Stud

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  OK

  Was all he wrote back, both to my texts last night about staying over and again to the current text about taking him out to the diner for brunch. He was a little too noncommittal and I hoped he wasn’t going to give Mick too hard of a time. I had been expecting more of a reaction from him about the health insurance. Maybe he was worried about pre-existing conditions. I hadn’t thought about that until just now. Nothing was ever easy.

  “What’s up?” Mick asked, slinging his arm around my waist.

  “My brother is a little overprotective of me,” I warned him. “So don’t be offended if he tries to be all macho and stuff.”

  “I got it covered,” Mick said, kissing me hard on the mouth as I got into my car and he got into his.

  I wasn’t as convinced. But when we picked up Billy, got him and his wheelchair into Mick’s car, he was pleasant.

  “So where did you meet my sister?” Billy asked as we drove to the diner.

  “I’m right here,” I said from the backseat. “Don’t talk like I’m not even in the car.”

  Mick’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. He seemed amused. “We met at the Beanery about six months ago.”

  Billy grunted.

  “Then when she and Curtis Lemming hit it off, my firm decided to hire her.”

  That was a sanitized version of events.

  “So do you always date your employees?”

  “Billy,” I warned.

  “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. So I transferred her to my brother’s department.”

  “You still own the company, though.”

  “I’m comfortable with the layer of direct report between us.”

  Billy ran his hand over the leather on the car door. “Yeah, but the bottom line is you still sign her paycheck.”

  “Our CFO’s name is on the funds transfer, actually.” Mick’s voice had cooled off slightly and I was wondering if this was all going to go south fast.

  “And she tells me that you hired her on full-time with health benefits.”

  “That’s right. Your sister works hard and deserves it.”

  “Still right here in the backseat.” I poked my head between them.

  “When did this new position come through?”

  I saw Mick’s jaw clench. “Yesterday.”

  “Yesterday, huh?” Billy glared back at me.

  “What?” I mouthed at him.

  “Was that before or after my sister slept with you?”

  “Damn it, Billy,” I snarled. “That’s out of line.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but your sister and I have been sleeping together for a month now.”

  Flopping back in my seat, I closed my eyes and groaned. Technically, that wasn’t true. But I guess it wasn’t completely inaccurate. Now it was Billy’s turn to gnash his teeth.

  “I suppose you’re used to girls hanging around you for the things you can give them,” Billy continued his assault.

  Please don’t mention your big cock, I silently thought at Mick.

  “Terri and I have a lot in common.”

  “I’m not sleeping with him for medical benefits,” I said. “Just want to put it out there.”

  “Like what?” my brother scoffed as if I hadn’t said anything.

  “Advertising. Coffee. Chinese food.”

  “GMO wine,” I piped up.

  “GSM,” Mick corrected. “Terri’s gotten me into World of Legends. We’re going to GameCon next week. If you like, I think I can score up another ticket. You’re welcome to come along.”

  I inhaled sharply. Mick didn’t know the direct hit he just scored.

  “No, thank you,” Billy bit out. “I have other plans.”

  Those other plans were the medical trial that Mick had paid a shit-ton of cash to get Billy into. I didn’t dare mention that or I might have to brain my brother over the head with his crutch if he insinuated I was sleeping with Mick out of gratitude or obligation.

  “What do you play in World of Legends?” Billy asked.

  I eased out a sigh of relief as the conversation drifted to the game, which was the one thing we all had in common. We wound up having an uncomfortable brunch, but the overt hostility seemed to have faded by the time we dropped Billy off at home.

  “I don’t like him,” Billy said to me as I helped him get his things settled for the afternoon and evening. Mick waited out in the car. He said he had to make a few phone calls, but I think he was laying low—not that I blamed him.

  “Why not?”

  “He wears a diamond in his ear. Who does he think he is, a pirate?”

  “You don’t like him because of his jewelry?” I asked.

  Billy grunted. “He better treat you right.”

  “I like him, Billy. I really like him.” So much that I was wondering if I was falling for him too fast.

  “Does he like you?”

  “He seems to. He put up with your crap today.”

  “Well, excuse me for caring about you.” Billy sniffed and turned on the television.

  “You practically called me a whore.” I placed my hands on my hips.

  “Just tell me the truth. Are you with him because of the money and the job?”

  I reeled back. “No.” I was stunned. “How could you even think that?”

  Rubbing his hand over his face, he said, “I don’t know. It’s been so desperate lately. I was afraid that you were willing to compromise yourself to make things easier for us.”

  “I’m not that noble,” I said. “Look, I appreciate that you’re worried about me. But I know what I’m doing. I know Mick can come off like a flashy asshole, but he’s really sweet when you get to know him.”

  Billy grunted and put on the ball game. That was his way of saying the conversation was over.

  “Call or text if you need me. I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Have fun,” he said grudgingly, reaching for my laptop.

