Heartsville 02 - Unscripted (Nico Jaye) (2 page)

I’m sorry for the loss of your uncle, Richard. He was a wonderful friend, and I loved his theater as though it were my own. I understand from the terms of his will that we’re to be co-owners of the Oasis. I’m overwhelmed by Richard’s generosity and look forward to working with you in the future.

Earlier today I received a call from Alicia Green, who asked for a copy of the Oasis’s financial records. Before sending them off willy-nilly, I wanted to confirm first that she works for you. If that’s the case, I’ll arrange for the records to be ready for the courier, to be picked up tomorrow.

Please let me know, and I hope we can chat soon.

Sincerely,

Teddy Carbone

Teddy reread the e-mail and pushed Send. He was about to switch back to the stack of papers on his desk when a new e-mail popped up. His brows rose when he saw it was a response from Carter.

From:
[email protected]

To:
[email protected]

Subject: Re: The Oasis

Yes. Courier will be there at 1pm tomorrow.

CM

Teddy blinked. Um. What? Two sentences—and one of those sentences was one word. Frowning, he clicked into the message to respond. Tamping down the impulse to call Carter out, Teddy replied quickly.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Subject: RE: Re: The Oasis

Okay, thanks, I’ll make sure it’s ready.

Teddy

A quick e-mail to the part-time bookkeeper the theater employed followed, and after that, there wasn’t much for Teddy to do but return to his work. Curiosity got the better of him, though, and he clicked over to the monroecapital.com website first. The impressive graphics and headlines were rather intimidating, as was the section introducing the executives and principals. After skimming the paragraph on Carter Monroe, Teddy clicked away hurriedly and returned to his paperwork.

Teddy might not have an MBA from Wharton or a bibliography of business articles he’d authored, but he knew the Oasis was doing okay. Their financial records were solid, and they were in the black every year. Not many smaller not-for-profit theaters could say that. Last year they even had ended a little ahead with money to be used for the next season.

The Oasis was just fine the way things were.

He hoped Carter would see that too.

Chapter Two

“What. The fuck. Is this?”

Teddy charged through the frosted glass door to the corner office, right past Alicia, who wore her long braided hair in a neat bun. He might have dropped her name in order to get by the security desk earlier. He’d managed to sound reasonable and rational when letting her know he wanted to speak with Carter about the new property, but as he rode the elevator up to the twelfth floor, he’d only been able to come up with more outrageous names to call Carter Monroe, the selfish, greedy, infuriating bastard.

The bastard who’d sent over a detailed proposed plan of
sale
only three days after receiving the financials Teddy had so helpfully made available.

Teddy swallowed hard, his pulse racing with adrenaline.

The tall bastard who looked incredibly appealing right now in those crisp shirtsleeves, a fitted charcoal gray vest, and a deep purple tie.

The darkly attractive bastard whose ticked-up eyebrow was the only indication he’d even noticed Teddy’s explosive entrance.

Narrowing his eyes at Carter, Teddy fumed and waved the stack of papers in the air.

“What do you think you’re doing, Monroe?” Teddy said, advancing into the room.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Monroe, he ran right past me.” Alicia’s hurried voice came from behind him. “Should I call security?”

Carter held Teddy’s gaze—
ocean blue eyes
, Teddy’s traitorous brain supplied—before turning to Alicia. “No, it’s fine. Hold my calls for now, Alicia,” he added with a nod of dismissal.

Teddy heard the door close behind him, and he continued forward until the sleek glass-topped desk was the only thing between him and Carter. After chewing on his words for a moment, Teddy finally found his voice.

“I hardly know you, Carter Monroe, but you’re making it damned easy for me to dislike you. What’s this about selling the Oasis?”

Carter’s movement around the desk was leisurely before he stopped near Teddy to lean back against the desk. Doing his best not to notice Carter’s masculine and fresh scent—
just a hint and completely tasteful
—Teddy swallowed nervously when Carter took the stack of pages from his hand.

Teddy had always been less lion and more lamb, but here before him was a lion of the financial markets.

He’d confronted the lion in his den.

“Teodoro Carbone,” Carter murmured as he flipped through the packet.

Teddy cleared his throat. “Teddy. You can call me Teddy,” he said automatically.

“Teddy, then. And you should call me Carter, of course. After all, we’re going to be partners—for however long or brief a relationship,” Carter said with a—
Jesus, so attractive. Shut up, brain!
—smile and a matter-of-fact tap on the papers he’d set down on his desk. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

And have the lion loom over me? No, thank you!

“
I think I’ll stand for now, thanks.”

Carter’s brow twitched upward before he smoothed his expression and moved to look out the wall of windows. The outline of his torso formed a very appealing V-shape—
and no, stop looking at him like that.

“I gather the idea of selling the Oasis comes as a surprise for you—”

“Understatement of the year,” Teddy muttered.

Carter turned, shooting him an amused look, but said nothing about his comment. “But after reviewing the financials and surveying the current market, I concluded it would be much more advantageous and profitable to sell the theater and solicit bids for the property.”

