by David Horne
“A Love Worth Saving”
M/M Gay Mystery Romance
David Horne
© 2018
David Horne
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.
Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images and are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.
Edition v1.00 (2018.12.28)
http://www.DavidHorneauthor.com
Special thanks to the volunteer readers who helped with proofreading. Thank you so much for your support.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Free Book “Princes of Westlake”
Chapter One
Perry Conway woke from a dream and lay in bed for a while to let the images settle. It wasn’t a bad dream, in the sense of monsters lurking in closets. Unless the monsters were financial officers, who hovered close to their computers, looking at the month-end sales analysis to see if Perry’s dream was still profitable. The details of real life only cascaded into Perry’s thoughts after he woke from something that involved fire. And neither the dream nor the haunting bank people were things he wanted to ruminate on before he started a brand new day.
He stretched and used the motion to scoop the smartphone from the nightstand to check the latest current events. There was a text from Rick. Perry read it with disinterest and moved on to the rest of significant matters.
Once upon a time, Rick was part of the significant things that mattered to Perry. But that was months ago and while Perry still had Rick in his life, the man wasn’t keeping time in his bed anymore. And the text was about the upcoming sales event and nothing romantic. And for that, Perry felt at least the day was already getting better than it started.
He slipped from bed and moved into the bathroom. The shower was hot and the music he turned on was pleasant. Perry hummed along to the tunes and dressed in a stylish button-down shirt and black slacks. The full-length mirror on the back of the door showed a man he’d come to terms with long ago. Busy black hair had more gray than he liked to see in the reflection. He’d been blessed with his mother’s smooth skin and a full-head of thick hair.
Perry believed in taking care of himself. But he never left enough time in his busy day to eat balanced meals. And unlike others who suffered through working lunches, he managed not succumbing to fast-food alternatives. That kept his waistline trim and helped keep his energy high. He had a straight nose and brown eyes that gave him a generally youthful gaze.
He had a pair of black shoes he’d buffed before bed that he slipped on before he left the master bedroom and moved downstairs to the waiting coffee pot.
After the morning routine that included coffee, clean teeth, and aftershave, Perry left the house through the side door that went from the kitchen to the garage. One of the perks of owning a dealership was the opportunity to test-drive vehicles, using dealer plates, and experience the personality of the vehicles they had on the lot. But Perry wasn’t interested in putting unnecessary miles on another car. While he had no control over his business partner, at least Rick wasn’t hard on the cars he decided to drive off the lot.
There is a specific personification when it comes to the used car business. Some people have an idea in their mind they are dealing with shady people in a high-risk activity. The caricature of a smarmy man who only wants to ring wallets of every last drop of money they can get for the sale. They were like the snake-oil businessperson who mixed everyday products and promised a cure for more money than it’s worth. But Perry wants to make his company the best. He wants to branch out, grow his business. But there is a stigma attached to the commerce that keeps his numbers from increasing.
It wasn’t a business for everyone. And if Perry had to do it all over again, he’d make changes, including the life-lesson of not going into business with a partner; especially if that partner once shared bed-space with him. Perry didn’t dwell on the past. He didn’t allow the bad dream or text message from his former lover to sour his mood either. People wore their emotions in public. And trying to make a sale while carrying around personal baggage that hindered thoughts, worn on the shoulders like a wrinkled suit, didn’t help a business thrive.
Perry believed in leading by example. If he showed up on the car lot without a smile, people noticed. He pulled into the employee parking area and looked to the newly constructed framework of the expansion to the existing building. Walking from the parking lot to the main entrance, Perry picked up a cigarette butt in front of the doors and a plastic wrapper.
He unlocked the double doors that opened to the showroom where only the best pre-owned vehicles had reserved space. He tossed away the trash he’d collected in the garbage of the reception desk. It was cluttered and while most customers couldn’t see over the high semi-circle counter where the receptionist sat, Perry made a mental note of the workspace.
While people maintained that negative idea about used-car dealers, Perry worked hard to break that model. With every sale, handshake, and a smile, he stood behind the vehicle. Once they left the warehouse, Perry felt the maintenance end of the business would keep people coming back as satisfied customers.
But it was the idea that all used-car salespeople were crooks that made Perry want to shake people sometimes. Most people had no idea what it took to open the business. The government kept convicted felons from opening automotive dealerships. Perry and Rick had impeccable credit and it was beneficial for operating the dealership. Everything ran on credit ratings.
