Free Recourse 2 (The Arrangement) by Amy Silva

CHAPTER 1
    "Love must be as much a light, as it is a flame.” Henry David Thoreau

    “So it is agreed, when they ask, Laura is your second cousin.” Chase fiddled with the butterfly on his tuxedo trying to adjust it in the front visor mirror of the Rolls Royce. His large muscular frame filled the tailored tux perfectly, his broad shoulders extenuating the wide back so much I wondered if he would be able to make it through door frames.

    “On our mother’s side. I got it.” I smiled at Amy who was quieter than usual tonight. Her beautiful, long legs stretched from under the black silk dress. She seemed to be born in it, as it hug her full figure perfectly. She stayed silent as her hands briefly clenched.

    “You OK?” Chase looked back at us.

    “Yeah.” Amy sagged back in the seat, “I’m just not looking forward to all the schmoozing.”

    “Just think of it as introducing Laura around to a new world.” Chase licked his lips, smiling. “Stay polite and friendly like the girls you are, I will try to wrap up things on my end as soon as I can.”

    “Good luck with that.” Amy smirked. “I am sure they will grill you for hours.”

    “Not this time.” Chase grinned back, showing off his perfectly white pearls. “I can finally hide behind the confidentiality agreement. I’ll be like a politician pleading the fifth, no comments made.”

    “Anticipating a barbecue?” My eyes narrowed.

    “His new baby, Matrox. They are the first company in the world who’ve been able to slow down aging using stem cells. It’s getting incredible amount of attention. So will he.” She nodded towards the front seat.

    “To be fair I just cover the funding and help direct it,” He shook his head, “The scientists are the real heroes, but it is quite dear to me since it finally returned concrete results.” Chase lit up with a satisfied smile.

    “No kidding?” I my eyes widened. “It actually works?”

    “The report just came back saying it does,” said Amy, “Everyone in Silicon Valley is going nuts trying to get a piece of the action.” She brushed a piece of lint from Chase’s shoulder, “And our man here has got the whole pie because he believed in the company from day one.”

    “Rather be lucky than good.” His laugh boomed back. He looked up at the rear view mirror and caught me staring back at him. We held our connected gaze a few moments longer than either one of us expected, as I felt a rush of heat start deep within my abdomen and rise up, awakening the butterflies in my stomach. My ears started to burn as I gently bit my lip and looked away, remembering vividly those deep blue eyes gaping back from between my thighs.

    Chase cleared his throat, “Amy, if Charles or Loushen start asking anything, you have no idea.”

    “I’d rather not see either one of them,” She shook her head and looked over to me, “Two big investors that compete with Chase. One is ruthless and will climb over your dead body to get what he wants.” She shook her head, “The other, worse.”

    “Good to know we’ll be in good company.” I raised my eyebrows.

    “The sharks with the biggest teeth.” Chase said. “Charles comes from old money. Unfortunately he hadn’t learned to appreciate the value of working slow and steady to get results, so he jumped head first into investing and buying up companies to prove something to his dad.” His voice lowered, “Famous for his aggressive takeovers and being ruthless when he smells something big in the air.”

    “Let me guess, Matrox has a fresh scent?” I tilted my head to the side.

    Chase narrowed his eyes. “Since the first whiff he hasn’t been able to think of anything else.” He paused and narrowed his eyes, “But I am more worried about the other one. This Pierre Loushen comes out of nowhere five years ago, and starts buying up everything in sight. Smart too, does his homework. Within three years, one of the best portfolios in the valley.”

    Amy turned