8. Harrison
Chapter 8
Harrison
‘Okay, what ?’ I say, gripping my cell phone in my hand as I listen to the biggest load of bullshit I’ve heard in a long time. ‘There’s a problem with what exactly? The planning was already approved, I’ve started work there. They can’t… nope, not happening. We need to fix this and fix it quickly. Okay, call me back when you have more news.’
This isn’t exactly the start to the day I was hoping for.
A call from my assistant before 9:00AM is pretty much a daily occurrence, but I could tell from the tone of his voice as I answered that this wasn’t going to be a good call.
Apparently, an objection has been lodged with the planning department over the Las Malvinas site. I’m not sure how, or why, but somehow this complaint has made its way to the highest planning authorities in the town and we may need to pause work on the site.
I’m not happy – and that’s putting it mildly.
There wasn’t a single complaint or concern raised when I outlined my plans for the site, and I can’t see what’s happened since to change things.
Sure, initially my longtime rival McPherson was super-salty about the fact that I got the winning bid on the site. And I have to admit that we did exchange some very strong words in the lobby at Fusion Plate during the restaurant’s opening night.
But is McPherson really behind this ?
As much as the two of us have battled over the years, the one thing I always respected about him was his relentless mentality. We’re actually kind of similar in that way.
I beat him in one deal, he beats me in another – and then we both move on with business and look for the next opportunity.
This is the way we both do business and despite the fact that we’ll never likely be friends, I had always assumed that deep down there was a respect between us that would always rule out dirty tricks.
Maybe I was wrong about all that?
But before I make any judgments, I need to find out the exact nature of the complaint – and then try to figure out if McPherson was behind it. Of course, I could just ask him myself… but we’re not exactly on speaking terms right now after the whole Fusion Plate blowup.
‘Fuck. This is not the start I wanted for today,’ I say, walking out of my office wearing nothing by a pair of cream-colored linen pajama bottoms.
I’ve got a breakfast date lined up with Taylor, and I need to make myself ready for that. I’m usually good at separating business from pleasure, but it’s going to be difficult with this Las Malvinas issue hanging over my head.
And to make matters worse, this is the site that Taylor is working on for the Blue Collar Boys. I don’t want to lie to the boy, but I might just have to be economical with the truth and hold back from telling him about this morning’s turn of events.
I’ve been thinking about Taylor a lot.
And I know Taylor’s been thinking about me too.
In fact, the amount of late night messaging we’ve been doing would be enough to fill up several novel length volumes of books.
I know I shouldn’t be building things up in my head before they actually play out in real life, but there’s something about the connection between me and Taylor that is so real to me.
Taylor’s a unique boy, certainly based on my experiences in the Daddy and Little community. Taylor’s a bit older, he’s new to the scene, and he’s still trying to find out exactly what works for him and what doesn’t – and I know that I want to be the Daddy that helps him find his best Little self.
But speaking of being a Daddy, it’s not going to go down well if I’m late for our very first breakfast date.
It’s time for me to whip my pajama bottoms off, hit the shower, and then fire up the Maserati.
I’ve got a date at Morning Milk – and one very special boy to be there for.
* * *
After parking my car across the street, I walk over toward Morning Milk and take a table outside.
The sun is up and the skies are blue – it’s my kind of Saturday morning, that’s for sure. One of the staff members, a boy called Nicky, takes my order and I sit and feel the morning breeze hit me as it passes by.
‘This is the life,’ I chuckle, my mind feeling a little clearer having driven down with some classical music playing and my Maserati yet again showing me why I was right to spend the extra money to get the limited edition turbo engine.
But as happy as I feel, I can’t deny that the whole Las Malvinas situation has got into my head. And seeing as Taylor isn’t here yet, I think I might just reach out to my Daddy friends and see what they make of it…
Guys , apologies for the early morning business talk, but… some anonymous sonofabitch is trying to screw with my Las Malvinas development. It’s already gone to the planning department. I’ll have more details soon, but this shit could get very real. I don’t want to believe it’s McPherson, but… could it be him? HARRISON.
I don’t have to wait too long for a reply as both Reece and Trent fire back with their own takes on the situation in double-quick time.
Hell no, that’s seriously not cool. But could it be McPherson though? As much of an asshole as he is, it doesn’t seem like his kind of move. Surely he’s got enough to deal with on all his other projects? TRENT.
Agreed. I don’t see this as a McPherson move AT ALL. Maybe you’ve crossed a politician somewhere along the line? Hell, it’s not like you’ve ever been afraid to go head to head with people in power. Don’t worry though, we’ll work it out and make sure that Los Torros gets the Las Malvinas site development it needs and deserves. And I’ll hold off from saying anything to Xander until you speak to him too – but you do need to keep him up to date. REECE.
