Page 11 of Sex, Blood, and Real Estate

He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked over to the large window in his living room and looked out upon the city below. His phone rang and he answered. “The lawyers would like a meeting with you this afternoon.” It was Marc setting up the time. “Would three o’clock work for you?”

“Yes.” He said with no further explanation.

"I'm make the arrangements." He said, and they closed the call. Hopefully, they'd found something that could force Grey to reach an agreement on the purchase. If not, a glamour would be used when he was finished playing their game. He would be fair, but Sam refused to be used and taken advantage of.

His uncle had entrusted him with control of Cabot Inc and also the business side of the winery. It was a huge responsibility that he savored and took pride in growing the business while expanding in other directions and increasing their influence in the city. It was a necessary step now that shifter groups aside from the wolf pack were beginning to make Eastport and the surrounding areas their home.

The Coven needed a more obvious presence, and Sam was committed to achieving a level of authority and command within the area. The wolf pack was dominant in Eastport, and the Coven needed to match that energy.

He turned his attention to the property next door and wondered when Holden Grey would begin to negotiate in good faith. He couldn’t be upset since doing business with Grey had brought his beloved into his life, but it was time that business was completed.

Standing there enjoying the morning, he reached out to his beloved. Their bond was growing, and their connection should allow him to feel Wyatt and his emotions. It would give him comfort until he could see him once again. Waiting and having to take these slow, agonizing steps was more than he could bear. The sooner he brought Wyatt into the secret and introduced him to the impossible, the better it would be for both of them.

CHAPTER SIX

Wyatt entered his father's office and stood there for several minutes while his father adjusted the items in front of him on his desk. Then, he slowly stood and walked over to stand in front of him. Holden was a good four inches taller than Wyatt, and he often used that difference to intimidate, but it didn't have the same effect it usually had. Wyatt didn't feel off balance or worried, which were his go-to reactions whenever his father pulled him in for special scrutiny.

"Where were you last night?" He finally spoke, and his tone was demanding and condescending.

"That's not your concern." Wyatt still wasn't sure where his newfound sense of self was coming from, but he certainly liked it. His father leaned over him a little closer, and Wyatt took a step back and looked up at him with that same confidence that filled his words.

"Don't be insolent with me, Wyatt. It's not attractive or in your best interest." Before Wyatt could respond, the door opened, and Griffen walked in, looking cocky and in control. He went to stand next to Wyatt's father as if they were a team of some sort. It looked ridiculous to Wyatt.

“He spent the evening with Samuel Cabot at the Cabot estate on Old Mission Peninsula.” He reported and looked Wyatt up and down like he was some vermin.

"Is that true, Wyatt?" His father turned his attention back to him and began bearing down on him again.

"That's not your concern," Wyatt repeated his previous response and maintained an air of disinterest, which was having an interesting effect on both his father and Griffen. It was their turn to be off balance.

"You were telling him everything he wanted to know about our business, you little traitor. Does it make you feel good to betray your father?" Griffen was trying to take the lead.

"Does it make you feel good to lick his boots?" Wyatt answered, still calm and detached. Griffen reached out for Wyatt, and Holden knocked his hand away, preventing Griffen from touching him.

"Enough!" He barked. "I can't have this, Wyatt. I won't tolerate you making a fool out of me and this company. You will end this relationship or whatever it is with Cabot, and you will do it immediately. If you so much as speak to him on the phone, I will bust you down to the mailroom. Don't push me, Wyatt; this company means everything to me." His father was a bit red in the face by the time he finished that speech, and again, it did not land the way he probably thought it would.

"No need to get worked up, father. Your business is safe, and your livelihood is secure. I would not betray you, but with that said, I will not allow you to run my life any longer." Wyatt looked over at Griffen, who was trying to figure out what was happening. He kept staring at Holden in hopes of following his lead. Just a boot licker to the core.

“Consider this my resignation.” It felt good saying that. “I have accepted a position offered me by Samuel Cabot.”

"Wait, there's no need to overreact." Holden erupted, clearly not expecting Wyatt to pull the plug. He took out his access card and ID and handed them to Griffen, who took them just long enough for Holden to grab them from his hand. "Get out of here, Humbolt." He yelled, and Griffen took off for the door but didn't look pleased to be kicked out.

"What do you want? Do you want a promotion?" Holden began to rattle off possibilities.

“You already busted me to the mailroom, so I think I’ll take Samuel’s offer.”

“I didn’t mean it; you know I didn’t mean it.” Holden pressed.

"I've been here a year, and there are no challenges, no trust, and no movement. I'll live and die in a cubicle, being taunted by the people around me. I want more than that, and Samuel has offered me more, and I'm taking it." Wyatt turned toward the door, and Holden grabbed his arm.

"Who has taunted you? Tell me, and they will be gone before the day is over." Wyatt stared at his father for a solid minute, wondering if he was being truthful and really hadn't noticed the treatment he endured. He couldn't be that dense, could he? "I'll give you an office, a large office, and a secretary. Anything you want, just ask, and it's yours."

Wyatt didn't recognize this man. Where was he when Wyatt asked for access to a company car and was shut down or when he asked for an equipment upgrade and was denied? He requested one of the more private cubicles when it came available, and he was ignored, and the space was given to a new hire.

"I don't want anything." He said finally. "I've resigned, and I'm leaving, and I believe it will be better for both of us."

"I wanted you to have the experience of working your way up to be strong and resilient. I never meant to leave you there for so long. I got caught up in myself and the business, and I lost sight of you and your needs. I will correct it, Wyatt. I'll make it right, I promise." Wyatt wanted to believe him, but too much had taken place, and too much time had passed. It was time for him to leave.

“No, it’s time that I go.” He stated firm but not harsh. “I know my townhouse is owned by the firm, so I’ll be out by the weekend, and I’ll leave the keys at reception.”

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