by Brynne Asher
But none of this makes any sense because sales have remained steady. Sure, their costs have gone up with the price of oil, but they’ve passed that cost on to their clients. I can’t find one thing that should point to the dip in profits of thirty million over the last ten years, which is why they’re looking to sell. Jason McCurdy will still make a mint, just not the mint he would have made ten years ago. He’s still providing for his widowed mother and has two sisters who are silent partners because of their inheritance. All of this makes his mint fractionally smaller and he realizes this, which is spurring his rash decision to sell. And not to a high bidder. An investment company from the east coast has made an offer for a quick cash sale that will barely cover the assets of the fleet, let alone any worth of future earnings.
Because of my suspicions, I requested detailed sales reports and a meeting with the head of Sales and Marketing. None of it adds up. I pick up my file, grab my laptop and head into Gino’s office.
My dad and uncles, Gino and Luka, started this firm almost twenty five years ago. Luka was Gabby’s dad who we lost four years back, now the firm is just the three of us. My dad and Gino are partners and they took me on as an associate after law school. It should be a few more years before they bring me on as a partner, but that’s what I expected. My job won’t change much when I become a partner, just my investment in the firm.
“Hey,” I say as I rap on his open door. “Do you have a minute? I need to run something past you and dad.”
“Yeah,” Gino says, getting up from his desk while looking at his watch. “I have twenty minutes before I have to leave for a dinner meeting across town. I think your dad’s still in.”
We move to my dad’s office and I lay it out, “Something isn’t right with the McCurdy acquisition. I’ve requested additional sales documents from the last ten years, documents that aren’t associated with finance and accounting. They still have the same Sales and Marketing Manager who was in place when Leo McCurdy was alive. The documents she supplied me were detailed and included projected sales for her department. She’s top notch and could be an accountant the way she manages her job and department. I usually don’t request documents like these, but things weren’t adding up and I felt like I had to dig deeper. What I found is nothing adds up. Their books are not coinciding with her sales reports.”
After I give them the rest of the details, my dad looks up from the files I’ve laid out in front of all of us. He looks from me to Gino. Gino finally says, “It’s disappearing.”
“Looks like it,” I answer.
“Shit,” my dad mutters as he sighs and leans back into his chair. “I knew Leo a long time. Good man, philanthropic and generous, even sat on the board with me at church for a while. But he put all his time and energies into that company. Who knows, that son of his might have turned out to be the idiot he is anyway, but he sure could have given his son some lessons in business before he died.”
“Bring him in,” Gino states. “As soon as possible. We’ll make time early next week and the three of us will sit down with him. In the meantime, reach out to their five largest vendors and let’s see if they’ll cooperate with us. They shouldn’t have a reason to have anything to hide. Maybe they’ll willingly provide copies of payments and invoices for the past few years without us having to request warrants. It doesn’t sound like those records will jive, but let’s see if there’s proof before we bring Jason McCurdy in for a meeting.”
“I’ve also requested accounts payable records from the last ten years,” I say. “Basically do an audit, make sure we know where the money’s going.”
Gino adds, “How about we reach out to Jude, maybe he can put us in touch with someone in White Collar Crimes at the FBI while you contact Jason McCurdy. Let’s get our shit together first and hopefully we can get this done by early next week.”
“It’s late,” I say. “I’ll make a quick call to McCurdy and talk to Jude tonight, reach out to the clients first thing in the morning.”
“I’ve got to go,” Gino says as he gets up to leave. Looking back at me, he adds, “Good work, Tone. Keep us up to speed.”
Gino leaves as I look back to my dad and say, “I’ve got to go, too. I’m meeting Leigh to help her look for an apartment.” I try to tamp it down, but even I can hear the frustration in my voice.
This is the latest thing that’s pissing me off. I have no desire for Leigh to get an apartment. She says she wants to move out of Gabby’s house by the time they get back from their honeymoon, insisting they need the house to themselves without her hanging around once they’re married.
