The Stand Off

by Z. Stefani

  THE STAND OFF

  By

  Z. Stefani

  ©Copyright Z. Stefani 2014

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  First Impressions

  Wrecking Ball

  Dirt on Lux

  Dirt on Dean

  Red Tape

  Roadblocks

  Shush

  Chains

  Demolition Day

  The Lounge Party

  The Building on the Corner

  The Business Meeting

  The Cabin

  Confession?

  Home Sweet Home

  1 year later

  First Impressions

  It was a dreary, grey washed day. Thick drops of rain assaulted anyone daring enough to venture out under the boisterous sky. The unusually thick fog and ominous howl of the wind governed the city. The menacing state of the weather spoke volumes of the mood inside of the large office building on Main Street.

  Lux Hart sat in a large room filled with sour-faced business men wearing expensive suits. She had taken over an hour to perfect her appearance. She had pulled her long, dark hair back into a voluminous bun and had kept her makeup very simple. She wore a fitted, black blazer that accented her small waist and a black, button-up shirt. She had left the top two buttons undone to accommodate her necklace but now she wished she had buttoned them to the top. She wore a high-waist, black, pencil skirt and black heels. She kept her jewelry to a minimal and modest, despite her penchant for bold jewelry. She wore a slim, silver bangle and a multi-chain, silver necklace. Her outfit had seemed very business appropriate at the time but now she felt utterly fashionable in a tank filled with blood-money seeking sharks.

  She knew she was way out of her league, but she did not care. She was here for a reason.

  She kept her head held high despite her nervousness. These men ate weakness for late night snacks; she knew there was no way she could win if they sensed her nervousness. Besides, these men were not the ones she should be afraid of… she was waiting for that source of overly-aggressive energy to walk through the doors.

  As if reading her mind, suddenly the large, double doors swung open and in walked the source of her frustration.

  Dean Blake.

  Lux sat at the table, eyeing Dean as he walked towards her. She had researched all of the rumors about him, and he did not disappoint; his large presence screamed of tyranny and aggression. Not to mention his cocky demeanor was as obvious as the color of his eyes. The pale grey orbs seemed to fit his insensitive personality as well. He wore his arrogance with more ease than he wore his tailored suit.

  “Even his walk is cocky,” she thought as she refrained from shaking her head.

  Although she hated to admit it, he had a right to be arrogant. He was an intimidating figure: his 6 foot plus frame towered over her as he stood on the other side of the table. His wide shoulders and chest blocked the rest of the room from her view, and it felt as if the two of them were suddenly alone.

  She’d researched all the stories; he was a ruthless business man. He was vengeful and eager to destroy those who dared to oppose him. He was known for his quick temper, insensitivity, and volatile moods. He was also extremely wealthy and had a lot of connections, which did not help her current situation.

  She shifted in her chair as Dean stared at her from the other side of the table, his pale eyes boring into hers. The arrogant look on his face was fleetingly replaced by confusion, which promptly turned to irritation.

  “Who are you?” he barked impatiently.

  “I’m Lux Hart.”

  “You’re Lux Hart?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered with a nod.

  She was shocked at the way his deep, commanding voice seemed to slide down into her panties and blow against her newly ignited vagina. It was the first time that hearing her name repeated back to her had been stimulating. She shifted in her chair, stunned by her reaction and confused by the hussy who suddenly possessed her body.

  “Really Lux? 24 years without a flicker of sexual activity going on in that brain of yours and now suddenly it sparks? What the hell is wrong with you, you simpleton? You’re here for business! This man is trying to destroy The Music Hall!”

  She took a deep breath as he placed the paperwork on the table.

  “I need your signature… here,” he pointed to the line with the red X.

  As if she were registering everything in slow motion, she looked at this thick finger and then the words on the paper. She looked back up to him and was caught off guard by the look on his face.

  He was looking at her as if he were bored with her very presence, as if she’d wasted his valuable time.

  “Sexy and a pompous prick.”

  She felt the annoyance ride up her spine like a pesky insect. The strange sexual sensation wreaking havoc in her nether region shut off like a light. The unease she had felt coming into the meeting was now replaced by anger. She looked up at him, keeping her emotions in check while the ball of fury began to build inside.

  “Who the hell does he think he is?” She internally raged.

  “I’m not selling my portion of the building to you. I came here to talk you into selling the portion that you own back to me,” she explained as calmly as she could.

  “Then you’ve wasted my time; that’s out of the question,” he said in no uncertain terms.

