Dare Me Forever Read Online Free PDF Page A

when the market was at the
peak. With my business acumen and tireless efforts, I’d succeeded
where most had failed and now was developing the most prestigious
waterfronts in the world.
    I looked out the window
at the California coastline, which glistened with opportunity. It was
mine for the taking.
    Maria came back. “Your
signature, Mr. Anderson.” She had cute dimples, and a nice round
ass. It was good to see her five mornings a week.
    I looked again at the
coastline that I planned to develop. I wanted Jim to help me lead the
company to more profits, but Hunter was acting like a spoiled brat. I
couldn’t stop thinking he had some plan up his sleeve. I’d have
to watch him closely. It was already second nature for me to be
paranoid--I’d been accused of that many times--but keeping my wits
about me had saved me in some very tight spots.
    This weekend was the
annual office party. Even though I’d been here for years, I still
couldn’t get used to the food people wanted served. Of course we
had fish and chips in England, but not the varieties of burgers,
fried chicken, and hot dogs that were so popular here. Perhaps after
a few beers I could smooth things over with Hunter. It was never good
to have the feeling that you always had to watch your back. And I was
happy to work with him and there was more than enough work and profit
to go around. Hunter would just have to get used to having a new
boss.
    I signed the bill, and
left a good tip. They deserved it.
    I’d taken over plenty
of other companies and the politics of this place were nothing new.
It was much less rough than the streets of my hometown on a good day.
Hunter didn’t know who he was dealing with, and I hoped he wouldn’t
push me too hard. Otherwise, he was going to learn the consequences
of messing with a real boss who wasn’t related to you. And it
wouldn’t be pretty.

Chapter 5
    Amy
    Unpacking the last of
the boxes, I surveyed my store. Some might call it small--I liked to
say intimate . My obsession with all things paper started
because of my dad: when I was a kid, I would always be envious of my
parents’ huge stacks of mail, so he sent me postcards from
everywhere he went, even if it was just down the street. He would buy
them from the drugstore on Ocean Avenue and write me long messages,
pretending that he was on a long adventure. Whenever he’d pass a
flea market or thrift store, he would always make time to stop and
pick up some more postcards, until I had an enormous collection. From
there I’d started collecting beautiful paper, envelopes, pens. Now
my obsession had grown into my very own boutique. It was a dream come
true. I only wished my dad could see it.
    I’d been able to
secure a bank loan (scary! And so adult!) and built up a bunch of
commissions, so that when I opened my store, Sealed With A Kiss ,
a stationary and gift store, I’d already have some customers. And
just in time, as Luke might need help with spending money at college.
My mom was going to foot the tuition, thank god, but I wanted him to
have some cash and I didn’t want him to work full time like I had
all through school or have to ask her . He deserved to have the
time and energy to devote to his classes, and to have a good time.
With my calligraphy skills and graphic design degree and with wedding
season just around the corner, I was ready to make this business
really successful. I just hoped it all worked out, and I bet the bank
did too.
    I already had a few
commissions, but the first felt fitting for a new store. A baby
shower. I sat down at the desk near the cash register, and began
looking through the different paper options in pale yellow—they
didn’t know if it was a boy or girl, so yellow was the neutral pick
of the season. As I began playing with the different papers, and
arranging them in a new and special way, I’d decided to do a weave
of my favorite papers to make it really special. I cut thin strips
and started to weave the paper together,