Blane Wright sat at the large conference desk he’d just had installed. He ran his hand over the smooth surface, admiring the grain. It had cost an absolute fortune, $49,000 to be exact, and had come without chairs. As he looked it over, he knew it had been worth every cent.
He sighed as he looked towards the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the Manhattan skyline. It had been raining incessantly for weeks and he knew the rain would bring snow soon.
“Nice Blane,” His second in charge, Luke smiled as he ran his hand over the smooth surface of the table.
“I needed more jungle and less concrete,” Blane shrugged.
“Well, you achieved that, my friend.” Luke smiled.
“I am so sick and tired of this weather. Do you think you could organise someone to brighten up this room? Maybe something more earthy, less concrete while I’m away?” Blane asked.
“On it Boss.” Luke smiled. “Are you ready for your trip?”
Blane sighed. “How does one prepare to displace people so their land can be dug up and destroyed?” He asked.
“Blane, we’ve been over this. Australia is rich in minerals, we can’t afford to not be in the race.” Luke shrugged.
“We have billions of dollars, Luke, more than enough.” Bane raised an eyebrow at Luke.
“Says who?” Luke smiled. “You know the shareholders will never accept that. No amount will ever be enough for them.”
Blane shook his head as Luke dropped the neatly collated, leather-bound proposals in front of each chair.
“You should have gone for a run this morning, Brother. Get this out of your system before the board arrives.” Luke said as his assistant came in with water glasses and brand new pens with the company's logo engraved on the side. Luke had had them hand made as an extra touch.
“Maybe I’m just becoming intolerant of the bullshit?” Blane countered.
“My friend, I suggest you find a way around it.” Luke smiled as his assistant announced the board had arrived.
Blane took his seat at the head of the table as Luke shook hands with each member before they sat down.
“Are you ready for your trip, Blane?” Arthur McAllister asked. Blane looked at him, his face unreadable. Arthur McAllister was everything that was wrong with Blane's world. He was a 50 something year old man, with a 25-year-old wife and mistresses between 18 and 60. His hobbies included bragging about his wealth and bragging about the women he bedded. Blane knew he would push hard for this deal for the extra billions it would add to his net worth, completely disregarding the damage it would do to the pristine Australian coastlines.
“Of course, Arthur.” Blane smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“I wish I was coming with you; I’ve heard Australian women are hot, if you know what I mean.” Arthur winked lecherously.
Blane smiled through gritted teeth.
“If this meeting would come to order,” Blane began, plastering on his salesman’s smile. “We are here to discuss the acquisition of land titles around Australia. There are key sites for coal and gas. As you can see, we have done a comprehensive costing as well as a profit report. Australia is the highest coal exporter in the world. We have some areas of concern that have been added. One of the potential sites could significantly impact on the Great Barrier Reef and certain sites are significant to Australia’s first nations people.”
“Can we pay them?” Arthur McAllister asked.
“Of course we can.” Luke said, interrupting what Blane was about to say.
“Problem solved.” Arthur said, sitting back in his chair. The man exuded arrogance.
“If we can look over the proposals and vote on which sites we are interested in and which we feel are unfeasible,” Blane said, holding up the bound proposal in his hand.
The board went quiet as they studied the proposals. Blane had tuned out to the shuffling of papers and people clearing their throats as he watched the rain fall. He was looking forward to this trip so he could escape America's dreary winter to summer in Australia.
“Well, I say go for gold,” Arthur said after a quick perusal of the proposal. I trust you with my money, Blane, you have made me a very wealthy man.” He laughed. Blane looked at him sideways and for a moment all he saw was a hyena.
“Why, thank you Arthur.” He smiled.
“Let’s go celebrate, shall we?” Arthur smiled, looking around the table.
Blane groaned inwardly. Arthur, who was one of the richest men in the country, always liked to celebrate everything on someone else’s dime.
“I will stay here to take the vote Arthur; I believe the rest of the board are still considering our options.” Blane smiled. “As much as I would love to join you, we must vote and then I must pack.”
“Of course, of course. Well, you know my vote!” Arthur smiled as he opened the door to the waiting room. A woman who was not his wife was waiting for him. “I will see you when you return.”
Blane looked at Luke and rolled his eyes.
“Please let me know when you are ready to vote.” Blane smiled as he returned to his office briefly to check on some news reports. He had been following news and weather from Australia for the last week. They had been ravaged by bush fires and he hoped it wouldn’t affect his trip. The man he was meeting assured him this was quite normal for Australia at this time of year and it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Blane, they’re ready.” Luke said as he stuck his head in the door. Blane nodded and returned to the boardroom.
“Let’s begin the vote, shall we? Arthur has already voted for everything,” Blane began.
