Hostage!: A Hugh Ranier Novella (Hugh Ranier Short Series Book 2)

by Robert E. Crull

  “First we’d like to offer you a bit of a signing bonus if you will,” Don said.

  “You gave me a bonus a couple weeks ago,” she said.

  “That’s true we did. Now we’re offering you another.”

  Don took an envelope from in front of him and slid it over to Laura. She opened it and had a look that relayed she’d not known what to expect.

  “You’re too generous,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “It’s a decent amount of money, part of which you need to use to setup with an accountant and tax specialist,” I said.

  “When you sign the partnership agreement, you’ll be entitled to ten percent of any and all profits this firm generates,” Don said.

  “Oh my gosh,” she said.

  “One final financial bit of information we need to share with you is the balance of your investments over the last ten years.”

  “I completely forgot about that.”

  “First off, you currently make eight-five thousand a year.”

  “What?”

  “We’ve been giving you pay raises and since you never asked we assumed you didn’t care,” I said.

  “I didn’t care.”

  “Currently with the cash you’ve been contributing plus investment returns you have a balance of over five hundred thousand off shore.

  “What you’re telling me is that between savings and this check I have over a million dollars?”

  “That’s right Laura,” Don said.

  “You’ve also got a tax liability that must be dealt with from the check you received,” Roger threw in.

  “I’m in shock.”

  “Let’s put the rest of everything on the table so you can deal with all of it,” I said.

  “Oh God, there’s more?”

  “The final piece of the puzzle is your share of the business,” Don said. “As we said earlier we’ve settled on ten percent to start with. Roger has a schedule that will show over time what your take of the business will be,” I said.

  “Shut up,” she said.

  “What’s wrong?” Don asked.

  “This is too much to take in all at once.”

  “We’re all done Laura. There is nothing else to tell you.”

  “So all that’s left is for you to read and sign the paperwork, and we’ll be all set partner,” I said.

  “This is all so incredible.”

  “Are you dissatisfied?” Don asked.

  “Not at all. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

  “You’ve never let us down. Why do you think that would change now?”

  “I don’t know, there seems to be a lot of pressure now.”

  “No more pressure than there was on Tuesday. You handled that ok, didn’t you?” I asked.

  “It left me with a bit of a hangover,” she said.

  “Some are like that.”

  “Can we move on with the signing now?” Roger asked.

  “As long as Laura is ok with where we’re at now. Laura?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m ok. Let’s do this.”

  Roger slid the partnership agreement across the table. She picked it up and began reading. While she was occupied Don and I went to the kitchen. I needed a cup of coffee.

  “Not as much pushback as I expected,” he said.

  “Like she said, I think she’s in a little shock.”

  “I guess.”

  “We changed her life forever bubba.”

  “I suppose you’re right I’ve gotten jaded by all the money. I don’t even think about it much any more.”

  “She’s not had the chance to feel that yet. Give her a couple months and she’ll come around.”

  “Yeah your right,” he said.

  “I still have problems with it from time to time and I’ve been with it for several years now.”

  “I keep trying to tell you not to worry.”

  “Yeah I know. Hard to get used to it all.”

  I pulled the coffee from the brewer and took the first tentative sip from the hot cup.

  “Let’s see how she’s doing,” he said.

  “Right.”

  We walked back into the conference room to see Roger packing up.

  “Everything go ok?”

  “I’m not going to accept the offer.”

  “What?” Don asked.

  “It’s too much.”

  ”Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to manage the business as well as you two do.”

  “We’re not asking you to. Not right away,” I said.

  “What happens if I run the company into the ground?”

  “There would be no blame Laura. We’ve always been prepared for the market to take a dive and truth be told, we’re excited to still be in business.”

  “When we started the firm we never meant for it to become what it is now,” Don said.

  “We were looking for something to maybe support the two of us and keep us from working for someone else,” I said.

  “But you’ve done so well. I don’t want to screw that up,” she said.

  “We don’t believe you will.”

  “If y’all are positive, and there is no thought that this is a bad idea from either of you, then I’m in.”

  “Be sure,” Don said.

  “Roger, can I have those papers back?” she asked.

  “Here you go,” he said sliding them back across the table.

  Laura took the package and initialed then signed in all the appropriate places.

  “Welcome aboard,” Don said.

  “Thanks.”

  The official aspects of the meeting over, Roger packed his briefcase with the materials he had brought with him.

  I turned to leave and saw an unknown woman standing in the reception area.

  “May I help you?” I asked.

  “I’m looking for Laura Morgan.”

  “Sure, let me get her for you.”

  I turned back into the conference room.

  “Laura, someone to see you.”

  “Great, that’d be Chloe.”

  “Chloe?” Don asked.

