Axton Read online

  “I hope you do. Please let me know by the end of the week.”

  “The end of the week?”

  “Yes, I understand that your time is precious. I would really love this job, but if I don’t have it, then I need to continue looking.”

  “You’ve got a second placement?” Axton asked.

  “Yes. This morning I had a call from Hammer Industries. They saw my resume and heard I was looking for a new job. They want me to confirm an interview.” Hammer Industries was the Four Kings’ Empire’s biggest rival.

  Seeing the way Axton’s nostrils flared, she knew she’d piqued his interest just a little more.

  “I will call you as soon as I’m able.”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  He held onto her resume, and she knew this was it. This was her one and only chance. She stood up, bag on her shoulder. Walking up to the desk, she held her hand out. “It was a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Farris.”

  He shook her hand. She smiled, and then turned on her heel. She paused for a second. At the door, on display, was a very expensive-looking vase. It wasn’t the vase that caught her attention but the red roses that were inside it.

  Getting her wits together, she walked toward the door and out of the building. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Easton standing on the edge of the waiting area, with two other men. Karson and Romeo.

  Glancing behind her, she saw Axton in the doorway.

  If this was a game of chess, she’d just moved her pawn and declared the game. They were all staring at her.

  “Never wave. Never give them a hint that you’ve seen them looking. Keep moving as if you don’t have a care in the world.”

  Stepping onto the elevator, she pulled her cell phone out of her bag, and as the doors closed, she finally looked up.

  Chapter Four

  Eleven years ago

  “I mean come on, Tay. You can’t be serious right about now,” Carla said.

  Taylor laughed as her friend continued to beg.

  “Come on, Paul has a pool. We could totally hang out, like, all summer.”

  “All summer?”

  “Yes, all fucking summer, Tay. You got to understand that. All summer. Like, lots of fun. The pool. Relaxing.”

  “You do know he’ll be on his computer the entire time and he’ll want us to play video games,” Taylor said, stopping at her locker. She leaned against it and laughed at Carla’s shocked gasp.

  “I will do anything. Come on, there’s a pool. How can you say no to a pool? That’s not even, like, legal or something.”

  “Legal?” Taylor loved to string Carla along like this. Her best friend thought she didn’t want to hang out at the pool of their friend Paul’s place. Of course she wanted to hang out there.

  Summer was going to be a nightmare at the local pool, and she didn’t want to spend her time being laughed at for wearing a costume.

  Paul had already come to her anyway and asked her thoughts on what Carla would think if he suggested the pool and hanging out. She’d told him straight, Carla would love it. What she couldn’t guarantee was Carla going on a date with him, which was what they both wanted.

  “Please, please, please,” Carla said. “I will do your laundry all summer. I’ll wash your car.”

  “I like washing my car, and I can do my own laundry.”

  “Please, please, please. I’ll clean up your dog’s shit when we take him on walks. In the baggie things.”

  “Promise?” Taylor asked.

  “Promise. Like, with a cross over my heart and everything.”

  “Fine, count me in.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I was going to go for free, but seeing as I now have a poop cleaner, I’m all good.” She winked at her friend.

  “Oh, you’re nasty,” Carla said, laughing. “I can’t believe you.”

  “A deal’s a deal. You will clean my dog poop.”

  “You’re such a goody two-shoes. Say shit.”

  “I don’t need to swear or curse. I’m a lady.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  Carla paused, and Taylor saw her gaze move elsewhere.

  Glancing behind her, she saw the cause. Axton, Karson, Romeo, and Easton. The four guys that ruled the school were heading down the long corridor.

  “They really are something,” Carla said. She sounded all dreamy.

  “They’re not all that, and please stop drooling.”

  “Come on, you have to admit they’re hot.” Carla gave her a pointed look.

  “So, they’re hot. I think Brad Pitt is hot, but that doesn’t mean if he came asking for a date I’d actually go with him.”

  She worked the combination of her locker and opened it up.

  “See, I don’t know why I’m friends with you right now. You sound weird to me.”

  “It must be my dazzling personality.” Taylor rapidly blinked her eyes.

  The four kings of King’s Ridge high school passed by, and she looked into her locker. She frowned.

  On the shelf right in front of her was a single red rose. She loved roses so much. Any shape or color. There were times she found herself stopping by a florist just to stare at the array of colors. She didn’t even mind that there were thorns along the stem. To her, they were a thing of beauty.

  “What is it?” Carla asked.

  Picking up the rose, she looked at her friend.

  “You’re giving yourself roses now.”

  “It wasn’t me,” she said.

  She picked up the piece of paper to see some fancy writing on it. She didn’t recognize the writing. Flicking the letter open, she read the words. “This rose doesn’t even compare to your beauty. You have no idea how truly beautiful you are, and that you are admired from afar.”

  “A little love letter. That is so sweet,” Carla said, reading the letter.

  The rose was beautiful for sure. Taylor loved it. Bringing the flower to her nose, she breathed it in, smelling the floral scents.

  “Do you know who it is?”

