Thread: Owning The Barkeep's Daughter (MoonsBlackWolf x HotTexasCowboy)

Frost left his car at home, taking a hired car to work that day. He tried to lose himself in his analysis and forecasts, but he didn't trust himself, and knew he'd have to repeat this work tomorrow. His thoughts were on this evening. It wasn't just a matter of offering the money and having the lovely Rebecca Montgomery as his... his what? The money would save the bar, and maybe her father's life, in a real sense. But he knew with people like these, Father and Daughter both, it would not be just money. He would have to win the girl, almost as a suitor, but in a different kind of seduction. He manged to get into the puzzle of the bond markets deep enough to pass the time until six. He glanced at his watch and realized the bar would be open by now. She would be there, waiting for him. He put on his suit jacket and set out. As he'd told Anthony in his proposal, the bar was, in fact, not a long walk from the market district, in an area frequented by upscale professionals. By six-twenty, he was entering the place, confronted as usual by its somber, run-down appearance and general air of depression. This is a place of unhappy drunks, he thought, from its ambiance, and that helped to explain why it didnt' get its share of the bountiful business of the neighborhood. Depressing except for Becca, he thought. Oh, he knew her life had been hard, especially the last couple of years, with her dreams delayed or dashed by her family's tragedies. But she still projected a spark on the nights she served behind the bar. But she wasn't there tonight. He saw her sitting alone at a booth in a corner. Her father was leaned over talking to her quietly. The girl reacted first to seeing him, her eyes and stiffened posture alerting her father, who straightened up and faced Frost as he approached them. Frost, he greeted him brusquely, I've decided against it. I'm sorry, I don't know what you're after, but what you want is too much. Forget it. Chasen felt the disappointment as rejection, but, looking at Rebecca, he saw that her father's outburst was as much a surprise to her as it was to him. Frost looked from daughter to father and back, then finally back to Mongomery's almost glowering face. Would it be too much for me to have a private conversation with your daughter for a minute or two before I take this as the final decision? he asked politely. We can share this booth, and you can watch to see that I'm being... he smiled slightly, recognizing the irony, a gentleman, he concluded. Anthony looked determined to refuse the man anything for a few seconds, then turned to look at Becca for a long moment, reading her expression. Finally he said, Fine. I'll be at the bar. And he stepped away, while Chasen slipped into the booth opposite Rebecca. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes searching her face for a clue to her feelings. You must wonder what kind of perverse monster I am, he began. Why I would propose such an arrangement. And at such a cost. He waited for some response. Let me assure you of a couple of things. I truly am aware of how things have been for your family, and I am concerned about it. I would like to see your father recover both his business and his sense of purpose. I would like to see you complete your studies and find a satisfying career. And I am... interested in you, he added with a touch boldly. It must have occurred to you that, if I was simply interested in a woman for a night, or a mistress available to me at my convenience, I could have found one for a considerably smaller investment. At my age, I've found I have little time or patience for all the conventions of wooing and seduction. Yet I have spent hours at this, he waved casually to their surroundings, run-down little bar, just to be in your presence and enjoy your company, casual as it has been. I wish something deeper, and more fulfilling, and I do mean... physically. He looked down at his hands for a moment, then back up at her eyes. But I'm not looking for a whore. Or to treat you like one. What I have in mind is ... more of a mutual exploration, a testing of... boundaries... and interests. We can begin tonight, with dinner. There's a trendy Greek restaurant about a block and a half south. I have a reservation in a private nook, and we can discuss this... more frankly. This can begin tonight, or it can end before it is even started. The decision is yours.