Small Town Girl (Pink Springs 1)

The Cellar is set up underground, so after I walk through the doors I take the stairs that are straight ahead. The walls are lined in red velvet and the lighting is low. Everything about this place screams secretive meeting, and it truly is the perfect backdrop for a gentlemen’s club. Once I’m at the bottom of the stairs I scan the room to see who else has arrived.

The board consists of a dozen members, and it looks like they’re all present. I hate being the last to arrive, but being held up due to landing another contract with the state will make for a good conversation topic tonight.

There are red velvet couches around the room along with oversized chairs and dark wood furniture. The scent of cigars is in the air, but it’s surprisingly not overpowering. I was told the place was well ventilated for this reason and that it wouldn’t be an issue for people who don’t smoke. I like an occasional cigar every now and then, but I don’t like to sit in the stench of it after I’m finished. The air in here reminds me of incense and wood, so it’s not as bothersome as I’d feared.

Another quick glance around, and I see catering has already begun and there are several bunnies around the room.

“Bastian,” Richard Seymore calls, grabbing my attention.

“Sorry I’m late.” I hold out my hand, and he takes it. “I sent off the final contract for the state on our Peach Street bid. We got it.” I smile as I release his hand, and he beams. Mostly because this means a bonus to the board, and not that I successfully negotiated a multi-million-dollar deal in less than twenty-four hours.

“Excellent news, son.” He pats me on the back, and I try not to cringe. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate.”

Richard is the head of the board and the leader of the pack in all ways. Whatever he votes, everyone else will fall in line behind him. It’s really him I have to impress, and I can’t say I like the guy even a little bit. He’s never been outright rude to me, but I’ve seen the way he looks at Selma. He doesn’t care for women in the workplace, and the second I’m CEO, I’m handing him his retirement paperwork.

I nod to the bartender and give him my order. Richard talks about the upcoming vote and how our shareholders need to be protected and that he’s tired of filling in as interim CEO. I want to laugh because even though he says this, I would be willing to bet all the zeros in my bank account that if he could have his way he’d take the job. Only then he’d lose his voting power on the board, and there’s no way he’d give that up.

While the CEO wouldn’t necessarily be able to sway a board, it can pick and choose who stays on it. From his current seat as head of the board, he’s got the sway for every decision to go his way. I’m sure he’s thought this through just as much as I have, because he’s already turned down the offer to take it.

I listen and nod at all the right points as he goes on and on about numbers and profits. All of which I’ve memorized so he doesn’t really need to tell me. but instead of saying that, I just smile and sip my whiskey as he speaks.

A waitress dressed as a bunny walks over and sidles up close to him. She holds out a silver tray with a few appetizers on them and turns her big blue eyes up at Richard.

“Can I interest you in anything?” She bats her long fake lashes at him and tilts her head so that her hair falls over one shoulder, showing off her bare skin.

Damn, she’s good, because he licks his lips and swallows hard as he nods. Richard has been married for more years than I’ve been alive, but the man is a dirtbag. Another reason I can’t wait to get rid of him. This waitress is probably his granddaughter's age, but she sees his Rolex and his custom suit, and she’s not messing around.

She’s pretty enough with long red hair, and even longer legs, but there’s something hollow in her eyes when she looks at him that makes my insides cold. I don’t judge someone for getting what they want in life, and it’s not my business how they get it, but I could never have a woman under me that only wanted to fuck my wallet.

Red moves closer to Richard and whispers something in his ear that makes his smile turn sinister. I take this as my cue and quietly step away.

As I look around the space, I see groups of men talking to bunnies and some of the women sitting in their laps. I remind myself that everyone here agreed to this and they’re being paid well. It doesn’t stop my skin from crawling, but I do it anyway.