A rich man is about to set
foot into an unknown world, while a Good Samaritan fears he’ll have to close
the charity he’s spent his life building. Poised to lose it all, they might
find what they need most in each other.
Son of a wealthy importer,
Galen Merriweather lives to broker deals, and he’s damn good at it. But it’s
getting harder to ignore the kind of man his father is—a man who would pay
Galen’s brother’s lover to leave… a man who’d demand Galen retrieve a
quarter-million-dollar check from a struggling homeless shelter.
Robert Kotke knows the
money is too good to be true, but it’s a godsend that could help so many
people. Still, he hands it over when Galen shows up. But he isn’t done with
Galen yet, and he’s going to challenge everything Galen ever believed.
Galen will face an
impossible decision: the redemption he’s come to realize he wants, or the life
he’d always dreamed of.
Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon
Cat gives this one 5 Meows with a 2 Purr
heat index...
This is a book two in the
series: I do suggest you read Lincoln's Park first since you meet Galen there,
and Lincoln and Noel are recurring cast and play important roles in this book. Plus,
the first meeting of Lincoln and Robert stem from an incident from book one.
Galen is a hard
businessman and ruthless like his father. he hopes to take over the business
when his father retires. He is also closeted and wishes he could be himself and
deep-down envies what Linc and Noel have though he acts like he is sickened by
them, at least at first.
Robert is nearing forty
and his life is his homeless shelter. but he is tiring and really wishes he
could have a relationship, but no man can endure what he has to give for the
shelter. Oh, how I loved Robert and his family.
This is a very deep,
emotional book. you have the wealthy
seeing what the poor and I mean very poor go through. And then having a little
dose of it themselves. Watching Galen's eyes open and his harness soften was so
good. I love Parker Williams. He is so good at writing deep emotional
characters, and not run of the mill ones. I cannot wait for the next book...I
have bought two boxes of tissues after reading the excerpt.
Excerpt…
LATE JUNE 2018
THE PEOPLE milling around at the coffeepot scattered when Galen
Merriweather stormed into Primal Imports and headed for his office. He’d gone
to see his brother, Lincoln, at Park View, the diner he owned, to tell him
about the betrayal of Noel Simmons, Lincoln’s lover. When his father had
offered Noel a quarter of a million dollars to walk away so Lincoln would be
forced to come back to the family business, Galen had been incensed. Their old
man had pulled some shady crap over the years, but this was a new low, even for
him.
His personal assistant, Olivia, greeted him with a warm smile when
he stepped through the door. “Good afternoon, Mr. Merriweather.”
Galen sneered at her and stomped into his office, slamming the
door as he did. He dropped into the stylish leather chair that sat behind the
imposingly large oak desk, wondering why the hell he’d bothered to talk to
Lincoln at all. His feelings about Galen had been made perfectly clear when he
chose that… person over his own family.
Plus, what was up with their father? His private investigator had
somehow acquired pictures of Lincoln from a BDSM club he’d frequented at some
point in his storied past. They showed Lincoln and some of the submissives he’d
played with at the clubs. It turned Galen’s stomach to see. Not that he had a
problem with BDSM. The problem was how his father had gone about it. The guys
in the pictures were innocent, but anyone could clearly see who they were.
Galen had to wonder if the PI had stolen the pictures or had worked out a deal
with a club owner.
Either way, the whole thing stunk, and Galen hated the thought
that he’d done nothing but sit there as his father rode roughshod over Noel. He
had to admit, the way Noel had played his father was masterful, and there
wasn’t a doubt in Galen’s mind that when he found out, his father’s retribution
would be swift.
Galen didn’t like Noel, but he had to respect the ginormous set of
balls he obviously had.
Still, what the fuck was up with his father? He’d seen the man
pull some awful shit, but this? It went way beyond the pale, even for him.
Galen’s ire rose as he thought about how any hope of Lincoln coming back to
Primal had now been dashed, and all because their father was a total asshole.
When his phone rang, Galen took a moment to compose himself, then
answered it without checking to see who it was.
Big mistake.
“Primal Imports, this is Galen. How can I help you?”
“Hey, Gale.”
Galen groaned. Andy might be the closest thing he had to a friend,
but Galen couldn’t muster the energy to talk to him now. Best to find out what
he wanted, then politely get rid of him. “What can I do for you, Andy?”
“Don’t be like that. We haven’t talked in weeks.” If it was
possible to pout over the phone, Andy was doing so. “How come you haven’t
called me? Last time I saw you was at Tyler’s party, when you were puking your
guts out, and he was—”
“It’s been hectic here. Was there something you needed?” Keeping
the conversation focused was the only way Galen would get off the phone
sometime today.
“YP is having strippers tonight. I thought we could go.”
Not just no. Hell no. The last time he’d gone
to a bar with Andy, Galen had been forced to duck out the back when he thought
he saw someone from the office walk in. While Lincoln was out and proud, Galen
was firmly rooted in the closet, and that was the way it was going to stay.
Having already borne witness to the disappointment of Lincoln’s “lifestyle,” as
their father called it, Galen had no intention of being on the receiving end of
that treatment. How the family friends discussed Lincoln was bad, but hearing
it from his father was infinitely worse.
“Michael is going to be there. He’s been asking about you.”
