Wilson's Hard Lesson (83 page)

“I honestly don’t have the time to go hunting for women,”
David said out loud to himself as he contemplated exactly how he was going to
pull off getting married and having a child so that he could inherit his
father’s business. Work keeps him at his desk late and his weekends are filled
with finishing up things that he hadn’t completed during the week so he didn’t
exactly get out much to have fun.

“Excuse me, Mr. Marshalls,” a feminine voice said knocking
on David’s door.

“Come in,” David said and looked up from his computer as
Lydia, David’s personal assistant, walked through the door with some coffee in
one hand and a bag in the other. David watched as the woman walked over towards
his desk. She was a gorgeous red head with long legs, a curvaceous body, and
breasts that any man would love in their hungry palms. Lydia licked her full
lips as she noticed David checking her out. He’d slept with her several times,
but David didn’t respect her.

“Here is your food and coffee, Mr. Marshalls,” Lydia said
and placed David’s lunch down in front of him. David could’ve easily made Lydia
his bride. She didn’t ask for much and she gave it up to him whenever he
wanted, but she was too easy to him. Plus, if he had to plant his seed in
someone, even though he wasn’t the marrying type the woman had to have
something brag worthy going on with her. Looks in Lydia’s case was not enough.

“Thanks, Lydia,” David picked up his mug and sipped at his
coffee absentmindedly thinking about ways to meet his goal as quickly as
possible. Lydia stood there for a while looking down at David. Finally, growing
fed up that she was still in front of him; David looked up at the woman. “What
do you want?” he asked in his normal, ‘I don’t feel like being bothered’ tone.
Lydia looked away from David for a few moments, blushed, and then looked back at
him again.

“Are you incredibly busy?” Lydia asked and bit her lower lip
seductively. David leaned back in his seat and pressed his lips back to his
mug. David knew exactly what Lydia wanted, something he hadn’t given her in a
few weeks because of his increased workload. David’s eyes went to her red hair
and then to Lydia’s full lips. He could actually use some of Lydia’s lip action
to ease the stress that was slowing wreaking havoc on his exhausted body. He
kept staring at Lydia’s mouth hungrily and she licked them again inviting him
to come and have a taste.

“I’m really busy right now, but if you don’t mind doing me a
favor, I’d suggest you go and lock the door,” Lydia grinned and did as she was
told. Soon she was in between David’s legs trying her hardest to dull the
stress he was feeling. David held her head as she pleasured him with her mouth,
but his mind was on other things.
Yes, I will definitely inherit the company
because Daniel isn’t half the man that I am.

****

“What is this?” Jeffery asked Daniel after reading the note
that Jordan had written up.
Here we go
, Daniel thought to himself.

“Jordan, one of the ranch workers that I supervise, was
asked to inquire if an individual who is trying to open up his own ranch could
purchase some cattle and receive advice from you.” Jeffery wasn’t normally a
mean guy, but when it came to business, he didn’t want anyone to get ahead of
him. Jeffery balled up the letter and tossed it into the garbage.

“You know that I don’t sell or help the competition.” Daniel
sighed but he wasn’t surprised by his father’s behavior, it wasn’t like Daniel
thought that Jeffery was going to offer any help to the man.

“I know, but I still followed the appropriate procedure. If
anybody has something to say to you, no matter how big or small, have them
write a request to you so that you can review it. If I would have thrown it out
or told Jordan not to write it, I would have been going against your rules.”
Jeffery pursed his lips together. Technically that was one of his rules; however,
Daniel should already know that the rule did not apply to this scenario.

“I admire your ability to follow my rules because that shows
me that you can get the job done. However, that rule does not apply to people
asking for handouts. I will not offer any assistance to someone who wants to
compete with me.”

“Alright dad,” Daniel said and turned around to make his
leave.

“You’re going home, son?”

“Yeah, I’m tired and hungry.”