I get that. But we still end up in the same bed every night without discussion. It’s a given. I haven’t pushed things further with her, but for the past couple of weeks, other than the few days she was on her period, Leigh ends her day with an orgasm I get to give her. And ever since I started ending our days making her moan for me, she melts into me in a whole new way before she finds sleep. A more intimate way, which I didn’t think was possible but it’s fucking amazing. I can’t say it’s not frustrating as hell and all this has led to me taking longer showers with my hand wrapped around my dick, thinking of nothing but Leigh moaning and quaking at my touch.
But I’m patient.
And determined.
I’m also pissed she wants an apartment because I want her with me, in my house and in my bed. I’m just at a loss of how to make that happen with it being her choice.
I’m gathering my files and laptop as I hear my dad call, “Son?”
I look up at my dad. He’s called me “son” my whole life, but never at work. When I look up to catch his eyes, my eyes with many more years of wisdom and life surrounding them, I can tell he’s morphing from my employer to my father.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s not lost on your mother and I you spend a lot of time with Leigh,” he states, albeit carefully as he leans back in his chair.
Damn. How do I handle this? I could give a shit who knows my feelings for Leigh, but my family can be overwhelming to say the least. I’ve done my best to keep what she and I have on the down-low for her sake. She’s been through enough, she doesn’t need my family in her face about us and I’ve threatened Gabby and Paige within an inch of their lives to keep their traps shut. Leigh needs time to work through whatever she needs to work through on her own without my family riding her about being with me.
“Leigh and I have always been friends and Gabby’s flying off the deep end about the wedding next week. I told her I’d go with her, it’s not a big deal,” I say leaving it at that.
“Son,” he says as he tips his head, that one word holding great meaning.
“What?” I bite out, again.
“I see the way you look at her, that’s all,” he informs me.
“So?” I ask, frustrated with myself because I sound more like a teenager than a grown fucking man.
“So, I know that look is all,” he says. He then blows me away by saying, “It’s the way I used to look at your mother. It’s the way I still look at your mother.”
Hell. I must not be hiding it like I thought I was hiding it. It’s not lost on me I grew up with parents who adore each other. As my dad said, they still adore each other. My mom has her own brand of crazy my dad must really get off on. Her crazy is so strong, it was genetically passed down to Sophia and Paige. Charlotte and I are more even tempered like my dad. Regardless, I grew up in a family who loved each other to a fault and would support each other no matter what. I have no idea what it would be like to grow up like Leigh. No father, a drunken floosy of a mom and a drug addled hood-rat sister.
All I say is, “She’s been through a lot. Too much. I don’t want her overwhelmed by everyone. Not yet. Not now, that’s for sure.” I look to my dad who I know will have my back, half grin and throw him a bone, “But she’ll get there.”
He shows me he gets me by giving me a head lift while smiling back to me. Leaning up from his chair to lean his forearms on
the desk, he levels his eyes on me saying, “Well, alright then. It’s yours, and hers, to share. I’ll do my best to be evasive with your mother, even though she can be frustratingly persistent.” That’s when he smiles big and says, “I guess this means you owe me.”
I shake my head and turn to leave because he’s full of shit. My dad would never make me owe him anything.
I’m about out the door when I hear him call to me again, “Tony?” I turn to look at him and he continues in a quieter voice full of meaning, “Happy for you, son.”
I give him my own head lift back. I need to get the hell out of Dodge before I have to make any more heart felt confessions.
*****
“What’s wrong with this one?” I ask while biting my lip to suppress my grin because I don’t think he appreciates I find this even a little amusing.
Tony looks larger than normal because he’s standing in the middle of the very small family room slash bedroom slash dining room of this very small studio apartment looking none too happy. His stance is wide, his arms are crossed, his hair is disheveled and he’s wearing a glare. This has been his demeanor since we started my apartment search two hours ago. He’s sullen to say the least and has found something wrong with every apartment we’ve looked at. One was too old, one wasn’t secure enough, one was too far away from the parking and the last one was too far away from his house. This is the fifth, it’s getting late and I’m hungry.
