Merging Assets

by Cheryl Dragon

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Merging Assets Copyright © 2014 Lacey Thorn

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  About the Author

  Also Available from Resplendence Publishing

  www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Merging Assets

  A Lucky Springs Story

  By Cheryl Dragon

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Merging Assets

  Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Dragon

  Edited by Michele Paulin and CJ Slate

  Cover Art by Les Byerley

  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  1093 A1A Beach Blvd, #146

  St. Augustine, FL 32080

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-763-6

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic Release: April 2014

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  In fairytales, the prince rescues the beautiful and thin princess. Crystal never let being plus size stop her from achieving her goals, but she never expected a prince to swoop her up on a white horse either. Independence is her strength, and her career gives her security. Then her company took over a warehouse run by four hot men, and she can’t get her mind off of them. Working with Roman, Andy, Lance, and Fred fuels dreams of much dirtier fairytales for her. Mixing business with pleasure is asking for trouble, but she can’t resist. Dreams don’t come true every day, and she has to jump on this merger where everyone wins!

  Dedicated to: All the Lucky Springs fans! You’re the best

  Chapter One

  Like most people, Andy Philips wasn’t a big fan of change. He avoided it. It was part of why he’d lived in Lucky Springs all of his life. After college, he’d worked different jobs for various people until he found the Simmons warehouse in his mid-twenties. Somehow, now it was ten years later, and he was the manager. It sounded nice except for the recent changes that had left him frustrated.

  “Crystal is coming back today!” Lance Fields wandered into Andy’s office then plopped into a guest chair with a casual grin on his face.

  Andy nodded at the all-American hunk next door with brown hair, blue eyes and no stress. Lance went with the flow. Change never fazed him in the least.

  Crystal Capewell was the only good part of the massive changes at the warehouse lately. Simmons had sold his warehouse to the growing factory in Lucky Springs, and now, everything was different. Andy hated all the new systems and rules, but he didn’t hate having Crystal around. Andy, Lance, and the other two men in their lives were very taken with her.

  “We have to be careful,” Andy said.

  “Why?” Lance shrugged. “She’s gorgeous, smart, funny, and she calms you down. She’s perfect. I say we make a move on her and lock this in.”

  Andy hit the intercom button. “Roman and Fred to the office, please.”

  The four men handled the main areas of the warehouse with support staff. Lance was logistics, Fred did the scheduling and Roman was safety. Together, they made sure semis got loaded and unloaded all day and business kept rolling.

  As the other two walked in, Andy smiled. Roman was hard to rattle, like Lance. His brown hair was perfect as ever, but his curious, light-brown eyes wondered what was up. Analytical Fred always looked a little distant, but his eyes were such a pale green it unsettled some people with the contrast of his short black hair. Andy loved them all. They were a good group. No one woman had galvanized them yet, but all were hopeful.

  Lucky Springs had plenty of group relationships. There were a lot of bisexual men and the women they adored. Maybe, it was something in the water? Andy didn’t know or care, but with all the change, even a great development could made him uneasy.

  “What’s up?” Fred asked.

  “Crystal is due back today to give us some training on the accounting system. We don’t need to overwhelm her.” Andy didn’t want her to run.

  Lance rolled his eyes. “She loves us.”

  “Well, not love love. She likes us all very much. When she was here with the auditors reviewing the books before the buyout, she was always extremely friendly. I think the attraction is mutual,” Fred said.

  “Exactly. She’s friendly. We’re all very interested in her, but we had to keep a certain distance before. Now, the deal is done, and things can be different,” Roman agreed.

  Andy shook his head. “The last thing we need is a sexual harassment issue.”

  Lance shrugged. “She’d never do that. If we were out of line, she’d slap us or tell us off. We’re not creeps who can’t take no for an answer. I’m talking about asking her out, not groping her.”

  “True, sexual harassment implies repeated unwanted advances. Asking her out isn’t inappropriate.” Fred sounded like a textbook.

  “See, we can ask her out.” Lance looked Andy in the eye.

  “I’m in,” Roman replied.

  “But we don’t want to move too fast until we’re sure she’s interested. Some people mistake friendliness for flirtation. We should be absolutely sure she’s the one we want because intra-office relationships are potentially problematic.” Fred cracked his knuckles.

  “Right. Better to take it a little slow and see if she’s really interested. I know group relationships are normal here, but she’s not a Lucky Springs native,” Andy said.

  “Neither was I,” Roman replied. “She’s been here a couple of years. Her friends are in group deals. I don’t see a problem. But slow is fine with me, as long as you’re not doubting it, Andy.” He leaned forward. He’d moved north with a lot of young single men after Hurricane Katrina had devastated New Orleans. Centrally located, Lucky Springs had benefitted from more young men moving in.

