by Kasey Krane
I didn’t wait for a response, but turned and walked away from him.
And this was exactly the reason why I wasn’t interested in meeting any men.
Four
Everett
I almost didn’t show up at the funeral.
It wasn’t that I’d forgotten—there was no way I’d ever forget the date when my parents would be buried in the ground. That date would haunt me for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. More importantly, I didn’t want to say goodbye to the only two people who’d actually given a fuck about me.
But I did go to the funeral, and only because I didn’t want to give my brothers any more reasons to be disappointed in me.
I hadn’t been sober for a single moment. Not since I found out about the accident. I’d drank every waking moment and these days I didn’t simply go to sleep—I passed out.
I picked out the only black pieces of clothing I had in my wardrobe—a t-shirt and black jeans and a black button down shirt. Everyone else would be dressed in suits, but I didn’t give a shit.
I showed up late. Half way through the speech the priest delivered. I was sure they’d expected me to be one of the pallbearers along with my other brothers, but I hadn’t shown up in time for that. On purpose.
I didn’t want to have to carry my parents to their graves.
Jack grabbed my arm when I walked over to the group formed around the graves.
“What are you doing, Everett? You smell like booze,” he growled under his breath. He was trying to pull me away at the same time.
“And you smell of pine cones or something. Like you rolled around on a forest floor,” I replied with a chuckle.
Jack clenched his jaws, yanking me closer to him.
“Whatever you’re going through right now, you’ve gotta know the rest of us are going through it too. We’ve all lost our parents, you’re not the only one they belonged to. But you don’t see us spiraling out of control, do you?”
“No, you guys always have it together. Picture perfect sons.”
Jack released his grip on me and stepped away. Almost like he didn’t want to be near me anymore.
I looked around the assembly. Everyone was silent, some sniffed into their handkerchiefs solemnly. Most of them wore dark glasses. My brothers all stood passively in a row, keeping their eyes firmly turned from me.
I was purposely not listening to the words of the priest because it’d remind me my parents were really gone.
And then my eyes fell on Samuel Mendez.
What the fuck was he doing here?
This was the last person my father would’ve wanted standing next to his grave.
I charged at Samuel Mendez before the priest had even finished his sermon.
“Who the fuck invited you?” I thundered at him.
Everyone’s eyes turned immediately to me while Samuel looked up to see me coming for him. He inched back, looking surprised.
“Excuse me? I’ve come to pay my respects,” he replied, shaking his head in confusion.
There wasn’t really anything to be confused about. It was quite simple.
The man had never shown any respect to my father while he was still alive—so who gave him the right to attend his funeral?
“You have no business being here. My parents wouldn’t have wanted you here.” I stood over him, looming much bigger. I was taller, younger and more muscular and Samuel Mendez had every reason to be nervous about it.
“Your father and I had our differences over the years, but our business relationship was strictly business, nothing personal.”
“You mean when you stole his top buyers from under his nose and then plugged up his suppliers for years, then started a smear campaign based on false allegations about my father’s personal life?”
Samuel Mendez shook his head and slowly pulled his sunglasses off his face. For some reason, he wanted me to look him in the eye.
“Your father understood business, and that was the reason he personally never spoke to me this way. It looks to me like he failed to teach his sons the same lessons in running a business.”
“I want you out. It’s as plain and simple as that. You aren’t welcome here.”
“And I’m not going to let you dictate where I can and cannot go. This is a public space,” he remarked, throwing his arms around.
He was clearly trying to put on a show for everyone else to see, while I didn’t give a fuck who was watching o what they thought of me or my behavior. All I knew was I needed to get this asshole out because my father wouldn’t have wanted him here.
“Everett,” Tate said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Now, is not the time to be starting shit.” I shook his hand off my shoulder and ignored him.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to walk away now while you can. Someone will drag you out on a stretcher next,” I ground out.
Samuel Mendez made the mistake of laughing at my face.
It was the last straw. I knew how much my father detested this man. They’d been feuding for years and Dad had lost his sleep on many nights over Samuel’s shady business manipulations.
I grabbed him by the collar and pushed him back until he arched towards one of the open graves. He cried out like a little girl, thrashing his arms and squealing to be released.
“If you ever show your face anywhere near my family again, you won’t have a face anymore,” I hissed, throwing him to the ground. His wife shrieked, struggling to pull him up.
Tate, Jack and Harris had jumped in behind me, pulling me away from Samuel.
“You need to calm the fuck down before you do some serious damage,” Tate growled into my ear. But I barely listened to him.
While the others tried to minimize the situation, Tate dragged me away from the scene.
“Just keep walking,” he hissed.
There were people and paparazzi taking photographs and videos from the sidelines. I noticed them too late, but it didn’t matter. I would’ve attacked Samuel Mendez again in a heartbeat if I had to do it all over again. I had no regrets. And I hoped that asshole would remember his moment-of-fear forever. Maybe he was really worried I’d kill him.
