Sold to Him

Whiskey on the Rocks

"Look, I hope that you won't be making this an everyday occurrence."

Liam felt the vein under his right eye begin to pulse faster in annoyance. "The only reason I even agreed to have this little lunch with you was to discuss the plans for our mother's birthday party. Had I known this would become another intervention, I would have declined the offer to meet with you."

"Liam, I know you are tired of Mother harping on you to settle down but, see it from my point of view."

Liam glared at his younger brother. "And how is that, Sammy?"

Sammy smirked. "If you settle down and start a family, she will be happy and not even begin to look my way." He threw his hands up before continuing his defense. "I don't need her to harp on me like she does you. When was the last time she set you up on a surprise blind date?"

Liam took a sip from his whiskey on rocks and reveled in its burn. "Last week." He shook his head as he remembered walking into the restaurant expecting to see his mother. Instead he was ambushed by a young twenty-something who was trying too hard to keep his attention on her cleavage. He figured that was the only decent looking thing about her.

Sammy chuckled. "She is just concerned that you will end up old, bitter, and alone." He took a sip from his beer and smirked. "You have one out of three of those down. You're working on the other two."

A beep from the desk intercom prevented Liam from replying to his brother. "Sir, there is a Mister Juniper here to see you."

Liam threw back the rest of his whiskey and stormed over to his desk. "Show him in."

"Who is Juniper?"

Liam ignored his brother's question and he gathered Sammy's coat and handed it to him. "Get lost. I'll see you later."

Sammy threw his coat over one shoulder and pulled his brother into a forceful bear hug. "Later, Beast."

The door opened as Liam heard a small gasp from his secretary. "Terribly sorry, Mister Knightly, excuse us." Liam glared at his brother in an attempt to keep Sammy from staying any further to flirt with the secretary. He didn't want to have another secretary quit on him because his little brother broke the poor girl's heart.

Once his brother was out of the way, Liam studied the man who walked behind his secretary.

Fuck!

What was her name?

"Would you require any more refreshments, Mister Knightly?"

"No, that will be all. You are dismissed for the day."

Liam made a mental note to find out this new secretary's name. Poor girl has been working with him for over a month.

"Mister Jupiter, you are earlier than I expected. You aren't required to approach me with payment for another week."

Liam watched as the balding man reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief with shaking hands. He wiped the sweat from his brow and ran the handkerchief over what was left of his hair before putting it back in his pocket.

"Y-yes, I know that I am early." The man shifted his weight. "I can't" The man took in a shaking deep breath, "I can't pay you the money." 

Liam sat behind his desk and leaned back slightly in his chair. "You signed a contract. You had one month to pay up on the bet you lost. It is not my fault that your team lost."

"I know that, sir, Mister Knightly. But please we can work this ou-"

Liam held up his hand before the man could finish his sentence. "If your team had won, I would have paid you the money you earned from that bet. Do not try to tell me that you would have forgiven it out of the goodness of your heart." He leaned forward, placing his forearms on his desk. "I looked into the type of man you are. If I can call you a man at all." Liam watched as Juniper sheepishly sat down in one of the two chairs that sat on front of his desk. "Taking out more loans than you are able to pay off. Yet you continue to bet."

Liam's eyes narrowed as he looked at the pathetic man sitting in front of him. "Tell me, how is it that a man whose poor betting skills that ends in misfortune, still has the nerve to place bets?"

Juniper looked like he had been slapped. "My brother and his wife were killed in a car accident. It was prove-"

Liam interrupted Juniper again. "Do not try to fool me or yourself by believing that that accident was anything but a hit. You owed the Fairbanks Mob two million and all of a sudden your family is killed. One would think that you would have changed your ways."

Juniper held his head in his hands. "I've changed. I took in my brother's kids and I can work off the money I owe you."

Liam wasn't going to fall for his sob story. This man has gotten himself and his late brother into more trouble than one family could handle. "I now own your house, Juniper, and after the sale of your house I can expect to gain $27,500 from it. I will find a way to get the other $22,500 from you later. I want you out of the house before the end of the week or my men will come in and throw you out."

"NO!" Juniper rose to his feet. "Please, my two nieces live with me. Please let us to stay there until we find something else. Please!"

Liam sat back in his chair. "That is sad to hear about the two girls but you will have to either pay me the money or leave the house."

"I will find a way to get you the money, Mister Knightly, I will!"

Liam watched as the man ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him as he left.

"Fool."

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Hello everyone! I hope that you like this first chapter. Please tell me what you think. Click the star button if you feel like it. I will include a drink recipe with each chapter. 

Whiskey on the Rocks:

*Place a 2 inch ice ball into a double old fashioned glass. (The large ball of ice melts slowly so your whiskey doesn't get watered down. Plus it looks really cool!)

*Pour 1/3 cup of bourbon whiskey over the ball of ice.

*Sit back, relax, and look like a bad-ass while enjoying your drink. 

Recipe taken from Bon Appetit website.