by Katie Dowe
“Graham is more than capable of doing-”
“Graham is Vice President of the company but lacks vision. David is weak even though he is very hardworking. You have been running away from this ever since you came of age. You are the youngest, but you are the strongest and I want you at the helm.”
“Dad, that’s not a very good idea. I have plans to go to Europe for several months and-”
“You are not going to deny a sick old man his desire, are you?” Graham Senior stared at his son, knowing that he would never be able to say no to that.
“You fight dirty,” Nicholas muttered, looking at his father shrewdly. “Graham is going to have a hissy fit.”
“I will deal with Graham and the board. Peterson’s Petroleum needs you, Nicholas. It needs your vision and your strength.”
“How soon?”
“Starting Monday.”
“That’s four days away!”
“I am going to need you to go in and sit with the board. I am going to call them in and talk to them and update them on my decision. You can redecorate my office however you want to,” he said with a slight smile.
“Your shoes are too big for me to fill, Dad,” Nicholas said grimly seeing his carefree lifestyle going up in smoke.
“Nonsense! You are going to do fine.”
******
“You son of a bitch!” Graham barged into the living room of the manor where Nicholas was standing by the window looking out on the rolling landscape. His father had spoken to him yesterday about taking over from him and he had gone back to his apartment to pace and think. He did not want the position, in fact thinking about it was giving him hives! But he could not say no and he had a feeling his father had counted on that. He had swung by the manor to collect his mother so they could go to the hospital together.
“That’s our mother you are referring to, bro,” he told his brother sardonically.
“You don’t deserve it!” Graham’s hands were clenched at his sides and his chest was heaving. He was as different from his brother as night from day. Nicholas was the youngest but was more than a foot taller and where Graham was stiff and unyielding, Nicholas was relaxed and easygoing until he got angry. Graham had always envied him and had worked hard to prove to himself that he could be the one to take over the company when the time was right. He had no fear of David competing with him for the position because his brother did whatever he told him to.
“I guess you are right.” Nicholas shrugged carelessly. “Dad forced it on me. What was I supposed to do?”
“You could have said no!”
“Why would I do that?” Nicholas looked at him with eyebrows raised.
“You are going to run the company into the ground,” Graham predicted.
“I strongly doubt that,” Nicholas said dryly. “I am counting on you and David to be with me and show me the ropes. I am sure that no matter how much you resent me right now, you are going to do the right thing.”
Graham glared at him for a moment and then without a word he turned on his heel and left.
He went to the side board and poured himself a stiff drink. He was going to need more than this!
Chapter 5
She did not hear from him and she told herself that she did not mind. She had read in the papers that his father had had a heart attack and that Nicholas was taking over as the new president of the company. She had read the entire thing right in her office and had stared at his picture for a long time. He had been dressed in a dark blue business suit and light blue tie and had looked handsome and unapproachable as if the title had somehow made him that way. He had made love to her in her office and had awoken her sexual appetite and desires and had not called her back. It had been two weeks since he had taken her on the sofa in her office and she could still feel the imprint of his body on hers. If she closed her eyes, she could smell the tangy scent of his aftershave and how taut his muscles felt and she could feel the length of his penis filling up inside her. She could not bear to go on the sofa and had fleetingly wondered if she should have it removed.
She forced herself to continue with the work at hand. Her company was treating the children’s home in her community and she had decided to be there to see it happen. She had moved away from Willow Tree when she was twenty-five and had gone back a few times but had never been to where she had lived when she was little. The house was still there and somehow she had felt the need to maintain it and have someone go in and clean it once a week. It held too many memories for her and most of them were bad.
Her head lifted as her assistant came in. “Your dad has been calling,” the woman told her quietly. Heather was very discreet and had never asked her about her relationship with her dad and she had never offered one.
“I will call him back shortly. What do I have on for today?”
Heather reeled off a list of things she had to do and Kelsey mentally discarded the ones she would not do.
“You were planning to go on that cruise for the week. Have you changed your mind?” Heather asked her as she got to her feet.
Kelsey looked up at her for a moment and then shook her head. “I have too many things I have to deal with.”
“I hope I am not jumping ahead of my place when I say this,” she said quietly. “You work very hard, Kelsey, and you have accumulated a lot. But I do not see you really enjoying the fruits of your labor.”
Kelsey settled back against the soft butter-like chair around her desk. “For years I went hungry, never having enough to eat.” She smiled fleetingly. “I used to dream about taking vacations and not having to worry about money. Now I have money and do not have the time. But you are right. I have to schedule that sometime soon.”
Heather beamed at her and nodded as she left.
For the first time since she had started making money, she realized that it was not enough!
