Page 54 of The Irresistible One
“We’re done.”
I sat up in bed, pushing two pillows behind my back before I leaned into the headboard. “You’re telling me the menu is finished?”
“As of about an hour ago. We stayed awake to wrap things up. Not just the menu, but everything. I completed the necessary food orders with our distributor. Both Charred andHorned, nationwide, will have everything they need. The head chef at each Charred location has been informed of the replacement dishes and will be testing the recipes today to ensure they’re prepared. I’ll be flying to San Antonio, Eden will be going to Portsmouth, and Hart is going to Charleston to make sure the Horned restaurants can handle and execute the new menus. As for the actual menus, those will be printed at sunrise and will be delivered tomorrow.”
“Where do you need me?”
“Keep doing what you’re doing. We’ve got this handled.”
I glanced toward the open windows, where it was just starting to lighten outside. “It’s over.” I let out a loud breath. “You fucking did it, brother.”
“It wasn’t pretty, but it feels so damn good that we didn’t cave to the Gordons’ demands.”
“Those motherfuckers thought they had us by the balls.” I tucked my palm behind my head. “Does Troy know about the new status?”
“He’s the only person who doesn’t. I wanted to talk to you before I made that call in case there’s something you can think of that I’ve forgotten.”
I scratched the center of my chest. “Menu, food, training, printing.” It was early, and without any sleep, my brain was working well, but I was confident when I said, “I think we’re good to pull the Gordons’ financial plug.” A smile crept over my face. “I’m not going to lie—saying that out loud kinda made my dick hard.”
He chuckled. “Fuck them and their attorney.”
I took a deep breath. “Walker … damn it.” My eyes closed, and I banged the back of my head against the wood behind it.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” He paused. “Are you about to tell me something I don’t want to hear?”
“Things are … messy.”
“How so?”
I got out of bed and went over to the window. The second my hand touched the glass, I was brought right back to last night. How Sophie had put her hand on the same spot—not in the bedroom, like I was, but in the living room—the act no different from what I was doing.
“Did I happen to mention her brother is the broker I’m using in Fort Lauderdale?”
“Hell no, you didn’t.”
“Troy hooked us up, and unbeknownst to me, she decided to visit her brother.”
“You mean now? While you’re there?”
I sighed. “Correct.”
He groaned. “Let me guess—she’s lying next to you at this very moment.”
“Overhearing us shit-talk the Gordons? Come on, man. You know I’d never let that happen.” I turned around, glancing at the empty bed.
When I had fingered Sophie in the bar, I’d had all intentions of having her spend the night so I could start my morning with the taste of her pussy on my tongue. But she didn’t let that happen and left me with a raging hard-on. Had I deserved that? Maybe. Did I like it? Fuck no.
“She’s not here. I’m alone.”
“But has that been the case all night?” When I didn’t answer, his breathing got a bit more ragged. “Colson, do I need to remind you that we’ve been in this situation before? It didn’t work out for our brand, and it most definitely didn’t work out for you.”
My fists clenched as he mentioned my past. A history I didn’t like to think about.
“Sophie is representing the Gordons,” he continued. “She?—”
“Wasrepresenting the Gordons.” I faced the window once more. “As of this morning, there’s no longer anything pending with them.”
“With this case, yes. But the Gordons aren’t leaving our industry, and they’re seething with jealousy over what we’ve built. It’s only a matter of time before they’re sending us a cease and desist or we’re issuing one to them for some shady fucking move they pulled. As long as we continue to compete against one another, which I assume will be until we decide to sell our empire one day, Sophie Rivers is going to be in our lives. And the side she’s going to be on is not ours.”
