Utterly Yours (Book One) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) Read Free Page A

Nathaniel smiled; he hadn’t seen Adam in a week.  Adam Reins was his long time business partner; they had been friends since they were mere kids, and Adam had even been there when Nathaniel’s father had been killed.  The two of them had started Lynch Industries, and Nathaniel had won the namesake of the company via coin flip and an extra share that put him in the CEO’s seat.  It had been a two-headed coin, but Adam hadn’t known that at the time.  Nathaniel chuckled under his breath as he relived the moment Adam found out he had lost out on an extra zero on the end of his paycheck every year due to an old parlor trick; they didn’t speak for months.  Things had cooled off, though, because no matter what Nathaniel did or vice versa , the old friends had a hard time staying angry at one another.
                  They entered through a kitchen entrance where a team of volunteers was already at work getting the place organized for the big day.  Tony made a few introductions on Nathaniel’s behalf before ushering him into the next room –a large, open area full of tables and chairs on one side and lines of beds on the other.  Adam was chit-chatting it up with some ladies who were wearing the volunteer logos on their white t-shirts.  Nathaniel rolled his eyes; Adam was just as bad as him when it came to letting the wrong head lead his thinking.
                  “Excuse me for a moment, ladies,” Adam said in his most charming tone as he stepped away to greet Nathaniel and Tony.  He stuck out his hand and shook Nathaniel’s, completely bypassing the young assistant as he often did.  “So, looks like everything is starting to come together.  Should be ready for the big opening tomorrow.”
                  “Good to hear,” Nathaniel said.  “You been out this way for a week now.  How is Troy treating you?”
                  “There’s a reason neither of us lives here anymore,” Adam grumbled.  “I hate this town.  I prefer California… you know, where there’s the sun.”
                  “I’m right there with you,” Nathaniel said.  “So now that I’ve gotten a little tour of the place, are you ready to bolt?”
                  “Hell yeah,” Adam said and looked down at his watch.  “Four o’clock.  That’s late enough to start drinking, right?”
                  Tony piped up quickly.  “Oh no, you two don’t!” He looked dead at Nathaniel.  “Especially not you!  You have to give a speech tomorrow morning, and you need to do so without a hangover.”
                  “Relax, kid,” Adam waved a hand in Tony’s face.  “It’s not like we’re planning on getting wasted.  Just a couple of drinks while you go get Nathaniel checked into his hotel room.”
                  “Just a couple of drinks?” Tony questioned, eyeing them both.  “I have been around you two long enough to know that it’s never just a couple of drinks.”
                  Nathaniel clasped his hand on Tony’s shoulder.  “Everything is going to go off tomorrow without a hitch, kiddo.  You need to relax a little.  Why don’t you come with us and have a drink with your bosses, huh?”
                  “Someone has got to get you checked into the hotel,” Adam reminds them.
                  “Believe me, I’d rather go to the hotel than watch you two get hammered while I try to drag you back to the hotel all night.” Tony rolled his eyes. “Mr. Lynch, you need to at least meet the head volunteers who are going to be running this place when we’re all gone before you go off partying tonight with your lesser half,” Adam grumbled at Tony’s remark, but he did not say anything.
                  “Fine,” Nathaniel agreed, and soon Tony was dragging him all over the shelter introducing him to more people than he could possibly bother