“Okay, let’s hear them.”
“I don’t want my father involved in any of this. I want to keep it between us—at least for now.”
“I respect Billy and appreciate what he’s done for our club. I don’t want any grievances to arise because you’ve chosen not to discuss your work with him. You should consider talking to him.”
“He never talked to me about the work he was doing with you, and I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t want him to either.”
Axel raised his eyebrow as he looked over to Viper and said, “She’s got a point there, Prez.”
“That she does.” Viper’s brows furrowed as he asked, “So, what’s your other request?”
“I had my reasons for going into this line of business, and it wasn’t just to make money. While that’s been great, and I hope it continues, I started this whole process in hopes of helping people. That’s very important to me.” I swallowed hard, praying that Viper wouldn’t shoot me down. “I have a few people I donate my product to. Most are suffering from cancer, while others have issues with chronic pain from injuries or crippling migraines like my mother had.”
“And you want to continue supplying to these people?”
“Yes, it’s extremely important to me and to them.” He didn’t immediately respond, so I added, “You can look into each and every one of them. You will see that they genuinely need the help and—”
“I don’t see any problem with you continuing to supply these folks. In fact, I might have a few more to add to that list.”
“That would be great.” Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, I rested back in my chair and asked, “Okay, so I guess it’s time for us to discuss numbers.”
“Yes, it is.” Viper eased back and crossed his arms, taking on a look of authority. “We’ve examined the expense reports you sent us and understand there’s a great deal of cost that goes into your production. With that in mind, we will strictly focus on the profits. We’re willing to go sixty-forty after all expenses have been paid.”
“Sixty-forty?” I sat up straight and gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m the one supplying the goods.”
“And we’re the ones who are taking all the risks in moving the product.” His tone remained firm as he continued, “We’re not trying to take advantage here, Kiersten. You’ll still bring home a great deal of money, and with us running the distribution, you can put your focus into your work.”
“And all expenses will be handled first, including what I pay my people?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, I can agree on that.”
“Good. I plan on coming out to your place this week to take a look at your operation for myself. And when I do, I’ll be bringing two of the brothers along with me, who’ll be staying there to help out with security. They’ll rotate out each week and—”
“Wait! That’s not necessary. I have Braylon, and Riggs has—”
“I know all about the security system Riggs set up for you, and while it’s impressive, he and I both agree that you need more than three men to watch over everything.”
“You spoke to Riggs?”
“Of course, I did. I owe it to you and to Fury to be fully informed about Langford Manor, including what kind of security you have and who’s in charge of it. And frankly, Braylon and the other two just aren’t enough.”
“Okay, if you think they need to be there, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
“So, that covers everything, right?”
“I believe it does.” Viper stood and extended his hand. “We look forward to doing business with you.”
I shook his hand and then Axel’s as I replied, “And I look forward to working with you as well.”
“I hope you’ll hang around for a while.” Axel smiled as he said, “The boys have a little celebration planned for later tonight.”
Grayson and I were planning on heading back tonight, but after that night by the fire, I was intrigued by the idea of a party with him and his brothers. “Sure, I’d love to.”
“I’ll let them know that you’ll be there.”
I nodded, then headed out of the office and started back down the hall. I was tempted to open one of the many doors, just to see what was inside the different rooms, but decided against it when I noticed one of the brothers walking in my direction. He was around my age, extremely handsome with dirty blond hair, and a friendly smile. When he approached, he gave me a quick once over and said, “You must be Kiersten.”
“I am.” I was feeling pretty good after my meeting with Viper, so I smiled and asked, “And you are?”
“The guys call me Locke.”
“It’s nice to meet ya, Locke.”
“You coming to the party tonight?”
Before I could answer, Grayson stepped into the hallway and growled, “Time to move on, Locke.”