Reece has got a good point. It’s only fair that I let Xander know what’s going on. After all, the last thing I want is for a delay in building work to be enforced and Xander and his crew suddenly find themselves put on an indefinite freeze.
But I can’t let myself get to deep into all of this – especially as I see Taylor walking across the street with a big smile on his face.
‘Boy, you’re late!’ I growl, quickly breaking into a smile.
‘Hey, no fair!’ Taylor replies, checking his watch and playing along with the joke. ‘I’m still new in town. It takes me longer to get everywhere.’
The pair of us laugh and Taylor takes a seat next to me.
‘I’ve already ordered,’ I say. ‘Two stacks of protein pancakes with extra maple syrup. I trust that this works for you? Big boys need to eat big breakfasts.’
‘Yummy,’ Taylor replies. ‘You’re right too… I could eat a horse. Well, I would if I wasn’t plant based!’
‘Ha!’ I chuckle. ‘I knew you were different, but the surprises just keep on rolling. And I like it.’
I notice Taylor avert his eyes for a moment and blush.
I don’t want to make the boy feel awkward, but at the same time the Daddy side of me wants to flirt with Taylor and make him feel special.
But before I can say anything else, Nicky arrives with the pancakes, plus a coffee for me and a protein shake for Taylor.
‘Oh, hey there!’ Taylor says, clearly happy to see Nicky.
‘This makes me so happy,’ Nicky giggles in reply, smiling and scurrying back inside.
‘A friend?’ I say, sipping on my espresso.
‘Yes, and my first friend in Los Torros too,’ Taylor says, smiling sweetly. ‘We had a playdate here recently. It was a lot of fun. I’m still so new to everything, but Nicky made me feel comfortable. I even fell asleep after my milk!’
I smile, and inside I feel my heart glowing.
Even though Taylor is this big, buff construction worker, he’s got an innocent and soft side to him that makes me want to pick him up and give him the tightest cuddle imaginable.
Some boys I’ve met over the years have been all about showing off, being loud, and generally seeking as much attention as they can. But Taylor has a sweetness to him that I can’t get enough of.
‘Come on, let’s tuck into these pancakes,’ I say, cutting the top of my stack in half and letting the maple syrup trickle down the middle. ‘And if you’re still hungry, we can see about running the order back for a repeat.’
‘ Mmmmmm ,’ Taylor says, eagerly cutting into his pancake stack. ‘I think a double order of pancakes might just be heaven.’
I chuckle.
Taylor’s joy for food is perfect for me too. I’ve got a big appetite, but I think in Taylor I might have found the one boy in the whole world who can go toe to toe with me – and maybe even come out on top!
So far, this is my kind of breakfast date.
And judging by the way that Taylor is demolishing his pancakes, I think it could get even better…
* * *
The breakfast was every bit as delicious and filling as both Taylor and I hoped. But what made it extra special was the fact that the pair of us couldn’t stop talking.
Our early lives.
Our hopes and dreams for the future.
Our fears and even some of our regrets too.
It felt like no topic was off the table as we chatted and got to know each other in a way that just doesn’t seem possible via only online messages. There is something about the intimacy of speaking face to face that I love, and I got the feeling that Taylor felt the same way too.
I felt like Taylor was opening up to me about the kinds of things that he had been keeping to himself for a very long time. Taylor’s journey to accepting his Little self hasn’t been as straight forward as most of the boys I know, but in a way I actually think that it’s made him stronger and more determined to live his best life now.
After all, not many people would give up a secure job and move to a new town alone like Taylor did. But as Taylor said, he wants to discover who he really is and if the best way of doing that is uprooting his life, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.
In some ways, it reminded me of my attitude toward growing my business, especially when it came to my ill-fated move to the city. And while my city move didn’t work out very well, I’ll always know that I tried.
Even now as I’m sitting in my office at home, I’m remembering little details of mine and Taylor’s conversation. The boy’s got a good sense of humor and even seems to like my Daddy jokes – which I think might just be down to the fact he spent so long working in a construction crew made up of Daddies!
‘Okay, mind back on business,’ I say, leaning forward in my chair and looking at my laptop screen. ‘Time to put thoughts of the boy on ice. I need to find out exactly who’s been fucking with me at the planning department.’
With that, I begin to map out and note all the potential candidates that I might have crossed badly enough for them to warrant pulling a move like this.
‘Damn, this is a longer list than I’d hoped,’ I sigh, realizing that my combative business style has probably won me more enemies than friends over the years.
But I can’t seem to make a real connection as to who it could be.
There’s something not quite right here.
I’m definitely missing something, a detail or a nuance.
And with time ticking, I know that I can’t take too long in working this thing out. After all, it’s not just me who will suffer if the Las Malvinas project gets cancelled – it will be the Blue Collar Boys and the whole of Los Torros too.
There’s no way I can let this project collapse.
I’m Harrison Harlow – and I never lose.