Chapter Seventeen
Finn sat with Bevin to his left, and across from them was Audry Calloway, a mid-level associate at Webb Capital, a firm quietly teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
Finn had not wanted anything to do with the company, but Bevin had convinced him there was an opportunity here, not just to invest but to absorb Webb Capital entirely and bring it under the S&T umbrella before it collapsed completely.
He was already regretting agreeing to the meeting.
Two things were bothering him before Audry had even finished his opening remarks. The first was the absence of any senior management. Although Finn and Bevin were still considered young in the eyes of the investment world, they had built something worth respecting in a very short time.
Bevin made a point of never flaunting his family name, which was difficult, but he was always upfront with investors that S&T was his own venture and not an extension of the Sullivan empire.
Finn appreciated that, and he had seen the expressions of surprise on executives' faces when they realized it.
And yet Webb Capital had sent an associate to represent them.
No partner, no executive, no one with actual decision-making authority.
It was either an oversight or a deliberate slight, and Finn suspected it was the latter.
The second thing was Audry himself, who, despite representing a company that needed them far more than they needed him, sat across the table telling them exactly what he expected S&T to do once the investment was made. Not asking. Not proposing. Telling.
Finn kept his expression neutral and let Audry talk, his pen resting untouched on top of his closed portfolio. Beside him, Bevin had not moved since sitting down, his fingers loosely laced on the table, watching Audry with the patient expression of someone waiting for a punchline.
"We feel S&T must absorb any losses on underperforming investments. We know you're new in the game, so it would be better for S&T to rebrand under Webb Capital. Our company has been around longer," he finished with a shrug.
When Audry finished speaking, Finn and Bevin glanced at each other. No words passed between them. They nodded, adjusted their suit jackets, stepped away from the table, and headed for the door. They were stopped before their hands could touch the handle.
"Hey, where are you two going? I'm not done speaking," Audry said.
Bevin turned and spoke before Finn could. "We were under the impression you were."
"Fucking hell, this is what we get for dealing with young people," he said in annoyance. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."
Finn moved to turn around and give the man a piece of his mind, but Bevin put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"You're right, we're young," Bevin said in a tone so icy it could cut steel.
"We came here in good faith thinking your company was serious about us investing, and yet your higher-ups sent a bootlicking asswipe with a list of ridiculous demands.
" Bevin tsked. "Send this message to your higher-ups.
You need us. We don't need you. Tell them when they are ready to talk seriously to give us a call.
Maybe then they won't waste our time again. "
Bevin squeezed his shoulder, signaling Finn it was time to leave. This time, no one stopped them.
"I'm sorry," Bevin said once they were in the car on the way back to the office.
"What are you apologizing for?" Finn asked.
"I convinced you to meet them, and they pulled this bullshit." Bevin sighed, sitting back in his seat.
"It's not your fault. The higher-ups are idiots, Bev.
But Audry is right about one thing: Webb Capital has been around a long time and would not be in this situation if the new CEO had not made stupid investments, not to mention the embezzlement charges against three of their top executives.
You saw a chance to turn a company's fortunes around, and that is why I agreed to meet. "
"Yeah, despite everything, the company still has potential. Well, their loss if they don't reach out to us."
"Exactly." Finn relaxed in his seat, and a smile graced his face. "You were pretty badass in there."
Bevin grinned and glanced at him quickly before looking back at the road. "Really? I impressed you, right?"
"Just a little." Finn chuckled, then reached over and ruffled Bevin's hair gently. "You're growing up, son."
"Thanks, Mom."
They laughed at their silliness and moved on to other topics for the remainder of the drive.
Prince opened the door to his home and smiled for two reasons. The first was Gray, who greeted him the moment he set his case down, rubbing sweetly against his leg and meowing before walking away to get into whatever trouble Prince would inevitably discover later.
In the past months, the kitten had grown from shy and withdrawn into something decidedly more mischievous, especially when he and Finn were too busy to pay him proper attention. He was particularly troublesome when Bevin visited, making his jealousy abundantly clear that Finn was his person.