*****
Nicholas stared at the figures in front of him moodily. He had been sitting in his father’s chair for the past two weeks now and it felt as if he had been there for two years. Every decision ended up on his desk. No wonder he had had a heart attack! The secretary or his father’s secretary was competent enough to guide him through the process and the endless board meetings and staff meetings were enough to drive him crazy! His social life had disappeared completely and he found himself coming in early and leaving late. Peterson’s Petroleum did a lot of business around the world and held a staggering amount of assets! The fruits and vegetables side of the company was mostly run by David who saw to it that the shipments were in order and were sent off on time. They had farms all over the country producing a massive amount of fruits and vegetables and thousands of people employed to them. Nicholas had stared at the files in shock the first time they had been brought in to him. The meeting with the board had not gone over too well, and Nicholas had a feeling that if it was not for his father’s influence and the fact that he was well liked, the stiff faced elderly men sitting around the long table in the large conference room would have up and gone. He also had a feeling that Graham was waiting for him to make even one mistake.
“The rig in Texas met with some difficulties. There was an explosion and the police are saying that it was deliberate.” Sonia Matheson was in her fifties but looked much younger and had been with the company for the past twenty years. She was a svelte brunette who anticipated her boss’ needs before they were even formulated. She had not raised a slim tapered brow at the fact that she was now working for Nicholas instead of his father and had delved in immediately, keeping him abreast of what was happening. “I have already scheduled the jet for you to go there this afternoon to find out what is going on. Brent Paulson is the private investigator your father uses in cases like these and he is already on his way there.”
“Thanks.” Nicholas looked at the woman in admiration. “It’s a pity you are already married,” he said with a twinkle in his emerald green eyes.
“Even if I was not, it would not make a difference,” sh
e said smoothly with a glimmer of a smile on her perfectly made up face. “Graham is going to want to mention this to the board. I suggest you call a meeting and let them know before you leave.”
“Good plan. My brother is itching to find something to blame me for.”
“Don’t let him.”
******
Maisie watched as her husband paced the length of their elegant living room, a furrow on his brow. The situation in Texas had been handled and everything was now back to normal. Nicholas had shown them that he was worth something after all and that did not sit very well with Graham, who had been waiting for him to make a mistake. “I thought you would be pleased at the outcome,” she said to her husband as she crossed her elegant legs and sipped the after dinner wine. She and Graham had been married for almost twenty years and for all that time he had been obsessed with getting control of the company. It did not matter to him that as Vice President of the huge company he was privy to a vast amount of wealth that made them lack for nothing. The beautiful five-bedroom house they lived in was bought and paid for by the company and so were the Lamborghini and Corvette he drove and also her BMW. Their children’s education was as a result of Graham Senior who had set up a trust for each of his grandchildren for them to inherit when they turned eighteen. But that still was not enough for him. He wanted it all!
He turned and glared at her. She was a beautiful decoration for his arm with her soft golden skin that she had spent so much effort getting to that shade and her dark brown hair with a hint of red in it. Her eyes were a light green and her lips were rosy. He had chosen her deliberately because of the way she looked and the fact that she had come from a well-established family who, although not as wealthy as they were, had money at their disposal. He had also chosen her because he had wanted to please his father. “What the hell do you know?” he growled.
“I know that the company belongs to the three of you and it is time you started working together to make it work. Nicholas did a very good job at diverting a crisis and you should be pleased.”
“I always knew you wanted him to screw you,” he sneered.
Maisie looked at him for a moment and then to his surprise she burst out laughing, the tinkling sound echoing in the large living room. She got up gracefully and came towards him, reaching out a delicate hand to touch his rigid jaw. “You have no idea,” she said smugly and left him staring after her.
He made as if to go after her to ask her what that meant but stopped himself. He had better things to do and more to worry about!
*****
“Your first three weeks in office and you are already doing better than I did when I first started.” Graham Senior handed his youngest son the scotch and settled for his fruit juice. He had been told by his doctors to take it easy and stay off the alcohol for a while. He had put off taking the cruise to see how his son was adjusting to the position, but now he was sure he could leave with confidence.
“Tell that to my brothers,” Nicholas said grimly as he drank down the liquor with a slight grimace. “Graham hovers around waiting to see me trip up.”
“I have spoken to him about that.” Graham Senior eyed him speculatively. “The way you dealt with the oil situation in Texas has the board in your corner.” He swirled the drink around in his glass a if it were alcohol. “I noticed that your social life is nonexistent. No one you are interested in?”
His mind drifted fleetingly to the one hot evening he had had in Kelsey Jordan’s office several months ago, but he deliberately forced it from his mind. He had not called her and he had seen in the papers that she had started dating some African American actor. He had not been with anyone since… His mind shied away from the thought as he felt his body reacting to the memory. “Too much work.”
“All work and no play.” His father automatically said the words he had spoken to Kelsey.
“Time enough for that,” he said casually.
