The Mechanic & The CEO

Chapter One

James POV:

ring, ring, ring

I pick up the phone on my desk. "Hello, what is it Amanda?" I asked my secretary. Anyone could detect the hint of annoyance in my voice. "James-" I interrupt her. "You will call me Mr. Parker or sir. Is that clear? We are not friends, and I do not want a relationship. Do it again and you will be fired!" I growled into the phone. "Yes sir," she said, most likely rolling her eyes. "I was just letting you know that you have a lunch with Mr. Chase Wright in an hour." And she hangs up. Finally, I can get a break.

I sign off on the paper in front of me. Contracts, contracts, and more contracts. That's all my life seems to be nowadays. I pick up my suit jacket from the back of my chair and put my cellphone in my pocket. I grab the keys to my 2018 McLaren 720S and head out of my office, not stopping to say anything to anyone. I pull out of the parking garage and head towards the restaurant. Chase said it was just outside of the city, so it should be a thirty minute drive as long as there is no traffic. I can't imagine there would be any traffic seeing as I am headed to the middle of nowhere. I mean seriously, who in their right mind would willingly live out there. It is nothing but trees and land once you pass the small town. Soon I can see trees and grass I was thinking about earlier, which is not something I see often living in the city. About ten minutes out, I heard the engine splutter before my car rolled to a stop.

"Are you f*cking kidding me?" I yell and I punch the steering wheel. My horn honked loudly and I groaned again. I pop the hood of my car and get out. Luckily, I was smart enough to pull off to the side of the road, not that many people actually come down this road, before my car came to a complete stop. I get out of my car and lift up the hood of my car all the way. As soon as it lifts up, smoke comes pouring out. Grrrr. It seems like I can never catch a break these days. I call a tow truck before calling Chase to tell him I can't make it to lunch. After telling the tow truck company my location, I dial up Chase's number. "Hey man, where you at? He says with a laugh. "I am almost at the restaurant. Want me to wait, or just get us a table?" He asks. "You can turn around and go back or eat by yourself," I say with a sigh. "Don't tell me you are still sitting at that desk doing paperwork. You spend way too much time working, my friend." He says it with a chuckle, but I could still detect the seriousness behind it. "No man trust me. I would much rather be at the restaurant, but my car broke down about ten minutes out." I pinch the bridge of my nose as I make this statement. It is a habit I got from my father. Whenever he was frustrated or angry he would pinch the bridge of his nose to calm down. As I got older, I found myself doing it more and more. "I was definitely not expecting that when you said you couldn't come. Damn man, you need me to come pick you up?" He asks worriedly. "No the tow truck is on its way, I will call you when I find out what is wrong." I say and hang up the phone.

Chase Jackson Wright has been my best friend since we were kids. His father and my father both started their own companies before merging them together. When my father passed his company to me, Chase's father wanted to do the same. Chase on the other hand, had different ideas. He is studying to become a doctor. So now I own both companies, and they are both going strong. Chase and his family have been more of a family to me than my own. My mom left when I was six years old. After that, my dad became distant and cold, always snapping at me or yelling. Constantly telling me how worthless I was, and how I was the reason my mother left us. I spent most of my time at the Wright's house growing up, because I would rather not stay in a house where I was constantly being put down. Once I reached high school, I would party every night, get drunk off my mind, and stay with a different girl almost every other night. It was my way off blocking out my thoughts, and distracting myself from the hellhole I called my life.

Before I could sink any deeper into the thoughts of my past, the tow truck pulled up. My car was loaded onto the truck. "Hey, the names Rudy. Do you have any particular shop you want to go to?" said the potbellied man, who came to tow my car. He was way too cheery for having a job like his. I looked at my watch and then at the phone, checking the time and then my messages. I open a text from Chase telling me it was alright, and that we would just reschedule. "Just take me to the nearest mechanic," I say without looking up. "Alrighty then. We'll go to Mason's Mechanics. Its not too far from here. Best mechanic shop I know. Good friend of mine too!" Rudy said, his smile still on his face. "That's fine. Just hurry up. I have a meeting in 3 hours."

The truck pulls up to a small auto repair shop. The sign, Mason's Mechanics, is nailed above the door. I look into the garage and see legs sticking out from underneath a car being worked on. I pay the tow truck driver, Randy I think, and walk into the shop. I see a desk with a woman sitting behind it, and walk over. As I get closer, she looks up. She is good looking but not drop-dead gorgeous. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks to be pretty athletic, almost like she used to play sports competitively. "Hello, my name is Kamryn. Welcome to Mason's Mechanics. How may I help you today?" The girl, Kamryn, says with an overly energetic smile plastered on her face. "Look, my car broke down and the guy in the tow truck said you are the best he knows. Randy maybe-" I get cut off by the blonde behind the desk. "Oh you mean Rudy. That was so sweet of him. I'll have to let Mason know what he said. But sorry, what happened to your car?" She asked again. "Well, as I was saying, I was driving and my car just kind of rolled to a stop. I have a meeting to be at in a little over two hours, so how long will this take?" I ask impatiently. "Wow. Okay Mr. I'm-In-A-Rush. Head to the back and talk to Mason. Then you will know what is wrong with your car. God forbid you miss one meeting," She said with a roll of her eyes. "Just tell me where he is," I demand. "Who?" said the Kamryn, seeming totally confused. "MASON, for god sake," I yell, pinching the bridge of my nose. I am so done with this woman. She is pushing each and every one of my buttons. "Oh right. Just go through those doors over there." She motions to a set of doors leading into the garage.

I walk towards the doors, without so much as a thank you, to go find this guy who is supposedly fixing my car. As soon as I step into the garage, I see a girl pulling a t-shirt over her head, revealing a tight white tank top. She takes a cloth and wipes her forehead and hands before turning around and finally noticing me. When I finally tear my eyes away from her gorgeous body, I look up to her face and instantly regret it. She has beautiful brown hair tied back in a low ponytail, leaving her hair cascading down her back. She has beautiful hazel eyes, that have a hint of green behind them when you look closely. She has sharp features that frame her face, and the most kissable lips I have ever seen. She notices me checking her out and says, "See something you like?" I immediately put a scowl back on my face, making sure my cold demeanor and rude attitude doesn't change. I have never changed the way I act for a girl, and I will definitely not start now. "No, I was just wondering what a girl is doing in an auto repair shop," I say, shooting her a smirk. "There was a girl upfront wasn't there." She shoots back. Ooh, feisty. Two can play that game. "Look, I would love to hang around and bicker with you like an old married couple, but I have places to be." As I say this, I can see her features change from sarcastic to shocked, and I knew I got to her with my comment.

____________________________________
That concludes the first chapter of my first book! What do you think about James? I will try my best to update frequently, at least once a week but right now it will most likely be more often.