Wilson's Hard Lesson (84 page)

“Damn I needed that,” David groaned after he pulled out of
Lydia and readjusted his pants. David decided to stay later that night because
his workload was starting to pile up and Lydia was ‘nice’ enough to volunteer
to assist him. Lydia sat up on the sofa that David had just pounded her into,
and fixed herself up.

“Glad I could be of assistance, Mr. Marshalls.” David didn’t
give Lydia a second look as he made his way back to his desk and grabbed some
Kleenex. He dabbed at the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and
mopped the back of his neck.

“You can go now; I don’t need you anymore tonight.” David
said coldly. Lydia flinched at the harshness of David’s words and stood up.

“Are you hungry? I can grab you something to eat right
quick. What are you in the mood for?” Readjusting his tie, David took his seat
and clicked on the keys of his keyboard to turn his computer off of sleep mode.

“Nothing, I told you that I didn’t need your assistance any
longer. Didn’t you hear me the first time?” David got exactly what he needed
from Lydia, now it was time for the red haired woman to make her leave.
Blushing, Lydia decided to be bold and walk closer to David instead of exiting
his office. Her boldness however was met with an angry frown. “What do you
want? I asked you to leave,” David knew the younger woman liked him, but he didn’t
have time for her childish ways.

“Mr. Marshalls…” Lydia said hesitantly. “Have I done
something to offend you? You’re a lot more… cold towards me lately.” Sighing,
David finally decided to look the woman in her eyes.

“Look, you know our arrangement. When I want some, you give
it to me and then be out on your merrily way. Why are you lingering around
today?” Lydia blushed at how blunt the accountant was being. 

“I just wanted to talk to you a little longer. Is that such
a bad thing since we make love so often? I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to
catch a movie or go out to din….” David raised his hand out in front of Lydia’s
face in attempts to silence her.

“That’s not going to happen, Lydia.” The anger in David’s
voice was apparent as his personal assistant tried to cross the boundaries that
had been set for her. “This is the extent of our relationship. If we’re not
having sex, then you are working for me and vice versa. There will be no dates,
no talk of the future, and no getting to know each other. If this is what
you’re after from me, then I suggest you hand in your resignation.” Lydia’s
cheeks went crimson at that moment and she quickly looked away from David. She
couldn’t believe that she had just been told that either she’s an object to be
played with for David’s amusement, or she was just another replaceable
employee. She couldn’t help the hurt expression that lingered on her face.

“I… I know. You’ve just been so stressed out here at the
office that I thought a change of scenery would help you.” That wasn’t a
complete lie. Lydia did want David to get out of the office so that he could
unwind a little, but she wanted him to relax with her because the truth of the
matter was she was head over heels for the man. After working for David for two
years, she saw a particular strength behind his elegant and rough exterior.
Lydia was highly attracted to strong men and she couldn’t help but be attracted
to her sexy boss. When they first had sex, David made his attentions clear that
this was all she was going to get from him and that there was no chance of them
dating. Lydia thought that if she waited a little while longer, all of that
would change. Apparently she had been wrong about that.

“No, I’m fine please do not worry about me. Now, I’ll be
more at peace if you’d leave so that I can do my work without interruptions.
You’re being a nuisance.” Tired of the verbal abuse, Lydia took her leave.

“Have a good night, Mr. Marshalls.” After closing David’s
office door behind her, Lydia made her way towards the entrance with fresh
tears streaming down her face.

“It’s about time I cut her off, she’s becoming bothersome.”
David said and logged into his email. As soon as he was logged on, his thick
lips produced a feral grin. In his inbox were several emails about his mail
order bride ad. “It’s show time,” David said and clicked onto the first email.

*****

Daniel walked through the ranch inspecting every animal to
make sure everything was alright before he made his leave.

“Alright everyone, let's round up,” Daniel called out and
the several people who maintained the ranch walked over to him covered in all
sorts of filth. “You’ve all did well today and I’m sure my father would be
pleased with how well you are maintaining the ranch.”

“It’s cause we love what we do,” Jordan said smiling as he
placed his hands behind his head. Daniel smiled back at him and then looked at
the rest of them.

“Ha, you’re only saying that because it’s pay day and I’m
the one with the checks.” Daniel reached into his jacket and pulled out several
white envelopes with each of their name on them. “Alright, take the money and
go home.” Everyone walked up to Daniel and took their envelopes.

“Have a good evening,” they said and made their way towards
the locker rooms so that they can get themselves cleaned up before they went
home.

“Right, same to you,” Daniel said and looked up at the sky.
He was exhausted and he was ready to get home as well.

“Any plans for tomorrow, Daniel?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah, sleep.” Daniel said and Jordan laughed. The workers
were going to get a three day weekend because veterinarians were going to be on
call to make sure the cattle were doing well health wise. For the next three
days, the animals would be looked after by the vets per the request of Daniel’s
father. Daniel didn’t know why the vets agreed to pretty much do someone else’s
job, but Daniel was pretty sure it had to do with money. Jeffery Marshalls
after all had plenty of money.    

“Well, I hope you get some sleep boss man and stop stressing
so much about what your father told you. I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” Jordan
said and made his way towards the direction that his co-workers just went.

