Barely Legal Vol. 3: Barely Legal Series (A New Adult Contemporary Romance Serial)

by Gow, Kailin

  I ran past them and pushed open the door, but didn’t see Serena. Another wave of panic set in until I heard it… a muffled cry coming from the closet. I pulled the door back and gasped.

  “Serena, what are you doing in there?”

  “Laura!” She hurried out of the closet and threw herself into my arms. “Oh, my God. I’m so glad you came. I thought I was never going to be found. Those brutes… those animals…”

  “What’s going on? What’s with the bodyguards?”

  “They just showed up yesterday. At first they said they were here on orders for Sebastian, but I knew right away they weren’t. And I was right. They took my phone, took my car keys and kept me locked in. They’ve been holding me hostage here, preventing me from going out, from answering the phone.” She grabbed my shoulders and looked at me. “How did you manage to get in?”

  I turned to Peter. “Peter helped me. In fact, he’s the one who noticed something wasn’t quite right with the guy guarding the door,” I said, eager to give him credit with helping me.

  “He wasn’t the kind of guy Sebastian would hire,” Peter said.

  “Well,” I said with an indignant shrug, “he was completely tactless. Really not the kind of guy Sebastian would like.”

  “This is Peter? The Peter?” Serena said, her brow cocked in appraisal. “The lawyer from the firm you want to join?”

  “The very same.”

  “And you’re Laura’s very good friend, Serena,” Peter said. “I hope you realize just how devoted this woman is to you.” Serena brushed my cheek with her fingers.

  “I do. Laura is like the sister I never had… the best sister I could ever hope for.”

  “I’ve been trying to call you, to text you. I knew something wasn’t right when you didn’t answer. I could just feel it.”

  “Well, I’m glad you could. No one could contact me.”

  “If these guys aren’t with Sebastian, who are they with?”

  “I don’t know, but I do have my suspicions.”

  Peter grabbed both our elbows. “I have my own suspicions as well, but I think for now, we should get out of here before these guys wake up and call for back up.”

  Chapter 5

  Sebastian

  “Sebastian... oh, sorry. Mr. Sorensen,” my new secretary called over the intercom. “Will you be needing anything other than the PBK file you gave me this morning?”

  Taking care of Sorensen Holdings was the last thing on my mind at that moment. “Get me the file on Goldstone as well,” I said. Better safe than sorry, I figured. If there were to be any additional questions about our latest acquisition and the proposed new CEO, I wanted to be prepared.

  I turned my attention back to my cell phone. For the hundredth time that morning, I called Serena, and still no answer. Staring out the large pane window of the spacious office my father had once filled, I tried to make sense of Serena’s sudden silence. Under different circumstances, I’d be alarmed after the third unanswered call; after all, she had such a history of disappearing for whatever reasons only known to her. I knew she had a lot of unfinished business to deal with; things to settle and wrap up, I had wanted to leave her the breathing space to do it… at least for a day or two, but now I wanted answers. Whether her business with her past was settled or not, I wanted to hear the sound of her voice; to be reassured by the soft, sweet whisper of my name on her lips.

  I needed to know that she was all right.

  After a dozen unanswered rings of her number, I decided to make another call, this time to the man I’d hired to keep Serena and the people she cared for safe.

  “Damn,” I hissed when I didn’t get an answer there either.

  Something was definitely wrong. I could feel it in my bones, in my blood. That neither of them answered their phones was not a coincidence. Of that I was certain.

  Slipping my phone back into the breast pocket of my jacket, I headed out and grabbed the files from my secretary’s desk and made my way down the hall to the maple wood paneled boardroom. The elegant crystal chandelier set high above everyone’s heads threw the rays of sun that pierced through the floor to ceiling windows all over the room, but I hardly noticed the play of light, nor did I pay much attention to the large, polished conference table or the chrome designer chairs that surrounded it.

  My father had been endlessly proud of every expensive piece that filled his offices, but I really couldn’t care less.

  “Has everyone arrived?” I said as I looked from Frank Branson to Mr. and Mrs. Brooks to Mr. Harris.

  Despite standing there, at the head of the conference table in the boardroom my father had so often held important, multi-million dollar meetings in, I felt out of place; like an imposter trying to fill shoes that would never fit me. Or maybe it was just the fact that I didn’t want them to fit me.

  “Your fair-haired nemesis has yet to arrive,” Frank said without bothering to look up from the file set before him.

  At a meeting the previous day I’d recognized him. He’d been at one of the very torrid parties Price threw. He was usually a quiet, mild-mannered man who had a sound head for business, and knew how to be ruthless when needed, but I’d never suspected the perverted side of the unassuming little man. Knowing that he’d been in the same erotic setting that had sent my father over the edge was more than a little discomforting. It also begged the question; who else at Sorensen Holdings took part in these sordid festivities?

  “Great,” I grunted as I took my seat. “Anyone get word from him? I don’t really want to have to wait another day for him. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

  “Unfortunately, he does have to be here to approve the proposed acquisition of BPK Inc. and give his okay for the transfer of CEO to Goldstone.”

  “Well, if he’s not here within the next half hour, we’ll find a way around that.”

