Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Briggs York
“Madeline, will you please print off the directions from here to Chez Remy’s? I’m meeting an old friend there for dinner tonight, and I need to know how long it will take me to get there from here,” I requested.
I was a bit helpless when it came to technology, but that was why I had hired people who knew their way around the electronic world. That way, I could concentrate on things that kept the company running—great deals that I could spin into magical money-making propositions.
The door to my office was open, and I was the rude bastard who yelled at my assistant because I was too busy to get up. A few minutes later, Madeline Wicks came into my office with a large glass jar that had once held pickles and a sheet of paper.
I reached into my desk drawer and retrieved a hundred-dollar bill, tossing it with the others inside the jar. It was my penance for yelling, or so she’d told me when I started working in the Hillsdale office of my company.
Madeline didn’t like being yelled at, so she thought if there was a financial punishment for my rude behavior, she could break me of the annoying habit.
The money was going toward the company holiday party at the end of the year, according to Madeline.
I didn’t bother to tell her it would never work.
“How’s it going with getting around the city? Have you started looking for houses yet?” she asked.
York Properties, LLC had ten offices around the world to manage the company’s numerous commercial real estate holdings.
The headquarters changed on an annual basis as I moved around the globe to the offices where we owned properties, concentrating on those in that location for a year.
Anything that needed renovating was what I focused on for that year.
I’d decided to relocate from Manhattan to the St. Louis suburb of Hillsdale and focus on the properties we owned in the Midwest.
I owned twenty commercial properties in St. Louis, Kansas City, and the distance between, so the move was financially smart. Plus, when I turned forty-four, I decided I wanted something different from the bright lights of the big cities I’d been spending time in.
“Not yet. I’m still deciding whether I want to live close to the office or out in the country. I’ve been perusing MLS listings in the evenings, but there’s no use in seriously looking for a place until I decide what I’d prefer. The hotel is fine for now. Any messages?”
“No. Are you expecting someone to call? Is this office quieter than the one in Manhattan?”
I chuckled. “Well, there are fewer folks in this office, so I like the demurer atmosphere. How about you? Am I driving you insane by being here every day? I know you’ve run this office for five years without much input from me.
If I’m annoying you, let me know, okay? I can work more from the hotel or something.
” I could be a controlling pain in the ass, or so I’d been told.
I adored Madeline. She was organized, level-headed, and took no shit from me. I didn’t want to be the reason she quit—as a few of my assistants had done when I worked for any length of time in a particular office.
“Briggs, you’re fine, really. I have four younger brothers, so I know how to deal with a needy man who thinks he’s a king.” Her comment brought a huge laugh from me.
“Thank you, Madeline. Don’t hold back if I upset you, okay?
By the way, I went to Bloomfield’s last night to pick up a gag gift for the holiday grab bags, and the salesman talked me into an expensive suede bomber jacket.
The person who sold it to me had his commission commandeered by his boss, which is damn unfair.
Will you return these things for me? When I got home last night, I bought them from another store in their chain to keep the assistant manager from getting credit for the sale.
They’ll be delivered here tomorrow. Take as much time as you need with the return,” I said as I handed her the garment bag with my purchases from the Hillsdale Bloomfield’s and my credit card to make the return.
“I’ll be taking a three-hour lunch to do this,” Madeline threatened.
“Take the rest of the day off if you’d like. By the way, do we ever have casual Fridays?” I should know the answer, but in some of the offices—especially overseas and Manhattan—things were much more formal.
I always wore a suit or a jacket and slacks, so I didn’t worry about protocol much, but I wanted to show off the replacement jacket I was expecting. I also wanted to find that young salesman and take him to dinner.
The older guy was an asshole for taking the cutie’s commission, but I wasn’t sure how the hierarchy worked, and I didn’t want to get the young guy fired. He was adorably sweet.
Madeline grinned. “We don’t currently have a casual dress code, but it might be great to give it a try, say now through the end of the year. The employees will like it, I’m sure. Please be kind and allow jeans, okay?”