Galen’s stomach knotted. Michael had been a one-night stand about
a year ago. Galen wouldn’t deny he enjoyed the sex, but he would say Michael’s
crude behavior made it obvious the man should never be seen in the light of
day, and he certainly would never fit in at family affairs. No, with his
oversized muscles, gruff voice, and arrogance, Michael would be more likely to fit
in at Lincoln’s diner.
“No, but thank you for asking. I—”
The door to his office was flung open so hard, it bounced off the
dark wood panels and caused Galen to flinch.
“I have to go.”
“But—”
Andy’s protests were cut short as Galen hung up the phone. His
father stomped in, a sneer on his face. He stalked over to Galen, put his palms
flat on the desk, and leaned in close. “Explain this… mess to me.”
What was there to explain? Noel had played them big-time. His
father’s reaction came as no surprise. Jonathan Merriweather was no one’s fool.
In all of his dealings, he made it very clear what was expected of people. He
used it against them, more often than not, as a means of acquiring their
business. Galen had enjoyed observing his father’s cutthroat tactics. Seeing
men who thought they had power brought to their knees because of some slight
slip of the tongue had been fascinating to watch, and Galen had taken those
lessons to heart. Father wasn’t happy about having them turned against him.
“Simmons played you, Father. He followed your instructions to the
exact letter, and after he had the check in hand, he left.”
“He’s still here. I’m not a stupid man, Galen. I had Tate follow
him. He went back to the diner. We had an agreement, and the little shit took
the money.”
“The office, Father. He left the office. You weren’t specific
enough about what you wanted from him, and he used it against you. As there
were no contracts signed, the only thing you have is a verbal agreement, which
could be argued in court. I can’t believe you showed him pictures of Lincoln
with his… whatever.”
Nostrils flaring, Galen’s father stood to his full six-foot,
six-inch height. “Don’t question how I do things, Galen.”
Galen wanted the chair to swallow him whole. His father’s glower
never failed to make him feel small and helpless. He’d gotten Galen to fall in
line ever since he was a child, simply by turning it on him. “No, of course
not, sir.”
His father splayed his fingers on the desk and leaned forward, his
gaze locked with Galen’s. “I’ve already spoken with Lincoln, and do you know
the bastard laughed at me? I want you to get that money back. I don’t care what
you need to do, but no one cheats me. Do you understand?”
“Why not just cancel the check?”
His father sneered. “Because I want you to put the fear of God
into all of them. They need to learn not to screw with me. Do you think you’re
able to handle this?”
Galen stiffened his spine. “Yes, of course.”
“I’m going to sue that little shit into the ground.”
“Maybe it would be best if—”
His father’s expression was ice-cold. “When I want your opinion,
I’ll ask. Until then, keep it to yourself and do as you’re told.” He turned on
his heel and huffed like a bull as he barreled out the open door.
Galen leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. God, the old
man was a prick. He’d never been a nurturing person, leaving that to Galen and
Lincoln’s nanny. Of course, they never lasted long either. As soon as either he
or Lincoln began to feel close, they’d be terminated and someone new would be
brought in. Galen was never sure if it was because their father wanted to
control his sons or if he’d been screwing the nanny and was done with her.
The sad thing was that his mother was every bit as bad. She’d had
affairs with the chauffeur, one of the cooks, and if rumor was to be believed,
she’d even bedded a few maids. She wasn’t discriminating about who she had sex
with, nor was she shy about sniffing around them when his father was nearby.
But in public, they were one big, happy family.
Yeah, he knew what a fucked-up life he led, but he couldn’t
complain too much. He had money, power, and when his father retired—God,
let it be soon—he would take over the company. Pity Lincoln didn’t want
anything to do with it. The two of them together could rule their empire with
an iron fist.
His phone rang, and this time he glanced at the caller ID. With a
sigh, he picked up. “Sorry, Andy. I had someone come into the office.”
“You hung up on me. Do you know how rude that is?”
“I said I was sorry. What more can I do?”
“Come out tonight. You can buy me a drink, we can dance, watch the
strippers, have a good time, and maybe we’ll even get lucky.”
It had been better than three months since Galen got laid, and his
ass clenched at the thought. Still, he’d been given a task by his father, and
he needed to get on that right away.
“Tonight’s not good. Are you willing to give me a rain check?”
When Andy gave that weary, put-upon sigh, Galen knew he was going
to give in. He always did, just because he didn’t want to hear Andy—
“Just one drink, Gale. Please?”
—whine. He knew he was going to regret it, but really, what could
one drink hurt? And it wasn’t like the job was his life or anything.
“One drink, one dance. Then I have to go.”
“Oh, goody!”
Galen shook his head. This had bad idea written
all over it.
Happily Ever After Comes
With A Price tag Parker Williams began to write as a teen, but never showed his
work to anyone. As he grew older, he drifted away from writing, but his love of
the written word moved him to reading. A chance encounter with an author
changed the course of his life as she encouraged him to never give up on a
dream. With the help of some amazing friends, he rediscovered the joy of
writing, thanks to a community of writers who have become his family. Parker
firmly believes in love but is also of the opinion that anything worth having
requires work and sacrifice (plus a little hurt and angst, too). The course of
love is never a smooth one, and Happily Ever After always has a price tag.
congrats and enjoyed the excerpt
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book and thank you for the excerpt!
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