by Bellus, HJ
Mr. Right Now
Volume #1
“Party Boys Who Get What They Want”
HJ Bellus
Mr. Right Now, Volume 1
Copyright © 2015 by HJ Bellus.
Formatting: JRA Stevens
Cover Designer: Red Bird Designs
Photographer: FuriousFotog
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of HJ Bellus.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication-
To building my empire and to Golden Czermak. It all started with his hot hotel pictures.
“Dax Sterling, your bail has been posted.”
The gargantuan man emerges from the dimly lit jail cell known as the tank. He ducks as he exits, peering around with one eye open. His thick arms shield his eyes from the light. To say he has a hangover may be the understatement of the century.
Chloe’s heart cringes when she catches sight of him. She recognized the last name and hoped to high hell, and even crossed all ten of her toes, that Sterling, Inc. wasn’t the Sterlings she once knew.
The Sterlings from Chloe’s past reside on the East Coast with their chain of nightclubs, and no way in hell did the group of brothers finally make it out here. Their roots are so deep in Jersey that Satan probably trims them when they invade his subterranean turf. Chloe smiles at the thought of the Sterlings and Satan, because in her book they go hand in hand. Leaving Eli and moving far away was the best decision she ever made.
She thought it was far enough until this morning. Dax was ahead of her in school by quite a few years and definitely hung out in a different crowd. The only reason she knows Dax so well is because of his younger brother, Eli. The boy who garnered her virginity and eventually shattered her heart into pieces.
Releasing her breath, she focuses on the paperwork in front of her and groans under her breath. She has one chance at a promotion, and it’s this deal. The bail money her boss sent with her is no chump change. Seidman Construction was more than willing to finance the project, and with millions already sunk into it, there’s no room for error.
All board members must be present at the meeting to finalize all the plans and sign legal documents. Chloe’s toes cringe in her black spikes. She’s still blown away by the fact she’s bailing out Dax Sterling. Clint’s personality is as dry as they come, and she thinks the cruel joke he is playing on her this morning is suspicious. The whole reality of the situation is priceless because it’s not a joke.
Four board members with the company name Sterling made Chloe a fucking fool for thinking it could’ve been anyone else. She ran from her past, and especially those boys, and now at the height of her career they’re the only ones standing in her way. Karma sure has a fucking funny way of saying ‘hello.’
Clint has been riding her ass all week about having the company’s ducks in a row, and then on the morning of the meeting she has to deal with this bullshit. Everything inside of her is dying to roundhouse the son of a bitch into a cold, unconscious state. His deep voice seeps into her concentration as she steadies the black pen and fills in all the boxes. He’s a charmer and working his magic on some lady officer behind Chloe.
Her blood pressure rises to an all-time high when she hears Dax’s familiar voice and old pick up lines trying to charm a few women guards. Chloe keeps her attention focused on the fine print, making sure to dot all of her i’s and cross her t’s.
The last time a Sterling saw Chloe she was a timid, bleached blonde teen. She’s morphed completely over the years into an opposite picture of what she left on the East Coast. Her hair is now long and raven black, nearly touching the middle of her back. There are no jeans and gym shoes littering her closet these days. No, only business dress suits, sexy blouses, and cocktail dresses adorn each hanger.
A few years back, her mom sent her a front page article in the local paper about the Sterling Brother who can’t control his own addiction. Her mother had sent the paper to show Chloe the article about her prize-winning squash, but the Sterling story held her attention hostage.
It didn’t surprise Chloe that Dax’s party boy personality went from consuming large amounts of alcohol to cocaine. And like always, Cole was the representative for the family, smoothing things over in the media. The man should’ve been a politician.
All Sterling boys were smooth talkers with the women, but Dax set the bar high. Their late father, heir to their fortune, made sure to pass down the trait to them. Even though all were adopted, they didn’t miss a beat of the arrogant, righteous Sterling persona.
Chloe passes over the check along with the paperwork that she was sure to double and triple check. A young, overweight male clerk scans the paperwork and sends an approving nod in her direction.
“He’s all yours.” Pudgy fingers push Chloe’s receipt back in her direction.
Her mind races, buzzing with fear of facing Dax and eventually the Sterling boy who left her in pieces. Chloe runs her palms down the front of her pinstriped dress suit. It wasn’t easy getting to the position she’s in, and by damn if she’ll let her past ruin it. She’s built companies from the ground up, and Seidman’s promised to throw her portfolio over the edge if only she could land them the job of their lives, and that was all in the Sterling Brothers’ hands.
“Dax.” Chloe’s shaky voice echoes in the waiting area.
The beast looks up to her and sends her a wicked grin.
“Yes.” His dark brown eyes bore holes through her chest, and Chloe knows in this exact moment her fate has been sealed yet again by another fucking Sterling man.
“Where in the fuck is he?” Kam’s voice roars in the hotel room. He flew in early this morning and is just becoming privy to the knowledge that Dax was arrested last night. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but long story short, his fists flew and the other man’s blood flowed. Cops came, and he left.