  Andy sighed. “I’m not doubting our interest in Crystal. I want her as much as you guys do. She might have a new boyfriend in the last few months since she’s been in the office. Or she might not want a group thing, even if her friends have it.”

  “We can talk to her. Feel her out. Let her know we’re a foursome who want the right woman,” Lance suggested.

  “Don’t be too pushy,” Andy said.

  Lance smirked. “You’re too cautious. We’re a good balance.”

  The four of them were a great balance, but Andy felt the same as the other three. Without the right woman, they’d never be complete and totally happy. Still, they’d seen the other side. Not having a woman was better than the wrong woman who’d play games and try to break them up.

  “You’re worried she’ll be like Kelly,” Fred said.

  The woman who’d brought Andy and Lance together with Fred had indeed played games and tried to keep the men at odds with each other so she was the in control. Roman had come in later, but he’d heard all the stories.

  Andy shrugged. “Crystal isn’t that type, but I didn’t think Kelly was either. The point is, we work with Crystal, and that won’t change if the dating works or not. So let’s be really sure we want to go down that road and that she’s interested before we change the dynamic.”

  “I know you’re th
e boss here, but you’re not the boss at home,” Lance said.

  The men exchanged looks. First loves were special, and Andy was lucky to still have his in Lance. “I know. Group vote before we change the rules.”

  “We could vote now,” Roman said.

  “You’re overly confident. Let’s feel her out indirectly first,” Fred said.

  Lance leaned over and kissed Roman’s cheek. “Let’s wait. Right now, we’ll end up with a tie.”

  Andy sighed. Probably. All it’d take was Fred to be convinced of her interest and attraction to the men, and Andy would lose. Technically, he’d win. He wanted Crystal and his guys, but mixing in the business aspect made him the bad guy. Some days, he hated being the manager. It had been no big deal with the old owner. They’d been an independent warehouse where any company could store things in. Now, it was very different.

  Crystal’s arrival, however, shifted Andy’s mood immensely. The lushly curved woman always dressed for business in smart skirt suits and pumps. Today, it was a smoky gray with a pale-green shirt underneath the jacket. Her long, brown hair was piled up in a loose bun.

  Lance glanced over his shoulder. “Nice. Our blue-eyed numbers goddess is here. So we’ll see what happens.”

  “We all need the training in case someone is out sick or hurt, so we’ll each get some time with her.” Roman grinned.

  “Don’t—” Andy started.

  Lance glared back at him. “Stop trying to control everything. You’re the boss, but love can’t be fired, forbidden or outlawed. Coworkers can date.”

  “You’re right.” Andy just didn’t react well to rejection. Some people let it roll off them, but when it seemed to be constant and from many directions, it hit a nerve. Andy’s dad hadn’t been a fan of having a son with a boyfriend. Even when Andy had said he liked both boys and girls, it hadn’t made life any easier. If he didn’t have Lance, Andy couldn’t imagine his life.

  Dad’s disapproval hadn’t stopped them from being together, and nothing would rip them apart. He knew the work it took to build a relationship, and he didn’t want to see the men he loved hurt if Crystal wasn’t interested or if things didn’t work out in the end. In his gut, he believed she was their best chance.

  She walked by again and waved at the four men. Her big smile did more to change Andy’s tune than all the talking with the guys. He wanted her as much as they did, and the four of them deserved her!

  “We’ve got to play it just right. So go on, get back to work,” Andy said.

  * * * *

  Crystal settled into the guest office she always inhabited when she came to the warehouse. This time, she didn’t have two annoying auditors with her at every turn. The deal was done.

  Part of getting promoted to Accounts Payable Manager had meant overseeing the Simmons warehouse buyout. At least, the internal accounting side of things. All those trucking bills and other expenses that came with a warehouse made it her problem.

  While the files and some of Mr. Simmons accounting had been a bit of a problem, she’d enjoyed some of the men there too much to complain. Procedures and systems could be whipped into shape, but men like that were hard to find.

  Even in Lucky springs, Crystal hadn’t gotten lucky in romance as her three best friends had. Then again, they’d moved here for jobs in a down economy, not with romance as a goal. Crystal had a bit of a singular focus at times, but independence was important to her. Men didn’t flock to her. Brains or not, confidence or not, she wore a size twenty-two. Some men liked it, but society certainly didn’t.

  Princes on white horses didn’t pick girls like her. Cartoons alone had taught her that when she was little. A kind aunt had told Crystal that all women should take care of themselves and not be dependent on a man.

  Now, Crystal understood that advice was excellent, but as a too smart for her own good seven-year-old, she’d seen it another way. Just like in gym class, chubby girls were picked last. The real world was so much easier to navigate when you understood the rules and didn’t expect the fantasy.

  Still, the memory of working with those four hot men had been haunting her dreams as she tried not to get her hopes up for today. With business settled, they all worked for the same company, and that gave her subconscious a free ticket to fantasize. She’d been entertaining sexual fantasies since she’d met the men. Letting herself want a real relationship and stability like her friends had found in Lucky Springs was asking for trouble.