Licensing and sales tax accounting through the state was exhausting. If either of them had outstanding unpaid taxes, the state and local government wo
uldn’t allow the dealership to open. Even the wholesale auction houses where Perry and Rick collected the majority of their automotive stocks don’t do business with people who don’t pass background credit checks; even if they’re paying in cash.
Perry knew if more people understood what it took to open the business, they might feel more comfortable doing business with the dealership. While the sales were steady, the numbers hadn’t grown. There was only so much promoting they could afford. The rest of the sales came from word of mouth and repeat business. And that’s where the dealership lacked in strength. While people came once to buy a car, rarely did they come back, and most of the customers Perry spoke with never mentioned friends or family when it came to sales. Perry was a pretty face at the front of the company. But it was the internet that drove car sales in today’s market. And Perry needed someone who was savvy on the phones as well as technologically literate to boost the dealership’s online presence. He needed a star and sought one every day.
Chapter Two
Perry’s office was on the second floor and had the omnipresence of a crow’s nest. It had a single window that viewed the showroom. Cramped with a narrow staircase, it afforded him a view of the sales cubicles, reception, and the current vehicles inside the showroom. It wasn’t Perry’s favorite place to be in the store. He liked connecting with the customers.
But Rick reminded Perry he couldn’t make every sale for the dealership. They had a competent sales staff that he had to stop enabling if they wanted their salespeople to evolve. So Perry watched from the crow’s nest, surveyed the land of opportunity, and saw lots of people walk out of the showroom without driving away from the dealership with a “new” car. In Perry’s view, there were more misses than hits.
“Did you get my text this morning?” Rick asked as he opened the office door and slipped inside. He dropped in the chair opposite the desk, draping a leg over the arm of the chair, and his back to the bay window.
“I did,” Perry acknowledged. “I don’t think we can stretch our budget this quarter for another twenty-five vehicles.” It was all growth with Rick. Perry played it safe. He didn’t want to expand without a net. Rick’s idea of business was to have more to choose and be damned if they didn’t sell enough inventory to cover the expense load. “Besides, there’s nowhere to put more cars.”
Perry tried to ignore the scent of Rick’s aftershave. He didn’t layer it. But it clung to the air often after he left the office. While their love life wasn’t as breathtaking as Perry wanted, they realized they were better at business together than partners in bed. It wasn’t the passion. Rick was healthy, attractive, and smart. He had a thin smile and perfect teeth. He had short hair and a high widow’s peak. His hazel eyes usually sparkled with mischievousness, and Perry learned to avoid staring for too long. They had balanced lives still, even after they stopped climbing into each other’s beds. Perry liked the business relationship over the personal relationship with Rick. It was a mutual closure, and as far as Perry knew, Rick never had any animosity about the arrangement.
“We’re over inventory now,” Perry explained. But it was redundant information. Rick had access to the same records.
“I was just thinking of getting some higher-end cars and seeing about moving them right out the door.” Rick’s face had that permanent smile affixed to his face, and it didn’t waver. He shrugged as if it was an empty offer and he didn’t want to put a lot of effort into closing the deal between him and Perry. “What do you think about Alice?” he asked, shifting gears from one point to the other.
Alice Hartman was young. “This is her first job, isn’t it?” Perry asked. Rick did most of the hiring. Perry knew he had an eye for talent and it was essential to use assets that worked in their favor.
“She’s fresh.” Rick picked up a paperweight on Perry’s desk. A die-cast car on a metal platform, a gift from one of their first customers, that meant something to Perry. Rick just flipped it between his hands. “I know she’s got what it takes to make sales.”
Perry nodded. “She’s been here three weeks,” he pointed out. “She hasn’t made a sale. I was going to have a conversation with you or her about that.”
Rick put the paperweight back on the desk and stood up. He straightened his shirt and gave Perry a look that suggested he wasn’t in the mood to talk about someone losing their career before it started. “What if she made a sale by the end of the week?”
“Are we talking about Saturday or Friday?”
