Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
~Peaches~
“So, I ran the numbers,” I said, handing my mom a can of Diet Coke. Then I climbed up onto the couch and crossed my legs, leaning against the arm.
“What numbers?”
The question came from James. He walked casually across the living room, coming to a stop next to my mom. His hand settled on her shoulder. I scowled because he wasn’t supposed to be part of this conversation. The fact that he’d married my mom didn’t make him part of my family.
“I was just calculating how many pairs of used panties I have to sell online before I have enough money to buy the Starkwood,” I said, my voice sweet.
James raised a brow.
“And?” he asked. I frowned.
“And, what?”
“How many would you have to sell?” he elaborated, his face solemn. Holy shit. Did he think I was serious? For the thousandth time, I wondered how my crazy, wild, fun-loving mom had gone from Gus to a guy like this.
An accountant.
Well, a former accountant. He’d gotten into land development and real estate years ago, but spreadsheets were his first love.
“About fifteen thousand,” I told him. “But I hear you can order them in bulk for discounts.”
“Please tell me you just made that number up,” my mom said.
“Nope,” I admitted, wishing she was right. “I researched it. You can get about twenty-five bucks a pair on a fetish site…and you can do upgrades. Like, if I don’t wipe—”
“I’ll give you twenty-five dollars not to finish that sentence,” Mom said, shuddering. James absently rubbed her shoulder, his expression thoughtful.
He always looked thoughtful.
I wondered if the expression ever changed. Like, say someone was going down on him, would he still look so…thoughtful? I pictured it and then realized that my mom would be the one doing the going down. And now I was the one shuddering in horror.
“So, you’d need three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars to buy the bar?” James asked. “Based on gross, of course. You’d probably have to sell closer to twenty thousand pairs, given shipping and overhead. I don’t know what the Starkwood’s cash flow is, but three seventy-five seems low to me. Does it include the building, too?”
I studied James for a moment, trying to decide if he slept in a bed, or if Mom just shut him into a pod at night to recharge. Mom took a drink, sighing. She knew what I was thinking. We’d had this discussion before. But no matter how many times she tried to tell me that James was the man for her, I couldn’t see it.
It wasn’t that he was ugly. The guy was okay to look at. But there was no life in him. He was more of a robot than anything else…
I realized the automaton was waiting for an answer.
“It includes the building, the land,” I told him. “All of it. At least, that’s what Gus said would work when we talked about it. I don’t have the income to qualify for a loan, but Gus said he’d carry the contract. Eli can give him cash, though.”
“Hmm…”
“It doesn’t matter, baby,” Mom chimed in. “You don’t want to buy that place anyway. Trust me on that. There’s a lot more to running the Starkwood than you think.”
“I’ve been managing it unofficially for years,” I pointed out. “Still am. Although I haven’t gotten my raise yet. Not until the papers are signed. Eli promised me more money than Gus is willing to pay.”
“That’s not fair,” James said.
“Wow, thank you for pointing that out,” I snapped. God, he annoyed me. I understood that Mom had left Gus for a reason, but seriously…this guy? “But there’s a part of me that’s kind of glad it’s not finalized yet. Something could happen. The sale could still fall through.”
“It sounds like it’s a done deal,” Mom said. “Doesn’t matter if the papers are signed. The decision has been made. I’m not surprised, either. Like I said, there’s a lot going on there. The Reapers will want Eli in charge. Wouldn’t matter how much you offered Gus.”
I opened my mouth to argue with her, then closed it again. Could she be right?
Gus had given me the bad news right after he finished meeting with two club presidents. I hadn’t really questioned that because I never questioned what the club was doing. That was how I’d been raised.
Suddenly, it seemed painfully obvious.
Gus wasn’t the only one involved in this decision. The Reapers must have something to do with it, too. Mom widened her eyes at me as if she knew what I was thinking and gave me a don’t-say-it look. I shot a quick glance at James. He’d pulled out his phone, apparently fascinated by whatever was on it.
Fucking robot.
“Mom, you think you can help me in the kitchen?” I asked pointedly. She nodded, gently nudging James to the side so she could stand up. He hardly seemed to register the movement.