SWNOVELS The Trouble With Love: Chapter 6
“William Rockford Romano, why are you avoiding my calls?”
My mother’s nagging voice barrels through the speaker. For someone who’s ambitious and works long hours as a lawyer, she should understand my time during business is precious. It’s not like I sit around, scratching my ass on the couch while watching football like Dad. I own a company, one that needs my attention almost every hour of each day.
“I’m not ignoring you, Mother. I’ve been busy, that’s all.”
“Oh, cut the bullshit with me. There was a photo of you with some woman at a launch party last night in Brooklyn. Busy being a playboy, I see? The apple does not fall far from the tree.”
I snicker, having heard this a dozen times. “Dad would be proud.”
“Yes, unfortunately, your father is quite proud of your inability to settle down,” she complains, reminding me why I avoid her calls like the plague. “Now, when are you coming over for dinner? It’s been too long, and your brother misses you.”
My brother only misses me because I’m his saving grace from my parents. Having just turned fifteen, he has finally discovered girls. The little son of a bitch used me as an alibi on several occasions, and God knows what he did. I figured, let him make the mistakes for himself. I’m not his father, just the older brother with an empty apartment he conveniently brings “friends” back to when I’m at work. The last time he had done so, I found a fucking used condom in my bathroom he swears wasn’t his. Since then, I changed my passcode to my apartment and told him to hang out somewhere else.
Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I ignore the constant ping of emails coming through, knowing I have one more meeting this afternoon, which will most likely extend into after-work drinks.
“I’ll check with my assistant and get back to you.”
“Is your personal assistant still the blonde with the rather bouncy ass? Or did it conflict with your working relationship, too?”
I let out an annoyed huff, wondering why on earth I have to justify my sex life to my overbearing mother. “Of course not. She has other endeavors she wishes to pursue.”
There’s a rustle in the background, distracting Mom until I hear, “How’s my boy? Don’t tell me you let her suck your dick and then fired her?”
“Rocky!” Mom shouts, the loud sound causing me to distance the phone from my ear. “How crass of you to say that to your son.”
I let out a snicker. Dad has been crass for as long as I can remember. He doesn’t take life seriously, something I love about him. Discipline could smack him in the face, and he still wouldn’t understand the meaning of it. Unfortunately, my mother makes up for his relaxed parenting style—the complete opposite.
“Uh… no, Dad, I wouldn’t quite put it that way.”
“So, you fucked her, then?”
“Jesus Christ, go away. And why are you here?” The voices filter out before Mom tells him to fuck off, plain and simple. “Now listen, ignore your father, and please come to dinner. I miss you.”
“I will, Mom. Promise.”
We hang up the phone, my smile still lingering from Dad’s blunt yet accurate calling of my sex life. Jennifer, as she shall be named, was too hard to resist. Every single goddamn time she bent over to water the plants in my office to the low-cut blouses she wore, it was too much.
Yet, I’m a gentleman. I didn’t make a move until a work event last week in which she got drunk and offered to suck my cock. Of course, I warned her that she’d have to give up her nicely paid position by doing so.
She wanted cock more.
Who could blame her?
I got what I needed, and it wasn’t as if she was a hard worker. Her skills were less than par. But, of course, I’m down an assistant, and these temporary women filling in have been old and undesirable.
Considering I run this company, how fucking hard is it to find someone competent?
I note the time, grabbing my phone and wandering across to the boardroom. The noise stops upon my arrival, my management team quietly waiting until Lex Edwards enters the room. The bastards all fall on their knees with his dominating presence, whereas I extend my hand, shaking his.
Unlike everyone else, I’ve known Lex on a personal level all my life. I have considered him an uncle, a great mentor, and one who treats me like his own son. Not only do we have personal ties, but it’s also Lex who invested in my company, allowing it to launch initially, making it now a multi-million-dollar business.
He informed me of his trip to the city, and I suggested we meet as there’s a chance of extending the business, though we need more capital.
“Let’s get down to it,” he insists, taking his spot at the table. “Show me your numbers.”
By the end of the meeting, my staff scurries out like lost puppies, leaving only Lex and me. Outside the window, darkness falls, though the bright city lights never fail to shine, and just like I had predicted, we dragged well into the night.
“I’m going to agree with you. I see the potential and want the full scope of this merger by the end of the month. You deliver what I need, and the capital is yours.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, confident I can do that. I only learn from the best, and there’s no chance in hell that Lex will allow me to screw this up. I may have graduated with a Master’s in Business, but nothing is as important as a mogul’s guidance.
A tycoon, as he’s often referred to.
Standing up to stretch my legs, I open the cabinet and pull out an aged whisky bottle I store in there, handing a glass to Lex. We cheer on our proposed deal, then both let out a relaxed breath.
“Change of topic,” Lex says, taking another drink. “Amelia has started at Yale.”
“Yale? Impressive.” I nod, despite being a Harvard man myself. “What’s she studying?”
The truth be told, I haven’t seen her since she was a kid or maybe four years ago when she was in middle school. It would’ve been one of our family dinners and given our age gap of just over ten years, we had nothing in common. My memories of her are this annoying little girl who would pester me to do dangerous things in her backyard on my visits, like jumping off the roof and into the pool.
“Law, like mother like daughter,” Lex professes while smiling fondly. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled when we found out.”
I laugh, pouring more whisky into our glasses. “Lex Edwards, billionaire tycoon with four daughters. Why am I not surprised?”
He snickers, enjoying my dig at his protective persona. “One day, you’ll have kids of your own, possibly daughters, and then you’ll know.”
“Please…” I roll my eyes with boredom. “The last thing I want is marriage and babies. I’m quite happy being single despite what my mother believes.”
“Your mother believes you can’t keep your dick in your pants. Hence, why she keeps having to deal with different assistants when trying to call you.”
“Hmm… gossip travels fast.” I smirk playfully behind the glass. “No one understands my lifestyle. They either want on my cock or in my pocket. I’m almost thirty, too young to worry about settling down. I’ve got an empire to build, not pussy to chase.”
Lex shakes his head with a knowing smile. “Aren’t you the epitome of a young Lex Edwards? But a word of warning, one day you’ll wake up and realize that being alone is a punishment, not a blessing.”
“And until then, what does it matter if my bed is warm in the morning from some chick who can get me off quickly?”
“Why do I not believe you allow them to stay over?”
I throw back the rest of my drink. “You have me there, old fella, just trying to paint myself as a considerate lover.”
Lex points his finger at me. “You, Will Romano, are a selfish man, as was I once upon a time, but look where I ended up? If you’re to follow in my footsteps, I expect some woman to own you very soon.”
Laughter escapes me. “I recall the upsetting memory. You stole my favorite aunt and whisked her away to have babies in LA. I’m happy to prove you wrong. Wager, if needed.”
“Now, now, don’t get so cocky. Mark my words, son, it’ll happen to you. And all this…” he points around my office with an arrogant grin, “… will mean nothing if you can’t have her.”
With a dismissive nod, I raise my glass. “The bet is on. It’s time to prove Lex Edwards wrong.”