  The Brooks frowned and looked at each other as if transmitting some secret message. Seeing how their only son, Michael, had barely been buried a few weeks earlier, it was surprising to see them there at all, but even more surprising to see was how invested they were in the series of propositions we’d gone through in the past thirty hours.

  At least they’re here to take care of business, I thought. They’d put so much effort into trying to convince me to marry their daughter, Willow, I’d begun to wonder if they were capable of any legitimate business at all. Had I given in to their scheme and married Willow, it would have greatly facilitated the expansion of the Brooks empire. The thought of having crushed their plans was almost enough to make me smile.

  “I didn’t think we’d see you again, Mr. Harris,” I said to the quiet new member.

  On the board since only a week before the untimely death of my father, the founder and CEO of Sorensen Holdings, Kaiser Sorensen; Mr. Harris, a good looking young man with brooding eyes, had had many previous engagements that had initially kept him from several important meetings.

  “I told you I’d clear my calendar before the end of the week. From now on, I’ll be available for all board meetings. I’m sure that’s what your father would have expected of me.”

  I nodded. For all the kinky and sordid sexual exploits my father had had, it was still a surprise to realize that many people in the business world thought so highly of him. What would the young businessman think if he found out that the great Kaiser Sorensen had most likely died of a heart attack while in the midst of a very energetic and demanding sexual encounter?

  “I’m sure he would have appreciated your devotion,” I said.

  The door opened and I looked up to meet the eyes of the man I so loathed.

  “Good,” Price Turnsby said with authority. “You’re all here. Nice to see you again, Bash.”

  “Sebastian, if you don’t mind.”

  His grin was filled with condescension and mockery. “As you wish… Sebastian.”

  I glared at him and fought to control my growing rage. How could I be expected to sit opposite a man who’d done so much t
o ruin my life; a man who’d even made an attempt to end my life?

  “Yes, we are all here,” I finally managed to say. “With the exception of an overnight break, we’ve been here settling a series of business deals without you. The very least that I would expect, even from you, is a phone call telling us that you can’t make it.”

  Price turned to the board members. “My apologies. Certain urgent matters needed my immediate attention and I have to admit that I lost track of time.”

  “Spare us the schoolboy excuses, Price. You’re a grown man with grown up responsibilities… or perhaps we should consider buying you out so you can have more free time to tend to your personal affairs.”

  Price cocked a knowing and menacing brow at me. “My personal affairs should all be in order before the end of this business day,” he said with a tight grin.

  A foreboding chill crept up my spine and clung to my shoulders, refusing to let go of me. I didn’t trust this man; this man who’d taken my father prisoner; this man who’d manipulated and brainwashed Serena, turning her into his tormented love slave…what he deemed his ideal sub. A sub who didn’t even have a safe word. With him, she’d been nothing more than a pawn, a plaything he could so callously toss aside whenever the whim took him.

  Well, not anymore, I thought. Never would I allow Price to get within shouting distance of Serena.

  Price sat beside Mr. Harris. “While we’re on the subject of selling shares, word is you're not too happy with having to run Sorensen Holdings. Considering the shit your father dragged the Sorensen name through, I can’t blame you. Honestly, were I his son, I would want to put as much distance between myself and anything associated with him as possible.”

  “What are you suggesting, Price?”

  “All you have to do is sell a few shares and we’ll have control.” He waved his hand in a circle that encompassed the board members.

  As equal shareholders, they all had a great stake in the company, but not enough to take control. At least my father had been smart enough to keep the majority of the shares. But now that I was at the helm, I really didn’t care about retaining control.

  Price was right. I would gladly sell off my shares and wipe my hands clean of the whole sordid affair. If my father had allowed himself to be manipulated by Price’s sex parties, it was his doing, not mine. Why should I have to bear the burden of the soiled reputation that now enshrouded the Sorensen name?

  I looked sidelong at Price. As much as I hated him, the thought of selling off my shares of my father’s company brought me a great sense of freedom. Hell, my father had never cared about my life or my loves. He’d openly scorned my desire to become a music composer. He’d deliberately berated every success I’d ever had, whether it was a small and intimate concerto in the park or winning an Oscar for best score in a highly successful movie. I had established a successful career as one of Hollywood’s top music composers and a highly sought after professor before inheriting Sorensen Holdings. I would love to go back to my chosen profession.

  My mind went black as I thought of all my father had done to me, all he’d denied me. And then, of course, there was his conspiracy to get me to marry Willow Brooks. Kaiser Sorensen was willing to sell his own offspring to the devil, and for what? A few added millions?

  I suddenly realized I was nodding. I was willing to sell off, not only enough shares to give them control, but every share I had. I wanted to be done with Sorensen Holdings. I wanted to be free of the shackles that weighed me down and made me miserable. As much as my father loathed the fact, I simply didn’t have a head for business.

  “Fine,” I finally said. All I wanted was my music and my life with Serena.

  The Brooks gasped with surprise and Price sneered his victory.

  “Last I checked, the going price was five hundred fifty dollars a share.”

  Price grunted his displeasure. “Surely that’s negotiable.”

