by Gow, Kailin
Price opened the door and entered, his phone still to his ear. “Yeah, I’ll call you back the moment we wrap everything up.” He grinned and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “So,” he said as if he already had control of the board room. “Let’s settle this thing. How ‘bout we make it an even twenty million dollars each. You walk off with a hefty sum, and we take care of business.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Sorensen.” He clapped his hands together and grimaced as if a larger price could really hurt him. “Okay, let’s make it a fair twenty five million each.”
“I’m not bargaining at all, Price. I’m not selling.”
Chapter 6
“What do you mean, not selling?” Price shouted just as the Brooks and Harris returned.
“Not selling?” Mr. Brooks said. “What’s going on here?”
I wanted to laugh. “I don’t know how I can spell it out more clearly. I’ve decided to hang onto the shares for a little while. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come to like running my father’s business. I’m sure, with time, I can erase the stains he’s brought to the Sorensen name.”
“Bullshit,” Price snapped. “Why the sudden about face? What the hell is going on?”
Amused by his anger, I shrugged. “I just realized I really wasn’t prepared to sever all ties to my father and the company he worked so hard to build. I want to make Sorensen Holdings prosper, make it grow to its full potential.”
“That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard,” Price said.
“This is my father’s board room, Price, and I’d appreciate it if you could show a little respect.”
“Fuck respect. Your father was an asshole who didn’t deserve an ounce of respect.”
“I think this meeting is over, Price. Take your half-baked opinions and filthy language somewhere else.”
“Look, son,” Mr. Brooks said. He put his hand to my shoulder. “I think you should reconsider this. I know the death of your father…”
“I’m fine, Mr. Brooks, and I know what I’m doing.”
“You have no idea what you're doing,” Price argued.
I glared at Mr. Branson, the Brooks and Mr. Harris until they filed out, but Price stayed put.
“Why am I not surprised?” he said. “Once a coward, always a coward. You could never make such a big move as selling control of Sorensen Holdings without your daddy there to hold your hand. What’s the matter? No balls?”
“My balls are fine, thank you.”
“I don’t think so. You know damn well the best thing you can do for yourself, for your sick mother, is to sell everything your father ever touched. Hell, just think of the finest therapy you could offer your mother with the money you’d get from the selling of your shares.”
“My mother already has the finest team of therapist, but I appreciate your concern.”
“With everything your father put your mother through, she’ll probably need therapy for years to come. This isn’t just a temporary setback, Bash. Your mother’s going to be in that retreat, or asylum, or whatever you want to call it for a damn long time.”
“Once again, I appreciate your concern, but I think I have my mother’s care in order.”
“This is just the beginning. What is she going to do once…?” He stopped abruptly and glanced down at the table.
“Once what?” My fists pumped, clenching and relaxing repeatedly. How dare he speak so callously about my mother’s mental state. I wouldn’t need much of a push to pound into him. He’d brought me to the brink of murderous rage once before at my private hideaway, and some nights I still lied awake wondering how I’d kept from killing him. I marveled at the control I’d had that day. Despite everything he’d done to Serena, everything he’d done to hurt us, he still managed to get out of it alive.
“Maybe you should just watch your back, Sorensen,” Price said. His eyes were like daggers and his tongue a pick ax. “Seems like you don’t know who you should trust. But, think about it, little Bash. You trusted your old man; you disagreed with him, but you trusted him. Yet, look at the kind of man he really was; a hypocritical degenerate, with a warped mind. A two faced conman and one of the biggest jerks I’ve ever encountered.”
“That’s kind of funny coming from a jerk like you, Price. I mean, how can you call my father a degenerate when you come from where you come from?”
Price took a step closer and while I was tempted to back away from the dark aura that clung to him, I held steady and faced him head on.
“It might be a good idea for you to watch what you say, loverboy. You have no idea what’s really going on, do you?”
“Actually, I do.” It was a bluff and I hoped he wouldn’t realize it. Being new to the world of business my father played in, there was a good chance I was in the dark regarding many aspects of this new world, but I wasn’t about to let Price know it.
His sardonic chuckle told me there was more about this board meeting than met the eye. Whatever he knew, whatever he was hiding, it had nothing to do with my father’s business; nothing to do with selling shares.
An uncomfortable chill settled on my shoulders.
“At this very moment, while we stand here discussing the future of Sorensen Holdings…” He paused for an interminable moment before finally speaking again. “My men are being kept quite busy at a penthouse on the other side of town.”
My heart pounded and the chill on my shoulders turned into a burning flame that heated my cheeks.
“They’re keeping a close eye on the beautiful woman housed there.” The amusement in his eyes, and that victorious grin made my stomach turn. “Don’t worry, Bash. They won’t hurt Serena. They have strict orders to keep their hands off as tempting as she is. They’re just making sure she doesn’t pull one of her infamous disappearing acts.”
“You have no business being there. Serena is…”
“Mine, Bash. Serena is mine.”
I took a step into him, forcing him to back up. Ready to pummel him, to reduce him to a bleeding heap, I gave a firm tap of my knuckles against his chest.
