 by Raleigh Ruebins.jpg)
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
NATHAN
He’s just like any other client, I told myself as I stood outside two massive glass doors at the front of the mansion.
He’s just way younger than you, way more famous, and worth millions.
No fuckin’ biggie.
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been nervous for a client. I’d been a contractor for years, and most days were just business as usual. I shifted from one foot to the other as I waited, regretting the three cups of coffee I’d downed this morning.
But… this was Kace Tomlin.
I was at Kace Tomlin’s house, and I was three minutes too early for my appointment. Did famous football players like it when people were early? Did they hate it? Fuck if I knew.
Dad, quit being a dork and just ring the doorbell. My daughter Maddy had gotten so good at making fun of me that I pictured her little comments on a loop in my head even when she wasn’t standing next to me.
I leaned in and rang the doorbell, my adrenaline at a low, constant buzz.
Kace Tomlin wasn’t just a star quarterback—he’d been the breakout star for the past year, ever since he’d gotten a whopping multimillion-dollar signing bonus from the Denver Ferals straight out of college. Kace was only 22, a hot shot, and already the best player the Ferals had had in decades.
He was also out and proud as a gay man.
In other words, Kace was an MVP. America’s golden boy. He’d been nicknamed The Favorite for a reason. And he wanted to hire my construction company to work on his mansion, tucked away here in the Rocky Mountains.
I’d stared at shirtless photos of Kace Tomlin for the past year on the cover of magazines, and also sometimes in the comfort of my own home on my laptop. Sure, I was straight, but I had to appreciate a good body, and Kace Tomlin’s was about as perfect as they come. Workout goals, and all that.
The scent of grilling steak floated through the air and my mouth started to water. I didn’t see any movement from behind the big, glass front doors, and I hesitantly reached forward to ring the doorbell again. It was one of those fancy ones that played a little song, and it was attached to a state-of-the-art security camera. I’d thought about installing one on my own house, but I’d decided that the doorbell had better come equipped with a robot butler and a lubed-up fleshlight for it to be worth how much it cost.
But Kace Tomlin was now the richest man in town by a mile. He could afford it.
“Anybody home?” I called out as I stepped onto the pristine stone path that led toward the backyard, following the scent of grilling meat.
The property was massive. Six months ago, I’d heard about Kace Tomlin buying a place at the far edge of Jade River, the tiny town where I’d lived for years. I still couldn’t believe a house this fancy existed in the same zip code as my little hometown.
The scent of pine surrounded me as I walked past the endless panes of glass that made up the modern home. Along the side of the house there were fountains trickling away, more security cameras, and then finally, after rounding the path, I arrived at the side gate.
Over the sleek metal railing, I could just make out a group of people who were all standing around a big silver grill, in one section of the enormous backyard.
“Howdy!” I called out, waving my hand in a large arc. “I’m Nathan. Nathan Wood. Here from the construction company. Sorry I’m a little early—”
A woman with a tight, slicked-back blonde ponytail noticed me and began walking over, her shiny heels clicking on the stone paving in the backyard. She touched an earpiece in her ear, saying something to someone in a hushed tone as she approached me.
“Hi there,” she said. “Your name, please?”
“I’m Nathan Wood, from Fixer Brothers Construction Co. We spoke on the phone this morning and last week, I believe. Vivienne, right? You’re Kace’s assistant?”
“Kace’s Colorado assistant. That’s right,” she said with a nod, finally punching in a code and opening up the large, black metal gate for me to step through.
“Hot damn. Kace has multiple assistants?”
“Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami,” Vivienne confirmed with a nod. “Kace is finishing up a cycle in the sauna, he will be out in just a few minutes. Come, sit.”
She led me through a backyard that could put hotels and resorts to shame. The place was a fucking slice of paradise, with two hot tubs, multiple stone fire pits, and a backdrop of stunning pine trees and the sweeping Colorado Rockies. The showstopper was a long infinity pool that was perched along the edge of a hill, jutting out over a lower-level patio, glittering with water so blue it practically glowed.