“You have to,” I answered him seriously. “We can’t screw this up.”
“My point exactly. I need to focus on more important things than babysitting.”
“Well, we can’t let those associates roam freely without any supervision. You have to do it.”
Colten tapped his fingers nervously on the construction hat he’d placed next to him. I grinned, wondering when he was going to get rid of that thing. He was always walking around the office in his suit and construction hat, and Oliver and I couldn’t help but make fun of him for it.
“Leave that poor hat alone. It doesn’t need to suffer just because you’re pouting like a kid,” Oliver Talon, my other partner said.
“Keep talking and I will use it to knock some sense into your head. Literally.” Colten swung his hat in the air, acting like he was going to lunge at Oliver. It was always a shit show when the three of us got together for our weekly meetings.
I snorted. “Seriously, man, that hat doesn’t bring you any points with the women around here. You look like an idiot!”
“You would know,” Colten murmured.
“Anyway, Colten, just do the job. We promise to send you on a vacation when the project is done,” Oliver remarked jokingly.
My lips twisted into a smirk. “Yes. It’s a promise. We’ll even find you some chick with a nice pair of tits, and you can bang her all you want.”
Colten ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair, something he did whenever he was annoyed, along with tapping his fingers on his beloved hat. “Yeah, right. She better be a good one.”
“Only the best for you, Colten.” I winked at him, remembering all those times Oliver, Colten, and I visited the exotic places together, finding some local girls to play with. Fuck, those were the good times.
We were friends since our days in the military, but each of us had a different personality and a different taste in women. Colten was all for redheads, Oliver didn’t care as long as they were shy and sweet, and I was damn attracted to blondes. Even though we could argue a lot, we were practically inseparable best friends.
The three of us were partners. We owned a large contracting business, and we spent most of our time building huge commercial projects, hospitals and rental properties. Our business was very successful, and it brought us millions each month. Colten was in charge of all the onsite duties. Oliver handled all the purchasing of old buildings to renovate. And I ran the office. We were competent, success driven, and filthy rich. We knew how to enjoy life and get the most out of it.
“You can get even tanner,” I added. “Not that you aren’t tan enough already.” He was darker than Oliver and me from all his time on the sites. And the girls fucking loved him, along with his blue eyes. God damn him and those eyes. I’d had girls at the bar practically fall into my lap until he walked in.
Colten rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like I spend all my time in tanning bed.”
I burst into laughter. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see you there one day, buddy.”
“As long as I can lie there with some hot redhead, I wouldn’t mind.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You’re missing out on the blondes my friend.”
“You say that now, but wait until the redhead gives you a fucktastic blowjob. You’ll change your tastes.”
“Okay, guys. As much as I love a good blowjob, we’re digressing. Let’s focus on business, shall we?” Oliver, always the downer, said in a bored tone.
I nodded. “You’re right. After all, we’re talking about how I’m going to fill a pool with my money and swim in it.”
Our next project was going to be a hospital for a local health network. This project was huge, and we were sending some of our lower level associates to watch the project with Colten. So I was in charge of interviews for extra help around the office. As soon as I finished this meeting with Colten and Oliver, I was going to conduct those interviews and find a suitable person. This hospital was going to make us big money and it represented a huge step forward for this company. It would allow us to expand and go into an international market. We needed people on our team who could handle it.
An hour later we finally managed to finish our meeting, having discussed all important points of this project. I was getting more excited, enjoying the rush I felt each time we began some new construction. I loved new opportunities and the adventure. The bigger business was, the better, and I was already creating all the great possibilities in my mind. Oliver and Colten shared my enthusiasm, and I needed their heads in the game in order for us to succeed.
2
Grant
I returned to my office to meet with some of the potential help. It was located on the top floor of the large building complex we fully owned, which reflected the fundamental concepts of our firm—it was modern, innovative, and expensive. All partners’ offices were made of floor-to-ceiling windows, providing us a great view of the nearby park, and had a lounge and a full bathroom. They were equipped with the high quality furniture and hardware. My office was separated from the rest of the floor by a glass wall, so I could see what my employees were up to anytime. I liked the control.
I sat at my desk, skimming briefly through the applications before I started the interviews. There were several candidates, so I prepared myself mentally for the long afternoon. That meant coffee with a splash of scotch.
I notified my secretary to let the first person in. After a few moments, she entered with one short, chubby guy in his thirties. He was wearing a brown tweed suit and a pair of very thick eyeglasses.
I stood up and shook hands with him, dismissing my secretary. “Good afternoon,” I said, raising my eyebrow when he gave me a limp handshake. A weak handshake always left a bad impression on me. It indicated a lack of confidence or enthusiasm, both of which were bad for the business.