paperwork I need you both to sign.”
Emma sounded as confused next to him as Chase felt. “Paperwork? Now? Why would we have to come out here for this? Connor could have just met us at the club if it’s club business.”
Connor looked like he was about to speak, but Jaxson held his hand up to quiet him.
“It isn’t club business.” Jaxson took a nervous breath before adding, “It’s personal.”
Chase parroted his words. “Personal in what way?”
“You’ll find out soon. But for now…” Jaxson glanced back and forth between Emma and him before asking a strange question. “Do you two trust me?”
Emma’s “What?” sounded incredulous.
Chase couldn’t hold in his chuckle. “Seriously? I think that’s the stupidest question you’ve ever asked us.”
“Don’t get cheeky. This is serious.”
The men were in a stare down. Chase didn’t have a clue what the hell was going on, but whatever it was, it had Jaxson on edge. It truly pissed him off that Jaxson had the nerve to ask him such a stupid question, let alone stand in front of him looking like he was worried Emma and Chase could possibly say no.
It was Emma who bridged the awkward standoff between her men by walking between them, reaching up to stroke Jaxson’s chiseled jaw gently until he looked down into her eyes. “I trust you with my life. With the life of our children.” She glanced over her shoulder at Chase to prompt him. “Just like Chase does.”