“Everett, seriously, what the fuck are you doing to yourself?” Tate asked.
We’d put some distance between us and the congregation so nobody could overhear us. I could still see some cameras close by, trying to take photographs of my brother and me talking.
Our parents’ deaths had fueled a lot of media attention. It was almost like we weren’t human, that just because we were rich, we didn’t deserve privacy like everyone else did.
“I’m trying to do what Dad would’ve wanted to do himself if he was here. There’s no way he would’ve wanted Samuel Mendez attending his funeral, standing that close to his grave and Mom’s. Or have you suddenly forgotten how much Dad hated him? I don’t think he hated anybody as much as that motherfucker.”
Tate looked over his shoulder—almost nervously—almost hopeful nobody had overheard me speaking that way.
“What are you so nervous about?” I snapped.
Tate narrowed his eyes on me.
“I’m nervous about the fact that we still have a business to run. A family business that Dad wanted us, especially you, to keep alive. To keep alive our family name and legacy. Yeah, he hated Samuel Mendez, but he hated bad behavior and controversy even more. You think he would’ve patted you on the back for the stunt you pulled today?”
“So you wanted us to just stand back and watch that guy pretend to be a close family friend? For the sake of the cameras? For the sake of the shareholders?”
Tate threw a look over his shoulder again, turning to glare at me.
“You’re supposed to be keeping it together for the rest of us. You’re the fuckin’ oldest. Instead, you show up late to our parents’ funeral, drunk, high, probably both, and then you make a scene by physically threatening someone. We’d be lucky if he doesn’t press
charges.”
I couldn’t believe Tate lost sight of the big picture. I did what I did—for my family. To keep the family dignity. It was ridiculous none of my brothers saw it that way.
In any case, I needed another drink. The effects of the alcohol had worn off again and I struggled not to burst with sadness and a physical ache. The funeral of my parents looked a whole lot more real to me and I needed to get out of there.
Five
Keira
Like every other day of the week, I was at the office much before everyone else. Now, with Sean gone from the house and because I was living alone, I didn’t have much to do to kill time.
I usually woke up and went to the gym or for a run. But by the time I was showered and changed, with breakfast and coffee done, it was usually still too early. I had nothing to do in the house, no other way to spend my time. So I usually just went to work.
The more time passed with Sean gone, the more of a workaholic I became. I didn’t mind it. I’d much rather have worked and focused on my career than lounging around my apartment doing nothing.
“George wants to see you,” Alisha said, popping her head around my office door. Since our encounter in the elevator a few days ago, I sensed she’d tried to keep her distance from me, which was exactly what I needed. I was here to do a job, and not to make friends.
I nodded and stood up. George was my boss. The guy who I used to intern with a few years ago until he saw real potential in me and then gave me a job on his team as soon as I graduated.
It was the first job offered to me and I couldn’t turn it down. Sean was much younger then, I tried to support us single-handedly. The only way for me to keep us together without any interference from the state who would’ve taken him away, was by earning a good living. I’d been through a myriad of low paying jobs over the years, but none that paid as much as George offered me.
So it was a no-brainer.
That was four years ago and now I had my own office. I had my own set of clients, though I still worked under George’s supervision. I’d risen through the ranks of this organization at an unprecedented speed nobody had expected from me.
I enjoyed my job. I enjoyed figuring out new stories and coming up with plans to make other people look good. I was natural and graceful in front of a camera, I never shied away from being my client’s spokesperson if required, I was determined to do my job well and leave my clients with spotless reputations. I was comfortable with going as far as needed and pushing myself to new heights.
Sean and my career were the two most important things in my life.
Maybe they were the only important things in my life.
“Good morning, George,” I said brightly, walking into my boss’s office.
“Good morning, Keira, and congratulations,” he said, pointing to the chair across from him. “I have some good news for you. We’d like to offer you more money.”
I was speechless for a few moments while George beamed at me with his perfect white teeth. And then I reminded myself I totally deserved the new promotion they offered me.
“We want you to operate your own team, and I truly believe you’re ready for it,” George continued.
I wished I’d have pinched myself to see if I was awake or dreaming.
More money, my own team, new opportunities. I was only twenty-five and I’d be the youngest team leader in the company. My dream of moving to DC and entering the more serious PR field didn’t seem so far out of reach anymore. I hadn’t yet discussed this with anyone, but I saw myself in the political field soon. I wanted to play ball with the big boys and this was going to be another step in that direction.
And the best part was—I was living the American dream. I was completely self made.
“Thank you for your confidence in me,” I said, reaching out to shake George’s hand firmly.
“We are very glad and lucky to have you on board. You can meet with Mia in HR and come up with a list of who you want on your new team. We’re willing to hire a few new people too if that’s what you need.”