“Eli, what the hell fucking happened last night? You three fuck-wits fly out a night early, and Dax is in jail, and Cole is nowhere to be seen.” Kam slams the contents of a half empty red Solo cup, and Eli knows his brother doesn’t give a fuck what’s in it. He’s clearly pissed and looking for something to numb the edge. He watches his brother’s face contort as the liquid burns while going down, and hopes for his sake there was no disease lingering on the edge of the cup.
“Fuck if I know.” Eli shrugs and continues eating his breakfast of straight protein.
“No one fucking cares that Dax is in the slammer, when we have our final planning meeting this morning with the contractors to get Made To Sin up and operating?”
A thick slice of bacon enters Eli’s mouth as he shrugs again and hopes to fucking hell his brother will lay off. Eli flew in last night with his other two brothers, and then went to bed, while Dax and Cole went out on the town. An idea finally hits Eli, and it’s like his ‘get out of hot water free’ card with Kam.
“Listen, I came straight to the hotel, and the other two jackasses went out. I’ve no clue what went down.”
“Yeah, no biggie, it’s not like concrete needs to be poured or ground broken to start the construction and stay on our tight deadline.” Eli dodges an empty beer bottle flying toward his head as his brother continues
to rip his ass. “Let’s just grab another slice of pussy.”
Eli shakes his head when Kam is done with his holier than thou speech, because Eli knows Kam just likes to talk. He talks the talk when it’s important, and walks the walk when it’s time, and walk the walk means stick his cock in anything that walks. Welcome to the fabulous world of the Sterling Brothers, where the rich get richer and their problems just get bigger.
His vibrating phone distracts Kam from his attack. Eli takes the opportunity to finish his breakfast in peace and quiet. It’s going to be one of the longest fucking days of his career. It takes a miracle to get all four Sterlings to even come close to agreeing. Throwing in a new contracting and construction company is sure to blow a few fuses. On the East Coast they have their people who know exactly how to run things for them. Sterlings get shit done, and there’s no exception.
A clattering noise distracts Eli from his eggs. He glances up to see Kam, who’s finally resigned to a seat on the couch, still checking his phone, and then he notices Cole waltzing from his suite with two women parading behind him. Cole is known as the king of the threesome. He doesn’t discriminate and prefers the number three. If there’s ever a guessing game, you can bet your sweet ass what number he picks every time. Three.
Kam is on his feet in a matter of seconds, firing off questions in Cole’s face. You’d think the half-naked women following Cole were invisible. Kam’s focus is zeroed in on one thing, and one thing only—business. Cole’s face scrunches in pain, and Eli would bet it’s from a killer headache due to lack of sleep and too much alcohol.
“Out, ladies. Party’s over.” Cole’s demanding voice leaves little room for argument. Shock covers their faces, but their feet clearly receive the memo as they scurry from the room.
Kam moves to the door to hold it open for the women, not carrying one ounce of hurt feelings. It’s made clear that daylight is business time. The real party starts when the sun goes down.
Eli pushes his plate to the side and waits for the inevitable fight to go down between those two brothers. Their fights are always the best because of their similar personalities.
“Fucking answers now.” In two strides Kam stands in Cole’s face, waiting on his response.
“Calm the fuck down, brother. We went out last night. Dax lost his temper, and I landed two hot pieces of ass. Someone’s bailing Dax out right now.”
“Unfucking believable. When are the two of you going to grow up?”
“Jesus Christ, Kam.” Eli finally stands and kicks back his chair. “You act like your shit don’t stink. Wait, you only play this whole fucking act when you’re not out partying.”
Kam tries to respond, but Cole cuts him off.
“Both of you shut the fuck up and get dressed. We have a meeting in less than an hour. Dax will meet us there. It’s business time. No room for error, boys.”
Cole snags a buttery croissant from the table before he heads back to his room. Good damn thing Eli didn’t put any money on that fight, because he would’ve lost. He’s shocked how short-lived the spat was. Most of the time between those two it comes to fists until one finally gives in. Their dad always said it was because they were only three months apart.
Dax fell asleep inside the large SUV before they were two blocks from the jail. Chloe didn’t have the nerve to make eye contact with him or even sneak peeks at him in the back seat. It would have been easy. All she’d have to do is glance in the rear view mirror, but she never did. His deep snores were proof enough that he was out.
To say Chloe runs from the SUV when she parks in front of the twenty-story building would be an understatement. It is more a picture of someone with raging diarrhea running from a herd of elephants. She sprints like her ass is on fire to escape being near a Sterling for any longer than necessary.
Chloe bolts into the foyer in search of Clint. The keys to the company SUV fly into his hands. He can be in charge of dressing and sobering the asshole up.
“Good luck,” Chloe throws out before she enters the elevator.
