"How do I look?" I asked, nervously.
Wat straightened my collar and quickly checked my neck for hickeys.
"You look perfect" he said with a nod.
I gulped as I looked at the broad and tall iron gate before us. Wat honked twice and the gate swung open.
We drove inside and parked under a covered spot alongside four other very expensive cars.
I felt deranged moths swooping crazily in my stomach as Wat led me to the large front door. Everything about the mansion before us seemed oversized.
Or maybe I had developed fisheye vision, I wasn't sure.
"Breathe, baby, breathe" said Wat, gently running his hand in circles on my back.
Wat's mom opened the door for us with a dazzling smile.
"Welcome, Tine. I'm so glad to see you again" she said, pulling me into a tight hug immediately.
I felt immensely comforted by it.
"Come in, come in. We'll chat in the lounge for a while and we can move to the dining room later. You're not hungry right away, are you?" she said, looping her hand through my arm and pulling me along with her.
"Not at all, Ma'am" I said, smiling happily at her.
"Call me Mel, please. Ma'am makes me feel like I'm very old."
"Hi Wat, good to see you son... Thanks, Mom, good to be home" said Wat in an undertone, talking to himself grumpily.
Mrs Guntithanon ignored him.
"Tine, I heard you like Japanese food. I've had our chef prepare a special selection of sushi. I put the menu together myself. Please be honest with your feedback" she said, anxiously.
"Thank you so much for being so considerate, Ma'am...Mel. I'm sure it's going to be delicious" I assured her, overwhelmed by her generosity.
"Welcome, son. Hope you didn't have any trouble finding the place" said Mr Guntithanon, extending his hand to me.
I shook it with a smile. "Not at all. My driver seemed to be well versed with the way here. Thank you for having me over, sir."
"What will you have? Whisky or sake?"
"I'll have whatever you're having, sir"
"Splendid. I personally don't favour sake but my boss here insisted on going with the Japanese theme. So as a compromise, I've got some rather good Japanese whisky. Let me pour you one. On the rocks? Water? Soda?"
"On the rocks, please"
"I can see you're a man of refined taste just like me. I find that adding anything else masks the true aroma and smoky flavour of the whisky"
"I agree completely, sir"
"Call me Ben"
"I don't think I can do that, sir"
"I insist. Please" he said, placing a large, firm hand on my shoulder and looking at me expectantly.
I gulped. "Thank you... Ben"
"Am I invisible?" demanded Wat, with his hands on his hips and pouting at us all.
"Oh, Wat, when did you turn up? Could you quickly bring those steel ice cubes I've kept in the freezer?
Your father gave them to me as a gift on my birthday last year, Tine. I've been waiting for a special occasion to use them" said Ben, rubbing his hands gleefully.
YOU ARE READING
Business With Pleasure | 2gether AU
FanfictionWhen his father leaves him with a failing party planning business and a crippling debt - as in pay up or lose a limb - Tine Teepakorn has no choice but to make it work somehow. Enter Sarawat, who has been appointed by the friendly mafia loan sharks...