“Not so fast,” he sneered. “My men may have orders to keep their hands off Serena, but who’s to say what would happen if I didn’t keep in touch with them, didn’t update them. Serena is a fine woman, you know, and my men aren’t exactly choir boys.”
“You lousy bastard.”
“Don’t be such a sore loser, Bash.”
“What the hell do you want?”
Price turned away and casually walked to the window. No one would have guessed we were discussing the welfare of a woman we both wanted. “You know, it was surprisingly easy to keep you busy here while my men kept her tied up, so to speak, there. You're so predictable, Bash. Really. I mean, you even spent the night here in your new office, that’s how predictable you are. I knew if you were overloaded with work and new responsibilities, you would take it to heart and do your best to make everyone happy. You made it too easy to snatch her back. I’m almost disappointed. I expected a greater fight, a bigger challenge. As it turns out, all I have to do now is bring Serena back to my place, fuck her lovely brains out and show her just how mistaken she was to ever think she could be satisfied by you.”
“You're living in a dream world, Price. Serena isn’t satisfied by you. She’s afraid of you. She’s disgusted by you.”
“Really?” He slipped his hands casually into his pant pockets and turned to me. “She didn’t seem that disgusted the other day when she had my cock in her mouth. Remember, Bash. You were right there.”
My gut twisted and I wanted to gag at the image that came to my mind. I’d moved past that.
“Besides,” he went on, “her fans miss her. Oh, I’ve managed to find a few other talented women who are beautiful and have big tits, but they lack that je ne sais quoi. Serena has something that just keeps bringing those horny bastards back for more.” His eyes narrowed, and I could have sworn he was aroused just by the thought of Serena.
“She’s a high quality submissive and those rich perverts love to watch her. I’ve fucked a dozen other women since she left me and none of them have been able to excite my male audience quite like Serena can. After all these years of training her, molding her, making her the talent she is today, do you really think I’d let her go so easily, Bash? Did you really think I’d let her settle for a washout like you?”
“This isn’t really a matter of what you would let her do, Price. She’s a free woman and she’s chosen to be with me. Whether you approve of her choice or not is really none of my concern.”
He guffawed, as if the very thought was a hilarious joke. Just as quickly as his laughter had exploded in the conference room, it died down and he looked at me, his eyes set in a deadly stare. “You saw how willing she was to come back to me… right there in front of you. For crying out loud, she hungrily sucked my cock while you fucked her. What does that tell you about her? About us?” He took a few steps toward me. “I’ll tell you… it means all I have to do is snap my fingers, and she’s mine again. She’s hardwired to obey me, Bash. I just have to get within arm’s reach of her and she’ll do whatever I ask of her.”
I knew Serena loved me, knew she wanted to be with me, but I also knew he was right. Whatever mystical, magical hold he had on her, the bond seemed impossible to break.
“You can’t hide her away forever, Bash. I found her this time, and I’ll find her again.” He put a fraternal hand to my shoulder, but he was far from having any brotherly love for me. “I’ll take her back, and bring her to my parties once more.” Leaning in close, he whispered, “And I’ll fuck her until she’s sore, unless…”
Without flinching, I waited, even though I realized now where he was going with this whole scenario.
“Unless you sell me your shares of Sorensen Holdings.”
“You're crazy.”
“Am I?”
“Blackmail, Price. Isn’t that a little low, even for you?”
“It’s all a matter of finding the smartest strategy to get what I want. I have something you want, and you have something I want. We make a quick and easy exchange and everyone is happy.”
My phone vibrated against my chest and I stepped away from Price as I pulled it out of my pocket. The screen read; Serena.
“Sebastian,” she cried out before I could even say hello. “I know you’ve been trying to reach me, and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to pick up. A band of thugs arrived yesterday and prevented me from leaving the suite or making any contact with anyone, but Laura and her friend Peter arrived a few moments ago and got rid of them. We’re on our way to the office.”
“Good,” I said in my authoritative, business tone. “I’m happy to hear it. Everything looks good from this end, but I’ll get back to you on Monday to tidy everything up.”
“Huh?” Serena said. For a stunned moment she was silent. “Oh, right. Okay, I get it. Don’t worry, Sebastian. We’ll be there in a matter of minutes. Stay safe.”
I turned the phone off and slipped it back into my pocket. “Another successful acquisition,” I said to Price. “Guess the value of our shares will go up again.”
“Good to know.”
“Are you starting to feel the heat of Sorensen Holdings breathing down your neck, Price? Is that why you're so eager to get a hold of them? To keep us from squashing your little enterprise like the cockroach that it is?”
He snickered. “You’ve been talking to Branson, haven’t you? Don’t listen to that little weasel. We’re pulling in millions from every which way. Not one single company is in the red… not one. Branson is only looking out for his own best interest.”
“Then why the urgent need to get control of Sorensen Holdings?”
His eyes twinkled. “It’s more an urgent need to get revenge.”
My gut tightened. I knew he had more than enough reason to be vengeful.