“Of course, he has.” One of the board members said, rolling his eyes.
Blane smiled. Arthur was a leftover from his father's time at the Firm, as his father always called it. Easy money, not a thinker, would bank roll anything. His father was a ruthless businessman, but not Blane. The more he learned about the business, the less he liked it. The impact of their mining holdings had been devastating on the traditional land owners and the environment. His father had managed to skip out on billions in rehabilitation costs as he left big ugly holes in the ground behind each mine.
Luke stood at a whiteboard ready to tally the votes. They were looking at five titles spread across three states. Blane would spend a month in total working out the final contracts in Australia.
Once they were finished and the final votes were tallied, it was obvious everyone was ready to go for broke. Each holding held at least 90% of the votes needed to go ahead.
Blane smiled at the board as he collected his portfolio and returned to his office. Luke knocked on the door but did not enter.
“Go home man, pack your bags and get some sleep. Maybe some company for the night?”
Blane nodded stiffly and packed his briefcase before heading to the private elevator which would take him straight down to his car. He didn’t know if he could tolerate any more people tonight.
The elevator pinged as it reached the car park basement. Blane's senses were screaming that someone was there. He stopped and looked around and then he heard it. Raucous laughter coming from a flashy green sports car. It could only be one person.
“Blane, come and do a line with us.” Arthur McAllister called out through the open window of his car.
“No thankyou Arthur.” Blane called out, heading for his own car. He didn’t own a flashy car, which often surprised people. He had a 4WD utility car that suited his love of the outdoors. Blane had a secret cabin nobody knew about that was only accessible in a 4WD vehicle.
“Ohhh come on, don’t be a party pooper!” Arthur cried out as his date for the night licked her lips and began to undo his belt.
“Here?” Arthur asked as he looked at Blane. “Sure, why not?”
The woman smiled as her head moved down towards his lap. Blane shook his head and got in his car. Tyres squealed as he made his way out of the car park.
Blane drove along the coast towards his own ancestral lands. He could help but wonder what lengths the people who live there would go to to save their own land from what his company did to the land of others.
“I’ve become a joke.” He muttered, hitting the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. He indicated to turn off the main road and drove towards a large gate. Two men stepped out and confirmed his identity.
“Get back inside guys, its bucketing down.” He smiled at the two guards as they rushed back to the hut beside the gate.
“Thankyou Alpha.” They waved as they disappeared.
Blane smiled as he continued the drive to his home. The community he lived in was expanding constantly and this year had been no exception. It was a good thing the Firm made so much money because they needed it to keep this place running.
Blane pulled up at the front of his home and turned off the car. He stared at the lit windows for a moment. That no doubt indicated his sister was awake and possibly waiting for him. He could only hope she didn’t have any of her friends in tow.
“Alpha Blane.” One of his sister's friends was on him the minute he walked in the door.
“Bethany.” He smiled
“ It's Brittany!” She whined as she stood in front of him. “I hear you’re taking a little vacation?” She asked, pouting.
“Business trip.” Blane grimaced, walking past her. When was his sister ever going to give up on her match-making?
“Blane!” His sister Emily called out as she bounded down the stairs.
“Not now Em, I need to pack. No more match-making.” He hissed as he passed her on the stairs.
He made his way to the master suite and closed and locked the door. His parents were away, and he had been tasked to babysit his sister while they were gone. She was 19 and he couldn’t for the life of him work out why she needed a babysitter.
He pulled out his suitcase and began packing himself some suits. He knew he could have had someone pack for him, but he liked to do these things himself. When he was done, he set his alarm and went to bed.
Blane woke up before his alarm the next morning. The sun was barely over the mountains, and he had a couple of hours to kill before he was to meet the pilot at the landing strip. They had their own private plane for business trips. He wouldn’t have minded flying commercial, but Luke was forever reminding him that was not the image they wanted to project.
Blane used the back stairs that led from his bedroom straight down to the forest. He stripped out of his shorts and tshirt once he reached the bottom and shifted.
In his human form, Blane was a large man, standing 6 foot 5 inches. He worked out daily, ran, swam and hiked. His body was well toned and muscular. He had a dark reddy brown mop of hair that he tried to tame daily. He knew he needed a haircut but hadn’t made the time. At the moment, his jawline was unshaven and he had a bit of a beard coming through. Maybe once he got to Australia he could do something about both.
He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing Australia for himself. He had spent years studying the mining trends and the untapped potential the country held.
Blane ran through the tree line, his wolf shining a deep Auburn in the light of dawn. This is what he lived for, these runs in the woods. His wolf, Blaze, revelled in the crisp morning that so far showed no signs of rain. This felt like the calm before the storm, though he knew snow was coming. He could smell it in the air.