  “The friend of mine who’s going to take some pictures.”

  “Right.”

  “Come on y’all,” she said as she pushed past us into reception.

  “Chloe, hey girl!”

  “Hey. I’ve got another appointment that came in this morning,” she said.

  Chloe stood about five two and couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds. She had a gold nose ring and purple streaked blonde hair which hung half way down her back.

  “Ok. Guys lets strike a pose,” Laura said.

  We all gathered in front of the reception desk and grouped up for the photo.

  “That’s not much of an awe inspiring location for a picture,“ Chloe said.

  “Where would be better?” I asked

  “There’s a nice picture of the skyline in the conference room, lets try that.”

  “I like that,” Laura said.

  Posed and prepped Chloe took a series of photos with the three of us then just Don and Laura, then myself and Laura.

  “Ok sweetheart, I’m outta here,” she said as she stepped from the conference room.

  Laura rushed past and walked her to the front door. Roger had finished packing and followed her.

  “Thanks Roger,” I said.

  “Sure. I’ll have the new charter out here for the three of you to sign in the next week or so.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “What have you got planned for the afternoon?” I asked Don.

  “Was going to take the afternoon off, if you don’t have anything.”

  “Nope I’m good. I’m going to take Laura out to lunch.”

  “Good plan. I’ll talk with you over the weekend,” he said.

  “Have a good one.”

  +++

  “I’m glad we’ve got the chance to spend some time alone,” she said.

  �
��Me too.”

  “I want to say thank you for the partnership deal y’all pulled together for me. I so appreciate it.”

  “You’re worth it,” I said.

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “What’s not to love?”

  “That’s a good question. I can’t think of a thing.”

  “Welcome to Butchers Block,” our server said.

  “Thank you,” Laura said

  “My names Megan, and I’ll be your server.”

  “Great,” I said.

  “What can I start you off with?”

  “I’d like a glass of the house Merlot.” Laura said.

  “Make that two.”

  “Coming right up,” she said as she left the table.

  “I need to tell you something,” Laura said.

  “Ok.”

  “I see you starting this relationship with Dallas.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And I think it’s going to wind up like all the rest.”

  “You mean me getting dumped.”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “You’re too late. She dumped me last night.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “It’s alright. I’m a big boy, I’ll get over it.”

  “So let me ask you a question then.”

  “Shoot,” I said.

  “So I need to tell you something first.”

  “Ok.”

  “I’ve kinda wanted to go out with you for a while.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “How long have you had these thoughts?”

  “Like I said, a while.”

  “I’m a lot older than you are Laura. Pretty set in my ways.”

  “I hear you, I do but, it doesn’t bother me, not at all. Matter of fact it’s one of the qualities I like about you.”

  “I’m not sure us working together and having a relationship is a good thing,” I said. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, and trust me I’d thought about her naked on more than one occasion. But, not having any separation may drive me the rest of the way crazy.

  “I’m not talking about moving in together.”

  “Didn’t think you were.”

  “Not right away anyway,” she said with a wink.

  “Funny.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I come back to the question I asked you earlier, how long have you been thinking this way?”

  “I don’t know, a couple years maybe,” she said.

  “Couple of years? Why didn’t you say anything before now.”

  “I’ve dropped a few hints, but you’re just not the kind that listens to subtleties.”

  “Never picked up on anything,” I said.

  “Do you like my dress?”

  “Of course. What’s that got to do with what we’re talking about?”

  “Did you notice anything different other than it was a dress?”

  “Not really,” I said. She was taking me someplace and I had no idea where.

  “Are you a monk or something?”

  “No. Just tell me what you’re talking about.”

  “Look at my chest Hugh.”

  In that instant was the first time that I’d noticed her breasts were pushing almost out of her dress. Now that I’d seen them I couldn’t quit looking.

  “There. That’s better,” she said.

  “I’m… I… You’re watching me watching them. That’s weird, you want me to look at your breasts?”

  “I want you to notice me as a woman and not your office manager.”

  “I’ve never thought of you in that manner before.” It was a lie. I’d thought of her in that way plenty of times.

  “We’ll now that you’ve taken notice what do you think?”

  “Listen,” I said. “One of the reasons Dallas decided to quit seeing me is because I get easily embarrassed by conversations with a sexual undertone.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “It is what it is. I’m a little old to change, and she didn’t want to change who she was to keep me from being embarrassed. I total get why she chose to end the relationship.”

  “Are you embarrassed now?”

  “Not at all. But we’re not making reference to sexual things.”

  “Sorry Hugh, but when I asked you to look at my chest I wasn’t thinking about a walk in the park.”

  “And, now that I’ve seen your chest, I’m not thinking about a walk in the park either.”

  “Are you embarrassed now?”