“If only it were that easy,” Daniel mumbled and started
making his way back to the building so that he could pack up. Just as he
reached for the door, the door swung open with so much violence that he thought
whoever it was that was opening the door would run him over. “Jesus!” he
shouted as the door narrowly missed him.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I should’ve been more careful.” Daniel
paused as Lydia stood in front of him wiping at her eyes quickly.
Is she
crying?
Daniel wondered to himself. He tried to get a closer look at her
eyes, but Lydia kept her head down as if she was trying to avoid making eye contact.

“Is everything alright? You look like you’re having a bad
day.” When he saw Lydia earlier that day, she was as happy as can be. This
sudden change in her left Daniel perplexed.

“Yes… yes, I’m fine. I’m in a hurry though so I’ll be
leaving. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Lydia pushed passed Daniel and hustled
towards the parking lot.

“Damn, what’s gotten under her skin?” Daniel asked smoothing
down his shirt. He walked through the massive doorway and went straight to his
office. It was apparent that something was definitely wrong with Lydia, but she
didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it. Daniel thought that even though
she worked for David, she could talk to Daniel about things that she didn’t
feel comfortable talking to David about. “David,” Daniel said as a thought
finally occurred to him. Whatever was wrong with Lydia, he was sure that it had
something to do with David. Grabbing his car keys and wallet, Daniel made his
way to see his stuck up, brother.

Daniel hated to see women in pain, especially when he knew
it was his brother’s fault. Daniel didn’t like the stereotype, but he was aware
that he was the type of man who wanted to save any ‘Damsel in Distress’. Daniel
was still crossed with his brother from earlier, but he had to, at least, tell him
he should treat Lydia with more respect. Unlike other times, Daniel barged into
David’s office without any warning. Daniel was surprised when he found the room
empty.

“Tsk… I guess I’ll wait then.” Daniel said and walked
towards David’s desk. He wasn’t trying to be dramatic or anything like that,
but that looked to be the case as Daniel lowered his muscular frame into
David’s chair. As he waited for a few minutes, Daniel decided to check to see
what games were going on over the weekend on David’s computer. What Daniel
didn’t realize was that David left his email opened and Daniel couldn’t stop
his eyes from getting wider. “What the hell…” Daniel said unable to believe
what he was reading. “David’s looking for a mail order bride?” Daniel knew that
David would stoop to any means necessary to get what he wanted, but this… this
was an all-time low for his older brother.

Rachel,

You are definitely a beautiful woman with a good head on
your shoulder. You cook, clean, and you’re educated? That is definitely a rare
thing with younger women in today’s age. No, I do not mind that you’re only
twenty-three years old. Age is nothing but a number, but don’t worry, my eyes
are not on women younger than twenty-one, so don’t think too much about my
previous statement. You asked me about what I enjoyed doing in my spare time
and that is simple; I like catching up on my reading, working out, and playing
golf with some of my friends. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date
because I haven’t found the right woman. I guess that’s why I’m on the internet
now looking for companionship. I’m not getting any younger and would love for
my father to see me married and with a family. Believe me when I say this, I’m
sure that you’d find me favorable. I respect the fact that you’d want to
correspond with me a little bit before you’d consider becoming my bride and I
agree with you. Tell me a little about yourself that would make you stand out
from the crowd. You’ve already said great things about yourself, but I’m sure there’s
more.

I look forward to your email.

Regards,

David Marshalls.

David grinned at the contents of his email before hitting
send. After a few days of going through the incoming emails regarding his ad
for a mail order bride, David had finally found someone who was attractive
enough to get him to compose an email to her.

“I had to tweak a few of my characteristic, but I’m sure the
outcome would work out in the end.” David had done more than ‘tweak’ some of
his attributes; David intentionally lied to have a favorable outcome. It pissed
him off that Rachel wanted to ‘get to know him’ a little more before giving him
the answer that he knew that she’d give. “Life can’t be that easy I suppose,”
David told himself and signed out of his email. This was definitely one of the
many reasons why he didn’t date. Women took too long in coming up with answers
for everything in David’s opinion.

“I hope this part goes by quickly. I don’t have the time or
the patience for this to drag out too long.” David was willing to spend money
on getting her to him. Rachel lived in New York, so he knew that the expense
was going to be a little bit on the pricey side. The money was not a problem
though; it was the mere fact that he had to spend it on someone else that
angered him. “What am I going to tell the old man though?” David hadn’t
considered what to tell his father once he up and married this woman out of
nowhere. Would he take Rachel to meet this father first, or will he just spring
her existence on him when they were about to tie the knot? “This whole thing is
becoming such a pain.”

David shut his computer down and got up. He had to admit
that he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with work, but at the end of
the day, he loved what he does. “I’d like it even more once I’m the owner of
this company,” David said and a feral grin marred his handsome features. Daniel
was starting to butt in more and more in his affairs, but no matter what his
younger brother did, David was still going to become the owner of this company
and not Daniel. Daniel would be incredibly naïve if he believed the outcome
would be any different. “I just need this whole thing with Rachel to move
along,” David shook his head then. The longer he kept obsessing about it, the
more stress he would bring upon himself. “I’ll stop thinking about it for now.”