  Chapter 19

  Mick

  I must be the biggest putz in the world because I was on the roof of my hotel surrounded by off-duty showgirls in tiny bikinis and all I could think about was Terri. She was flying in tonight. We had spent two glorious weekends together, but this week I had been working the conference while she held down the fort at the office. Her brother had started the clinical trials and all seemed to be going well. Lemmingware fixed most of the bugs that had slowed the game down to a crawl in the beta version. The buzz on the Internet was that the game was worth the wait. I hoped popular opinion stayed that way.

  Terri was going to call me when she got to her hotel. We planned to go out to dinner. I had a surprise in store for her that I was hoping was going to blow her mind. But first, I had work to do. I made some phone calls from a chaise longue until the ice in my drink melted and the temperature got too hot for anything but the pool. With one last glance at the showgirls, I went back inside with zero regrets. A few weeks ago, I would have had a much different morning and afternoon.

  After taking a quick shower, I changed into more formal wear and had Lionel meet me in front of my hotel to take me to the conference. I had a VIP access badge that allowed me backstage and I avoided most of the lines. GameCon was very popular and since this was the first day of the weekend, the crowd had almost doubled. I checked in with our barkers and other workers who were handing out swag and directing people to the Lemmingware booths. Curtis and Jim had been in meetings all morning, but we were supposed to do lunch at some point.

  I wasn’t holding my breath.

  My phone rang, but it was a number I didn’t recognize. I let it go to voicemail. As I was walking down the rows of dealers, I listened to it.

  “Mick, it’s your father.”

  I should hang up right now.

  “I need to speak to you. Alone. I know you’re in Vegas. So am I. Meet me at the Forum shops at Caesars by the fountain in an hour. Come alone.”

  I rolled my eyes at the super spy shit. I needed to let it go.
I needed to put his drama behind me. He wasn’t important. And yet, old habits were hard to break. Warren had been stunned when I had walked in the door behind Simon the other week. Both he and Bette were speechless when we gave them our terms. I had half expected him to call off the deal. But he hadn’t. They tucked their tails between their legs and signed over legitimate documents.

  What could he possibly want to tell me?

  I knew it would haunt me if I didn’t go, so I resigned myself to giving him ten minutes of my time.

  He was waiting for me, even though I was a good fifteen minutes early. Before he could spot me, I scanned the crowd for Bette. I didn’t see her and I wondered again if they had split the money and gone their separate ways.

  “I thought the conditions of your bail were that you had to stay in New York,” I said by way of greeting.

  “I had to surrender my passport,” he grunted. “But I can still travel.”

  “So what are you doing here? I thought I made it clear you were banned from Vegas.”

  “That was only the condition for the first deal you and I made in the limo. You violated that agreement when you brought your brother in.”

  “Technically, you violated it when you offered the deal to both of us. And then would have sold him the shares and conned me out of three million dollars.”

  “Well, that didn’t work out as planned,” he said sourly, not a hint of apology or denial.

  “What were you going to do with six million dollars?”

  “Invest it in a casino down here. But that opportunity has gone. You might be able to get in on the ground floor of it. If you want, I can hook you up with someone in the know.”

  I crossed my arms. “Don’t look at me. My funds are all tied up from our arrangement.”

  “I thought you had more money stashed away.” He shook his head. “Ah well, live and learn. Why did you make Simon CEO? You’re the obvious choice for my successor.”

  It was a good question. I wasn’t ready to admit to him that I did it to get Terri in my life. I wouldn’t give him that weapon to use against me or to exploit my vulnerability. And while it was a big part of it, it wasn’t the main reason. When I was with Terri, she made me remember that I really liked to hang out. If not on a beach, then on a couch. When I was beach bumming my way around Key West, the last thing on my mind was becoming CEO. It occurred to me that it never had been my dream after all. I just wanted to work for my grandfather’s company and see it succeed. “I’m better as an ad executive. Also, he will listen to my suggestions, so I’ll still have a say in the matter.”

  Warren snorted. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

  “What do you want, Warren? You didn’t cloak-and-dagger me all the way out here to shoot the shit. Cut to the chase. I’ve got a job to do.”

  “Your mother’s on the warpath.”

  “So what else is new?” I looked out at the crowds of people milling around. Tourists were shopping and laughing. Lovers held hands. Gamblers sauntered down the aisles waiting for a free table or for the next race to start. Vegas bustled, but it was a lonely town. I couldn’t wait to see Terri. I grinned. Yeah, I had it bad.

  “It’s different this time. She’s almost unhinged and she’s determined to take you down. Just watch your back, okay?”

  “Why does it matter to you?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m going to jail next year.”

  “Your lawyer might talk them down to just community service and full repayment of the money you stole.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. If I do go away, would you come and visit me?”

  “Why?” I was genuinely confused. Warren never did anything without it benefiting him. I could see his warning me about Bette in exchange for money in his prisoner’s account—if it even went that far. I had a feeling he was being melodramatic.

  “I’ve made mistakes. I’m an awful father. I can’t protect you from your mother, but I can give you a heads-up. If you and Simon can work out your differences, then maybe we could too. All I’m asking is for a weekly visit if it comes down to it. In exchange, I’ll give you as much lead time as I can to help you prepare for when Bette decides to strike.”