*******
Kelsey sipped her wine and smiled at something Dennis said to her. He had invited her out to dinner and she had accepted. The papers had linked them together ever since they had been seen dancing together at a function. She knew he wanted more, but she was not prepared to give that. He had kissed her lightly on the lips, but she had been far from moved.
He was going off on location next week and had said he wanted to say something to her.
“You are a very beautiful woman,” he told her softly, reaching for her hands. They were in an exclusive restaurant uptown and she had made the effort by putting on a teal blue dress that suited her well. Her hair was loose around her face and made her looked a lot younger than her thirty-two years.
“Thank you.”
“I have been married before as you know and it never worked out. That usually happens when you are in the same line of work,” he said with a crooked smile. He had dark chocolate skin and amazingly white teeth. His hair was cut close to his scalp and he was tall and well built. He was also a very talented actor. “I like you a lot, Kelsey, and am attracted to the fact that you fought for what you have. It is the same with me,” he continued. “I grew up in the projects but was determined to make it in life. I think we have a lot in common.”
“I am not sure I am looking for a relationship right now, Dennis,” she told him gently, thinking of how far she had come. But what was she saying? Her biological clock was ticking furiously and she wanted to have children. Maybe she should ignore the fact that she did not feel fired up for him and just go with it!
“Will you at least think about it when I am gone?” His deep voice was very persuasive, and she found herself nodding her head.
“Good,” he said briskly as he beckoned to the waiter. “Now let’s enjoy the meal.”
That night after she got home she sat on the side of her bed and looked around her room with a sigh. He had tried to kiss her lips, but she had moved and he had gotten her cheek. She had seen the look of disappointment on his handsome face and had felt the regret. He had asked her to think about them becoming exclusive, but she knew the answer to that already. She would never feel anything remotely like what she had felt when Nicholas touched her. She had had her one night of fantasy sex and that was that! She got up and slipped the dress over her head, taking it to the large walk in closet to put it away. She stood there staring at the clothes hanging there, some of which she had not worn yet. When she had bought the apartment it had come with an adequate closet but not enough for her things. She had hired someone to come in and tear it down and redesign it. Now her closet was larger than the home she had lived in as a child. She walked over to where the dresses were and trailed her hand over the flash of bold colors. She was a wealthy black woman who could buy anything she wanted and yet still there was something missing. She placed her hands over her flat stomach and kept it there. No amount of money could make up for the lack of a child and that was what was missing from her life!
******
Nicholas sat there at the head of the table as the board meeting commenced. It was strange to find himself in this position sitting and presiding over a board meeting for the company. Graham had taken his seat at the other end and gave his brother a glaring look. David was intent on not rocking the boat, so he stayed clear.
“We have the matter of the discarded fruits and vegetables that David came up with the brilliant idea to use as compost.” Graham sent his brother an approving smile, either ignoring the fact or not caring that, as head of the company, the meeting was supposed to have started off by Nicholas.
The other members stared at both brothers and sat there in an uncomfortable silence. “Thank you for that, Graham,” Nicholas said with a pleasant smile, not giving the slightest indication that he was annoyed. “Our overseas market is doing quite well and the sales projection for this year has increased significantly.”
There was a scattering of applause as the men nodded. There were several more matters dealt with before the members slowly left the room, each of them clapping Nicholas on
the back for the work he was doing.
“You think you have established yourself as head of the company?” Graham asked furiously as soon as the door closed, leaving the three brothers sitting there.
“Graham, don’t start-”David began nervously but was cut off by the furious look his brother sent him.
“You just waltz in here and think you can take over! Okay, fine, you handled the situation in Texas in a credible manner, but that does not mean you know what the hell you are doing.”
Nicholas shrugged and went to pour himself a drink. “Maybe you are right.”
“Maybe?” Graham scoffed. “I am right! It is only a matter of time before you screw up and both David and I are going to have to clean up your mess. You don’t care about the company like we do! You said so yourself. All you care about is screwing the next available woman and jet setting all over the world.”
Nicholas felt the weariness falling on his shoulders. He had stayed away from the company for this very reason. To him, it was foolish to be fighting for a position when you already held one of authority, but he had noticed that the more money people found themselves with was the more power they wanted. No wonder the world was such a screwed up place!
“How much are you earning?” he asked his brother, who stared at him in shock.
“What?”
“How much are you earning?”
“You already know how much I am earning!” Graham said tightly, looking at him as if he had lost his mind. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“I know how much you earn and how much this company provides for your family and for yours as well.” His green gaze took in David, who shrank back a little bit. “We are benefitting greatly from this place in every way and yet you are determined to fight me every step of the way.”
“You don’t deserve it,” Graham muttered, avoiding his gaze.
“We have established that and I have been put here by our father, so deal with it!”