  “You know, not really.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “I’m not sure.” Truth was, I did know. Dallas intimidated me a little bit because I thought of her as an executive. Definitely above my pay grade. Laura was like me and Don, down to earth. Hell I would’ve thought she belched while drinking beer.

  “Do you want to go on a couple dates?”

  “I think I need some time to think about it.”

  “Are we ready to order?” Megan asked.

  “Not yet, but a couple more glasses of wine would be nice,” Laura said.

  “Coming right up,” Megan said leaving the table.

  “Well, let me just say that when your ready, so am I,” she said.

  “Why now?”

  “Like I said, I’ve been thinking about it for a while and thought I’d better say what was on my mind before you did find someone to settle in with.”

  “Ok. I’m not fishing here so don’t think I’m asking you to bolster my wounded ego but, why do you think we’d work?”

  “You continually amaze me.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  “You’re doing all right for yourself Ranier. You’ve got a nice house, though you’ve never invited me to see it. You’ve got a successful company, and the admiration of the people that work for you.”

  “That’s not telling me why you think we’d be a fit.”

  “Because I am one of your admirers. I mean that.”

  “Now I will be embarrassed.”

  “Shut up. I’ve never seen you treat anyone poorly in the ten years we’ve been in business. You treat people with respect and accept who they are for what they are.”

  “It’s not my place to judge them. They’ve all got their own shit that has to be dealt with. I don’t need to make it anymore difficult for them.”

  “See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

  “I spent way too many years having people force their beliefs on me and decided I wasn’t going to make others feel the way I’d been made to feel.”

  “Your wine,” Megan said. She’d startled me.

  “Thank you Megan.”

  “Are you ready to order yet?” she asked.

  “Not just yet,” Laura said.

  “Just wave when your ready.”

  “We’ll do,” I said.

  “I’ve never heard you tell me something that wasn’t right. I’ve heard you tell me what your preferences are and what you’d like to see at the end, but never that something was flat out wrong.”

  “That’s a work environment.”

  “I can tell a lot about you as a person based on how you treat others at work.”

  “I’m a control freak Laura, you know that.”

  “You’re not so bad. You tend to say things that don’t always need said, but hey, we all have our thing.”

  “Yours is taking care of others.”

  “Yeah mostly, I guess.”

  “I don’t require much Laura. I’m not that needy.”

  “You have your moments.”

  “Thats work. Personally, I don’t need much.”

  “I don’t suppose I need a lot either. I’d like to share my life, what happens, develop a bond,” she said staring over her upheld glass of wine.

  “I’ve had a few women in my life, no doubt, but I could never be completely myself because of the job. I’ve never really opened up to someone completely before.”<
br />
  “Do you want to?”

  “You know I think I do or we wouldn’t have had the partnering conversation with you this week. I trust very few people, and your one of them.”

  “Thanks Hugh,” she said setting down her glass of wine.

  “So what’s next? How do you want to proceed?”

  “I think we need to get some food.”

  “That’s very tactical of you,” I said with a grin.

  “It’s self preserving. If I have one more glass of wine I’m likely to recommend you let me take advantage of you.”

  “Another glass of wine it is then.”

  “Stop that.”

  I looked around trying to get Megan’s attention. Laura needed some food and I was right there with her. Another glass of wine and I’d most likely have propositioned her.

  “You have to admit it would be a great way to end an afternoon,” I said.

  “What are you saying’ Hugh?”

  “What can I do for you?” Megan asked.

  “We’d like to order.”

  “Sure, what can I get for you?”

  “Laura, please.”

  “I’d like a New York Strip with broccoli and rice.”

  “Sir?”

  “I’d like the ribeye with fries and onion rings.”

  “Great, I’ll put those right in,” Megan said.

  “Now you want to tell me what you’re saying?”

  “I’m saying’ spending an afternoon in bed wouldn’t be a bad way to spend the rest of the day.”

  “Do you think I’m that kinda girl Hugh?”

  I’d gone and offended her. Why did I think that the first ‘date’ was the right time to try to get her in the sack.

  “Not at all.”

  “You’d be wrong.”

  “You are that kinda girl?”

  “For you yeah, but I wanted to seduce you. Sitting here in broad daylight talking about it takes all the tease out of.”

  “Having me stare at your chest was a good first step at seduction.”

  “At least you notice I have them now.”

  “Hey I knew you had them, I just had never taken the time to get introduced.”

  “You’ve not even shaken hands yet, how can you say you’ve been introduced.”

  “Admired from a close distance? How’s that?”

  “Thats better,” she said. “Can I assume then you’d like a formal meeting to get to know the twins a little better?”

  “A lot better if you’ll have me.”

  “Let’s see where our next glass of wine takes us.”

  “Let’s do that.”