“You…
you
concluded?” Teddy spluttered. “What gives you the right to make any conclusions whatsoever about the Oasis? You don’t know anything about it! You haven’t been there, day in day out, for the last nine years.”

Carter tilted his head in Teddy’s direction. “While that’s true, I have seen the numbers, and the numbers don’t lie. It’s barely breaking even as is, and it makes little sense for me to retain it in its current state. Unless you’d like to offer me a buyout…”

“You… I…” Teddy’s mouth hung open for a moment before he clicked it shut. “You can’t possibly be telling me you’re just going to decide to sell the theater without even seeing it. Without even setting foot inside. Without knowing what it is to the neighborhood, to the community?” Teddy blinked rapidly, unable to comprehend such a… such a heartless decision. Teddy gestured at the stack of papers, then lifted his hands earnestly. “We’re a goddamn nonprofit; it’s not all about the numbers.”

Carter raised his brows, a hint of a smile on his—
full and shapely, dammit!
—lips. “You’ll have to trust me when I tell you that, in my line of business, it oftentimes
is
all about the numbers.”

“And you’ll have to trust me when I tell you the Oasis is so much more than just the numbers.” Teddy moved closer to Carter, his hands—
curse his Italian heritage!
—gesticulating here, there, and everywhere. “It’s… it’s about Heartsville and history and keeping the community together.”

Carter clasped his warm palms around Teddy’s hands, effectively stilling them, and Teddy’s eyes went wide when Carter drew him closer. Against his better judgment, Teddy’s heart began pounding, and the reason this time wasn’t his anger. Carter searched his gaze with those crystalline eyes and smirked softly.

“You’re magnificent, did you know that?” Carter said under his breath.

Teddy was taken aback, but before he could come up with a response, Carter spoke again.

“I’ll admit sending a plan of sale so quickly may have been rash of me, but there have been deals where I’ve had to make quick decisions and think about the consequences later. I recognize now that this isn’t one of those cases, so I’ll think about it, okay?” Carter moved one of his hands, and Teddy’s whole body jolted when he felt Carter’s fingers pressed against his hip, followed by a light squeeze.

“Tell me,
Teddy
,” Carter murmured, his gaze hooded. “Have you ever done anything like that? Something rash and unexpected, to hell with the consequences?”

Teddy hadn’t, but oh God did he want to now. He knew exactly what Carter was implying, and God help him because he wanted to dive right into that situation headfirst, then and there. There was something about Carter—something vital, authoritative, and commanding. What had Carter asked him again?

Teddy licked his lips nervously, and Carter followed the movement. “I—well, um, I’ve never….”

“Do you want to?” Carter said softly. His hands were on Teddy’s hips, guiding him inexorably forward, and Teddy’s breath hitched when Carter parted his thighs with his leg, rubbing against Teddy’s already half-hard length.

He had a hate boner. So sue him.

He also hadn’t been laid in precisely seven months, and Teddy found himself nodding, his body making the decision for him, even though his brain was telling him it was likely a terrible,
terrible
idea.

Carter searched Teddy’s gaze, his long lashes a striking frame for those piercing baby blues. Time held suspended for a moment. Neither of them moved, and Teddy dared not breathe. When the corner of Carter’s lip ticked upward, Teddy broke eye contact to watch the motion.

Watch as those lips curved into a smile that held a sinfully rich promise—one Teddy hoped Carter would fulfill.

Teddy took a fortifying breath and caught that light, intricate cologne.

God, Carter smelled good.

“We’ll… we’ll talk about everything later,” Teddy managed to say when he remembered why he was there.

“Later. Much later,” Carter agreed smoothly.

He sealed the words with a searing kiss.

Carter was in Teddy’s space, and his presence was overwhelming. The power of Carter’s arms as they slid around his back, pulling him even closer, sent a shiver down Teddy’s spine. The kiss was demanding and carnal.

Kissing Carter was like a tidal wave. Carter smelled incredibly good, and his mouth moved with confidence, his lips strong and firm.

Carter’s kiss drew him in, leaving Teddy no choice but to follow. When Carter gripped the curves of his ass through his slacks, Teddy’s lips parted on a gasp, his cock going instantly hard.

“Yeah?” Carter whispered against Teddy’s mouth before trailing the line of his jaw to nuzzle at his neck. Carter pressed his hips forward, and at the feeling of an answering thickness rubbing against his thigh, Teddy was gratified to know he wasn’t the only one affected.

“Uh huh. Yeah,” Teddy said, semicoherently, his lashes fluttering shut. The sensation of Carter’s lips on the sensitive skin behind his ear sent tingles down his neck and along his arms. Teddy loosely caressed Carter’s sides before pulling Carter in closer, tighter to his body.

Carter was making him feel damn good, causing sparks of desire and arousal to fire along his body, and it’d been far too long since Teddy’d felt himself come alive like that.

“I’m gonna make you feel so good, Teodoro,” Carter whispered at Teddy’s ear.

Teddy had barely registered the words before Carter’s hands were at his waist, undoing Teddy’s belt and fly with nimble fingers. Carter leaned in and captured Teddy’s lips in a heated kiss, his short stubble brushing pleasantly against Teddy’s face.