Her finger trembles as she tries to punch in the eleventh floor. This is ridiculous. Actually beyond ridiculous, Chloe thinks to herself. She takes a moment to steady her hands by pressing them down along her suit and exhaling a long, steady breath. This time her hand pushes the lit up buttons with a twinge of confidence. The steel doors drag slowly shut and Chloe melts into a puddle of nerves. Relaxing back onto the brown paneling of the elevator, she tries to play out this meeting several different ways.
If she can barely handle Dax, how in the hell is she supposed to keep her composure around all four of them? Her future and promotion replay over and over in her mind. Mr. Graves, CEO of Landings, Inc., promised Chloe her own division of contractors to manage if this deal goes through. And if it doesn’t, she’ll remain trapped under Clint.
He’s not the worst boss, but he has never allowed Chloe to work to her full potential. She’s fine and dandy doing all the leg work behind the scene and cleaning up messes like this morning, but when it comes to meetings, Clint rides the glory pony and takes credit for everything. Chloe has always told herself this is how it’s played when you are working your way to the top.
The metal doors creep open, inviting her to floor eleven, Chloe’s home away from home. The spikes of her high heels click loudly and rhythmically on the marble floor. Chloe walks straight into the meeting room to make sure her secretary has everything laid out perfectly on the table with all the appropriate documents in each Sterling’s folder.
She flips on the Apple TV and practices mirroring her information from her iPad. She rehearsed her spiel repeatedly last night, knowing she’d have to nail the presentation to convince the clients the increase of ten percent will benefit them. Chloe’s strong suit is economics, and she gets the best bang for your buck, but this club project has blown everything out of proportion with the sheer size of it.
Seidman is trying to land this deal not only in L.A., but also in Denver, Seattle, and Vegas, following the Sterling brothers to each city to build their clubs. It’s more than a simple business proposal. It’s more like a long-term commitment marrying Sterling, Inc., Seidman Construction, and Landing, Inc. It’s all or nothing.
Chloe’s voice flows smooth as butter around the empty conference room as she introduces herself and her business. She carries on, going straight into her presentation and focusing on eye contact and her visual graphics. Her nerves begin to swell with the thought of Eli Sterling sitting in the same room, possibly right next to her. She fights down the fear trying to push forward and throws down an iron curtain to block out those anxieties.
He told her to leave. She left. End of their story. Finishing up her presentation, Chloe reminds herself business is business, and this is a fight she won’t bow down and lose to anybody. The Apple TV switches to the resting position, as does her iPad. Chloe pushes open the conference doors with confidence, ready for battle.
“Ms. Thompson.” Annabel, Chloe’s secretary, greets her with a warm smile and a fresh cup of coffee.
Chloe swoops the coffee from her outstretched hand, drinking it in rapid gulps. The sweet taste of white chocolate and coffee dance on her tongue as she waits for the immediate buzz of caffeine to take effect.
“Thanks, Annabel, but I could really use a hit of cocaine right now.”
“If anyone can seal this deal, it’s you. We all know who the brain is behind Clint.” Annabel winks in Chloe’s direction and shoots her a sly smile.
Chloe internally cringes thinking of having to leave Annabel behind if she’s given her own division. Annabel only has a few years left before retiring and won’t give up her spot in a division she knows better than the back of her hand. Life will be very different without her.
“I need to go check my email and freshen up. In case Clint has a panic attack, you’ll know where to find me.”
Chloe’s office sits in the far corner of the eleventh floor, giving her plenty of seclusion. It helps drown the ordina
ry clatter and static of the office and hallway. Her taste extends from her wardrobe, dripping over into décor. Ivory leather covers everything possible, from the couch to all the office chairs. Accents of gold and navy blue trim paintings, furniture, and knick-knacks. One single picture frame sits upon her desk holding an old picture of her and her mother.
Her office could be a showroom in a store. Everything is in its place at all times. It drives her nuts when Clint comes in and nudges a file or pen on her desk. Every single time she discreetly pushes the items back into place.
Chloe’s eyes zero in on her phone, quickly checking all her missed emails from the morning. She slips her shoes off and rubs her feet over the thick white carpet below her desk, trying to relax for a few moments. She has twenty minutes before she needs to head back down to the conference room. Several new bids and contracts flash on her screen as she scrolls down. As hard as she tries to focus on reading each email, her mind flashes to Eli. It’s been over six years since the last time she saw him.
He was her first love and all that jazz, stealing her heart on the playground their second grade year. They attended the same private schools growing up, and were best friends. It wasn’t until their freshman year when Eli’s lips found hers. It was an immediate attraction neither of them could deny. Not wanting to hear shit from their families, they snuck around for months until Eli asked her to a school formal.
Chloe’s finger brushes her lip and she wonders if Eli still works out. Back in the day he was a jock, playing every sport possible, and rarely wearing a shirt. Chloe always felt out of place hanging poolside with him. She was a stark contrast to his beautiful physique, and she wondered how and why Eli fell in love with her. She was a pale, stringy figure with bright blonde hair.
Chloe flexes her hips back in her chair, causing some friction to relieve the tension building up in her. Eli had always made her hot. He possessed a certain charm that melted her like putty.
