Chapter one
River
I reminded myself that this was something I wanted.
Looking across the room at eyes that were the color of whiskey, I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake. Was I willing to pay for it if I had?
I huffed and threw myself back against the cushions. Cocking the smooth head, it looked like he was questioning me.
“So, what are we going to do now?” I said. “Are you ready to get to know each other, Charlie?”
I hoped he would answer, but I knew he would sit there and look at me. It was up to me to move and start this relationship. I had no desire to lose the five million dollars it would cost me if we didn’t work out.
I picked up the half-inch stack of papers with all the legal information about our union. It covered things like housing requirements, exercise equipment, and diet. I paid ten percent of the ‘membership fee’ to have Charlie come live with me as my companion.
***
Acquiring my dragon started when my phone rang at 7 a.m. Sunday morning. “Mr. Barallo, we need you downtown tomorrow morning.”
“Who is this?” I couldn’t imagine who was making demands of me at this hour.
“This is Marcus Benedict from the club. We expect you to bring full payment. Be there no later than 9 a.m. However, we would prefer you to be there by 8 a.m.” I blinked, trying to wake up and understand the instructions. Oh shit, this was ‘THE’ club calling me.
“Yes, sir.” He had an English accent and held my future in his hand. “I’ll be there at 8 a.m. if that's acceptable, Mr. Benedict.” I put together my best professional tone, hoping he approved of me.
Once I was off the phone, I couldn't contain my excitement, so I tumbled out of bed and started getting everything ready to have my companion move in. I’ve always been alone, but now I am making a lifetime commitment. I looked forward to my world changing dramatically.
I called Cecelia. “Hello, my most favorite person.” I knew sucking up to her would do me no good, but she would appreciate the effort. “I have a huge favor to ask you. Can you come over and do a quick cleaning? Please, please. You are the most glorious assistant a man could ever want. Plus, I’m your favorite nephew.”
“You realize it’s Sunday? I have sauce on the stove for dinner.” I knew she would help, but a little incentive never hurts.
“How about I get you that Sun Harvest wine you like? And your sons are there to watch the sauce.” She snorted at me.
“How many bottles of wine?” Her negotiating with me meant she had given up the fight. The wine we liked was from a local vineyard and was some of the best I’d ever had. Buying a case of it and then giving her some bottles was not a hardship, and I will have some bottles available for future bribes.
“I’ll give you four bottles if you clean the house and pick up a few groceries.” She grumbled somemore.
“Fine.” I am so lucky to have her keeping my life organized. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to manage independently.
“Thank you. Thank you. I won’t be making it over for dinner tonight.” I didn’t like missing family meals; my Italian family got together every Sunday. I hated it when it was necessary to skip going, but I wanted to be at my best tomorrow morning.
“You know there better be a good reason. We all like to see you.” Her voice was deadpan, and even though I knew she was teasing, I felt I needed to defend myself.
“Something significant has come up, Aunt C. I’ll work strictly from home next week. Will you rearrange my schedule to accommodate that?”
“I will reschedule your face-to-face meetings to online meetings. You have some contracts that must have signatures by Friday; otherwise, you should be able to handle everything from your home office.” I could hear her moving around the kitchen while she handled my business.
“I’ll make sure the contracts are signed.”
“Have you heard that Billy Abrams fired his agent? You should get on that.” It was hard to tell if she meant for business or pleasure. Billy was one of the few openly gay race car drivers, and she was always trying to set up her nephew.
I was laughing at her phrasing. “That sounded inappropriate, Aunt C. I’ll be available if you need me. Can you get a meeting with Billy for me?” Knowing her, she would try to make it more than just a business meeting.
“I’ll handle it first thing Monday. You have a fun time with your ‘something special.’” She hung up, chuckling before I could respond. Cecelia always thought I had a guy in my bed. Little did she know it’sbeen me and my hand for the last several years. I never bothered to correct her since her version of me sounded much more exciting.
I then called Warren. “I need you to get me a five hundred-thousand-dollar cashier’s check before the end of the day.”
“You realize it's Sunday, right?” He grumbled.
