Irresistible Bachelors: Books 1-5 by Landish, Lauren (bts books to read TXT) 📕

“I do. Now let’s go get some chocolate.”Jake

“What?” Nathan yells into the phone. “Listen, you stupid bitch, I already fucking told you four times that it was an accident. You know what? I’m done talking with you. Put your fucking supervisor on the line.” He shakes his head, growling deep in his chest. “What do you mean they’re unavailable? I don’t care if you have to route this to the fucking CEO. And yes, I’m saying it’s a fucking accident! Huh? Go fuck yourself.”

Nathan slams down the phone, shaking his head angrily. “Jesus, and I thought those assholes at the SEC were bad. These insurance pricks make the SEC and IRS look like Mr. Fucking Rogers goes to Sesame Street.”

I sit in my chair, gripping the glass of mineral water I’ve been sipping, wishing it were something stronger. We’re sitting in the back room of the club on two of the smaller couches that were saved from the mess that was the VIP section.

The fire gutted a lot of the main room of Club Jasmine. The bar is a total loss, the marble top cracked and soot-streaked. As Nathan put it the first time we walked in yesterday, “Holy shit, there’s a fuckton of damage.”

We’ve already started, financing everything through our own names and funds. It’s not much right now. I can hear the workers out front, a half-dozen guys clearing out the mess. While they do that, Nathan and I are back here, running numbers and trying to get the insurance company to get off their asses. If they don’t, a good chunk of our fortune is gonna go down the tubes and it’s all going be because of . . .

A hard, bitter lump forms in my throat at the thought. I won’t let that angry, stupid fucking idea enter my head again. It’s not true. I’m just grateful that Nathan isn’t playing the blame game. Still, despite Nathan being my bro, despite all we've been through, I’d happily tell him to go fuck himself if he tried. I’m dealing with enough between Roxy and my sister.

“Shit, man. I really hope they come through,” Nathan says after a moment in a calmer tone. When I don’t say anything, he glances at me and sighs. “It’s gonna fuckin’ hurt if they don’t.”

“Did they?” I ask, already knowing the answer. I’m just still in a haze. I should be at Franklin Consolidated, but I talked with Elena this morning. She’s going to send all the files I need to look at electronically and keep me up to date on what I need to be there for. Right now, that place is the least of my damn worries.

Nathan snorts. “Fuck, no. They’re dumb as hell. They’re saying they want the fire marshal’s report, and I told them five times I don’t have it. For fuck’s sake, I talked with the guy this morning, and he said that even a rush job would take him another week to get together. In the meantime, I’ve given them the video footage. We just need to get the fucking repairs underway.”

I rub my face, feeling the unfamiliar rasp of stubble. I forgot to shave this morning. My head is pounding with a headache that should be in the fucking Guinness Book of World Records. Looking around the room, I sigh at how depressing it all is. I don’t even know why I came in. There’s nothing for me to do. At least Nathan can do his trading with his tablet. I can’t do half of my fucking job sitting back here.

But while Franklin is my job, Club Jasmine was my dream. My way out. It was the thing that said I was working for myself, not for some nameless, faceless mass of shareholders and some board of rich assholes who wouldn’t understand what I’ve had to do to get to this point. Club Jasmine might have been just a nightclub, but it was magical when it was open. It’s my baby, and I feel compelled to check on it. Every day we’re closed is like a knife in my chest . . . and other than bleed money, there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.

“How’s Sophie holding up through this?” Nathan asks after a moment. “I mean, the situation between you two.”

“She’s not talking to me,” I say. “I was making progress before the accident. I mean, I thought I was. Sure, I’d spent a lot of time with Roxy and getting this place ready, but . . . now she’s down again. Maybe I said some things I shouldn’t have. I got so mad when I found out she was with the same asshole who brought her in here.”

“You want to pay the fucker a visit?” Nathan asks. “I gave him a little speech before I let him go, but maybe he needs a little more convincing.”

I think about it, then shake my head. “No. I’m still debating on it, but if I do, I’ll handle it myself.”

Nathan snorts, shaking his head. “Teenage girls, man. Shit, even when we were teenagers, I preferred them older. I wouldn’t wish that death sentence on anybody. All hormones and Lifetime Channel bullshit.”

Despite my sour mood, I have to chuckle at his crude way with words. “Sophie’s actually not that bad. In fact, up until now, she’s been practically an angel. I guess it was gonna catch up with me sooner or later.”

“Actually, I’d say you’ve done pretty damn good with this.”

I turn to Nathan, so exhausted and hurting that I speak my mind. “Nate, about the fire . . . I mean, you’ve gotta blame me some.”

“Bullshit,” Nathan says with a harsh laugh. “I’m not a damn child. I agreed to the fucking pyro idea. Hell, I’ve spent days kicking myself over it, too. Roxy told me as they were getting on stage that they wanted to nix the pyro. I swear I passed it