Page 72 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
Eli choked on his beer and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. “That would do it, too.”
Gotcha again.“It was a great weekend, once I got over the past. Saw Seattle. Went hiking.”
“Fucked like rabbits?”
“That, too.” He took a better look at Eli. Someone else looked worn-out. Except there was no Justin here, so he bet it wasn’t for the same reason. “How was the horse riding?”
Eli’s whole being changed in an instant. “Astounding. I never thought...” He shook himself. “I’m a bit of a control freak.”
“Hadn’t noticed.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I still have a hand in your yearly evaluations, Mr. Kurt.”
“That’sDr.Kurt, Mr. Ovadia,” Fazil said. “And you did say fuck the job for the moment.”
That earned him a laugh. “So I did.” Eli took another swallow of beer. “I didn’t think I’d like riding at all. But my friend convinced me to try. More of a partnership, he said.” There was a wistfulness to his voice. “He was right.” Eli gripped his bottle. “We ran. Flew, really, because a human could never run like that, and I forgot about my leg, my past. It was... freeing.” He blinked a few times. “And painful the next day. Apparently there are muscles used for riding that I didn’t know existed.”
“Was that the trainer? The guy with the car?”
A huff of laughter. “Oh, no. Another of my friends, caught between the solitude of the ranch and the bustle of the city. He offered to drive me back.”
That made sense, given the guy’s look and his car. Fazil finished off his beer. “I have no idea what’s going to happen next between me and Todd.”
A sly smile from Eli. “That’s the definition of life.”
True.“Well, if nothing else. It’ll make tomorrow interesting.”
Eli glanced at his watch and twisted his face. “Today, actually.” With that he downed the last of his beer. “I suspect we’re both in for a world of hurt.”
Probably. But he felt more centered now, and tired, as they headed back up to the room.
He’d need one hell of a pot of coffee tomorrow morning.
