Page 10 of Taste Me Daddy

Michael began to explain that Phillip Neal, a former business associate who moved out of town a few years ago under something of a cloud, was back on the scene. Except by the looks of things, he wasn’t attempting to make amends for his previous actions. If anything, it appeared that Phillip was more determined than ever to make money by any means necessary – fair or foul.

‘I’ve heard from more than one source that Phillip is attempting to hack into prominent business accounts,’ Michael said, clenching his jaw in anger. ‘And with his working knowledge of my affairs, I know he’ll be targeting me. We’ve already had several security alerts relating to my online financial management.’

‘But let me guess, Cane has so far managed to leave no traces of his involvement?’ Grey asked, sipping on his own water.

‘You got it,’ Michael replied, grimacing as the thought of having to deal with Phillip again felt very real. ‘I saw him off a few years ago and figured that was the last I’d hear from him. Apparently, he’s built himself back up and made some powerful, not to mention less than savory, contacts. I want this asshole out of my life. And I want him gone permanently this time.’

‘I understand,’ Grey said, furrowing his brow as he took on board what Michael was saying. ‘I can look into him. I can set up some legal traps, ready and waiting for when he makes a mistake. But until he reveals himself, it might be a case of playing a waiting game. But tell me…’

‘Tell you what?’ Michael enquired, sensing that Grey was taking this matter very seriously.

‘Just how personal is Phillip Neal’s vendetta against you?’ Grey continued. ‘You’ve got previous history together. You kicked him out of town once. So if he’s back, that means that he probably wants to go for you again. And this time, it stands to reason he’ll be bitter, twisted, and probably willing to stoop even lower. It’s far from optimal. But, I’ll work with you and do whatever needs to be done.’

‘Thank you, brother,’ Michael said, deep in thought.

What Grey was saying made sense. At the back of his mind, Michael had always suspected that one day he might need to face Phillip again. Over the years, Michael had made quite a few enemies in business. Michael prided himself on being firm, but always fair.

However, when Michael had come across dishonest or treacherous associates, he had no problem with dealing with them severely. And Phillip Neal definitely fell into that category…

I can’t let this escalate again.

Phillip Cane is rotten to the core.

And if he’s back, I need to do whatever it takes…

‘Let’s think about this,’ Michael said, breaking out of his thoughts. ‘Like you say, we’ll set the traps for Phillip. He might be a rat, but he’s not stupid. We might have to play a waiting game. I appreciate you helping, Grey.’

‘Don’t mention it,’ Grey replied. ‘Us Daddies need to stick together. Speaking of which, how about you give me a Little bit more detail on Korben’s Kandies and the boy himself… Korben Arnold.’

‘It’s just an investment,’ Michael said, doing his best to appear as stoic as he possibly could. ‘He’s got potential. And yes… he’s cute. But that’s it.’

‘Right, and you expect me to believe that?’ Grey laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘When we spoke on the phone after you met, you sounded like you’d just met the boy of your dreams.’

‘Come on, that’s an exaggeration,’ Michael said, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle in his attempts to hide his attraction to Korben.

‘I think you’re forgetting who the lawyer is,’ Grey said. ‘I can spot a lie from six blocks away. You like the boy. And, hey, I say go for it. You’ve been single for way too long.’

‘Look who’s talking!’ Michael bellowed. ‘We’re the same age and you’re still single. Unless of course there’s something you’re not telling me?’

Michael saw Grey flinch just a little bit.

‘So there is a boy?’ Michael chuckled. ‘Well, I look forward to hearing all about his. But right now, I need to get my single ass up and out of here. I’m viewing a property across town.’

‘Well have fun and try not to think too much about your future candy boy sweetheart,’ Grey laughed, winking at Michael as he reclined in his comfortable office chair.

‘I’ll try,’ Michael replied, returning the wink before striding out of the office.

It was time to view the potential development opportunity and then follow it up with a nice lunch at Metros, Michael’s favorite restaurant in the business district.

Michael might not have heard back from Korben about the investment proposal yet, but that wasn’t going to stop him from having a good afternoon…

The development opportunity frustratingly turned out to be a bust. With planning consent not agreed and all manner of structural issues to deal with, the project had all the earmarks of a long term, low return investment.

As he strode out of the building, Michael’s mood was black.

Fucking timewasters.

Don’t they know I’m a real businessman?

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