Page 7 of Dark Seduction

“As soon as I can get some help in my house.” I bet he enjoyed being at my club. He could line up dates and drink free liquor. It was a good job if you could get it, and lately he’d been getting all kinds of jobs, and being paid more than he was worth. Now he was being utilized as a dog walker, not as glamorous as getting dressed in his expensive shirts and pants and shoes, and walking around doing nothing but talking and getting men’s addresses and phone numbers.

After leaving Ryan’s apartment, I headed over to the club when a text came in.

Cole: Hey sweetheart, working late today got a new client meet you later.

Before I could ask him anything he’d turned off his phone. I knew I’d kept him from his work for two weeks with the dogs and all the other things going on in our lives planning a wedding that we knew would never get out of the planning stages.

I should have been more understanding because he hadn’t gone into his office but once, and this was new to him. I was so needy like this morning when he’d dressed and then gave me a blowjob. I should have known better, especially when I decided to cook in the nude.

“Mr. James, you’re in front of your building.”

“Thanks. I just have so much on my mind lately.”

“I noticed, sir, but you seem happier, and Sam is on his best behavior since you brought him a companion. Everyone needs companionship and a family.” I strolled out of the car and thought about what my driver had said. I needed a family, and it was time to ask Cole if he was ready, because I was. I wanted to be married and I wanted children. There were so many children looking for homes and I wanted Cole and me to make that possible, and besides, Sam and Baby needed someone to play with besides me and Cole.

As I strolled into my office, I realized that I hadn’t thought the family thing through. I needed someone to take care of our home and the children, and dogs if we were to keep our careers. I couldn’t depend on Jay for long. He wasn’t the kind of dude to spend his time in the house, even though that was all he’d been doing lately when he wasn’t partying with his friends.

I hadn’t been at my desk for a few moments when Ryan barged in. “Don’t you knock?”

“I would if I’d known you were here. I haven’t seen you around here for two weeks. I saw more of Sam than you.”

“Don’t get me started, Ryan. I’ve had a great day and now I’m having a terrific morning. I want to go over the spreadsheet and then I’m going out to lunch with my secretary and dinner with my one and only. There’s nothing you can tell me that would dampen my day.”

I’d just put my foot in this when I said nothing could dampen my day. “You know that party we had on the twentieth floor, we haven’t gotten paid.” I stood and marched around to Ryan and looked at the invoice he’d sent out several times.

“What the fuck is going on? Wasn’t Jay the bartender and wasn’t he responsible for that party? He was supposed to keep up with the tabs, charge by the bottles. You knew how many drinks or shots and how much each bottle contained. It’s not quantum-mechanics, it’s simple math for fuck’s sake, Ryan. Don’t you talk to that...” I barked and closed my eyes.

“How much is due, and will we get paid?”

Ryan glared at me as if he was afraid to say a word, then finally he said, “That party was the closing of this business. Everyone was losing their jobs and they got drunk, and I mean drunk.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I see it on the bill. What happened to the owners of that business?”

“The next day when I sent Jay to collect, the office was shut down and furniture gone just like that. It’s empty except for a few liquor bottles. It will take time, but we may be able to collect.”

“This is New York. They will pay, but we have to find them first. If they’re in a new state we will never get paid.”

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