Chapter 2 Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis: There''s no love like the first...Shaken!


    ***


    Damon Thomas-Reid was getting worried. The meeting he was in was a very important one. In fact, so


    important that, the great billionaire…Shane Lewis himself had decided to show up for the meeting.


    Damon had only seen the man once at a friend’s party. He’d gotten to know who Shane was because


    his friend had insisted on introducing them. That had been a very long time ago but Shane still looked


    his very imposing and charismatic self. To say Damon was surprised Shane had decided to show up for


    the meeting was an understatement. The man always stayed back and allowed his crew of impressive


    professionals to operate. Damon was however thrilled that Shane was actually attaching so much


    importance to their business…and naturally, Damon expected his crew to do the same. So why the


    fuck was Chris sitting down quietly like a mummy, Damon wondered furiously.


    It was so unlike Chris to be quiet in a meeting of such importance. He was the professional banker for


    fuck’s sake. He needed to give his inputs. Damon felt so lucky that hiswyer seemed to have some


    knowledge of banking. He would have been fucked. He made a mental note to give the man a raise for


    saving his arse. In fact, it would serve his absent-minded, rich, banker friend right if Damon insisted he


    gave thewyer a reward too. After all, the man was doing Chris’ work for him. Damon wished he could


    get his hands around Chris’ neck that very moment. Damon Thomas-Reid was pissed!


    What surprised Damon, even more, was Shane Lewis’ silence too. When the guy insisted on attending


    the meeting, Damon had naturally assumed he wasing to contribute to the discussion. Not just sit


    quietly like a mute. Shane Lewis’ reputation preceded him. The guy took control of issues whenever he


    was around and every major yer in the business world knew that. Hey, the man definitely didn’t get


    to where he was by being mute. Damon couldn’t help but notice the surprised looks Shane’s crew kept


    throwing their boss’ way. They were obviously as shocked as Damon was.


    Wait a minute… Damon turned to take a good look at his equally uncharacteristically quiet friend and


    started getting worried. Chris looked like he’d seen a ghost. And if Shane’s demeanor was anything to


    go by, he was shaken as well and didn’t have any intention of speaking a word. Hell, he didn’t even


    look like he could hear a word of what was being said. Did Shane’s silence have anything to do with


    Chris, Damon wondered. Damon watched the two for a while, waiting for either man to say


    something…anything. But both Chris and Shane looked like they were not even in the conference


    room. And just like that, Damon knew he had to bring the meeting to a close. After all, the very


    important issues had already been tackled. Why not put both men out of their misery?


    “Okay gentlemen,” Damon started in a booming voice, “I’m sure you’ll all agree with me if I say this


    meeting has been very sessful as we’ve handled all the major issues. The secretary will mail the


    minutes to all of us before our next meeting in four weeks. That’s going to take ce in Shane’s


    residence by the way, since he wants to show all of us a prototype of what we have in mind. Thank you


    all foring.”


    There were handshakes all over as everyone got ready to leave the conference room. Damon couldn’t


    help but notice how Shane greeted only him, murmured something about giving him a callter, and


    quickly turned to leave the conference room as though the hounds of hell were after him. Chris, on the


    other hand, remained seated, looking as though he didn’t even know what was going on. Damon


    closed and locked the door to the conference room behind thest person and turned to look at his


    friend.


    “What the fuck is going on?” Damon bellowed without preamble, wincing when he saw Chris jump in


    his seat.


    Damon got even more worried then. What the hell would make an over six feet fearless hunk like Chris


    be so out of it, he actually jumps at a raised voice? Damon was seeing a totally different side of the


    poised Chris. Out of all his seven friends, the squad, as they often called themselves…namely Dean,


    Cole, Matt, Chris, Kyle, Michael, and Ty, Chris was the most confident and assertive. To top that, Chris


    was smart andmanded respect like no other. He was the sole owner of two big investment banks


    and was a partner in a third one...his partners being his seven friends. Yes, they were all very well-to-


    do but were not uptight like most young rich guys.


    In a way, Chris was the backbone of the group because whenever any of the guys had problems, Chris


    was always thest resort. He was the problem solver amongst the friends. He was also a lot of fun to


    be around…especially when the group of friends came together. But the Chris sitting in the conference


    room that very moment, was nothing like the Chris Damon knew and was used to. It looked like the


    problem solver needed his problem solved, Damon sighed as he went around the conference table to


    sit directly opposite his friend.


    “Chris?” Damon’s voice softened. He waited till Chris looked up into his eyes with his grey eyes filled


    with so much destion. “Talk to me man. What just happened?”


    Chris cleared his throat as his eyes darted away to look at the seat Shane had been upying. He still


    couldn’t bring himself to speak.


    “Do you know Shane?” Damon asked and then almost kicked himself. Of course, Chris knew Shane.


    Who didn’t? Well, in his defense, most people had never seen Shane physically, Damon argued with


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    himself. “I mean personally,” Damon added, hating the defeated look in Chris’ eyes.