“Have you given any thought to what I told you and your
brother this afternoon?” Daniel stopped in his tracks and turned his head so
that he was looking at his father.

“Yes, I think it’s wrong that you just won’t let us run it
as co-owners. Of course, I want to continue with our company long after you’re
gone, but I don’t want it under the conditions that you made for us. It almost
feels like you’re trying to force us into marriage.” Daniel didn’t wait for his
father’s reply, and his father didn’t try to offer one. He walked out of
Jeffery’s office without a second glance. Everyone left for the day and Daniel
just wanted to get back to his condo and relax.

The street was not as crowded as Daniel navigated through
the small city and he was glad for that. Daniel didn’t want to be in traffic,
and he didn’t want to attempt to find a quicker route. Daniel’s Lincoln, a gift
from Jeffery, cruised down the long road that Daniel knew all too well. Once
Daniel pulled into his condo’s driveway, he pushed the button to open his
garage and maneuvered his vehicle inside before closing the garage door behind
him.

“I wonder what type of scheme my brother is coming up with,”
Daniel said to himself as he opened the side door and found himself in his
oversized kitchen. Daniel already knew that David was probably going to do
something drastic to wed somebody, he just didn’t know what. His brother was
good looking; they both were, so Daniel knew David wouldn’t have a problem
meeting a charming young woman and taking things slow. But slow wasn’t exactly
David’s style. “Knowing him he’ll just flash some money in a decent lady’s
face, get her to give it up, and then throw a ring on it.” The thought of that
disgusted Daniel and even though David is his brother, he wouldn’t put it
passed the accountant.

It took everything in Daniel not to just strip off his
clothes, throw it anywhere on his floor, and make his way to take a hot shower.
Daniel would have loved to do that, but unfortunately, for him, he wasn’t the
typical guy living in a bachelor’s pad. Daniel actually took pride in the
cleanliness of his place, thanks to Judith, his housekeeper. Plus, he didn’t
want to give the woman in her late forties more work than she needed to do.
Going into his master bathroom, Daniel disrobed and placed his clothes in the
hamper. Turning the shower on and adjusting the temperature, Daniel eased his
body under the spray of water and closed his eyes.

“This feels good,” Daniel said and started thinking about
his father. Jeffery was getting older and he hasn’t been quite himself as of
late. Daniel was starting to wonder if his father was feeling sick. The man
always complained about feeling exhausted and he had this cough for several
weeks that hasn’t let up.
When was the last time he’s been to the doctor?
Daniel and David’s father often neglected his health because of his need to
make sure the ranch is running smoothly and Daniel wouldn’t be surprised if
Jeffery’s neglect was coming back to bite him in the ass.  “I just can’t even
deal with this mess right now.”

As soon as Daniel was done with his shower, he quickly dried
himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He didn’t feel like
checking the fridge to see what there was for him to eat and he didn’t feel
like working out. He exited his master bathroom and headed straight to his king
sized bed. Without a second thought, Daniel crashed into the bed and was soon
fast asleep.

It’s been a full week since Jeffery Marshalls told David and
Daniel that the first to marry and bare him a grandchild would inherit his
company upon death. Daniel stressed about it for the first few days, but soon
he put it behind him. He didn’t want to worry himself about something that
wasn’t happening shortly. David, on the other hand, had been plotting since
then. During his lunch break, David decided to head to the local library so
that he could do a little research without having the company track his
browsers history.

“It’s hard working for your parents when they always have
their nose in your business,” David mumbled as he looked through dating sites
and the women’s criteria, but the more he read through the profiles, the more
he began to realize just how complicated women are. They required too much
attention when it came to going steady with someone. It didn’t take David too
much time to realize that this was going to be harder than he initially
thought. “Tsk…” David muttered and looked at the time. He’d been at the library
for a while and it’ll probably be a good idea for him to head on back. Just as
David was about to log off of the computer, an ad caught his attention.

