Chapter 36

Bill brought Billy with him and the whole "family" had dinner out by the pool. Ivan and Zane did the whole barbeque thing - grilled burgers and dogs, potato salad, coleslaw, corn-on-the-cob. They even had s'mores for dessert.

Really, it was an excuse for the lot of them to run around in speedos. I had expected the idiots to wear them but I was surprised to see the twins in a pair. I was doubly surprised to see Zane in a pair that couldn't be legal. Bill borrowed a pair of my respectable briefs, but Billy joined the idiots and borrowed a pair of Juan's barely theres.

Billy was actually in great shape. I found myself wondering if an exception could be made in the harem for a non-John. Then I remembered that I already had three new acquisitions that I hadn't tried. I didn't need another. Plus, his father would probably make a fuss and that I didn't need.

When the sun started setting, I grabbed a beer and invited Bill into the den - or at least the room I was using as such for the night.

"So what's on your mind, Bill?" I asked as I took a seat on the couch. "We don't socialize that much."

"True." He sat across from me and sighed. "I'm kind of in a bind. I was kind of hoping you could help me out here."

"If it's money, you know how this is gonna end, right?"

"I just need a short term loan while I get my cash flow straightened out."

"Not gonna happen, Connor." I shook my head. "I don't have enough to lend."

"The hell you don't!" He snapped. "What, your whores out there all work for free?"

"You just shot yourself in the foot with that one." I finished my beer and stood up. "I think we're done now."

"Wait!" He wiped his face with his hand and sighed. "I'm sorry John. It's been a rough week. I've got two properties foreclosing and two more who are suing me. I'm behind on alimony and child support and now Judy's threatening to have me thrown in jail if I don't cough up $12,000 by the end of the month."

"That was the first one?"

"The worst decision of my life. Candice and I pushed the wedding back. I don't want the bitch attaching her assets."

Probably a good plan. Judy was one hell of a financial planner.

I hated lending money. And I refused to give it away. "12 grand, huh? By the 30th?"

"Yeah. Once I get this shit with the buildings settled, I can sell one of them and deal with her and everybody else. But I can't do shit with all of this at once. Especially if I go to jail for three months over some bullshit!"

I thought about it some more. "What do you have that's under water in Virginia? Anything?"

He shrugged. "I've got one in Rosslyn. Why?"

"Have you looked into the Nova housing project?"

"Not really."

"I think it would get you out of this bind."