Tony’s almost black eyes narrow on me as I try not to smile at him. I’m finding this entertaining because I can tell he’s not happy I’m getting an apartment, but he’s doing his best not to be controlling. Although, his best really isn’t very good and this reminds me of car shopping all over again.
“It’s gated,” I start to tick off the reasons why it’s better than the previous apartments. “It’s brand new. No one has ever lived here before. The parking is really close to the door and it’s only ten minutes from your house.”
“This side of the complex is going fast,” the sales lady adds to my list. She continues her hard sell with, “The other side of the complex faces the highway, if you want this one you’ll need to act fast.”
“Can you give us a minute?” Tony asks her, in a not too friendly way I might add.
“I’ll wait in the corridor,” she says.
I watch her leave and say, “Tone, there’s nothing wrong with this one. And it’s available, I can be moved in by the time Gabby and Jude get home from their honeymoon. Really, this one is fine.”
Tony looks around the apartment again, pulls his hand through his super lush hair for the umpteenth time tonight and turns to me. He looks at me a beat before he moves. Close to me. He puts one hand to my back and yanks me into his long muscular body, his other hand going into my hair. I bring my hands up to his biceps and tip my head to look up.
Finally he speaks and when he does, he says quietly, “I don’t want you to have ‘fine,’ sweetheart. I want you to have more than ‘fine.’ You deserve more than ‘fine.’ I want to give you more than ‘fine.’ I don’t understand why you need an apartment when we end up in the same bed every night and I have no desire for that to change. I hope you don’t either. Why can’t we just decide on one bed instead of two?”
“Tony, I can’t move in with you.”
“Why not? It makes sense.”
“I’m just divorced, I need to have something of my own for a while. Please understand that. And what would your family think of me? What would your parents think?” I ask.
“I don’t care what my parents think, or the rest of my family for that matter.” he answers frowning.
“Tony, please. Try and understand.”
He continues to hold me tight but looks like he’s mulling something over in his head. Finally, he changes the subject and states, “You can’t have a dog here.”
“It doesn’t matter, I don’t have a dog.”
“But you love Mia and she’s attached to you. You can’t deny that.”
“Well, I can’t steal Gabby’s dog. Sure, I’d love to get a dog someday, I’ve told you that. But now isn’t the right time with me working twelve hour shifts,” I answer. He’s pulling every card he can think of to talk me out of an apartment.
“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog,” he states out of the blue.
My eyes narrow and my mouth goes tight. He knows how much I want a dog. He knows my mom couldn’t afford one. He also knows Preston wouldn’t let me have one. And he knows how much I love Mia and what she’s meant to me while I was recovering. He’s really hitting below the belt talking about a dog.
This pisses me off. I try and control my voice when I say, “That’s not nice.”
His eyes grow warm. Now the tables are turned and he’s the one trying to suppress his grin. “What?” he exclaims. “I like dogs and I haven’t had one since I was young. What’s wrong with me thinking about getting a dog?”
“I cannot be-lieve you!” I say in a whispered-pissed voice because if I don’t keep my voice at a whisper I would be screaming.
“Though, I’m not getting some silly-ass dog,” he says with a full grin.
I shove his chest, but it does no good so I raise my voice, “Tony Carpino!”
Tony’s now wearing a smile and goes on to torture me, “I’m thinking we’ll go shopping again next week after the wedding. But not for clown cars or apartments, we’ll shop for a puppy.”
“You’re doing this on purpose!” I yell.
“Well, I’m not getting a dog on accident,” he drawls.
“You know what I mean,” I go on.