David looked around the small library to make sure nobody’s
eyes had found their way to his computer screen, and then he directed his
attention back to the words in colorful lettering. “Mail Order Bride,” David
said to himself and clicked on the link. He’s heard of Mail Order Bride
agencies, a man would post an ad for a woman, frequently coming from the east
coast to travel to where the prospective husband was at and then they’d be
married. He didn’t know that people still did that though. David didn’t know
anyone who used this type of ‘service,' so he couldn’t ask anyone if they’d
been lucky with the match-up,

“Besides, I don’t want anyone in my business,” David said
and read the about page for the company. David pulled up a separate screen to
read some reviews about the company and the type of women who answered the ads
and the results proved favorable. Of course there were some negative reviews,
but it wasn’t enough to turn David off of the whole thing. Once he read enough
of the reviews, a sly smile marred his handsome features. “This should be
interesting,” David commented and quickly created an account and posted his
advertisement. By the time he got back to his office, he was grinning from ear
to ear, definitely a rare thing for the accountant to do. As soon as he was
seated a knock sounded at his door and before he could answer, Daniel came
strolling in. David’s smile immediately turned into a frown.

“What’s going on with you?” Daniel asked marching over to
David’s desk. Daniel’s attitude and demeanor made David’s frown deepen. Not
only did Daniel barge into David’s office uninvited, but he also came in asking
him questions. 

“What?” David asked irritated. For Daniel to always be
shouting ‘you need to be more respectful to people, the ranch’s supervisor
definitely wasn’t respectful when it came to David and his personal space.
“What has you barging into my office and demanding answers from me?” Daniel
looked around as if he was looking for something in particular and this just
strengthened David’s irritation. “What the hell Dan,”

“One of the workers saw you hustling in with a huge smile on
your face. What did you do and are the police on their way here?” David looked
at his brother like he had lost his mind.

“You came in here just to ask me that nonsense? A man just
can’t be happy?”

 “You are the epitome of a serious dude with a stick up his
ass. You always look angry.” David resented Daniel’s response, but it wasn’t
like he could refute it.

“Shut up,” David said and glared at his brother. “I’ve had a
good day, I’ve learned new things, and I’m progressing in my goals.” Daniel
raised his eyebrow at this.

“What goals?” Daniel asked. David and Daniel seldom spoke
with each other about their personal lives, but given the recent developments,
Daniel happened to know one of David’s goals. David gave a wicked smile and
leaned back in his chair.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” David asked and Daniel frowned.
Daniel could tell just by looking at David that he had something cooking under
his sleeve. Daniel was also sure that it was something that he wouldn’t like.
“Go and make your own goals and stop worrying about mines little brother,”
David said with a wave of his hand. He was ready for Daniel to dismiss himself,
but the man held his ground.

“Are you seriously about to marry some random woman just so
you can inherit the company?” Daniel knew that this was more than likely the
reason behind David’s ‘good mood’.

“Mind your business Daniel. What I do with my life is my
business and not yours.” Daniel raised his voice then.

“Do you know how crazy that is, David. Besides weren’t you
the main one talking about you’d never get married? You’re supposed to get with
a woman because you care for her, not for money or material things.”

“Get out Daniel; you don’t even know what you’re talking
about.”  David stood up then. He wasn’t going to let Daniel or anyone else get
in the way of what he’s after. “I don’t know why you’re so concerned about the
whole thing anyways. I should be the heir for the mere fact that I’m the
eldest. Now leave me to my work and go manage my employees.” David saw the
angry expression that went across Daniel’s face at that moment and he couldn’t
help the small smirk that stretched across his face. Daniel bothered him on a
daily basis when it came to him just inviting himself into David’s office. It
was time for Daniel to get a taste of his own annoying medicine,

“Bastard,” Daniel said in between clenched teeth and David
merely walked passed him and stood in front of the door waiting for his brother
to take his leave.

