Grumpy Boss

Rees stood to greet him. The big man wrapped his arms around Rees, and although Rees wasn’t small by any means, this human somehow dwarfed him in a hug.

“Rees,” Alec said, his voice a booming rumble. “I’m so happy you called.”

“Alec,” Rees said. “I’m so happy you came. This is my assistant Millie.”

“Hello,” I said, offering my hand.

“Hello, Millie.” He shook and glanced at Rees. “Is this the one in the news?”

Rees grimaced and glanced at me. I felt red coming into my cheeks and he released my hand with a laugh.

“Probably,” Rees said. “But we haven’t been paying attention.”

“Don’t worry,” Alec said. “It’s fine with me. I married my second assistant, and then divorced her, and you know that? She still works for me. We have a great working relationship. Terrible personal one though.” He laughed, loud enough that half the dining room looked over. He sat down and I could’ve sworn the seat gave a sigh beneath his weight.

I sat, and Rees motioned for more coffee. The waitress returned with a put and three mugs, and Alec poured all three, then raised his up.

“To Rees,” he said. “For returning to the promised land of Chicago.”

We drank to that. The coffee was hot and nearly burned my tongue, but Alec drank his down and poured another with a grunt of pleasure.

“I know you don’t know this Millie, but Alec is the biggest land developer in the city,” Rees said. “And I don’t just mean his size. He’s got a hand in every job in the state.”

“You flatter me,” Alec said. “But he does just mean my size.” He laughed again, booming and incredible.

I instantly liked him. There was something about the way he carried himself—jovial, a little self-deprecating, aware of his size but not ashamed of it. Some big men wanted to be smaller, but he seemed like he wanted take swallow more of the room, like he wanted every single eye on him and more if he could. He was a man built to be large, and a smaller body couldn’t contain him.

“I have to say, I really like Chicago,” I said. “I’ve never been here before, but so far, I’m impressed.”

“Ah, Chicago,” Alec said, and ran a finger around the rim of his mug. “It’s like any other city. We have our nice spots, our ugly spots, and everything in between. I like it here though. I was born and raised on the south side, and I still live there to this day.”

“In a massive mansion,” Rees said. “Don’t forget that part. He’ll pretend like he’s all rags, but this man is more riches than anyone.”

Another incredible laugh and Alec slapped a hand on the table, making the mugs rattle. “Alright enough flattery Rees,” Alec said. “I have more meetings today. What am I doing here and how much do you want?”

Rees grinned at me and winked. “I’m raising money for the SPAC,” he said.

“I heard about that.” Alec leaned back and stroked his chin. “You know I don’t normally invest in that sort of thing. I’m very old school, you know.” He looked at me, eyes widening. “I’m a value investor, darling. I spend half my time doing building projects, and the other half finding companies that should be worth twice what they are.”

“And he’s good,” Rees said. “Here’s the thing though. I need your eye on this as much as I need your money. I’m thinking long term now, and I know you have a gift for hunting down good investments.”

“That’s very true,” he said, his voice like a thunderstorm. He stroked his mug again, almost caressing it like a favorite pet, surprisingly gentle. “I don’t know if I’m tje right fit, though.”

“You are,” Rees said. “I’m offering you two things. First, some direct involvement in whatever company I end up buying. And second, a good price.”

“Of course, a good price,” Alec said, and laughed. “I’ll admit, you got me at a good time. A string of apartment buildings I’ve been developing finished out a couple months back, and I’ve been looking for a new project.”

“Then you found it,” Rees said. “Buy in, however much you’re comfortable, and tell all your developer friends. You’ll be my number two, and we’ll pick the company the SPAC buys together. How’s that sound?”

Alec leaned back then looked at me. “What do you make of all this?” he asked, gesturing at Rees with a bemused shake of the head. “This SPAC, all this fancy financial talk?”

“I think he’s the smartest man I’ve met,” I said.

“Darling, you’ve only just met me,” he said, smiling, but I got the feeling he was shrewd, and was testing me somehow. “Would you invest?”

“I already did,” I said. “Although I don’t know why you care what I think.”

“Because you’re with him all the time.” He stroked his chin. “I’ll admit, a lot of people are worried about this relationship.” He raised his mug and gestured toward me with it, and coffee sloshed over the slide. “But I don’t give a damn either way. I only care about the money. And like you said, Rees is good.”