by Lexy Timms
“We could tell,” Amanda said, giving him a look that was an invitation he would have thoroughly taken advantage of if she hadn’t been in a rush for the airport and he hadn’t been ready to walk out the door for work.
He glanced down at his phone where it sat on the counter, checking the time, and finished the last of his coffee in two long swallows.
“I have to get going. You two are welcome to any food you find in the fridge if you want something to eat. There’s—”
The taxi honking outside cut him off, and he grinned. He hadn’t heard the gate open, but that wasn’t unexpected.
“Or you can go get in the taxi.”
He walked to the door with them and opened it to let them out. Both women paused to give him a tight hug before they stepped through. Alex allowed it, even wrapping an arm around them in return. Both hugs, unsurprisingly, turned into kisses that weren’t exactly chaste. When they pulled back, all three of them were breathing a little faster.
“Enjoy your trip. You’ll have to come back and tell me all about it when you’re stateside again.”
“We will,” Amanda said.
They turned then and walked out to the taxi, loading their carry-ons in and waving before they slid onto the seat and closed the door. Alex lifted one hand in an answering wave, then headed back inside to get his phone and go out through the garage to his own car.
* *
His phone reminded him again about the meeting with Parker at three. Alex arrived home at ten ‘til to find a car he didn’t recognize sitting in his driveway. He was prompt, then; Alex liked that. He pulled into the garage, then went to open the door.
Parker was waiting on the other side.
Alex caught himself staring, and forced the polite smile he used when he met with business associates. “Good afternoon. Parker, yes?”
“That’s my name. And a good afternoon to you, too, Mr. Reid.”
“Please, come in.” Alex stepped back to let the man pass.
He was huge. Alex was fit, but not like that, all bulging muscle even under the t-shirt he was wearing, which had the logo of his company, Fitness and Health Sports Club, blazoned across the front. He was also tattooed. Liberally. Alex supposed he should have expected it. What else was someone who made their living whipping other people into shape supposed to look like?
It was intimidating in a way that most of the high-powered businessmen Alex met with weren’t. Not, of course, that he was intimidated. There was no one who intimidated him.
“Would you like anything before we get started? A drink of water?”
Parker shook his head. “I’m good, thanks. Let’s take a look at the room you want to renovate, if you’re ready?”
“Quite ready.”
Alex led Parker down the hall to the end of the house. It was a rather long walk. As they went, he could almost feel the man’s eyes moving over everything. Surely he’d seen houses like this before with his clientele?
“Okay,” Alex said as he led him down the stairs and opened the door to the unused room. It was spacious, with windows that let in plenty of light. “This is the room I want renovated. As you can see, there isn’t too much that needs to be done to it. I’ve already had the furniture moved out.”
Parker was already pacing the edges of the room, nodding to himself as he went. “You’ll need to have the carpet ripped up, of course. Hardwood will be good flooring for the room if you’re going for appearances, although you’ll need to be careful moving gym machines around so you don’t scratch it. We’ll put mirrors in on all the walls.” He gestured as he spoke, sweeping one large hand out to indicate the room. “Unless you’d rather not?”
“Oh no. I have no objection. If that’s what’s usual, we’ll go with that. The only time the machines should be moved is when they’re moved in, so that doesn’t concern me.”
“What kind of machines are you wanting to look at?”
“I’ll need weights. Probably a chest press. Leg press. Plenty of machines for working the upper body and lower body both. I couldn’t tell you most of them by name, though. Plus cardio stuff as well. New, high-tech stuff. Big screen TV somewhere so I can take care of business if I have to and catch a few hockey games and sports while I’m running.”
Parker listened, nodding again.
“We can do all that. We’ll add a treadmill or two, of course. Do you think you’ll have more than one person in here at a time?”
“Right now I’m the only one who lives in the house, but I may be installing apartments for a personal assistant. So let’s assume there might be at least two people working out in the room at once.”
“There usually are. That’s easy enough to set up.” He turned to look at Alex. “A basic gym set up is, well, basic. So there’s nothing really complicated we’re doing in here. I would say we can have the equipment picked out and ready within a week, assuming that you want us to pick the equipment?”
“You know more about it than I do.” Alex stood just inside the frame of the door, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m an expert in plenty of areas but this isn’t one of them, so I’ll defer to your knowledge here.”
“You’ll need to take care of the flooring, and any other structural changes you want made.”
“I assumed as much. I have contractors already picked.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty well prepared, then. Anything else you wanted to discuss for the space?”
Alex shook his head.
“I think we’re covered.”
“How about your workout routine?” Parker grinned at him with very straight white teeth. “Not that you don’t look good, but we could take you to the next level if you’re looking to get there.”
Alex laughed. “Not at this time, no. I’ve got other things on my mind, and a company to run. Maybe when things slow down.”
As though things would ever slow down. Besides, he was plenty fit, and more than content with his looks. He’d never met a woman who had any complaints to make about the state of his body.