The second reason was the delicious scent drifting from the kitchen.
It had been a while since Finn had been home early enough to cook dinner for both of them, and Prince had missed it more than he expected.
Walking into the kitchen, he sidled up to Finn, who was standing at the counter with his back turned.
Prince wrapped his arms around his waist. Finn startled for only a second before realizing it was Prince and relaxing into his embrace. Prince buried his face in Finn's neck, breathing in his scent. Just that alone was enough to make his cock stir with interest.
"You're home," Finn said.
"Mhm." Prince placed a kiss on the side of Finn's neck, slipping a hand beneath his shirt and rubbing his stomach, feeling it tremble under his touch, before moving up to tweak Finn's nipples.
"Prince, we..." Finn moaned, tilting his head to the side, giving him access to his neck. Prince grazed his teeth against the skin there.
"I want you." He gripped Finn's waist, pulling him back and grinding his cock against his ass.
"But we...fuck," Finn groaned.
"I'm not stopping you," Prince told him, trailing a finger along Finn's waistline and kissing his shoulder.
Finn gasped.
Prince hooked his finger in Finn's waistband and slid it down along with his underwear to his thighs. He kneaded Finn's ass, licking his lips, rubbing a finger slowly from the cleft to his hole.
"Damn," Finn whimpered, his head falling back onto Prince's shoulder.
Prince reached around to grasp Finn's cock when Finn grabbed his wrist and turned in his arms. "Prince, we can't."
"Why?" Prince leaned in and kissed his neck just as the doorbell rang.
"That's why. I invited Bevin over for dinner."
"Send him away," Prince murmured against his mouth. "Tell him you changed your mind."
The doorbell rang again, more insistent this time, and Prince growled in frustration.
"Stop being a baby. You know he just moved in and doesn't have his place set up yet.”
“I know it was a mistake for him to move into the same building with us.”
Finn leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I'll take care of you tonight when he leaves."
That soothed Prince just a little. Finn giggled, kissed him once, then pushed him back.
Prince had no choice but to step back and watch Finn pull up his pants, hiding everything that had been making his mouth water.
Then he watched that perfect ass disappear out of the kitchen toward the front door.
Finn sat next to Nova and was trying his best to hold back his laughter, watching father and son glare at each other across the living room.
They were all settled on the sofa, enjoying an after-dinner drink, everyone except Prince, who was biting into a peach with considerably more vengeance than the fruit deserved.
Finn had been surprised when he answered the door and found Nova standing next to Bevin. Nova's husband, Reece, had been called back for a business meeting when they were on their way to the airport to head back to the West Coast.
It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to invite Bevin over for dinner, and now he was regretting it just a little. Ever since their interruption in the kitchen, his body had not quite settled down.
It didn’t help that throughout dinner, Prince kept rubbing his leg and brushing against him beneath the table, keeping him in a constant state of distraction. He was grateful he had changed into one of Prince's shirts after the sauce splashed on the sweater he had been wearing earlier.
Despite Prince's teasing, it was a harmonious evening, and Finn got to see more of the friendship between Nova and Prince, as well as Nova's motherly side. Even at his age, she fussed over Bevin as if he were still a small child. Bevin didn’t complain and soaked it all up. It made Finn wonder why Nova and Reece had not had more children. Finn wanted to ask, but figured they weren’t close enough for that yet.
"Tell me, darling, why is your man staring at my son as if he wants to tear his head off?" Nova whispered to Finn.
"Um..." Finn stuttered, feeling his face heat up.
Nova chuckled warmly. "New love. Don't worry, we won't stay long."
Just as she spoke, there was a knock at the door.
Finn furrowed his brows, then excused himself to answer it.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by the definition of tall, chocolate, and handsome, dressed in a tailored tan suit without a tie and the first two buttons undone.
For a second Finn forgot where he was until the gorgeous man spoke.
"You must be Finn. I'm Reece, Nova's husband."
"Oh," Finn said, coming out of his stupor. "Come on in, we're just having dessert."
"Nov..."