Chapter One
“It’snottheevents that bother me, it’s the people.”
“People are part of the business, Micah, you know that.”
“It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Mrs. and Mr. Rodriguez, it’s such an honor to see you both again,” Isabel greeted the hosts of the charity event they were attending on behalf of Corsetti Financial. Micah knew that voice. It was one she reserved for impressing their clients, and it made his skin crawl. He knew it was all a show, and it drove her as crazy as it drove him, but it was the voice people responded to.
“Isabel, always a pleasure,” Mrs. Rodriguez said, leaning in to kiss Isabel on the cheek.
“Micah,” she said, nodding in his direction.
Mrs. Rodriguez was an old client of his fathers. Her husband, Mr. Rodriguez, was husband number six, and this one took her name. For a bunch of snooty rich people, the city of Miami certainly had a variety of characters. The only reason Mrs. Rodriguez kept her money with Micah was because of Isabel. She kept all the old money in line. Micah never had issues with the newer clients. They knew him by reputation, most sought him out. Unfortunately, those clients didn’t pay the exorbitant expenses of running such a large financial firm. At least not yet.
“So tell me darling, how is that new car of yours? Randell here told me he saw you driving around a new Bentley. I told him it’s about time that playboy boss of yours shared some of the wealth. After all, most of us only stay with him because of you. But you already know that now, don’t you, Micah?”
“Why of course, I know that, Mrs. Rodriguez. How could I ever forget with wonderful clients like you who always remind me? Ouch, fuck!” Micah grunted out the tail end of his response while giving the feisty Latina standing next to him an evil glare.
“Now was that necessary?” he asked, rubbing his side where she jabbed him with her elbow.
“The car is wonderful, Mrs. Rodriguez, but it’s not mine. My SUV is in the shop and I happen to be driving one of Micah’s cars until it’s fixed. Besides, you know me, a Bentley? Much too rich for my liking,” she said, giving the grouch of a woman an obvious wink.
“Yes, you’re right. That’s one of the many reasons I trust you with our money.”
Micah stood watching as long as he could. Isabel oohing and aahing over everything the lady said, including all the jabs at him and his personal life, was exhausting, and getting old. His father had been dead for years now and he had proven himself ten times over that he could run the business. When the day finally came for him to pick and choose clients, she would be one of the first to go. In the meantime, he’d let Izzy handle her.
He reached for her arm and leaned in to whisper, “I’m over the crazy lady and going to grab a drink. Find me at the bar.”
Not bothering to say goodbye, he turned and walked toward the nearest source of whiskey. Without looking back, he could feel the daggers Izzy was throwing into his back. He’d hear hell for it, but he didn’t care. Let Rodriguez walk. He didn’t need her money, not really. What he did need was a whiskey, and to get away from people who made him angry by just being in the same room as him. The old clients of his father’s made things easier for him, but it wasn’t like their money was running the firm any longer. Knowing what he knew about each of them made everything worse. Not one of those fools blinked an eye at his father’s shady dealings just because he had a few gray hairs on his head and was always known as the widower. There were days he wished people knew the truth, just to take some of the pressure off himself, but the backlash of revealing it all was worse.
“One of these days she is going to move every penny she has with you. And don’t even start with the ‘I don’t care’ bullshit, because you know she’ll call each one of her old lady friends and they will do the same thing,” Izzy said as she stepped up next to him at the bar and raised her hand to call the bartender over.
“It’s not bullshit. I don’t care.”
“I don’t know why you make this so difficult for yourself.”
“Iz, I’m not in the mood tonight.”
“Are you ever?”
“No.”
“Fine, then just be the asshole they all say you are.”
He could take Izzy being pissed off at him. What he couldn’t take was her being disappointed in him, and he could hear the disappointment in her voice. This was a big event, and she expected him to behave.
“Isabel Maria Diaz, I am sorry.”
A smile quirked up at the corner of her mouth, but she tried to hide it behind her glass of wine.
“I was out of line and you are right. We need their money.”
“I love it when you tell me I’m right.”
“I know.”
“Then you really should do it more often. Also, I have scheduled myself a raise next quarter. Thought you’d like to know.”