“Name calling will get you nowhere, now please grow the hell
up.” David’s jaw tensed as Daniel made his way slowly over to him. Daniel
couldn’t stand David’s arrogant attitude and David couldn’t stand the fact that
Daniel thought he was good enough to run their father’s company.

“You will never find true happiness if you choose to
continue using people for your own selfish needs.” Daniel said and walked
through the door.

“Humph, I’ll obtain every ounce of happiness that I can milk
from this world just by taking it.” David turned his head and slammed the door
in his brother’s face. “There,” David said as he locked his door. After, walking
back to his desk, David logged into his email to see if anybody emailed him
regarding his ad. David made sure to include his picture in his ad because
David knew that any sane woman wouldn’t turn him down. David was a looker and
he knew it. After logging into his account, David sighed when all he saw was
business related emails.

“Just be patient. I’m sure emails will come rolling in
soon.” David said and closed his eyes as he pictured what kind of women would
reply to him. Daniel stood outside of David’s door still shocked that his
brother slammed the door in his face.

“He says I’m childish, but he slams the door when someone’s
trying to confront him about his dumb ass ways.” Daniel sighed and made his way
outside. Talking to his brother sometimes left a sour taste in his mouth and it
mentally drained him. Daniel wanted to get some fresh air before he did
something that he would regret because he didn’t take a liking to getting a
door slammed in his face. Daniel walked out of the door and stretched as soon
as the sun hit him.

“This is more like it,” Daniel said and looked over at the
ranch. Jeffery thought it would be a good idea to have his company’s office
building built on the same land as the actual cattle ranch. He told the
construction workers that he wanted to see with his own eyes that the ranch was
doing alright. In some aspects that was a good idea; however, Daniel could live
without walking outside of the headquarters to the smell of fresh manure. 

“Hello Daniel,” Daniel looked towards the direction of the
soft voice that greeted him and was surprised to see Lydia, David’s personal
assistant, approaching him.

“Hello, Lydia. It’s very rare to see you outside. Are you
checking out the ranch?” Daniel asked and Lydia shook her head causing her
ginger locks to shake.

 “No, Mr. Marshall wanted me to pick up a few items from the
store for him.” Daniel shook his head.

“You know, you can call my brother David when you’re with
me. I won’t tell him or anything like that.” Lydia laughed at that and shook
her head.

“Mr. Marshall is a vital man in this company; I’d feel
awkward calling him by his first name.” Daniel thought that was a load of
bologna but he didn’t say what he felt.

“Does he treat you right? Is David disrespect to you?”
Daniel could tell that Lydia tried her best at everything that she did. But
David was a perfectionist and a control freak that preferred for things to be
done a specific way, his way to be exact. Even though Lydia tried to hide it,
Daniel didn’t miss the slight blush that darkened Lydia’s cheeks.

“Oh yes, he treats me real good.” There was no mistaking the
lust in her voice. Daniel already had a sneaking suspicion, but Lydia’s
response confirmed that they were sleeping together. Daniel inwardly sighed. He
personally felt that David was being highly unprofessional when it came to
sleeping with one of his employees, but it specifically pissed Daniel off
because he knew that David was using Lydia for his own sexual gratification.

“I’m glad to hear he’s treating you well.” Daniel tried his
best to not allow his sarcasm to show. Lydia pulled out her phone then and
gasped.

“I’ve got to go now, Daniel. I’ve kept Mr. Marshalls waiting
too long.” They said their goodbyes and Daniel held the door opened for her.
Daniel watched after Lydia for a while, disappointed that she fell victim to
David and then out of nowhere a thought flashed through his mind.

“Is that idiot going to try to marry, Lydia?” Lydia was the
only woman that Daniel knew of that David saw on an everyday basis so he
wouldn’t put it passed David to pretend that he fell for Lydia and take it to
the next level by proposing to her. “That bastard,” Daniel said and he could
feel anger building under his skin.