“Fair enough,” Parker answered, lifting both hands palm out in a gesture of surrender, though the smile hadn’t left his face. “I promise not to suggest it again. At least not before the gym is done.”
He would find a personal trainer with a sense of humor.
“If we’re otherwise done here, I’ll need to get some pictures and measurements of the space so that I know how much we can fit and where.”
“Of course. Please carry on.”
Alex didn’t move from his place. He stood instead and watched as Parker pulled an iPhone out of his pocket and began snapping images of the room.
“What made you get into this sort of business, if you don’t mind my asking?” he ventured after a moment.
“Not at all.” Parker turned to get pictures from another angle, but he glanced up from his phone for a moment to acknowledge Alex before he looked back at the screen. “It’s really not anything that special. You know, I like working out. Wanted to share that passion with the world. All that good stuff. And I discovered I have a pretty strong talent for it. I’ve had a lot of success. Made good money. Bigger clientele. It just keeps growing. It’s great.” He pulled a tape measure from his back pocket and started measuring, recording the results on his phone. “You seem you’re pretty successful yourself.”
“You could say that,” Alex said, letting the smile on his face be audible in his voice. “I know what I want, and I’ve made a point of getting it.”
“Lawyer?” Parker guessed. “Doctor?”
“Neither. Investment company CEO.”
The trainer whistled. “That’s some pretty legitimate stuff. Not that being a doctor or a lawyer isn’t. I wouldn’t have sat through eight years of college for anything. But you really have to know your markets for the kind of work you do. I’ve done some basic investing of my own, you know, getting back a little more than just the interest from the bank, but nothing like anywhere near on that scale.”
“It’s a talent,�
�� Alex said. “Like helping people get fit.”
“Talent’s only part of it, though. What’s that saying… Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” He straightened up and tucked the measuring tape back into its place, grinning at Alex. “I’ve got a whole library of those things in my head. I think I know more motivational quotes than anyone could ever use.”
“Is that part of the job? Knowing motivational quotes?”
Parker shrugged. “Depends on the person. Some people yell at their clients. Some people just say whatever comes into their heads. I did a lot of research when I started out. You know, what makes people take, what makes them want to push through when they feel like giving up. So sometimes I pull out stuff like that. Sometimes I just base what I want to say on something clever someone else said once. Not many people actually like being berated, but there are a few. I’ve done that, too.”
“It sounds like an interesting life.”
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, I’ll tell you that much. And not only because I think an office job would kill me. Although at this point, I wouldn’t need one. I could probably retire on my savings and live happily for the rest of my life, but I like what I do.” He shrugged again, then looked at Alex. “I’m done here, if you need to get back to work.”
“I always need to get back to work,” Alex said in answer, and Parker huffed a wry, agreeing laugh.
Alex turned, and started back up the hall they’d come down, Parker’s footsteps echoing his own. Would he trade his job for anything else? He considered the question for a long moment as they moved toward center of the house and the main door. No, he decided, as he’d known he would before he even asked himself the question. He wouldn’t trade the job for anything. It might be frustrating some days, but it was worth all the work. He also liked what he did.
“We’ll get back to you within a day or two with an estimate,” Parker said at the door. “I’m sure it won’t be anything that will phase your bank account. I’ll keep you updated on the lists of equipment we’re looking at, too, just in case you decide you want a say when you see what we’re lining up.”
“Sounds good,” Alex said. He opened the door and stepped aside. “Have a nice day.”
“And you.”
They shook hands and then Parker stepped out, and Alex shut the door behind him. A moment later, he heard the sound of the man’s car starting, and he leaned back against the wall with a sigh of relief. It had been a long day.
A long day that wasn’t over. Alex straightened up again, and went to make himself another cup of coffee before he went back to the office.
Chapter 9
Mark started calling again on Monday. Must be back from his honeymoon, then. Alex looked down at his brother’s name on the missed call list and briefly considered changing his number. What could his brother possibly want this time? He’d sent them their wedding gift already; the company had assured him that the tickets for the cruise set next year on Mark’s anniversary had arrived.
It was possible his brother was calling to thank him. But Alex was sure that would come with a lecture about how he shouldn’t send gifts like that without even speaking to the person he was sending them to, and Mark would undoubtedly ask again why he hadn’t been at the wedding. That was probably it, actually. Mark just wanted to know why he hadn’t come to the wedding, and why Alex had hung up on him after he’d told him he wouldn’t be there. If he asked where Alex had been that weekend, Alex couldn’t exactly say he’d been out of town, because his office would know he hadn’t, and Mark had the number. Telling his brother that he’d been busy having sex with a really hot girl all weekend probably wouldn’t go over well, though Alex considered it, just because hearing Mark go completely speechless before he wound himself up to another yelling match would be almost funny enough to be worth it.