“What are you trying to stop thinking about?” David heard
his brother’s voice before he saw him. David looked over his shoulder and saw
that Daniel was walking behind him. David didn’t try to stop the frown from
forming on his face.

“Nothing and didn’t I tell you to find some business of your
own?” David snapped at Daniel and Daniel frowned in return. 

“Haven’t you heard that talking to yourself makes you look
crazy?” Daniel spoke to himself all the time, but it wasn’t like he ever got
caught speaking to himself. “Besides, Dad wanted to talk to you and asked me to
come and get you since you weren’t answering your phone.” David pulled his
cellphone out of his pocket and noticed that his father had called him several
times. David also saw that his phone was on silent so even if he did want to
speak with his father, he wouldn’t have known that his phone was ringing.

“Fine, are you coming too?” David figured that their father
had something else under his sleeve, but when Daniel shook his head, David felt
himself growing a little more intrigued about what his father possibly wanted
with him.

“No, he just wants you. I’m glad he doesn’t want me because
whenever he calls you and me to a meeting he tells us something crazy.” David
stopped listening to Daniel as soon as Daniel said that their father only
wanted to speak with him. David wasn’t usually enthusiastic to see his dad, but
maybe the man finally came around and was going to tell David that he was going
to inherit the company. It was only natural since he is the firstborn. “Tsk… I
am speaking to you, you can, at least, pretend that you’re listening.” Daniel
said and David looked at him for a brief moment.

“I’m going to go see dad. I don’t have time to listen to you
nag.” With that said, David made his way towards his father’s office. When he
was in front of his father’s door, he knocked twice before he entered.

“Ah, so I got to have your brother go fetch you whenever I
have to talk to you?” Jeffery asked looking up from the stack of paperwork that
was on his desk. David’s long legs guided him towards his father’s desk, and he
sat down with ease once he got to his destination.

“My phone was on silent so I didn’t know you were calling.”

“Why was your phone on silent Dave? What happened if it was
an emergency?”

“I do not like to be disturbed when I am working, dad.
Besides, you typically send
him
to my office whenever you want
something, so I’m sure if it was an emergency that’ll probably be the first
thing that you’d do.” Jeffery looked at his son and David looked back at his
father.

“There’s no winning with you and that smart mouth of yours,”
Jeffery said and David grinned.

“Nope, I don’t know why you’re mad. Mom used to tell me all
the time how smart you were with your parents.” Jeffery didn’t counter attack
David; he just looked at him carefully. “So what’s going on? Why was I asked to
grace you with my presence?” Though Jeffery said David was acting like a ‘smart
ass,' to David he believed that he was acting more ‘inviting’ than he normally
did.

“What’s going on with you? I’ve heard that ‘mean old David’
has been walking around like he’s hit the lottery. What have you done and what
is so damn good that your very own appearance freaks out my employees?” David’s
previous look of amusement immediately turned to that of agitation. Were
David’s emotions that transparent? Daniel asked David the exact same thing and
David was starting to believe that people were able to read him like a book.
Well,
this could be a good thing so let’s see where I can go with
, the accountant
thought to himself.

“Well since everyone around here doesn’t have the common
decency to mind their own business I guess I have no choice but to tell you,”
David took a deep breath so that he could make himself sound the part that he
was trying to portray. “I’ve met a woman that I’m going steady with.” Jeffery’s
eyes went wide at this. Jeffery knew that David never went steady with anyone.
He’s heard through the grapevine that he’s messed around with several of his
female employees in the past, but Jeffery had not even once knew of his son
settling down with any woman seriously.

“Well this is the first that I’ve heard of it,” Jeffery said
and cleared his throat. He stared at his son for a while as if the other man’s
head had just fallen off and then a sly smile went across the older man’s lips.
Oh, someone wants this business bad enough to come up with a lie.
Jeffery thought to himself. He honestly didn’t understand how he let his son
fool him like that. David saw the quick look of disbelief on his father’s face
and he thought about a plan quickly to erase that bit of doubt out of his
father’s head.

“It’s because I don’t want people in my business. Rachel is
a very shy woman and if people were all on her asking her questions…”

“Rachel?” Jeffery asked furrowing his brow.

“Yes dad, her name is Rachel and she’s one of the first
women that I can honestly say that I like. I don’t want anyone messing up my
progress with her so far. Who wouldn’t be happy for finding someone that is
just as good as them?” David’s lie was so good that he almost believed it.
Jeffery was at a loss for words at this.

“I… I guess that’s true.” Jeffery wasn’t planning on hearing
that response when he called his eldest son into his office. “I’d like to meet
her if you don’t mind. I want to know what kind of woman captured your heart.”
David’s poker face fell flat at that moment. His lie was convincing enough, but
the whole charade would quickly be found out if he couldn’t get Rachel to speed
this process up. David also couldn’t tell his father no because his father was
sharp, he’d find out quickly that David lied.

“Fine, I’m sure she would love you.” David said trying as
much as possible to regain the composure that he’d lost moments earlier.