I grinned. “To be honest, I wouldn’t give a care if they showed up in their pajamas, but let’s keep it somewhat professional, and yes, of course, jeans are allowed unless they’re meeting with clients.
Will you send a company email to everyone in this office?
I’ll worry about the other offices another day. Thank you, Madeline.”
She took her jar, along with my garment bag and credit card, before leaving, so I reviewed contracts for the other offices, signing off on some and making notes for the others to be reviewed by the agents handling the property in each location.
Once I was done with the contracts, I returned to reviewing the MLS website for the properties located on the outskirts of St. Louis County.
There were a lot of properties on bigger lots outside the immediate county limits, where I was leaning toward living.
York Tower had a helicopter pad on the roof, in case traffic was so bad that I couldn’t drive, which was what I preferred.
I grew up in Belleville, Illinois, where my mother and stepfather still live. Jakob Stein was a wonderful guy who married a woman with a twelve-year-old son. My biological father didn’t stick around after getting my mother pregnant, and Jake was the man who saved us both.
He gave me a perfect example of how great a father could be, and I loved him for it. He treated my mother like a queen, and he supported me in everything I tried to do, lifting me up during my failures and applauding all my successes.
My appreciation for Jake was unending, and being in the area for a year would give me plenty of time to spend with the two of them. They weren’t getting any younger, unfortunately, and they were my touchstones. I wouldn’t take them for granted.
Chez Remy’s was a quaint French restaurant in the Central West End of St. Louis.
The neighborhood was nice, and there were a lot of bars and restaurants that hadn’t been there when I was growing up across the river.
I hadn’t gone back to the West End since I’d rolled into town, but I loved what I saw as I was looking for parking.
I walked into the restaurant and up to the host stand. “I’m here to meet Barrett Tarry.”
The young woman glanced at the list and smiled. “Mr. Tarry and his companion are waiting at the bar. If you’ll follow me, we’ll collect them and seat your party.”
I followed her into the bar where Barrett was sitting with a beautiful young woman next to him. The host walked over to them and touched the young woman’s shoulder. She pointed toward me, and when Barrett turned, he laughed.
He tossed money on the bar and took the young woman’s hand to help her off the stool. She was cute, and it was easy to see Barrett was completely in love with her. I was damn happy for him.
“Briggs York, this is my girlfriend, Maizie Brown. Baby girl, this is my good friend from the Stone Age, Briggs.” I took her hand and kissed it, hearing her giggle, which was sweet.
“Maizie, it’s a pleasure to meet you. It seems you’re good for Barrett. He’s picked up some manners,” I responded, winking at her to let her know I was joking.
She glanced at my friend, and he nodded. “Daddy Barrett is good for me too. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
The word Daddy rolled off her tongue and took me back in time.
I’d met Barrett in Seoul, South Korea, where we were working on a real estate deal for me to buy a three-hundred-unit apartment complex.
Barrett had been representing the seller, and after the deal was signed, I hired him and made him the head of the Seoul office.
He’d moved back to the States three years ago and was as happy as I’d ever seen.
We were seated at a table near the fireplace in the main dining room. Barrett pulled out the chair across from me for Maizie, and she blushed as she sat. It was sweet to witness.
During dinner, Barrett and I caught up on what had happened since the last time we’d seen each other. When the server came over with the dessert menu, I ordered a cognac and coffee while Barrett and Maizie ordered a dessert to split and two coffees.
Maizie turned to Barrett and whispered to him. He smiled. “Sure, baby girl. You know where it is. Do you need me to walk with you?”
She shook her head and stood, kissing his cheek before hurrying from the table to the hallway where the sign pointed to the restrooms.
Once she was gone, Barrett turned to me. “Are you still in the lifestyle?” The lifestyle being that of a Daddy Dom and little boy or girl relationship.
I sighed, thinking about that part of my life.
“I haven’t had a boy in years. When Riley left me, I had to take some time to analyze where I went wrong because I thought he was my future, but obviously, it wasn’t meant to be.
I’m leery of trying again because of the mistakes I made back then, but it’s nice to see how good she is for you.
” It was the truth, though there was a tiny piece of me that envied his happiness when I was so damn lonely.