The rattle of a phone on the bedside table brought BUDDY OWEN‘s headache back with thundering fury.
A bottle of MACK AND SONS lay beside the bed. Buddy reached over and finished the dregs at the bottom. He caught the phone just before it fell to the floor.
“Yeah, what?” he answered.
“Please hold for Mr Owen,” Buddy’s father’s secretary said calmly. Buddy liked her voice. It’s sultry sound made him want to ask what she was wearing. The delicious description would be satisfying. She probably looked like a syphilitic weasel in real life, he wouldn’t know, he had never actually met her. Charles ‘Chick’ Owen, better known as The Captain or Cappy to his friends had a circulation of secretaries he used. He didn’t trust anyone without his family name to be close to his business for too long.
“Yeah, whatever,” Buddy replied as he laid back and rubbed his head with his free hand. The secretary’s voice disappeared. Probably just as well. Buddy didn’t have the energy for a reach beneath the sheets anyway.
“You had better be sitting up and listening to what I have to say to you,” Chick’s harsher voice came through.
Buddy raised an eyebrow. “Good morning, dad. And how are you?” asked the Cappy’s only son.
“Don’t fucking ‘good morning’ me,” Chick spat down the phone. “Do you have any idea what I have been dealing with this morning because of you?”
Buddy wanted to say, ‘same bullshit; different day?’ but thought better of it. “How am I supposed to know? I’m just back from my morning swim,” he lied.
“Weirs,” Chick explained.
Buddy rolled over onto his side and started fumbling along the floor in search of another bottle. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“He had his boy at General this morning. Stitches. He claims he was raped at the CHAPTER HOUSE and Rodney is furious. Now he’s being a pain in the ass.”
Buddy couldn’t hide his frustration. “Why should ah care?”
Chick’s voice went white hot. “Because it is your Chapter House, boy. I gave it to you in good faith. We’re looking to take over more of the Weir chain and if Rodney backs out because of what happened to his faggy son I’m holding you responsible.”
Buddy’s lip curled. “I have better things to think about than some Sissy who can’t handle a bit of heat.”
Chick was unmoved. “I’m warning you, Bud. If I have another morning like the one I’m having I’m shipping you back to your God Damned Mother! Do you hear me?”
“Yessir,” Buddy relented.
“Sort your shit out,” Chick barked before hanging up.
Buddy slid to a seating position at the edge of the bed. His father’s call left him annoyed and now his headache was turning into a migraine.
“Stupid fucking faggot,” he growled. “Couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
He opened the drawer of the bedside table and retrieved a large clear bag of cocaine and a razor blade. He poured himself a generous helping and used the blade to split the powder into lines. As he leaned over to snort the first up his left nostril he felt a hand draw softly across his bare back.
“Good morning, Buddy,” greeted a soft, feminine voice. “Problems?”
“None ah ya business,” he growled.
The powder was taking effect quickly. It was easing his headache a little and giving him energy. His bed mate drew herself up and closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.
“Cut me a line,” she requested. Her frizzy, mousey brown hair tickled his neck.
“I’m not wasting premium gear on a second rate blow job,”
The bed mate pursed her lips. “Fuck you,” she snarled.
Buddy was buzzing now. He felt invincible. “Already did that. That was second rate too,” he gave a hearty laugh.
“You’re a piece of shit,” she snarled at him.
“Get the fuck out, you skanky whore,” he replied.
The girl climbed out of the bed and retrieved her clothes from the floor in a fluster. She snarled at him again.
“Creep,” she said as she departed.
Carly – now he remembered. She was part of the university cheer leading team, or was it gymnastics? Either way she didn’t look half as bad last night when he met her as she did then. Normally he enjoyed having a coke whore to play with but that morning he had bigger fish to fry.
He contemplated one more line but he decided to leave it as his reward for later. He lifted his phone again and dialled the main office of the WEIR HOTEL.
“I need to speak to Mr Weir,” he told the office of the hotel minion that answered.
“May I ask who’s calling?” the overly posh voice caused Buddy’s teeth to grit.
“Bernard Owen. He’s gonna wanna to speak to me.”
“Hold please and I’ll check his availability.”
***
‘That twisted little shit!’ Rodney growled to himself as he rang off from Buddy.
He had urged his son Daniel to pledge KAPPA SO but he had never expected what happened to him. He was still tired from having to listen to his wife, Wendy, balling all night about how hurt her precious boy was. The stupid woman didn’t realise that coddling the boy too much was the reason he was unable to stand up for himself.
“I am shocked and appalled that such behaviour would happen in my Chapter House,” Buddy had tried at first in a sweetened tone but Rodney was no fool. He too had been Kappa So in his younger days and was locked in business with the Owen family.
When Rodney threatened Buddy with consequences the chapter leader laughed and his sweetened tones soured.
“You listen to me you son ‘a’ bitch,” he said to the hotel owner. “He fucking loved it and I have videos to prove it. We could make your son a star.”
“You wouldn’t dare …” Rodney barked back.
“Try me old man. I got nothin’ on ma schedule and a long day ahead. You keep your mouth shut and we say nothin’ more of it.”
Rodney pulled out his desk drawer and picked one of his cigars. He clenched it between his teeth and bit down hard.
Wendy wanted those responsible for hurting Daniel to be punished but what damage had been done really? He was a little shook up and he needed some stitches but maybe the incident would finally make him see what his father was trying to show him about the world.
He had been at the hospital earlier that morning but Daniel had nothing to say to him. Having to discuss what happened in detail with doctors and nurses had left him shell shocked. Wendy wanted the police involved but most of COLDFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT was on the Owen pay role anyway. Rodney told his wife that he would deal with it.
The Cappy had offered to speak to his son but clearly that had no real affect. Buddy has his own way of doing things, probably learned from the Owen boardroom.
The choice was simple. Keep quiet.
Enjoy this?
Daniel should never have gone to the Chapter House. His ordeal is spilling over. The Weir Hotel chain reaches far and wide. Now everyone will know what happened.
The boys of Kappa So have a bone to pick with the Knock Knock Boss Lady in volume 2. In the meantime Volume 1 is free to read on Vivika Widow Online or download for Kindle by clicking HERE.
KNOCK, KNOCK: Episode 1: Welcome to the Club
Knock, Knock: Episode 2: Don’t Come Knockin’
Knock, Knock: Episode 3: Sleep Tight Sam
Knock, Knock: Episode 4: Take A Bow
Knock, Knock: Episode 5: A Room With A View
Knock, Knock: Episode 6: Picking Up Strange Women
Knock, Knock: Episode 7: No Kids Allowed
Knock, Knock: Episode 8: Kids These Days
Knock, Knock: Episode 9: Shootin’ The Breeze
Knock, Knock: Episode 10: Calling Last Orders
Knock Knock: Episode 11: Shady City Blues
Knock Knock: Episode 12: Going Down
Knock Knock: Episode 13: Got the Fever
Knock Knock: Episode 14: Laying Down the Law
Knock Knock: Episode 15: Still I Stand
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