Our younger brother Mitch interrupts then, eager to throw in his two cents.
“And the assholes that run ‘em!” he yells from the doorway. “We know the assholes who run ‘em!”
I sigh. Fuck, I wasn’t aware Mitch was listening, but it’s best they all heard at the same time.
“Where’s Eli?” I ask, swiveling my head until I spot my second brother staring at his phone. “Get over here!” I call out and they slowly make their way over, reluctant to do as told. But I’m the new boss, and they can feel it in their bones.
I start off diplomatically.
“I’ve seen what you’ve done and it’s impressive. We’ve increased our market share by forty percent, making us the largest distributor in the Midwest. But we need more land.”
“We got everything already,” snorts Jacob. “We got everything except those losers, the Jones. They think if they sit long enough, we’ll back down. Fuck that,” he swears savagely. “Fuck that.”
This was before I’d set eyes on Maisie, before I knew the sweet girl was alone and desperate at the Double H.
“We’ll get ‘em,” I say confidently. “The Jones aren’t gonna last,” are my final words.
But my brothers are skeptical.
“Naw, you don’t know Walter Jones,” sneers Eli. “That fuckwad is dumb as a tank, it wouldn’t matter how much you offered, he thinks his land is his birthright.”
I shrug nonchalantly.
“I’ll talk to him,” are my words. “Some money and the right words will make the difference.”
My bros share a glance, evil flickering in the air.
“Walter Jones is dead,” starts Jacob. “Dead as a doornail.”
I shoot them a bland look.
“Fine. There must be someone over there. Who is it?”
My brothers share another glance, expressions smooth.
“Just some fat girl living by herself. It’s pretty pathetic,” says Eli, tone bland. “His daughter or somethin’.”
I raise my eyebrows, spidey sense tingling.
“How long has she been by herself?”
Eli shrugs again.
“Since the Jones dude died, so I guess it’s a couple months at least,” he says nonchalantly. “Must be hard, Maisie all alone, twistin’ in the wind.”
My mouth pulls into a frown.
“So you guys knew there was a single woman at the Double H, struggling to get by? And you’ve done nothing?” I snort my disbelief. “What kind of shit assholes are you?”
All three of them shrug.
“Like I said, she’s fat and ugly, a real piece of dog crap,” says Eli again. “Not worth goin’ over there.”
Another pause, punctuated by my disbelieving snort.
“Fuck you all,” is my low growl. “If there was ever a time to get her to sell, it’s now, by showing some neighborly love. And you fuckwads have been sitting here on your asses doing nothing? What the hell is wrong with you?”
The boys exchange guilty glances.
“Well, she doesn’t exactly like us …,” trails Jacob.
“I mean, we’re not exactly best friends …,” adds Eli.
I snort again.
“I don’t give a shit, friends or no friends. I’m going over there myself,” comes my harsh reply. “We’ll get that land if I have to talk her sweet and give her all the right words.”
My brothers smirk.
“Sure go ahead, big bro. Use that sugar coated tongue. Just be sure to bring a paper bag to put over her head, she’s fuckin’ ugly as hell.”
“Or bring two bags,” pipes up Eli helpfully. “One over her head, and one over yours, in case hers falls off!” he cackles.
Rolling my eyes I walk out of the office, leaving my brothers and their immature conversation behind. What lameasses. What stupid fucks. As the boss, I was gonna have to do everything myself … including convincing this Maisie chick to sell her family farm.
***
I spent that night going over all the specifics of the Jones property. Jacob had tried to get the financial history from the bank, but the bank refused, citing privacy laws. Fuck that. The farm had to be on its last legs, anyone with two eyes could see. Just driving by, there were more weeds than vegetables, the land fallow, the house falling apart.
So I hopped on that horse to put this little Maisie out of her misery. And that’s what I thought I would be doing. I planned to pay her well over market value, and even help her start a new life. What did she want? New clothes? Some jewelry? An apartment in the hot part of town?
But that damned horse fucked up my whole plan, bucking like an idiot, sending me flying just as we made it to the defunct property. I’m still not sure how I injured my leg, but I’ll never forget Maisie’s innocent face when she discovered me in that barn. Fading in and out of consciousness, her big hazel eyes and pink pouty lips were all that kept me alive.
And shit, she was horny. Licking my dick when she thought I was unconscious? Of course I had to stay, a girl this amazing doesn’t come around every day.