George had no idea how much excitement I bubbled up with because I hid it well. Maintaining a poker face of composure and class was very important in this game, and nobody did it as well as I did.
“Great, I’ll get started on that immediately.”
I considered telling George I wanted Alisha gone from my team. I didn’t want to work with anyone who tried to get to know me personally. I wasn’t interested in bonding. But then I decided I’d wait a few days, a few weeks maybe. I was willing to give her a second chance to prove herself as a serious team member.
“And as a special reward, I want to hand you the Baker case. I think, personally, you are best suited for this job and you’ll be able to get creative with it.”
“The Baker case? You mean Mr. and Mrs. Baker who had an accident a few days ago? The oil tycoons?”
“Yeah, them.”
“Why do they need us?” I was a little confused and George had his brows raised.
“So you haven’t seen it?”
“Seen what?”
“Go on the internet, trust me, you can’t miss it.”
I cursed in silence. I should’ve gone online before I walked into George’s office. I was always on top of my research. I liked to stay updated with everything happening around me, but I missed it today. I was still thinking about Tim and the date from hell the previous night. Another reason why I needed to stay away from men—they were a distraction I didn’t need.
“I’m on it,” I said with a smile and left the office.
I was in stilettos, which were always uncomfortable, but today I felt like I was walking on clouds. Now that I was on a roll, there was no stopping me.
This was my fourth time watching the video and just because I’d watched it a few times before didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it.
It was a funeral scene. The audio wasn’t too clear because it was taken from a distance—most likely by someone who wasn’t an actual part of the funeral service. But the images were clear for everyone to see.
In the middle of the service, a handsome young man dressed in all-black but casual clothes, jumped across to grab an older man by the collar. I recognized the older man as Samuel Mendez. CEO of the Mendez Corporation—which was also another oil company, very similar to the Baker Energy.
The young man shook the older man, his face was red and angry, he threatened him. People around them were almost frozen in shock for a few moments until a few other young men rushed towards the dueling duo. Well, it wasn’t much of a duel since Samuel Mendez didn’t seem to retaliate or defend himself.
The young man had to be pulled away and was led off by someone else. He looked like he’d lost his shit.
The fact of the matter was the video was actually quite hilarious. Made even more funny because of Mendez’ hilarious reaction to being assaulted. He was almost thrown into an open grave and he squealed like a child.
If this hadn’t happened at a literal burial site, I would’ve probably laughed out loud.
It didn’t take me very long to figure out who all the other people were.
The man who attacked Mendez was the oldest son of the Baker family. His name was Everett. He and the other Baker brothers were now supposedly taking control of the company since their father’s death. But by the looks of it, they didn’t have much control of anything.
It was hard to know what the attack had been about, but it was quite possible Everett Baker was in fact drunk when he perpetrated the attack. There was a certain swagger about him, his eyes looked bloodshot, the anger on his face seemed almost too exaggerated. It seemed like he didn’t have quite a grip on reality.
And if he was the oldest brother, the one who was supposed to assume command of the family business—he didn’t paint a pretty picture.
Well, yeah, he was pretty…but that wouldn’t get him very far with his shareholders.
I shut my laptop and swiveled in my chair, thinking.
It wasn’t surprising the family had reached out to us for help. They definitely needed it. And if this was going to be my first case at my new role, then I’d have to make sure I didn’t fail at it.
Six
Everett
I woke up expecting a raging headache throbbing in my skull somewhere, and when I’d managed to pull my head up, just to blink and open my eyes—yup, it was there! A pain seemed to pierce through the center of my skull and I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I shut my eyes again and collapsed back on the bed with a thud.
The groan escaping me woke me up again. My mouth felt dry and suddenly, I was very thirsty. With my eyes still shut because I didn’t feel the need to open them again, I blindly stuck my arm out to where I knew the nightstand would be.
I hoped I had the presence of mind the previous night to bring a bottle of water or something to bed. My fingers grazed against something made of glass. I pulled it to my face and just as I was about to take a sip of it, I smelled whiskey.
I was thirsty. So I drank it.
The whiskey burned the back of my throat, but the burning sensation was enough to wake me up. I groaned again, dropping the bottle to the ground. It thudded on the carpet and then I forgot about it.
My leg hit against smooth skin and that was when I sensed there was someone else in bed with me. I reached for the body. My hand cupped around a tight round ass. This was enough to force me to open my eyes again.
A naked girl with the perfect arch on the small of her back lay in the bed beside me. She was on her stomach, sleeping soundly with her red hair covering most of her face. Not that it mattered…it wasn’t like I would have recognized her anyway.
It hurt my head to turn to the other side but I wanted to see what else I’d find in my bed.
There was another girl there. Dark ebony skin and thick chocolate curls. I was in the middle of these two sexy naked women, and I didn’t remember anything about the previous night. I should have remembered fucking them. Any guy in his senses would have—but, I wasn’t really in my senses at all.