“Your father killed mine. Filled with greed and ruthless ambition, he stepped on whoever got in his way. All my father ever wanted was his fair share of the company he built with Kaiser. They were partners, equal partners in every way, except when the money started to roll in. All of a sudden Kaiser had no need for my father, so he simply got rid of him. Your father went on to make billions with my father’s ideas, while I had to struggle, penniless, just to get the occasional scrap of food. Your father built his empire on my father’s grave, Bash. You grew up with a silver spoon filled with every delicious and nutritious food imaginable, while I rummaged through trash cans just hoping to find something edible that wouldn’t make me sick the next morning. Your father profited from what he took away from me and you benefited from all that, but now it’s my turn to get it all back. You know damn well you don’t deserve what your father left behind. Hell, you don’t even want it. Why hang onto it?”
“At this point, it’s just a matter of keeping it out of your hands.”
“So you’re willing to give up Serena? I should have known. You're not man enough to hang onto her anyway.”
“I’m not letting go of Serena or Sorensen Holdings. Serena wants to be with me, and Sorensen Holdings in my inheritance. I’m not going to let it go.”
“Shit, you’re such a sorry excuse of a man. Do you really think Serena is going to hang around for long? Look at you: A sappy musician who never could stand up to his asshole of a father, even knowing your father went to my parties where he ogled Serena. I wonder if Serena realizes the life of doldrums I’m saving her from.”
“You're one sick son of a bitch. There is no proof that my father killed yours. It’s all in your sick mind, Price. One thing I discovered after my father died, in fact, was that he had brought your father into the company my father started to help him get back on his feet after your father became an alcoholic. My father helped your family make millions, but in the end, your father fell back into alcoholism, ended up drinking himself dead. You want someone to blame, I understand, but you’re blaming the wrong person. If there is one thing I’m sorry for, it’s the monster my father created when he came into contact with you and your father.”
Price looked shocked at first, but a determined expression washed over his face soon after. “Look, with or without your cooperation, I will get control of Sorensen Holdings, and when I do, you’ll find out what it’s like not to have money. You’ll find out what it’s like to really have to work for a living, Bash. You might be fiddling with a music career now while Sorensen money keeps you going, but once that money’s gone, then how well do you think you're going to live on the measly salary of a musician? And what do you think Serena will think of her penniless musician then?”
“I made millions on my own in a profession I’m proud of, Price. Everything I have, I worked for. Even now I haven’t touched anything from Sorensen Holdings. While you whored, manipulated, backstabbed and blackmailed your way to your so-called success. You’re an ingrate to everyone who has helped you get to where you are today, especially to my father, especially to Serena. Get the hell out of my office, Price,” I said with a solid shove to his chest.
He took a step back, but quickly came back punching. The first blow made solid contact with my chin, but the blow I threw back sent him sprawling across the conference table.
“Didn’t expect such power from a musician, did you?” I sneered.
It took him a few seconds to recover and stand upright again, but I didn’t give him much of a chance to get his wits about him. I plowed into him, pushing my shoulder into his gut and shoving him all the way to the floor to ceiling window.
“Isn’t it time you grew up and put your sordid past behind you, Price?” I grunted into his ear. I had no real desire to hurt him and a part of me sympathized with his sad childhood, but I couldn’t let him go on ruining my life with his endless need for revenge. I softened my tone a bit and said, “You're just hurting yourself with all this hate.”
His body relaxed and for a moment I thought he would consider my suggestion, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
With a hold built of all the hatred and anger he had for my father and all that he’d stood for, he wrapped both hands around my neck, spun me around and pinned me to the window. The room quickly turned black as I struggled to breathe, but the more I struggled, the harder he pushed his fingers into my throat.
As I faded away, I saw Serena, as beautiful and sexy as I’d always known her. The vision of her filled me, but so did my sudden fear for her. If she returned to Price’s clutches, she would never be free.
Just as I pushed into Price’s chest in an attempt to get him off me, two huge hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him off.
“Peter,” I grunted.
He gave Price a solid right in the gut followed by a mean hook under the chin. Price trickled to the floor and laid in a motionless heap.
“Shit. The guy’s got a rock for a chin. I think I busted a knuckle,” Peter said as he waved his fingers free of the pain.
Bringing the circulation back to my neck with the help of my fingertips, I grinned. “You couldn’t have better timing.”
“Hey, you know how I am. I got whiff of a fight brewing from around the corner and came running.”
“I’m not surprised.” I held my hand out to shake his hand. “Good to see you again, Pete, and good to see you still carry some punch. Man, I’d hate to be on the receiving end of those fists.”
“And some people said I was wasting my time training when I should concentrate more on my law firm, but hey, just because I don’t compete anymore doesn’t mean I have to let myself go. I always said; you can never be too strong or in too good a shape.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“Perfect. We’ll meet up with Serena and Laura down at the lobby and drink a toast to good timing, and good friends. Then we’ll get down to business and discuss what to do about a few other issues.”
“You mean Michael’s murder case?”
“If we don’t figure something out, one of our girls is going to be facing some serious time.”