  “All right.” I shrugged. No skin off my nose. I would take what he gave me with a grain of salt, but it was nice to have an edge against my mother. I don’t think Warren and I would ever have a father/son relationship. But we had worked together for the past ten years and could possibly find a common ground.

  “Good.” He wilted a bit. “She’ll go after your weak areas. Figure out what your weakest link in your business is and shore it up.”

  There were a few areas she could really fuck up for me. “You should let her know that I will prosecute if she sells any proprietary information.”

  “I’m sure she’s aware of your eagerness to litigate,” Warren said dryly. “For what it’s worth, Simon would have gotten the fake documents. As much as Bette wanted to make you pay for firing her, I wanted you to lead the company. It was what Dad would have wanted.”

  “Papa would have been happy if either one of his grandsons was at the helm as long as the other was involved. Have a nice time in Vegas, Warren. Watch out for honeypots and grifters.”

  “You too,” he said and then faded into the crowd.

  Once Lemmingware released the live version of their expansion, I was going to take Terri down to Key West for a few weeks and we could enjoy island life. I’d hire a full-time nurse for Billy if I had to. I’d rent a boat and we could make love on the deck and drink shots every night at sunset. Then once we were considering our next tattoos, we’d head on back to New York refreshed and ready to take on the next set of clients. I think Papa would have been all right with that.

  Chapter 20

  Terri

  I fell asleep on the plane, much to the chagrin of my seatmates. I woke up with a sore throat and a wet cheek, so I’m pretty sure I was snoring and drooling as well. If they knew what type of week I had, though, they wouldn’t have blamed me.

  Billy and I were trying to get used to the new clinical trial schedule. He had physical therapy, new meds, and their night sessions were more psychoanalytical, which pissed him off to no end. He didn’t “have time for that shit.” So trying to convince him that it was a complete package and not to fuck around was a full-time job in itself. He had some bad reactions to the medication. It caused cramping and stomachaches. So they’d been messing with the dosage and finally gave him something completely different. I hope it wasn’t the placebo. But when I left him tonight, he was planning on going to bed and catching up on his online computer classes.

  I almost canceled my trip because I didn’t want to leave him alone without anyone to look after him. It had been Mick’s suggestion to see if Elaine could drop by and check on him. That had been an interesting conversation. I hadn’t realized her brother had died young from kidney failure. She told me that Mick had also helped with his treatments and, after her brother passed, had bought the mortgage on the Beanery so Elaine could make a living.

  It seemed Mick wasn’t such a prick when you got to know him. No wonder Elaine treated him like a VIP. He had been her brother’s friend and gave her a break when she needed it. Just like he gave Billy one.

  Elaine was going to check up on Billy on Saturday and Sunday, and he knew not to be a macho shithead and would call for help if he needed it. By the time I got off the plane, it had finally become real. I was on vacation for the first time since my parents died. Rolling my suitcase through the terminal, I saw Lionel waiting for me by the exit.

  “I have instructions to take you to your hotel and after you’ve settled in, I’m to take you to dinner with Mr. Wentworth.”

  Good thing I had a nap on the plane.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise. I’ll tell you later,” Lionel said.

  Lemmingware had set up most of their events at the Luxor, which was a giant pyramid of a hotel, even though the convention
center was a twenty-minute taxi ride away. I had argued against it. It was a perfect setting to promote the Egyptian release, but I worried that the convention attendees would use the free bus we provided just to visit the Las Vegas strip.

  “I’ll be waiting here when you’re ready to go to dinner. There isn’t any rush,” Lionel said, handing me his card. “Just call before you head down and I’ll bring the car to the entrance.”

  “Thanks.” I hoped he meant that I didn’t have to hurry back, because I wanted a shower and a change of clothes.

  I could see a bunch of cosplayers already hanging out in tunics and robes, swinging homemade battle-axes and staffs. Hopefully, they would also check out the free game play in the ballroom. I should swing by and get pictures. Glancing longingly at the pool, I made a note to make time to rent one of the cabanas if I got the chance. But I was here on business, not for pleasure, so there probably wouldn’t be any sunbathing. However, I did have a hot date tonight. Hurrying up to my room, I was surprised to see a bouquet of multicolored tulips on the dresser, with a card attached. I tore open the envelope and grinned.

  Can’t wait to kiss your two lips

  Mick

  “Hokey,” I scoffed, but I was grinning like a loon.

  There was also a beautifully wrapped gift on the bed. It was a big rectangle and the wrapping paper looked like papyrus and it was tied together with a golden cord. I opened it carefully so I could save the paper and gently pulled out the box. Inside was a pair of Egyptian sandals, a white linen wrap dress in an ancient Egyptian style, two gold arm cuffs, and a gold circlet. It couldn’t be real gold, could it? There was another card:

  For you, Kitten. Wear this to dinner.

  Hasani

  I squealed like a teenager and danced around the room. I turned Mick into a nerd! Thoroughly pleased with myself, I rushed through my shower and blow-dried my hair. I climbed into the outfit, deciding to eschew undergarments. Ancient Egyptians didn’t wear any and let’s face it, I wasn’t going to need them tonight.