Aftermath Book Two Crash Series

Chapter Forty-Three

Mason

            “I don’t f*****g care! Do what you have to and get it f*****g done.” Thank god my office phone still has a receiver, I get intense pleasure from slamming it back into its spot with more force than ever necessary. It’s been Hell around here on f*****g purpose. I realize it’s my father’s putting road blocks up as he sabotages anything that comes to my desk as he hides away in their mansion. Hoping to make me look bad.

            Everyone thinks he’s gone on some vacation in the Bahamas with my mother, she did go, thankfully. It was her idea, her way to contribute, she’d create the story we needed while giving us the added benefit, or at least Aria the added benefit to no wedding planning and random Cynthia bombardments.

My father on the other hand just needed the excuse. Of course, everyone ate it up hook line and sinker after a health scare they have every reason to believe they’d want to jet off somewhere relaxing. Yet he had stayed here where he can micromanage from afar with the added benefit of his own personal brand of revenge. As much as he can dish out at the moment.

            It’s the visitors he’s seen that concern me, or intrigue, it just depends on how I look at it. We have proof now, I have the time stamps and surveillance video as well as photos of Stasveich himself paying my father a visit. What I don’t know is what they talked about and that brings about a whole f*****g whirlwind of possibilities most of which have me as irritable with a need for a good fight as I was before I broke his f*****g wrist.

            That’s the real reason I just sounded and acted a lot more like my father than I’d like to admit, Dragging my hand down my face I wipe away the irritating sweat gather on my brow and press my fingers into my eyes so I can re-focus.

            “Mr. Maverick your three-thirty appointment is here.” Michelle’s voice fills the room as clearly as if she was in it through the phone's intercom system, so clearly, I can hear the hint of apprehension or distaste in her tone. Looking at my watch I see she’s not wrong, it’s five minutes too. It’s startling how fast time can move when you’re desperate for it to slow.  

            Pressing the intercom button on the bottom of the keypad of my phone I respond back, “Thank you, they can come in.” Much calmer than my previous conversation. But in no better of a mood.

            I minimize the dozen tabs I have pulled up each waiting with a task needed to be completed but they’ll have to wait. I need to get to my schedule and the file Michelle saved next to it with all my three-thirty appointment information.

The door pulls opened before I have time to click through all the tabs for the life of me I can’t remember whom my meeting is with or what it’s about. Like I said it’s been crazy around here with very minimal help from Jaxson.

            “Mr. Maverick it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Her voice is as unfamiliar as it is seductive. It’s not uncommon but she’s being quite bold and that spikes my curiosity. She’s dressed to impress as well, her long tan legs on full display with no tights in the middle of winter, only the black leather boots she has zipped up to her mid-calf covers them, but even the boots are purposeful and made to attract, like pollen to a bee.

            Her dress is tight, tight enough to be on the very verge of professional, this is more similar to what you’d find any number of girls wearing at a nightclub. It falls just centimeters below her ass with thin tight black fabric. It swoops low and hangs loose in the middle, but her curves and her breast are on full display.

            Her brown hair is pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head, and the color of her eyes are covered by thick, black rimmed glasses. Her lips however are painted bright red, her teeth brilliantly white as she nibbles on her bottom lip trying to call attention to her mouth.

            I’ve seen this game played, if I was my father, I would have been walking around my desk by now to get closer and see how much she wanted to play. But I’m not my father and I don’t know what it is she’s up to but Aria’s about a block away and she’s everything I need. I guarantee she’s way better at cooking and would win a beauty competition hands down, without trying half as hard as this woman is.

            Forgetting about my schedule for a moment I drop my mouse as I stand. I’m not sure what her intentions are but she has a scheduled meeting so I have to assume she’s someone with some sort of important relationship to the company or she wouldn’t be in my office.

So, I’ll be as professional as I carefully navigate these waters, knowing they’re going to be rocky and uncomfortable. This will be just another day if I make it to the senate, people using anything they can including their bodies to try and get to me for whatever influence or power they think I have that will benefit them. Hell, it’s why my father gets away with treating so many women as toys or objects. He’s got money and power; people are willing to sell their soul for either.

            I learned early on it wasn’t worth it, it never was. I wanted an actual connection with someone as much as I wanted to value myself and my morals. I can’t forget my outright refusal to ever be anyone like my father, so I guess where he chose to embrace, I learned how to see through and navigate. Which happens to work in my favor. I don’t have s*x tapes or pregnancy scares as he does. I have nothing they’ll be able to use against me, I’ve worked hard to keep it that way.

            No matter what this women’s intentions are she’ll get nowhere anyone else wouldn’t so she shouldn’t have bothered. Hopefully, she’ll get the message and switch gears before she pisses me off enough to get her nowhere at all.

            “Nice to meet you.” Reaching my hand out I extend it to across my desk just as her heels come to a stop an inch from my desk. Her slim manicured hand slips into mine, her soft skin sparks no warmth or electricity like Aria’s hands have since the moment I touched them.

            I look her in the eye as I would anyone, but it seems to please her as it rolls my stomach, it feels wrong. A woman thinking I’m giving them any sign that I’m interested feels very wrong unless it’s Crash, but this woman most certainly is not.

            Retracting my hand I try to let go of hers so I can sit down and get to the bottom of who she is, only her hand grips mine as I pull. She’s stronger than I thought possible. As if she doesn’t understand her handshake is no longer welcome she brings her other hand up between us. Bold as can be she rubs her hand up and down my arm as her thumb rubs circles on the back of my hand.

            Standing straighter I narrow my eyes as I use my free hand to stop her from stroking my arm as I yank hard once, it’s enough to free myself. The whole interaction leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.  

            Acting as nothing happened at all she tosses her purse to the side of the chair on the other side of my desk as she settles in. I pay her no attention, letting her sit in silence as I finish closing the last tab so I can pull open the schedule and finally her file.

            According to Michelle, she was originally scheduled to see my father and my father’s secretary insisted she still needed to be seen, therefore she wasn’t a meeting we could reschedule for when he came back from his luxurious vacation. Reading further I see why but it shocks me.

            Her files say she’s a top executive for the Lightning company. A company we’ve been trying to partner with for years. They sell high-quality goods with profitable costs of goods and their name speaks for themselves, but they value their independence. So far they’ve managed to sell their goods in their exclusive stores or online only.

            If we get them into Dixie the promotion alone would, according to our latest predictions, at least double our next quarterly profits and create hundreds of new jobs.

            How did my father get this meeting? And why the f**k am I learning about it now, during the meeting. I needed prep time for this s**t. 

            I can’t afford to f**k this s**t up but I also need to set boundaries. Shouldn’t be a problem at all.  

            Cracking my neck, I skim the file before I lean in and smile, lets close this deal.