Reluctant Consent by Saorise Roghan Read Free Book Online Page B

Evan a look that would have done a teenager proud and the older man grinned.  
    “Yeah.   You’re welcome. What have you done this
week-hell this day !- to be the Head of the House?”
        “Christ.   I’ve gone to work.   I’ve tried to give her space…”
    “Space.   Why?   How the hell does that help?   What woman needs space?   Space is trouble my friend.   That woman doesn’t need space!   She needs you all over her shit.
    Evan
pushed out of his chair.   “The kids
aren’t in school?   What have you
done?   She hasn’t made any
decisions?   Have you told her she’d
damn well better make some? Have you fucked her?   Reddened her ass? No! Don’t bother answering me, kid.   It’s obvious.   Step up and quit whining.”
    Andrew
opened his mouth but Evan wasn’t waiting around; he waved Andrew towards the
door.
    “Think
of your old man, kid.”   Evan tossed
the advice at the younger man from the desk while Andrew headed out the door. “Picture
him after some crisis.   Now get the
hell out of here and go fix your life!”
      “Jesus.   Thanks for the sensitive advice.”
    Evan
roared out a laugh.   “You need
sensitivity you came to the wrong place! Now if you want your wife happy…”
    Andrew
grinned and rapped his knuckles on the receptionist’s desk as he went by.   “See you Mrs. Flintstead.”
    “Ignore
whatever he said!”   The older woman
smiled but kept right on working, not bothering to look up from her desk.  
    Driving
home, Andrew called Denise.   She
didn’t answer, she never did, and he drove on getting angrier as the message
system did its thing.
    “Denise,
Andrew.   In the future pick up the
phone when I call.   Be ready at
seven, please.   We’re going out to
dinner.”
    He
clicked off sharply and called William, the oldest.
    “Dude-“
“Be ready at 7:00, William.   Dinner.   Tell your
brothers.”
    “Sure.”
    “Make
sure you all shower and dress up.   No shorts and Ts.”
    “Fuck.”
    “Language,
pal.”
    “Dude-“
    “William.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Don’t
dude me or say fuck when I’m telling you to do something.”
    “Crap.
You mad?”
    “I’m
just saying.   Got it?”
    “I
don’t know, man.”
    “Sir.”
    “Fuck!”
    “Fuck,
Sir!”
    Andrew
grinned to himself, tossing the phone to the seat. He felt better already.
    Evan
had been right.   He needed to keep
his hands firmly on the reins, steady on the wheel, and every other masculine
image of control out there. His mom was a competent, organized, intelligent
woman who certainly kept things moving smoothly. But the few times the shit had
hit the fan when Andrew was a kid his dad had been all over the place.   And he knew better himself, from work, from
sports.   If you’re in charge,
you’re in charge.   He’d announced
himself with Denise.   And then he stood
back and waited for her to give him permission.   He flushed.   Furious with himself.   What a dick.
    “I
expect you idiots back in school.   Tomorrow.”   He said flatly as
soon as they’d ordered dinner.   “Any questions?”
    “No,
Sir!” William said promptly.   He
dug an elbow into Zander’s side and kicked Lucas.
    “Absolutely
not!”
    “You
bet.”
    “Sir!”
All three added in chorus.
    Andrew
grinned.   “Tell me about all those
damn mutts.”
    Four
sets of eyes fixed on him.   Two
sets were extremely anxious. The others were merely interested.
    The
concerned parties both began to speak at once.   Andrew shot up a hand, and looked pointedly at Denise.   “There are at least twenty fre-“ he bit
off the word, knowing if he expected the boys to speak better he needed to as well- “dogs roaming the property. Do any of them mean more
to any of you than the others?”
    “They
all matter!” Lucas voice shook.   “And
there’s nine.   Not twenty.”
    “Nine
is too many dogs.”
    Lucas
shoved his chair back.   “Why?   Says who?   They have no other home!”
    “Are
they yours?