Page 5 of A Lot Like Forever
Chapter 2
Nate signaled for his secretary to enter his office. He slid her a considering look. She was an attractive woman, no doubt about it. For weeks he’d been ignoring the way she fluttered her lashes at him, but now he was starting to wonder if she’d be a good distraction. He needed one.Bad.He didn’t usually like to mix business with pleasure, but ever since he’d held Faith in his arms… He pushed the thought away. The more he told himself she was off-limits, the more he seemed to want her in his bed, and now that she was staying in his house he wasn’t convinced his willpower alone was going to keep him from doing something he’d regret. Or at least he’d regret it if her brother ever found out.
“Any word on the Landcorp acquisition?” The company Nate was now CEO for had been in his family for three generations. The Kings were the biggest landowners in Texas, and since Nate had become more involved he’d expanded their commercial holdings in New York and Las Vegas.
Right now he was negotiating a big deal on a new acquisition, and he wanted it closed and done.
His assistant shook her head. “There were no calls while you were out, except for Alison Roberts, who asked--”
“Tell her I’m away on business.” It didn’t seem to matter how clear he made it that he was only interested in sex, not a relationship—women like Alison just kept on trying to talk him into something more serious. “And get Wilson at Landcorp on the phone.”
“Yes, Mr. King.”
He grimaced at the title—it was bittersweet. His grandfather was Mr. King, and now Nate was sitting in his granddad’s office and taking over the role he’d held for almost forty years while he battled for his life. Nate was proud that he believed in his eldest grandson enough to let him take the reins, but if it had meant keeping his grandfather at his side, Nate would have happily stayed second in command for a whole lot longer. They were a close family, and the thought of it being just the three of them without their granddad was a tough pill to swallow.
Nate’s direct line lit up red signaling his assistant had the Landcorp associate on the phone, and he picked up immediately.
“Do we have a deal yet?” he demanded.
“We’re close but--”
Dammit.“Fifteen million, Wilson. It’s our final offer, take it or leave it. If you say no to me now I’m moving on to something else.”
There was silence at the other end and it made him smile. He loved this. The land was worth at least a few million more, but he had them over a barrel and they knew it. He loved the adrenaline rush of closing a deal, the feel of his heart thumping hard, blood rushing through his body.
“Done.” Wilson sounded a bit strangled but said, “It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. King.”
Nate grinned, knowing that the man hated dealing with him. He’d personally seen the look on Wilson’s face when he’d been in New York. “Send the documents over. I’ll have them signed as soon as they arrive and the funds will be deposited immediately.”
He hung up and reached for his iPhone, still smiling as he dialed a number that he’d hardly ever had need to look up, one his grandfather had always kept on file just in case they ever had a serious problem that needed to be dealt with. Nate flicked through a few papers that he almost knew from memory as he listened to the phone ring, poring over the oil-drilling information as he waited.
“Nathaniel?”
Nate dropped the papers, his focus shifting. “I have a situation that I need you to handle. You have someone for the job?”
“We talking a hit? ’Cause that ain’t something I can organize quickly.”
Nate leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath as he thought about the bruising on Faith’s otherwise flawless golden skin.Tempting. It would be all too easy to just have that asshole taken out, permanently, but Nate needed to keep his head. And besides, he never went for the easy option. If he was going to do something physical about her ex, Nate would be doing it with his bare hands, because he wanted to look him in the eye before he beat the shit out of him, and make sure he never touched Faith or any other woman ever again.
“I just want someone to tail the guy,” he said, keeping his voice low. “See what he’s up to, find out where he goes, what he does, if he’s been in trouble with the law before. I want to handle the rest of it myself.” Nate gave him the details of Faith’s ex. He knew where he worked, which meant it wouldn’t be hard to find out more.
“I’ll be in touch.”
Nate dropped his phone on to his desk and crossed the room to pour himself a whiskey. He looked out at the view and downed it. Sometimes he got so caught up in what he was doing that he didn’t take time to appreciate what he had and the role he’d stepped into. And besides, he needed to take a few minutes at this time of the day. Once he was done it was time for his daily visit with his granddad, and then Nate was going to have to practice that little thing that he’d been lacking since puberty called self-control.
* * *
Faith poured herself another glass of wine and turned up the music. She had the house to herself while Nate was at work, and she wanted to have something nice cooked for dinner when he returned. She hadn’t expected him to say yes to her staying so willingly, and she wasn’t going to give him an excuse to go back on his word. When she’d offered to be his housekeeper, it hadn’t been an empty promise—she was going to work hard to prove that she deserved the job, not to mention the roof over her head. Her dream wasn’t to be cleaning and cooking for someone else, but she hadn’t finished school yet, so it wasn’t like she could be picky.
She walked into the massive pantry behind the kitchen, flicking the light and looking around. It was bigger than most kitchens, but that was the only impressive thing about it. There was hardly anything in there, except for a heap of empty containers and some canned goods. Faith walked back out to the main kitchen, poking her head inside the fridge. It wasn’t much better in there—a lot of alcohol, some basics, and very little else.
Given the fact that she didn’t have a car, she was kind of stuck. They were going to end up eating a couple of cans of baked beans if she didn’t figure out a way to come by some ingredients. She wondered if Nate would mind if she borrowed one of the cars to run to the store. There were several sets of keys on hooks beside the door in the kitchen, and she doubted he’d give a damn about her taking anything for a spin.
“I’m home!”
Faith grinned as Nate’s deep voice boomed down the hall.Saved by the rancher.
“When you said you urgently required a housekeeper, you weren’t kidding,” she said as she listened to his footfalls on the timber floor.