  “You can see the dilemma. If my mother had known that small portion of the property did not belong to her, she would have purchased it as well. You must admit the circumstances are very strange,” she tried to reason with him.

  “I could care less about the circumstances. I want you to sell your portion to me,” he said as the look of boredom returned to his face.

  It was more than obvious to Lux that he wasn’t going to sell without a fight.

  “No.” She raised her chin and squared her shoulders.

  “No?” He raised his brow as if he were not used to hearing the word.

  “No,” she repeated in a flat tone as if she were the bored one now.

  “Then you leave me no choice.” He swooped the paperwork from the table and stared at her for a moment before he spoke, “There will be a wrecking crew to tear down the portion that I own at 7 a.m. sharp.”

  “You can’t do that!” she stood up, all thoughts of being civil erased from her mind.

  “I can do whatever I want with what I own.”

  “No you can’t!”

  “You know the terms as well as I do.”

  “That is my building! We fought hard to get it where it is; I will not sit by idly and watch you destroy it.”

  “Then don’t be there when I arrive, and you won’t have to watch.”

  “I won’t let you do this,” she vowed.

  “What choice do you have?”

  “I have a choice.”

  “There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He almost grinned.

  “We’ll see about that.” She grabbed her things and left the room with all the regality of a queen, despite the rage emanating from her hazel eyes.

  All eyes were on her as she walked to the elevator. She held herself together as she walked in, but the moment the elevator door shut, she growled and kicked the wall.

  “Asshole!” She had never wanted to choke someone so badly in her entire life; he was unbending… unyielding. She kicked the wall again.

  “You condescending, non-budging, brick wall, spoiled, greedy…ugh!” she kicked the wall with too much gusto and then winced.

  The pain shot through her toes an
d slowly spread to her ankle. She exhaled the deep breath she’d been holding as she felt her body begin to relax around the pain. There was nothing like a quick jolt of pain to grip the thought process and force it to slow down.

  “He’s crazy if he thinks this is over. This is not over, not by a long shot.” The elevator doors opened at the precise moment she composed herself. She walked out as if she hadn’t just lost her temper, assaulted the elevator, and mangled her foot.

  “I will get you Dean Blake. One way or another, I will win,” she pledged. She kept her head held high and walked to the front doors with an air of confidence, despite her slight limp.

  ***

  Dean was still staring at the closed elevator doors after Lux had gone. She’d been a quick jolt to his otherwise lackluster day. She was in and out like lightening; leaving him stiff, shocked, and dumbfounded. She’d caught him off guard… he was never caught off guard. He’d never been in a meeting that had left him unsettled and angered as well as stimulated.

  “I didn’t expect that,” Johann said to his older brother Dean as the other men began to leave the room.

  Dean waited until the last man had left before he spoke, “I expected her to sign.”

  “So did I. No one has ever said no to the all-knowing and all powerful Dean Blake.” Johann could not stop the smirk from spreading across his face. “You look a little shaken.”

  “Don’t you have work to do?” He gave his younger brother a stern look.

  Dean was a master when it came to property; most of his deals were over quickly and always ended in his favor. He wanted that property, and he would resort to drastic measures if need be. However, Lux Hart, the little obstacle in his way, had upped the ante and turned it from business to a bet.

  She’d almost made it personal…

  “And what a delicious little obstacle she is,” he thought.

  She was all anger and justification; he would enjoy breaking through her stony exterior. He’d get that property one way or another. He always won… she would learn that quickly. She was no match for him; she would learn that as well. Maybe he would sweeten the deal for himself and take his little obstacle out to dinner.

  “I bet she fucks as hard as she fights,” he thought to himself before grinning.

  Watching her cum would be amusing; watching her break when she changed her mind would be fun, and watching her sign over the very building that she’d fought so hard to keep… would be exquisite.

  ***

  Lux stood before The Music Hall and sighed in sadness. Once upon a time, the massive, two-story structure had been a thriving factory. Soon after the company was shut down, the building was taken over by squatters and began to deteriorate. Lux’s father had seen the building’s potential and had struck a deal with the man who owned it. Her father and mother had spent the next three years cleaning and fixing the place up.

  The bottom floor of the building was sectioned in three, but the top floor was not. Her father had designated the right section of the building and the enormous top floor for their home. He turned the left section into a lounge that featured live bands, a make shift dance floor, and cheap booze. Initially, her father had used the vast middle section of the building for a record store but now it was The Music Hall. Although the small record collection that her father had originally started with was still for sale, the space was used for a much greater purpose.

