Page 1 of His Weekend Girl
CHAPTER ONE
10 YEARS AGO…
Grant knew why they invited him – to humiliate him in front of a not-so-live studio audience.
As the man stared down at everyone in the board room, he saw the familiar faces of the board. His father’s old comrades and literal partners-in-crime. The net worth of every man at the table was easily the sum of a few countries with some to spare.
He sat in the leather chair, with a slight slouch, and fingers tapped against each other. He knew they forced him out and the meeting was just a formality.
The severance package would be over nine figures. It might make the old-school newspapers in a very small paragraph at the tail end of the business section. It was never going to make front-page news.
His eyes bounced between the men in the room. Oddly, they all looked like old news reporters. They wore a stern look, as if scolding a child for breaking the rules and reporting the weather.
He’d recognized every single man. Tom to his left, taught him how to play golf. He was an older man who looked a little like Dan Rather. Even when he became better than Tom, he still let the old man talk his shit on the course. It was good for business.
Marty, next to Tom, looked like a politician and it wasn’t a surprise he had deep pockets in almost every GOP PAC there was. Marty also frequented the Mexican prostitutes indowntown L.A. every week. It was rumored he had about two other families he was quietly supporting.
Dennis was across from Marty. He was the sole Black man on the board and the only one who kept it real. He warned Grant, in private, the firing was coming and wanted Grant to have enough time to prepare so he wouldn’t be surprised at the meeting. Grant appreciated him and owed him big time.
Brad was next to Dennis and he was just as boring as his name. He kept floating between being friendly and an enemy. He couldn’t tell which role fit him better (neither did Brad; he was a rat more than anything).
He aimed for Grant from the moment he saw him. Back then, Grant was just an intern and Brad had been there for years, kissing so much ass his breath smelled like shit. It only took Grant a few years to get ahead of Brad while he was still sucking assholes.
Next, Grant’s eyes landed on his true nemesis – his brother, Nathan. He was a brown-haired, blue-eyed slimy motherfucker who pretty much had it out for his older brother since birth. Childhood annoyances became adult pain in the ass dealings. He made it clear he wanted to take over Grant’s position at the company and was going to convince and suck off whoever he could.
Finally, the man of the hour – Grant’s and Nathan’s father, Jack, walked in. He was an older man who probably could use a cane but opted not to because of pride. He was a behemoth of a man, well over six feet tall with white hair and a matching white goatee. He was the type of man who wanted everyone to know who he was and how much he could buy their life for.
Everyone stood once Jack entered the room and only sat down when he did. After the standard formalities, Jack leaned back in his chair. He slowly tapped a couple of fingers on the oaktable and sighed. “Grant, I called this meeting today to let you know the board and I decided to…”
“…fire me,” Grant finished his father’s sentence to everyone’s amazement. “I know why I’m here. I don’t care about the reasons; I just want my severance pay and be done. I’ll be out of the building immediately. I cleaned out my office last night.”
Jack was taken aback by the sudden declaration. “You what?”
“I know I was being fired. The writing had been on the wall for a while.” Grant interlocked his fingers. He was annoyed the meeting took longer than it should have. “How much is my severance pay?”
“Grant, this is preposterous!” Brad declared. “You will give respect to the Chairman of the Board and all of the Board members here!”
“You need to shut the absolute fuck up right now, you greasy slimeball.” Grant cut Brad down. “How much money am I getting?”
Jack read his son’s face. He was calm now but it was only a matter of time before the hurricane appeared. Grant was never one to raise his voice or show a temper, but that didn’t mean anything. He was a sleeping bear that was steadily being poked.
“Everyone out,” Jack ordered and the board members left except Nathan. Jack turned to his youngest son. “That means you.”
“But Dad, I…”
“Leave,” Jack ordered. Nathan gathered his items and shot a last glance at Grant before he left. Jack turned to his son and sighed. Grant’s eyes pierced through him and if it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, he would’ve smiled. He taught Grant well. Grant was his heir apparent, and if Jack wanted to be honest, the best one to run the company.
So, it was equally devastating for Jack to fire Grant for reasons he still regretted. “Your illness and extensive leave ofabsence caused the Board to have concern. They wanted to know if you would be able to fully run this company the way it should be. Everyone agreed Nathan would be better suited.”
Grant bit back an eye roll. It was bad enough Nathan gave him the ultimate betrayal but now he wanted his position. Nathan was channeling hisSingle White Femalerole into an absolute Oscar-winning role. “I’m well aware of my health issues,” Grant replied. “And I fully accept what the Board has decided.” He leaned back into the leather chair. “What is my severance package?”
“Your dismissal isn’t helping your cause,” Jack declared, “aren’t you going to argue? Fight for your position? Your place in this company?”
“Why should I?” It took every bit of resolve for Grant not to snap at his father. “The decision was made before I got out of bed a week ago. Yes, Father, I have known for a week. I have made the necessary arrangements and called whoever I needed to call to quietly and privately let them know so it wasn’t a shock to them.” He swallowed. “What is my severance package?”
Jack always hated cold Grant could become. He could turn off his feelings like a faucet without a second thought. With Nathan, Jack always knew how the younger man felt despite how annoyed he was with him. But with Grant? Jack never knew. He could be blissfully happy he was being let go. He could be in a rage.
On second thought, Jack wasn’t hard-pressed to find out the latter. “You’re getting a 24 Karat golden parachute. It’s 325 million in severance pay, courtside seats to the Lakers, box Dodgers seats, paid country club fees, and fine dining. This is for life.” The older man got up and walked over to his son. “I hope this won’t impact our relationship, Grant.”
