Page 5 of Totally Played
That gets me a thumbs-up, and I stop putting it off any longer and strip out of my suit and jump under the shower. I blast the cold for five seconds to wake myself up and while it sends my cock and balls retreating into the warmth of my body, it does give me a clearer head. This dinner was a clever idea. While we signed on these investors for another year, they usually support other companies on long-term contracts. Something about RED Tech is making them nervous to commit to longer than twelve months at a time. If this dinner can help bridge whatever gap there is, then we might be able to extend the support further.
I throw on my dark blue Henley, white chinos, and slip on my blue trainers. The restaurant is casual, and my stuffy work shoes need to air out if I’m going to be in them all day tomorrow after we fly back to Savannah, that is. I make it to the lobby just as the client, Mr. Grey, opens the door for his wife. It’s sweet, actually, seeing a guy still interested in being chivalrous. I can’tremember the last time a guy opened a door for me. Though I can’t remember the last time I opened a door for a guy, either. She smiles up at him, taking his hand to help her out. Then the back door opens and out climbs a tall, slim guy that is basically a younger, hotter version of Mr. Grey. When Jennifer said they were bringing their son, I guess I figured they were bringing a kid. Hopefully, Jennifer didn’t, though, or he might get placed in front of a coloring page and a box of crayons.
I laugh at the imagery and attract their attention.
“I was just thinking of something I saw earlier, sorry. What were you saying?” I ask, trying to deflect attention to anyone else.
“Ashley, you’ve met Vivion,” Mr. Grey says, and I give her hand a little shake.
“Yes, nice to see you again, Mrs. Grey.”
“Please, Viv is fine.”
“Don’t even try, dear, he’s been calling me Mr. Grey for a year now, no matter how many times I tell him he can call me Bertie.”
“Old habits die hard,” I say, and then his son clears his throat and Mrs. Grey takes his arm.
“This is our son, Albert Junior, or AJ.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, holding out my hand. He hesitates for a second before shaking it.
“Ashley, that’s more of a girl’s name, isn’t it? I guess your parents had fun choosing your name, too,” he chuckles, but there’s no real joy behind it.
I try to lighten the mood. “Mom thought I was going to be a girl, and when I came out, she figured the name still worked. Plus, it’s one of those names you can shorten. Most of my friends call me Ash.”
“Yes, that’s what we thought too,” Mrs. Grey says, releasing her son’s arm and taking mine. I lead her into the restaurant, her husband and son following close behind. “Albert can be Al,or Bert, or Bertie, too,” she explains, like she’s trying to convince me that the name she gave her son was a good one.
“I like it,” I lean in and whisper to her. She pats my arm a couple of times, the smile growing on her lips.
Jennifer is waiting with the hostess and wearing the tightest dress in the world. She immediately blushes at the sight of AJ, and I wager to guess, she knew the Greys’ son wasn’t a child.
“They’ll be with us in just a minute,” she says with a soft smile directed AJ’s way.
“This must be your son, Albert, isn’t it?” she asks, reaching out her hand. He shakes it politely with a thin smile. Whatever this guy’s issue, I am just hoping he keeps it bottled up through dinner. The last thing I need is for this to go badly.
“Your table is ready,” the hostess interjects, and we follow her through to a booth at the back. I pull out the chair so that Mrs. Grey can sit on the booth seat beside it and then take a seat.
Jennifer sits on the booth seat in the middle and is noticeably dismayed when Mr. Grey sits beside her, and AJ takes the chair beside mine.
“So, RED Tech’s farm trial is going well,” Mrs. Grey says, and I lean back in my seat so that I can turn her way without looking like I’m ignoring AJ. I start telling her all about the data we’ve collated so far.
“The sensors are working great. They are tracking health, eating, and drinking habits, plus breeding cycles, including pregnancy in cattle. One of the farms hooked up a sensor to a donkey, and the readings were surprisingly clear. We are sending out a trial pack to a horse ranch to see if the technology can be adjusted and give the same results.”
“What would be the point? Don’t they like, put all their horses in stables at night? Can’t they just check them over then?” AJ asks, and I turn my head toward him. He’s waiting for my reply with raised brows, sipping his water through a straw like atotal douchebag. I resist the urge to snap at him, though, given how little sleep I am running on, my tone probably isn’t all sunshine and roses.
“Not exactly,” I begin, and he picks up his menu, not even interested in my reply, but I give it anyway. ’Cause, fuck you, man. “Just like cattle, horses run across acres on a ranch, it’s impossible to get a good look at all of them without wrangling them up and penning them for a time. With one of these monitors, a rancher can be alerted to a horse in distress and its exact location on the ranch as soon as something happens.”
“Like the emergency alerts for old people?” he asks, and fucking hell, the urge is strong.
“Not exactly. Those have to be pressed to work, and they don’t tell the first responders what is wrong with the person, just that something is wrong. These sensors monitor heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood flow, hydration level, and so many more things I can’t even think of. It’s been a long day. You know what, I’ll send you the literature if you’d like to know more,” I finish, and he opens his mouth to reply, but the waitress arrives to take down our order.
Mrs. and Mr. Grey order first, then Jennifer and me.
“I’ll have the gluten-free shrimp risotto, please, and a glass of house white.” AJ looks at me like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to decipher, a small smile on his lips. It’s unnerving.
“And for you?” she asks, turning to him.
“The same,” he replies. No, please or thank you. He doesn’t even look at her. While Jennifer is all moon eyes across from him, I’m trying everything in my power not to shoot him daggers. Fucking entitled asshole. Though Mr. and Mrs. Grey seem so nice, how did they raise a douchebag like this guy?