  Lux looked up at the sign on the middle section of the building and thought back to the day that she and her sister Pixie had designed it. After they had designed it, their adopted sister Kiki had created the frame. Her sister’s best friend Lolo had painted it. They had all worked together and created it by hand and now some greedy man wanted to tear it down as if it were nothing. The building was filled with so many irreplaceable memories… good and bad. Her whole life revolved around the music hall, and she could not allow Dean Blake to destroy it.

  Lux took a deep breath and walked into her house. Although her heart was heavy, there was still a great deal of anger. She felt like a caged animal, and she was ready to spit fire straight down Dean Blake’s spine. Unfortunately, she would have to hide her true feelings, lest she panic everyone in the house.

  She hated to have to tell them the bad news. She knew her mother would be distraught and would lock herself in her bedroom. She walked inside and headed straight to the kitchen where she could hear her sister Pixie and her adopted sister Kiki talking. She walked in and sat down in the retro, red and white, diner style chair.

  “Welcome back sister dear,” Pixie said with a dramatic smile. Her waist length hair extensions were twisted into an enormous bun on top of her head that looked heavy enough to sprain her neck. The front of her hair was neon orange and the back half was pure white. She wore flannel pajamas that matched her day glow orange hair and white fuzzy slippers.

  “Where’s mom?” Lux asked, although she was relieved that Pax was not in the kitchen.

  “She was tired, so she went to bed. I made some snacks,” Kiki told her as she pulled out a large tray of treats. Kiki was a proud, full figured, gourmet chef who preferred the fashion of the fifties and played bass guitar. She was as elegant as she was sarcastic.

  “How did it go?” Pixie asked.

  “As expected,” Lux answered.

  “Nothing was resolved?”

  “No,” Lux answered in a whispery voice and put her head down to avoid her sister’s gaze.

  “I still can’t believe we’re going toe to toe with Dean Blake.” Kiki shook her head as she grabbed the bottle of wine and poured a glass for Lux.

  “So now what do we do?” Pixie asked as she snatched a peanut butter cookie.

  “Plan B.” Lux turned to face her sister with a serious expression on her face as she continued, “I don’t have a choice; I tried to be nice… I tried to play by the rules.”

  “I know,” Pixie put her hand over her sister’s.

  “Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do,” Kiki added.

  “Are you sure?” Pixie asked Lux.

  “Most definitely,” Lux said with conviction.

  “I’ll make that phone call right now.” Pixie grabbed her phone.

  “I don’t know how you’re going to get us out of this one Lux, but if anyone can do it, it’s you. We have full faith in you, as always,” Kiki said with a broad smile.

  Although her words were meant to pacify, they made the seriousness of the situation much more serious for Lux. It reminded Lux that they were depending on her again. She couldn’t fail them.

  Lux took a deep breath and began to mentally prepare herself… this was going to be a nasty fight.

  Wrecking Ball

  The next morning, Lux faced her dresser mirror as she pulled her long, dark waves back into a ponytail. She was wearing a black, off shoulder shirt with a white and black polka dot tank top below. She wore a thick, black belt and red, skinny jeans. She topped it off with a pair of black ballet shoes and a silver, over-sized owl necklace. She had no idea what she was up against so she decided to dress comfortably.

  It was the day she had been dreading. She’d never faced such an obstacle or such a difficult man in her life. She tried to blame herself for not being able to make Dean Blake see reason but quickly reminded herself that he was too unreasonable to comprehend reason. Nevertheless, she was angry at herself for not regaining the deed to the building. However, that anger did not even compare to the rage she felt for Dean Blake.

  “Covetous prick,” she murmured under her breath.

  “How do I look?” Pixie asked as she walked into Lux’s bedroom. Her extensions were pulled into a ponytail on top of her head and she wore orange and brown, cheetah print eye shadow.

  “A bright-orange cocktail dress and platforms?” Lux raised her brows, although after years of Pixie’s crazy outfits, she was no longer shocked by her younger sister’s taste in clothing. But still, it was a protest against the demolition of the music hall; a cocktail dress seemed a b
it formal.

  “A dash of feminine wiles never hurt, sister dear.”

  “You look like you’re on your way to an eighties themed prom for the fashionably inept, dear sister. And don’t even get me started on those heels.”

  “You don’t like the shoes?” Pixie gasped.

  “Cheetah-print platforms with seven inch heels? I’m afraid you’re going to fall and break your neck while running from the wrecking ball or the big burly men controlling it.” Lux shook her head as she applied a little lip gloss.

  “I think these shoes are hot.” Pixie looked down at her unusual shoes and grinned.

  “They are hot but under the circumstances they are also dangerous.”