  “Why would it be? This isn’t a fire sale, Price. My father built this into the billion dollar company that it is, and it’s worth what it’s worth. Five hundred and fifty dollars a share.”

  “We would have to buy over four hundred thousand shares in order to get control of Sorensen Holdings.”

  I nodded. “That sounds about right.”

  “At five hundred dollars a share, we’re talking nearly two hundred million dollars.”

  “Five hundred and fifty,” I corrected. There was something rather pleasurable in watching him nitpick over the value of the shares he so coveted. “What’s the matter, Price? Have your other endeavors broken the bank?”

  Ignoring my question, he turned to the other board members. “Are we all okay with this? We’re looking at, what? Fifty million dollars each, give or take a few?”

  Their greedy eyes widened, like vipers in front of a band of fat rats. All except Mr. Branson who seemed particularly perplexed by the notion. Perhaps his wallet couldn’t handle such a large purchase.

  “And for those of you who’d like to sink your teeth in a little deeper, I’d be more than willing to part with more than just the controlling shares.”

  “You mean all of it?” Price said with a stunned gasp. Elated and almost ecstatic, he jumped from his seat and reached for his phone. “Let me check a few numbers and I’ll get back to you.” And with that he stepped out of the conference room.

  “Great, he’s making us wait again,” Mrs. Brooks complained as she got to her feet. “Well, I’m going to take advantage of this brief reprieve to go to the ladies room.” With a huff she turned at the door. “Come on, dear. It wouldn’t hurt you to get up as well.”

  Grimacing his displeasure, Mr. Brooks got up and followed his wife.

  “These early morning meetings are murder.” Mr. Harris rose from his chair. “I’m going to go get more coffee.”

  Mr. Branson looked up at me.

  “You may as well take this time to take a break as well. Knowing Price he won’t be back for ten to fifteen minutes.”

  “Actually, I’d prefer to take advantage of this time to have a word with you, Mr. Sorensen?” He rose abruptly from his chair and seemed inexplicably agitated. “Can we talk here or should we retreat to the smaller, more private conference room… in case they all come back?”

  “We should be fine here. What’s on your mind, Branson?”

  “You can’t sell your shares,” he said with urgency. His eyes were big and bright, almost teary.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Look, I know you didn’t get along well with your father, but you just can’t sell your shares. Not all of it and not control.”

  “Mr. Branson, this is far more than just a small matter of discord between my father and myself. My father died of a heart attack, and it wasn’t while he was gardening, if you know what I mean. His sordid affairs sent my mother over the edge and she now spends her days in a quiet retreat trying to put it all behind her with the help of a great number of therapists. I really have no qualms about walking away from the company with a few hundred million dollars in my bank account minus one hell of a major headache.”

  The little man shook his head fervently. “You can’t, Sebastian. You have to keep the company in the family. You have to retain control, at least for a little while longer. At least until a few other important issues are settled.”

  “No, Mr. Branson. I’m sorry, but I don’t. Whatever issues need to be settled will be settled without me.”

  “You really don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?”

  “The real value of this company.”

  I frowned. I knew it was worth billions. Wasn’t that enough?

  “Price Turnsby may seem unhappy with the five hundred and fifty dollar price tag you’ve put on each share, but he knows damn well it’s worth much more than that. Your father was a very shrewd businessman, Sebastian. For all his faults, and I know he had many, business was his forte. He knew what he was doing, and he knew how to make money; lots of it. Price knows very w
ell what will happen the moment we acquire PBK Inc. Sorensen stocks will go through the roof. Your father didn’t go after them for nothing. He’s been negotiating this deal for months.”

  Truth be told, I hadn’t even bothered to really look at the numbers, to look at the projections. I’d simply checked the quarterly report the week before and had been content with the numbers.

  “Okay, so what are you saying? That I should wait until next week when it goes up? Or that I should ask for more now?”

  “It’s more than just that. Sorensen Holdings has been slowly pushing its competitors out of the arena. I know Mr. Brooks is a bit angry at a few of the deals your father made, deals that he’d been hoping to make, but your father stole them from under his nose. And Price, well. We know there’s no love lost there. Price would love nothing more than to take control of Sorensen Holdings, sell off everything he can, then drive the Sorensen name into the ground.”

  I listened intently to his argument. I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn the Brooks and Price didn’t want to see my father’s company prosper. They wanted to kill it.

  “Sorensen Holdings employs hundreds of thousands of people, Sebastian. This isn’t a simple matter of what you like and what the Brooks and Turnsby don’t like. People’s livelihoods are at stake here. I’d even dare say, the local economy could greatly suffer if this company is mismanaged.”

  “And what about Harris and yourself? Surely between the two of you, you could keep Brooks and Turnsby from destroying the company.”

  “I haven’t known Mr. Harris long enough to know where he stands, and as for me, there’s only so much I can do.”

  I put my hand to his shoulder. “Thank you for being so forthcoming. Anyone else in your position would have gladly taken control without a moment’s thought to the people who work for Sorensen Holdings.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I like to make money just as much as the next guy. I’m just not willing to take the low road to get there.”