In the end, Alex didn’t answer the phone, and he didn’t call Mark back. They’d gone without talking for months at a time before; they could do it again. Personally, he wouldn’t have a problem if the next time he heard from his brother was Mark’s divorce, which was bound to happen sooner rather than later if Alex was any good at probabilities, and he was.
There was something he was supposed to remember, Alex thought as he settled into the chair at his desk. He swiped a finger across his phone screen, waking it, and opened the calendar. Meetings. Regular work issues. Ah. There it was. He had that charity gala for the Feed the Hungry society coming up in a little more than a week. Such functions were far from Alex’s favorite, but not attending them wasn’t an option. Wealthy people loved charities. Or rather, they loved throwing money at charities. Actually working in them was far beneath their well-manicured hands. But what it meant, much to Alex’s chagrin, was that anyone who moved in those circles had to attend at least one or two charity events a year or people would start talking about their lack of devotion to the state of the world.
He sighed… Just one more thing to add to the list of never-ending work.
Parker had sent the estimate for the gym set-up on Friday. Alex’s bank account had handled it just fine. The trainer had also sent a number of ideas for machines. Alex had approved them all; he didn’t have any particular interest in taking time out of his already-busy day to research gym machines. Whatever Parker chose would, he was sure, be more than adequate. Still, he appreciated the attention to detail.
The next thing to do was decide if he wanted to put the apartment in at the end of the house. He could have the contractors who were working on the gym do it while they were already working for him. He was sure they wouldn’t mind. Most people didn’t; he paid well.
But that was a problem for later.
The problem currently at hand was a big investor’s sudden withdrawal from the company. Frankly, Alex didn’t understand. Daniel Prescott had been with them almost since Reid Enterprises had begun. What would cause him to take back his business? The question hadn’t been answered, and he was starting to get frustrated. They’d gone through all the regular channels; Alex was going to give Prescott a call himself and see what the problem was.
“Mr. Reid?”
Alex, phone in hand, pressed the intercom button.
“Yes, Ms. Campbell.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I have a question here from one of the financial strategists and he says it can’t wait.”
“Put it through.”
Alex waited until he’d released the intercom button to let the sigh welling in his throat escape.
“Reid,” he said when he picked up the phone.
“Mr. Reid,” the voice at the other end replied. “Joseph Driver. Sorry to bother you right now, but I’ve got a couple of clients asking about Prescott. No idea how they heard. What should I tell them?”
Asking about Prescott. Already?
“Tell them that it’s a matter of customer privacy and that we can’t share any information about Prescott’s business with us. If they want to know, they’ll have to go directly to him. Though don’t suggest that. I’m calling Prescott myself as we speak, and with any luck we’ll have his problem solved before anyone else hears he left.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And Driver? Don’t call me again about questions like this. You should know the answer.” Alex hung up, raising a hand to his temple and rubbing slow circles against the ache that was forming there. Obviously he needed to give further consideration to the issue of a personal assistant. At least then he would only have to answer one person’s inane questions. The rest of them could go through the PA before they landed on his desk. He hit the intercom button again.
“Ms. Campbell, if anyone else calls asking what to say about Prescott tell them to say that we can’t share any details of Mr. Prescott’s account with us. I don’t want to hear that question again from anyone today.”
“Yes, sir.”
He leaned back in his seat with a sigh, and reached again for the phone just as it rang.
What now?
&n
bsp; The number that flashed across the screen was Mark’s, and Alex began to wonder if his secretary kept Excedrin in her desk drawer, because he was desperately starting to need one. His brother knew better than to call him during work hours. Really should know better than to call him at all.
“What is it you want, Mark? This had better be quick and it had better be good.”
“Is that any way to talk to your brother, Alex, really?”
“It’s a perfectly acceptable way to speak to a brother who has called me four times in the last two days and just called me during work hours when I’m already swamped. Start talking.”
He heard Mark sigh on the other end of the line, and hoped he was getting a headache as well.
“Okay. Fine. What is the deal with the gift you sent? I mean, really, Alex? Cruise tickets without so much as a note?”
And there, exactly, was the lecture he had imagined.
“I didn’t send a note because I didn’t have anything to say. I thought you might like a getaway for your anniversary. If you would prefer me to have the tickets refunded and send you a fruit basket instead, I’m more than happy to do that for you.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re an arrogant dick?”
“I’m sure someone has. You’ve told me so yourself on more than one occasion. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do and no one else to do it for me. Have a good night. Enjoy your wife. Enjoy your cruise.” He hit the button that would end the call.
Could this day get any more ridiculous, truly?
Alex gave himself a moment to sit in the silence of his office. Beyond the window, the city was going about its business, and he turned for a moment in his chair to look out past the skyline to the actual sky. Watching the clouds move past was more relaxing than he might have expected, actually. He let himself do so for about thirty seconds, and then he turned back to the desk and work.
This time, he managed to dial Mr. Prescott’s number without any further interruption.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Prescott. This is Alex Reid over at Reid Enterprises. Just wanted to see if you might have a minute to talk.”