couldn’t seem to convince Shane of that. As for Xander, he mainly dealt in
commercial property development, and in this particular building, he already
knew of a company interested in relocating. Either way, their offers would be
quite competitive, but when it came down to it, Xander would walk away with the
property. He always did.
“Fuck
you, Boone.”
That
statement, and the fierce expression on Shane’s face made Xander laugh. He
pushed up from his chair – after all, his size was his best intimidating factor
– buttoning his jacket as he did. Turning away from Mercedes, Xander thrust his
hands into his pockets and addressed Shane directly.
Through
the years, Xander and Shane had managed to meet somewhere in the middle on many
deals much like this one. By middle, Xander meant more so in his favor. When
there was a business opportunity that Xander wanted, he would certainly do what
needed to be done to ensure he didn’t lose. Pissing off one of his closest
friends in the process was usually the end result.
“I’ll
back off of the land if you want it,” Xander informed him. “But I’m not letting
go of the Milton building. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation was done
before it ever even started. So, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to move on to
something else.”
Business
was business, and on that point, he and Shane always butted heads. They
probably always would. They frequently found themselves in direct competition,
which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Despite
their business relationship, Xander knew that, by the end of the day, Shane
would’ve forgiven him. Somewhat. They were also friends.
“Are
you handling this for him?” Shane directed his question at Mercedes, clearly
annoyed with Xander’s lack of cooperation.
“If he
asks me to,” she said.
“What if I ask you to handle it for me?” Shane questioned, thrusting his hands in his
pockets and mimicking Xander’s stance.
Xander
tried not to laugh.
“I can
only work for one of you, so you’ll have to decide which one that is. You know
I won’t get in the middle of this. I don’t get paid to be a referee.”
“I’m not
letting this go,” Xander told Shane firmly, ignoring Mercedes’s comment. “You
can bid on the land, and I’ll back off, but I’m gonna take this building.”
“Fuck,”
Shane hissed, sliding his hand through his spiky blond hair. “Why do I even
bother?” Shane huffed on a frustrated sigh. Although it was phrased like one,
Xander knew it wasn’t a question.
Glancing
over at Mercedes, Xander nodded his head. It was his approval for her to move
forward with the offer. She tipped her chin in agreement and leaned forward,
her fingers flying over the keys on her keyboard.
“You two
don’t waste any time, do you?” Shane asked, sounding much calmer than before.
That’s
the way things worked between them. Shane would get pissed; Xander would tell
him how it was going to be and then Shane would move on with his life. The guy
didn’t have much stress because of it. Or maybe he didn’t have much stress
because he worked a lot of it out at the club. After all, the blond-haired,
blue-eyed pretty boy was one of the most sought after Doms at Kink.
“When
you’re done with that, move forward with my offer on the land.”
Mercedes
glanced up at Shane and smiled. “Already working on it.”
She knew
them both so well.
“Y’all
going to the club tonight?” Shane’s sudden change of subject released the
tension in the air.
Looking
over at Mercedes, Xander said, “no” at the same time she said “yes.”
He pinned
her with a glare.
Shane
then directed his statement to Mercedes, seemingly ignorant to the underlying
tension that was lingering between them. “Want me to pick you up on my way
there?”
“Yeah,
that’ll be great.”
“You sure
you don’t want to go?” Shane asked Xander, forcing him to look away from
Mercedes.
“I’m
sure. I’ve got another commitment. I’m
commercial property development, and in this particular building, he already
knew of a company interested in relocating. Either way, their offers would be
quite competitive, but when it came down to it, Xander would walk away with the
property. He always did.
“Fuck
you, Boone.”
That
statement, and the fierce expression on Shane’s face made Xander laugh. He
pushed up from his chair – after all, his size was his best intimidating factor
– buttoning his jacket as he did. Turning away from Mercedes, Xander thrust his
hands into his pockets and addressed Shane directly.
Through
the years, Xander and Shane had managed to meet somewhere in the middle on many
deals much like this one. By middle, Xander meant more so in his favor. When
there was a business opportunity that Xander wanted, he would certainly do what
needed to be done to ensure he didn’t lose. Pissing off one of his closest
friends in the process was usually the end result.
“I’ll
back off of the land if you want it,” Xander informed him. “But I’m not letting
go of the Milton building. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation was done
before it ever even started. So, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to move on to
something else.”
Business
was business, and on that point, he and Shane always butted heads. They
probably always would. They frequently found themselves in direct competition,
which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Despite
their business relationship, Xander knew that, by the end of the day, Shane
would’ve forgiven him. Somewhat. They were also friends.
“Are
you handling this for him?” Shane directed his question at Mercedes, clearly
annoyed with Xander’s lack of cooperation.
“If he
asks me to,” she said.
“What if I ask you to handle it for me?” Shane questioned, thrusting his hands in his
pockets and mimicking Xander’s stance.
Xander
tried not to laugh.
“I can
only work for one of you, so you’ll have to decide which one that is. You know
I won’t get in the middle of this. I don’t get paid to be a referee.”
“I’m not
letting this go,” Xander told Shane firmly, ignoring Mercedes’s comment. “You
can bid on the land, and I’ll back off, but I’m gonna take this building.”
“Fuck,”
Shane hissed, sliding his hand through his spiky blond hair. “Why do I even
bother?” Shane huffed on a frustrated sigh. Although it was phrased like one,
Xander knew it wasn’t a question.
Glancing
over at Mercedes, Xander nodded his head. It was his approval for her to move
forward with the offer. She tipped her chin in agreement and leaned forward,
her fingers flying over the keys on her keyboard.
“You two
don’t waste any time, do you?” Shane asked, sounding much calmer than before.
That’s
the way things worked between them. Shane would get pissed; Xander would tell
him how it was going to be and then Shane would move on with his life. The guy
didn’t have much stress because of it. Or maybe he didn’t have much stress
because he worked a lot of it out at the club. After all, the blond-haired,
blue-eyed pretty boy was one of the most sought after Doms at Kink.
“When
you’re done with that, move forward with my offer on the land.”
Mercedes
glanced up at Shane and smiled. “Already working on it.”
She knew
them both so well.
“Y’all
going to the club tonight?” Shane’s sudden change of subject released the
tension in the air.
Looking
over at Mercedes, Xander said, “no” at the same time she said “yes.”
He pinned
her with a glare.
Shane
then directed his statement to Mercedes, seemingly ignorant to the underlying
tension that was lingering between them. “Want me to pick you up on my way
there?”
“Yeah,
that’ll be great.”
“You sure
you don’t want to go?” Shane asked Xander, forcing him to look away from
Mercedes.
“I’m
sure. I’ve got another commitment. I’m
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