Page 75 of Dollhouse

He is so fucking right, and I hate it.

She might be a distraction, but it’s my own problem if I can’t control it.

Truth is, she calls to me like a siren and I’m afraid of being weak. She has the power to ruin us, to bring us all to our knees and bow at her feet. But I can’t shake the split feelings and thoughts going through my mind. I can’t shake the voice in my head telling me she’s hiding something.

Secrets are what will tear us apart.

My father taught me to never be weak, never show weakness, and never be afraid of doing what needs to be done.

I’ve always done exactly that, and I’ll do it again this time.

Tate has become a blind spot, a weakness we can’t afford, and a liability.

I will do what needs to be done, with or without Rowen.

The distraction will be eliminated.

* * *

“Good morning, sir. Coffee?”Elena, my receptionist with a mile-long legs, struts into my office, an eager smile plastered on her face.

My eyes drift away from my computer screen long enough to rake over her legs when she turns her back toward me at the coffee station there in the corner of my office.

I don’t get the same feeling that I usually do when I look at a beautiful woman.

Yes, Elena is beautiful, but no woman compares to the raven-haired temptress that’s staying at home being babysat by our prospects who hoped to one day soon become bodyguards.

Tate was supposed to be coming to work with me today, but I couldn’t handle seeing her face. Not today when I already have too much on my plate to worry about.

I take the coffee from Elena and dismiss her with a wave of my hand. The disappointed frown that forms on her lips as she leaves my office does not go unnoticed. Usually, she’d prepare my coffee then get down on her knees and suck me dry, but not today.

Rowen, King, and I started our company Hale Enterprises ten years ago with the money we made from selling dope on the streets. We’ve grown a lot since those days, as has our business.

Hale Enterprises specializes in a little bit of everything, from real estate all the way to technology.

I’m the face of the company, the one who handles the day-to-day legitimate operations.

King handles the real estate, he buys struggling companies that are facing foreclosure, frees them of all personal and business-related debt, and ensures we can use their company to launder money through.

Rowen is the one that handles the finances. He’s always been the smartest with numbers, so he handles our accounts for our illegal and legal activity.

Sinners is only one of the many businesses that we own out right.

We all wanted a place to relax from time to time, so when King pitched the idea of a masquerade strip club, it was too good to turn down.

Our elite client list would have to agree too.

Today I have a meeting with one of our overseas partners, a meeting I couldn’t miss.

We’re expanding Hale Enterprises into Europe, and so far, our England building is yet to be completed within the timeframe that we set. We already have a team over there waiting for a building so they can set up shop and begin conducting business.

And yes, you guessed it, our international operations will be just as illegal as they are stateside. So, you see the importance of needing construction completed in a timely manner.

At exactly ten in the morning, the Skype call pops up on the screen of my laptop just as Elena walks into my office to take her seat in front of my desk, same as she does every time I have a meeting. I can’t be bothered with note taking so she does it for me so I won’t forget anything.

She’s a great assistant, and a great lay too.

But she is nothing compared to Tate.

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