  “I don’t have a clue.” She didn’t care though. The flower and note were sweet, and she didn’t need anything else. Not even confirmation of who it was from.

  ****

  Present day

  “Holy shit, did you see her?” Easton said. “I mean that ass. The things I could do to it.”

  Axton watched as Easton held his hands out and pretended to kiss air. Since Taylor had left, his friends had descended on his office. Karson was reading through her resume.

  This was the first time someone from their past had even come to their workplace. No one from their high school came looking for a job here. Most of them were back in King’s Ridge.

  The only other person he’d seen from that life was Paul Motts. He was as successful as they were, but he’d designed some technology that had put his father’s company on the bigger map. Mott Enterprises had grown in the last ten years. They didn’t compete in the market as their businesses were vastly different. Technology wasn’t something the Four Kings were about. Their resume went from industry through to media, and across a much broader scope. They had many pies, and it was what made them the four kings.

  “This all seems legit to me,” Karson said, closing the file.

  “I didn’t say it wasn’t.”

  “You don’t look happy.”

  He glared at Easton. “Anyone would think he’s a fucking boy, not a full-grown man.”

  “Oh, come on, man. I’m the one that has learned to have some fun in my old age. Maybe you should start to have some fun. Live a little and stop being a stick in the mud like our parents.” Easton dropped down onto the sofa. “It’s all work for you.”

  “We’re responsible for thousands of people’s jobs, Easton. That doesn’t give us the chance to have a break.”

  “Please, we’re the best there is. No one is going to try and take us on because we all know they’d lose. Like, really fucking lose. You’re panicking over the wrong shit, Ax. Give yourself a break. Fu
ck someone for a change. Hey, fuck Taylor. With a body like that, I bet she’s got all kinds of tricks up her sleeve. Did she always have a body like that?”

  “As I recall, you were only interested in her friend,” Axton said.

  He was being a dick, bringing up Carla. Even after ten years though, it was always the key to bringing Easton under control.

  It was like a switch went off inside Easton’s head, and he stopped being a dick, and went back in time when he was not only happy but also determined.

  “Now that you’re listening. We’re on top because we keep it that way. Have your fun, I don’t care, but the company comes first. It will always come first. That will never, ever change.”

  They all nodded in agreement.

  “What do you want to do, Axton?” Romeo asked, speaking up.

  Out of all of them, Romeo was the one who rarely spoke up until absolutely necessary. Strange considering most of the ladies loved him because he turned on the charm and showed them a side of himself that he rarely let out to play.

  “She’s the most qualified,” Karson said.

  Axton turned to Karson, who held his hands up.

  “So sue me for speaking the truth. This is the truth, and you fucking know it. She’s qualified to handle this. More so than any other candidate.”

  “What’s the problem then?” Easton asked.

  He stared at his friend long and hard.

  Easton rolled his eyes. “Fine. Fine.”

  Axton picked up the file and flicked through it.

  “If you don’t trust her, put her through all of your tests, Axton. You know you want to,” Easton said, smirking.

  “The inner workings of our empire must remain between us until she has passed her tests. You understand. She cannot know how we got here, and she certainly can never get ahold of the information from the past.” They all agreed. There were no traces of it within the office, and Axton himself had removed all backup files. They were now located in safe places just in case someone wanted to try to take revenge. That evidence kept potential enemies in line. Looking toward Karson, he nodded. “I want the investigator on her. I want to know everything. Who she’s friends with. What she does. Where she lives, and who she hangs out with.”

  “On it,” Karson said.

  “Anything else or are you going to continue being paranoid?” Easton said. “She’ll be a PA to all of us. It’s what Holly did.”

  He’d gotten an email from her, letting him know that she’d found work in a field that she loved, that her new job provided her with regular hours and allowed her to write code. She thanked him for all the time and experience he’d provided her and also that she’d loved working for him. He completely understood and knew she had a passion for technology and code writing. The demands of her job didn’t allow her all the time possible with her child, and she’d been with them long enough.

  Axton accepted that. He’d noticed she’d been having that long-lost look whenever one of his employees had a baby and brought them in while on maternity leave, and she was clearly missing her kid. They worked long hours, and that had to take its toll on normal parents. He didn’t know. He didn’t have a normal childhood, nor did he have a child of his own.

  “Where are you going?” Easton asked as Axton grabbed his jacket and started pushing them out of his office.

  “I’m going to have some lunch.”

  He also knew where to find Paul. They all moved in the same circles, and he’d seen Paul several times at the one restaurant where he liked their steak.

  As he closed his door, his three friends moved to their offices. The other candidates had already been sent home. After seeing Taylor, he’d not been interested in interviewing anyone else.

  He’d already sent a message to Eric to be there to pick him up.

  Stepping into the elevator, he was sure he smelled Taylor’s vanilla scent. She’d always worn vanilla, even in high school. He’d been passing her one day when she sprayed it on herself. Carla had made some weird choking noise, and the two had laughed about her smelling like a cupcake.

  Ignoring the memory, he stepped out into the underground parking, climbing in the back of the car.

  Eric took off, and he gave him the restaurant where to take him.

