Chapter 1
Rogan
I leaned back in my comfy leather executive chair, the Bluetooth in my ear, keeping my hands free to do whatever. I was an active talker. I couldn’t just sit and listen while I was on the phone. I needed to be doing something.
I rubbed a hand over my face, scratching my jaw before getting to my feet and moving to stare out the window in my office. Not a single window, a bank of windows that overlooked the bustling city of Houston, Texas. My office was in one of the high-rise buildings that said a company made it. I was the right-hand man of the man behind the company, which always made me feel pretty damn special.
It was a hot day outside. I could see the heat radiating off the buildings and could practically feel the humidity clinging to my skin in my air-conditioned office. It was going to be a hot summer. At least that was what all the old-timers predicted. I was pretty sure they predicted the same thing every year. It was always a hot summer in Houston. I loved the fact the windows were heavily tinted, allowing me to see the world with no one seeing me. It kept out the heat of the sun and kept the room from feeling like a steel box.
“I understand, Joe,” I said to the voice coming from the speaker wedged in my ear. “We can do that for you.”
“My board is telling me this is not the way to move product,” Joe said. “I’m a little leery about taking a giant step backward.”
I closed my eyes, relying on my instincts to find a way to get the man to understand our train company was the better solution. “When you ship by rail, you are getting more bang for your buck. It’s cheaper, which means you are saving more on your bottom line. One rail car can transport twice as much as a single truck.” I might have been fudging a little, but it was pretty damn close.
“But what about getting the goods to our facility?” he asked.
“Freight from the railyard to your warehouse is nominal. You’ll still come out ahead because you are saving a fortune by shipping via train over using a series of long-haul-freight companies. You aren’t being forced to wait days and weeks. I know it’s old fashioned, but there is a reason railroad companies are still around. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The man chuckled and I knew I was making headway. It wasn’t easy to convince people to change what they had always been doing. It was easier if I could show them how much money they could save. Sadly, in our modern world, people saw trains as ancient methods of transportation. It wasn’t exactly a cart-and-buggy situation. We set up a meeting to go over specifics. I was going to be prepared with contracts as well.
“I’ll run this by my board,” he said with a small laugh. “You make a very convincing argument. I bet you are going to be hard to say no to in person.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said with a confident smile that he couldn’t see.
I ended the call and removed the Bluetooth from my ear, proud of my accomplishment. “And that’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
It was what I did for the company. I sought out customers and used my charm and knowledge of shipping to get them to give us their business. I wasn’t a college graduate. I didn’t know shit about spreadsheets, but I knew how to make money and how to convince people they wanted to make more money. I knew I was lucky to have my job, but it wasn’t luck alone. I had worked my ass off to get to where I was.
I saw movement and looked up to see Cora Mallet chatting with one of the account managers just outside my office. She was the daughter of the owner and had just recently started working for the company.
It was a shining example of nepotism. That was my ten-dollar word. I didn’t have a lot of fancy words, but I knew that one well.
I wasn’t entirely sure what her role was, and I didn’t care. She was nice to look at. Always had been. I took in the short black hair, cut in a sleek style that made her look youthful but powerful at the same time. I knew her eyes were a light green. I had stared into those eyes many times before.
I heard her laugh and wished I could see her face. I knew exactly what her full lips would look like as she smiled. Her eyes would crinkle just a bit at the corner if she was really smiling. If it was a fake smile, there would be no crinkling.
Cora was the kind of woman that only the trust-fund guys had a shot with. I was an old family friend. I was the boy that hung out with her big brother. She’d been the awkward kid with braces that annoyed the hell out of her brother and me.
She wasn’t awkward anymore. My eyes drifted down her body, taking in the top that was a little looser than what other women wore. She always dressed in slightly baggy clothing. She was convinced she was chunky.
Myself, her father, and her brother had told her a hundred times she was anything but. She was full and round and plump in all the right places. Full breasts, round hips, and a perfectly squeezable ass. She was the kind of woman that would be in the old black and white pinups.
She walked away, snapping me out of the dangerous line of thinking. I couldn’t think about the boss’s daughter like that. I wasn’t about to lose my job over something like that.
Cora was not for me and I could accept that. I wasn’t in her league. She would marry a man with as much money as her family had. Maybe more. I wasn’t scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I didn’t have a pedigree.
I was anxious to tell Mr. Mallet, the CEO, that I had scored another client. Yes, I was looking for the proverbial pat on the head. I liked proving to him that I was a good choice. The man had taken a chance on an uneducated guy like me years ago. When no one else would give me the time of day, Ben had given me a chance. The man was like a father to me. When I did a good job, I got the benefit of pleasing my mentor, my boss, and my father figure. A man I respected more than any other person on the planet.
I walked down the hall, nodding at his secretary and smiling. She was on the phone but waved me in. I felt privileged to have unfettered access to the king. Well, the king of our little world.
I knocked once and walked into the large office adorned in lots of rich mahogany furniture and maroon furnishings. It was a bit dated in décor, but it was what the old man liked.
“Have a seat,” he said as he studied his computer screen.
I sat down in one of the leather chairs and crossed my legs, waiting for him to finish what he was doing. The man worked hard. He had a shitload of money and could have retired years ago, but he kept on going.
He was very much like one of the locomotives he owned. He led the company into success and was determined to keep it at the top. One day, I hoped I would be stepping into his shoes or have my own company. He had taught me I could do just about anything if I put my mind to it.
He flinched once, pausing his typing before taking a sharp breath.
“Are you okay?” I asked him with concern.
He shook his head. “Fine.” He turned and faced me, giving me his full attention. “Just that breakfast burrito I had this morning coming back to haunt me.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I told you to quit eating from that food cart. That woman has never met a pepper she doesn’t like.”
He winced again. “I love the spice, but I think I’m getting too old for it.”
He looked, oddly enough, gray. I studied his features, wondering if he was sick, but I knew better than to ask him again. He was a tough man who hated coddling. I couldn’t resist. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can have Rose mix up one of those Alka-Seltzer drinks. She’s got a magic touch. Her drinks cure anything.”