Eraser Crimson by Megan Keith, Renee Kubisch Read Free Book Online

couple of meetings so I could come home sooner.”
    “You missed me that much?” Nate joked.
    “Oh, absolutely.  I thought I better come back so I could keep you in line.”  Tom gave him a pointed look, dropping his pen on the desk.
    Nate hung his head low, knowing full well what was coming next.  He may be the older brother but Tom was probably the more level-headed one and he knew that his whole family would be disappointed with the pictures circulating the internet.  He’d purposely been ignoring their calls for that very reason.
    “What were you thinking Nate?”
    “I was thinking the asshole needed some sense knocked into him!  That’s what I was thinking!”
    “Even so, you know it was a dumb move, right?”
    “I don’t need you to fucking tell me that!”  He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
    “Nate-”
    “That fucker came after me, not the other way around.  He attacked Simon first,” Nate fumed.
    “Yeah well, he’s not worth going to jail for.”
    “I know.”
    “Mom’s really pissed at you.”
    “I bet.  Shit Tom, how can you be so calm?  After what that bastard-”
    “Just let it go.”
    Nate sighed.  Slumping down in the seat opposite his brother’s desk.
    “So where have you been all morning anyway?” Tom asked.  “It’s not like you to be starting work at this hour.  Stacey said you didn’t have any out of office appointments on the books.”
    Stacey was Nate’s personal assistant.  He should have known that Tom would check up on him.  Especially as it was almost lunch time and he’d only just got into the office.  Coming to work this late was a rare occurrence; he was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave.
    “So I took the morning off, no biggie,” he said with a shrug, trying for nonchalance.
    Tom’s theatrically raised eyebrow was a dead giveaway – he didn’t believe him, not for a second.  Nate was really close with his brother and couldn’t even get the smallest thing past him.  Then again, Mackenzie wasn’t just a small thing in his life, she was special, as in the ‘one of a kind’ type of special.  It was inevitable that this particular conversation would happen.  In fact, Nate would tell anyone that would listen about her, or shout it from the fucking rooftop considering the mood he was in.  He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this … if ever.
    Trying to tame the shit-eating grin he was sporting, he blew out a breath before explaining, “I met someone.”
    “You met someone?” Tom repeated slowly, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.
    “That’s what I said.”  Nate nodded, his smile broadening.
    “Really?”  The shock was not only evident on Tom’s face but the way he spoke.
    “Yes, really.”
    “You’ve got this weird goofy grin going on, this is serious.”  Tom smiled widely at his brother.  He sat up straighter in his seat and leaned forward a little.  “It’s about fucking time!  So, who is she?”
    “Her name is Mackenzie.”
    “Where did you meet her?”
    “The Blue Room.”
    “What does she do for a living?”
    “She’s a waitress there.”
    Tom’s smile slipped a little.  “A waitress?”
    “Before you say it.  No.  Just because she’s a waitress doesn’t mean she’s after my money.”
    “Are you sure about that?”
    “It’s what she does for a living, it doesn’t define her.  She’s so much more than that, Tom, she could be whatever she wanted to be.  She’s intelligent and witty.  Sophisticated.  She is beyond beautiful with the most amazing jade eyes.”
    “When did you turn into a fucking poet?”  Tom grinned.  He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by his desk phone.  “Yes,” he said, pressing the intercom button.
    “I have your mother on the line again,” Stacey’s voice came through the speaker.  “She wanted to speak to Nathaniel but he’s still not in his office.”
    “He’s with me.  Put her through.”  Tom