  Today had been … different.

  He didn’t recall a time he’d ever been more surprised than when he saw Taylor entering his office. She’d changed so much and yet one look in her eyes, and it was like the ten years hadn’t passed at all. He was back in high school.

  Leaning his head back against is seat, he closed his eyes.

  “Are you okay, sir?” Eric asked.

  “It has been a long day.”

  His driver chuckled. “You start at five. I imagine a lot of things in life are long.”

  He smiled and enjoyed once again the motion of the car. When he’d relaxed enough he stared out the window at the passing city. He loved the chaos of city life. People rushing around, the constant movement and activity. Nothing stopped here, and he liked that. He always had something to do. He hated it when there was nothing to do and life seemed to come to a standstill.

  It’s why the Four Kings’ Empire rivaled every other business out there. They never stopped, not once.

  He liked the challenge of staying ahead. Of keeping their secrets locked up tight so no one could access them. There was no secret code for success, no point in trying to take them on as all would fail. They’d had some bids come through, companies wanting to take them over, and they’d all failed.

  No one would ever take his company from him, no one.

  Eric pulled in front of the restaurant.

  “I’ll be an hour,” he said, climbing out.

  He didn’t want to hear from his driver. Entering the restaurant, he buttoned up his jacket and went straight to the main desk.

  “How may I help you, sir?”

  “I’m here to see Paul Motts.”

  “What’s your name?”

  He glanced past her shoulder and saw Paul sitting by himself like normal, looking over the paper.

  “That’s fine. I see him now.”

  “Excuse me, sir. I will call security.”

  He stopped. The woman was clearly new.

  “My name is Axton Farris of the Four Kings’ Empire. You want to get security that’s more than fine. I’ll have your job from you and make sure no one will employ you. I’m more than happy to do that.”

  She went visibly pale. “I’m so sorry, sir. Yes, I see your name is here. I apologize.”

  He was already walking away. Dropping down into the seat opposite, he waited as Paul glanced up over his paper.

  “You know I didn’t invite you here. I like to eat my lunch in peace and quiet.”

  “It’s the quiet life we’re always after, but I’m curious though, Paul. You see, I had a very interesting visit from an old high school friend.”

  Paul laughed. “Friend? If I recall you and Taylor never spoke.”

  “So, you knew she was coming to me for an interview?”

  “I know most things. Tay and I have stayed in touch, off and on. Why?”

  “Why is she coming to me?”

  “You got a problem with her wanting a job from you?” Paul asked. “Is she not qualified enough for the role?”

  “It’s not about having those qualifications. You and I know that.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” He folded up the newspaper, placing it to one side. “If you’re going to interrupt my lunch then you may as well give it all to me. What is it you want to know?”

  “Why didn’t she take a job with you?”

  “Wow, and here I thought you’d have something of interest for me. If you want to know why she won’t come for a job with me, why don’t you just ask?”

  “I’m asking you.”

  Paul tilted his head to one side. “Multiple reasons.”

  “Which are?”

  “You seriously talk to everyone this way?”

>   “You’re just special to me.”

  “Oh, yay,” Paul said. “Fine. First, she has no interest in technology at all. She’d be bored, and I don’t want anyone giving me substandard work.”

  “And the second?”

  “She wouldn’t be able to work for me.”

  “How come?”

  “She’s not got what it takes to work in the technology field. The last time we got together, I bored her to sleep with what I did. Our lives don’t cross paths much. She wanted a challenge. Your company is top of the list. Taylor’s never been one to shy away from hard work. Ask her.”

  “You two stayed in touch this whole time?”

  “Well, we did, and we didn’t. We’d talk and then life would get in the way, and then we’d reconnect. When she left town, she distanced herself a lot. Then we had college. In the past few months we’ve reconnected again. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I do try to look out for her when I can. Taylor’s her own person.”

  He stared at him, watching.

  “Is that all?”

  “She’s changed a lot over the years.”

  This time Paul threw his head back and laughed. “Taylor’s grown up. That’s all that’s happened, Axton. I take it you like what you saw?”

  “You’re not claiming that?”

  “First of all, Taylor would hate to be referred to as a ‘that.’ Secondly, she and I don’t have that attraction. Never have. Never will.”

  He was happy with that. “So, what’s new in your world then?”

  “We’re not going to do this now. You and I are not friends. We’ll never be friends. We’re not even good enough to be enemies. Just tell me what you want and leave.”

  “Now I’m hurt.”

  “Cut the bullshit. We’re not in high school anymore. I’m not afraid of you.”

  Tilting his head to the side, he had great respect for Paul. He could squash the other man like a bug, but he rather liked seeing him succeed. He was a good man, and of course he had his uses.

  “She’s not attached to anyone?”

  “Nope.”

  “She ever been with anyone at all?” he asked.

  “It’s like I’ve turned into her fucking father.” Paul leaned forward. “Taylor’s never been with anyone long. There’s no boyfriend or stalker. She’s … focused on her career right now. She doesn’t even go googly-eyed over newborn babies. She has one objective, and that is work.”