Page 9 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“You told him to tell me.”

Stone didn’t recall that, but if Fred said it happened, then it had to be true.

“Shall I have Helene send up your breakfast?”

“Just toast and coffee.”

“Poor baby,” she said and hung up.

Stone dragged himself into the bathroom, and after downing a couple of aspirin, took a hot shower. By the time he reentered his bedroom, he was feeling much better.

His light breakfast was waiting in the dumbwaiter. He ate a single piece of toast and drank a full cup of coffee before making his way to his office downstairs.

“You don’t look nearly as bad as I thought you would,” Joan said when he arrived.

“Your compliments need some work.”

“That wasn’t a compliment. It was an observation.”

“Would it be too much to ask for some coffee?”

“I thought you already had one.”

“Morecoffee.”

“I’ll bring it right in.”

Stone spent the next few hours working through several e-mails and reviewing a contract for a client.

It was closing in on one in the afternoon when Joan buzzed him. “Herb Fisher on line one.”

Stone picked up the phone. “Hello, Herb. What can I do for you?”

“Are you free today at four?”

“Let me check.” Stone placed a hand over the phone and called out to Joan, “What’s my afternoon look like?”

She appeared in his doorway. “Only a conference call with Steele Insurance in thirty minutes. I moved everything else to later in the week.”

To Herb, Stone said, “I’m free. What’s up?”

“Arrington Hotel business. I need to meet with you and Mike Freeman about the Phoenix property.”

The property was the proposed location for a new Arrington Resort. Stone, his son, Peter, and Strategic Services, which Mike Freeman ran, controlled the majority of stock in Arrington’s U.S. operations.

“I’ll be there,” Stone said. “But I’m not sure about Mike’s schedule.”

“I’ve already talked to him. He’s free.”

“I’ll see you at four.”

—

“I don’t see that we have any other option but to pass. This location isn’t suitable,” Stone said, closing the folder Herb had given him at the start of the meeting.

Mike finished looking through an identical set of papers and nodded. “I agree.”

“Sorry I wasn’t the bearer of better news,” Herb said.

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