  The men hadn’t come in to greet her. She’d spotted them all in Andy’s office, and her body tingled to see more. A few times during her first weeks here, she’d caught a couple of them kissing. Asking around town, she’d discovered they were indeed a foursome without a woman in the mix. Word was they were all bisexual.

  She set up her laptop and logged into the network. The training would be dull. The handbook gave pretty good step-by-step instructions, but the policy for accounting software called for some hands-on training. All the data collected here filtered into her paying the vendors on time and correctly.

  This morning, she’d train one of the guys on the system. In the afternoon, she’d review potential cost savings plans to see which ones were feasible. The warehouse had to be profitable now that it was theirs. Simmons had wasted a lot of money not staying on top of things.

  She headed to the coffee station and poured herself a cup. The office area was fairly small, but through a set of double doors, a bit concrete space with inventory stretched out and there were huge truck bays with loaders. Crystal had inspected and toured it all a few times. Lucky Springs didn’t have a ton of warehouse space and buying this was cheaper than building from scratch.

  She spotted the men wandering out. They waved and smiled at her, but all had work to do. So did she, but Lance wasn’t due for training for half an hour. She was habitually early.

  Andy walked up and smiled at her. “Morning. Everything in order?”

  “Always. Ready for a little computer training this week? I hope you have enough staff to cover for the imposition,” she said.

  “Hey, we’ve got to use the system so we need to learn it. We’ve got coverage. I just don’t want any bitching about the added payroll.” He sighed.

  She understood that. The company wasn’t as harsh or cutthroat as some she’d worked for in the past, but a small business in a small town had to be conscious of costs if they hoped to survive. “I’d forward the HR training approval to Payroll just in case. I don’t control either of those departments. The new HR department head doesn’t really like me.”

  “How is that possible?” Roman slid up behind her and grabbed sugar packet.

  Crystal smiled at the second hunk. “Some women love to keep other women down. Like there’s only so much room in management for females. They want to be the queen and can’t let any other woman be right. I really prefer working with men.”

  “Well, we love having you around. You can have that office whenever you want.” Roman smiled.

  Fred came up for another cup of coffee. “Are you moving in?”

  She shook her head. “I wish I could. My department isn’t here. It’s not that far, but I love the small office feel you guys have.”

  “Maybe big corporate games aren’t your thing?” Andy asked.

  Her smile disappeared. If she wasn’t great at her job and handling all of that, she didn’t know what defined her. “I don’t think anything in Lucky Springs is really ‘big corporation’. Smaller companies mean fewer opportunities. I had to work hard for my promotion so maybe I look a little competitive to some. That’s not always an attractive feminine quality.”

  “You go after what you want. That’s an excellent attribute,” Fred replied.

  “Thanks.”

  He was so sweet and literal. Fred was clear, and Roman was obviously interested in her as well. At least, she hoped so.

  “Work relationships get complicated. Co-workers, friends and so on.” Andy nodded. “Well, no worries. The office is yours, and Lance
is yours all morning. If you need more time, let me know.”

  “Thanks.” She could tell Andy had doubts about crossing any lines, but he was a manager. That job came with responsibility. She hadn’t told anyone at the company that the men were in a relationship. Andy supervising the others might not sit well with HR. Simmons hadn’t cared but HR would if they followed the company policies to the letter.

  Adding her into the mix would only make it a bigger problem. She still wanted them. Working with them day in and day out during the buyout, she’d seen them at their best and worst. Andy was steady if cautious. Fred was logical while Roman and Lance were more easygoing and flexible. Lance even leaned toward daring while Roman was happy to hang back and watch.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Fred asked.

  She realized she’d gone silent. Lost in thought. At least, they weren’t naked in her daydream just then, or she’d be blushing. “Sorry. I need my caffeine buzz. I should be on my second cup by now.”

  As she took a big drink of her favorite excuse, Lance walked up with his laptop, a notepad and pen. “Ready when you are, Ms. Capewell.”

  She laughed. “When did I stop being Crystal?”

  Lance pouted. “It’s a teacher fantasy. Don’t ruin it.”

  “Lance,” Andy scolded.

  Crystal’s cheeks felt a bit hot, but she liked the attention and couldn’t pretend not to. “It’s okay, Andy. If he gets out of line, I’ll smack him with a ruler.”

  “Where exactly would I get smacked?” Lance kept the play going.

  “Stop it before someone hears you,” Andy warned.

  She had to put Andy out of his misery. “In the office,” she told Lance. “I’ll get some more coffee. Is there ice in the freezer?”

  Fred nodded. “Of course. You want to cool off your coffee?”

  “No, but I may need to cool off Lance later.” Crystal added some cream to her coffee then headed back to the office. It was nice that one of the guys was so bold.