“I’m thinking a German Shepard. But a German Shepard is too badass to ride in your clown car. We might have to look at something more girlie. Maybe a Bulldog or a Husky,” he keeps planning our puppy purchasing trip as if I’m not having a moment.
“Stop it!” I yell again and give him another slap for good measure.
He has the nerve to pull me in tighter and leans down to my face super close to say, “After we pick out a puppy, then we’ll get to shop again for all the puppy shit. You know, toys, bowls, collars, stuff like that. I’ll even let you get pink shit if it’s a girl. I don’t know if it will be a boy or a girl. To do it right, the puppy really needs to pick us. Or me. It will be my puppy, after all.”
That’s when we hear a knock at the door and the sales lady comes back in. Of course Tony doesn’t let me go and I have to crane my neck around to see her. She asks, “Have you made any decisions?”
Tony says, “She doesn’t want it,” at the same time I exclaim, “I’ll take it!”
The sales lady frowns, “Are you sure?”
Tony says, “No,” at the same time I bellow, “Yes!”
Before anyone else can say anything else to confuse the situation, I ask quickly, “When can I move in?”
Still somewhat confused, she answers, “Anytime, we just need to get the paperwork filled out and your deposit with the first month’s rent.”
“Great!” I exclaim with mock enthusiasm.
“Well, thank you,” she says and goes on with her practiced sales shpeel. “We are very happy to have you here as a member of our community.”
“She’ll never be here,” Tony says matter of factly with a big smile. “I’m getting a dog.”
“Oh,” she says, back to surprised. “We have a no pets policy.”
“I know!” Tony and I both say at the same time.
Honestly.
I try and pry myself away from him so I can go sign a six month lease on an apartment I might not be at very much because I have a feeling I’m going to love Tony’s dog. But Tony doesn’t let me go and leans down to kiss me, this time playfully. All of a sudden he’s in a really great mood. The jerk.
“You’re happy all of a sudden,” I say with a scowl.
He kisses me again and states, “I’m just excited about my new dog. Come on, let’s go sign your lease then I’ll take you to dinner. We’ll celebrate your apartment and my
dog.”
He grabs my hand and pulls me out of my new apartment. I quickly glance around thinking it’s really, really small and wondering what just happened. If I let myself think about it, I’m pretty sure Tony just hoodwinked me with thoughts of a dog. At least I can say I’m not moving in with Tony because I’ll have my own apartment, even if I’m not in it much.
Shit.
I can’t think about this right now. I have a lease to sign.
*****
Shit again.
Tony has been on the phone the whole time I sat in the management office of my new apartment complex filling out my paperwork and making necessary payments. I could barely concentrate because of the phone calls Tony was making.
First, he called his Uncle Nic. Nic is an architect and builder. After eavesdropping on his phone call, I learned Nic designed and built Tony’s house. While talking to Nic, Tony told him all about his plans for a dog and because of the dog, Tony needed a bid on a fence, thus the reason for the phone call to Nic in the first place.
The second phone call was to his brother-in-law, Lanny. Lanny is a vet and has his own practice. He talked to Lanny at length about breeds, rescue dogs versus puppies, breeders and just about everything dog under the sun. Tony also informed Lanny he was having his yard fenced, like yesterday, to have it all ready for his new dog. From my eavesdropping, I learned if you rescue a dog through a rescue organization, they’re super picky and have all kinds of requirements, such as the fence which is why he said it would be done yesterday.
Tony finally shut down his phone, looked at me and says with another annoying smile, “Aren’t you done yet? It’s not like you’re buying dog. Or rescuing one for that matter. Apparently not just anyone can rescue a dog. Those organizations have really high standards.”
I give him a glare and pout, “I’m hungry.”
He takes my hand and hauls me out of the office pulling me to his Explorer. He gives me another yank and all of a sudden I’m pinned against the passenger door, Tony’s long hard body pressed up against mine. He leans down and kisses me, this time intense, like he can’t wait another second to get his lips on mine.