Rick pressed his lips together. His smile disappeared. It wasn’t in Perry’s behavior to joke around when it came to the job. He believed in the business. Rick was the fun one, everyone agreed with that. Even Perry felt Rick’s charm had a way of helping their employees through Perry’s team meetings that were meant to encourage them to seek sales. But it sounded more like boring seminars about how to make customers happy, and Rick pointed out that was impossible to do after Perry used passive-aggressive behavior to deflate any happiness in the room after a meeting.
“I think you need to lighten up,” Rick told him. “We’re doing okay.”
“You’re looking at the same numbers as I am, right?” He went for the daily sales quota that was just a piece of blank paper. He drew a zero on the page with a marker and held it up for Rick to see. “That’s what she’s sold so far.”
Rick snatched the paper from Perry and scribbled on it. He tossed it back on the desk and opened the door. “I’ll have a conversation with her. I think we’ll be okay if we can get more pictures of her on the website.”
“That sounds borderline sexist.”
“Sorry,” Rick said and shrugged. “I can’t get your pretty face out there to sell cars. She’s got something that is beyond the beautiful face.”
“I think it’s best if you keep any pictures to a minimum and always in a group setting.”
“You’re worrying again.”
“I am about that, yes.”
Rick slipped out the door and blew Perry a kiss. After he left, Perry turned over the paper Rick scribbled on. There was a smiley face inside the big zero Perry drew. He’d have to give her until the end of the week. If Rick had a few words for the girl and built her confidence, she’d sprout some aggression and move out to the lot before the two other salesmen made it to the lurkers.
Perry paid attention. While Rick found the talent, and he was good at it, Perry gave them the nudge to succeed if they lacked the confidence. Sales were the same for anything. It didn’t matter if it was a toothbrush or a car if the salesperson believed in the technique and the item; they made a convincing statement that helped the customer close the deal. Perry liked Alice. She had a good sense of humor. She knew she was pretty but didn’t use any alluring tactics to flirt with customers. The last thing the company needed was a potential lawsuit that suggested staff and customers did more than car sales or tried. All she needed was that first sale to help her over the edge.
Chapter Three
It was after eleven in the morning before Perry descended the stairs from the office. He’d made several phone calls and wanted to make his rounds to show his face and let people know he was available.
While Alice sat in the cubical and scrolled through her cell phone messages, Perry didn’t see her making any calls with the business phone. Cold calls were great for business. And they fished social media sites and found potential buyers through internet channels that helped connect sales to clients. The majority of auto sales moved away from the door to door customers. Most people knew what they wanted before they arrived at the car lot. As long as the information appeared on the website, they got the sale. They just needed salespeople who talked openly on the phone when they had questions. And people who closed deals once the customer finally showed up.
“How’s it going?” Perry asked when he peeked over the partition at Alice sitting at the desk scrolling through her social media page on the phone.
“Oh, hey,” she said and smiled. Alice knew Perry caught her o
n the phone. “It’s going okay, I guess.”
“Did you have a conversation with Rick today?”
She made a face and nodded. It was a look of disappointment. “He said you were going to fire me if I didn’t get a sale by the end of the week.”
That was the unfiltered presentation style Rick had that made it difficult for people to think of Perry as anything but the ‘bad guy’ when it came to the business.
“Maybe we should have a conversation.” He waited, but Alice didn’t stand up. “Why not go for a walk with me?”
Alice was one of four salespeople they had on staff. There were ten cubicles and so far there wasn’t enough business to bring in other salespeople. Perry and Rick hired people who weren’t as well versed in the automotive sales as other people. They felt it was better to train people who didn’t have bad habits instead of educating people out of bad habits. When it came to certain things, people attempted to learn particular ways. Unfortunately, it amounted to complacency. Often when salespeople already had bad habits, even if they were trained out of it, it was a reflex that came back.
“I feel like I might be in the wrong business,” Alice admitted. She walked with Perry out of the showroom. Marianne Stout gave her a look that suggested her last days were at hand with the company.
“It’s not like a job where you take an order and fill a bag with greasy food.”
“No.” Alice shook her head. “I think I could do that.”
“You probably could. And you might be good at it.” Perry led Alice around the outside of the building. They moved around the corner to the side lot. The majority of the vehicle inventory sat in the side lot. It had the most cameras.
They didn’t have a lot of problems with vandalism or theft. And the four corners of the main building had CCTV cameras; the side lot had more cameras to cover the inventory. They planned for more, but money was tight. The next step was in the works. It was ahead of them now, and Perry stopped walking.
