A Hundred Kisses

By Daniel Millhouse

Chase his dream of being a powerful businessman or win the heart of the woman he has only known for a week? That's the decision that Justin Carlson is forced to make.

Believing that he is destined to be a CEO at a young age, Justin lives in the guesthouse of his mentor, Tom McFarland, who became a mogul in the dairy industry by the time he was twenty-five. Trying to guide his pupil to enjoy life rather than be consumed by the corporate world, Tom's unexpected death rocks Justin's world. In the week following Tom's death, Justin discovers his mentor's bucket list, that he is to inherit part of Tom's fortune, and meets his mentor's illegitimate daughter from Las Vegas, Chloe, who he never knew existed.

Determined to follow in Tom's footsteps, Justin seeks to use his new found fortune to buy his way into a CEO spot while also honoring the life of his mentor by completing as much of the bucket list as possible with Tom's beautiful daughter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Millhouse
• Release date: Sep 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310051418

Daniel Millhouse

I'm a former baseball player, restaurant owner, and radio DJ. In the past I have been a writer of screenplays such as "Spirits Of St. Michael's", "The Underground", and "The Wanderer". I have recently moved onto novels/novellas/short stories as a way to keep writing. I am a graduate of Cal State Fullerton who grew up in Anaheim, California, but now reside in Menifee, California with my wife Yannette and Chi/Corgi dog named Bandit.

Book preview

A Hundred Kisses

By

Daniel Millhouse

A Hundred Kisses

Written By Daniel Millhouse

Published by Daniel Millhouse at Smashwords

©2015 by Daniel Millhouse

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or invented, without permission in writing from the publisher/author.

Chapter One

By the time I turned twenty-five years old, I was supposed to be a millionaire living in a big mansion, preferably somewhere along the California coast. That was the plan. Instead I found myself without a job and living in a guesthouse—of a man who by twenty-five, was a millionaire and living in a mansion along the California coast. It wasn’t so bad actually.

During the day, I spend my time as a day trader, investing in stocks with hopes that by the end of the day, I’d have more money than I what I started with. Other than that, I run simple errands for Tom McFarland. Getting groceries, grabbing his favorite magazines every month, or picking up his clothes from the dry cleaners. In return, I only pay a fraction of fair market value for the guest house I live in. It was bigger than any apartment I grew up in as a kid.

Best of all, most of the time, I spend my weekday evenings sitting poolside with Tom, while we down a beer or two. It wasn’t part of the deal for my cheap rent, but that’s just how it was. I’m just not sure who it benefitted more—Tom or myself. Despite there being over a forty-year age gap between the two of us, Tom was a really good friend.

Retired, he spent most of his day tending to his garden or reading books, only occasionally getting out to see his doctor or to get something to eat at a local restaurant. A lot of his connection to the outside world was through the internet.

With the day winding down, I checked on my email one last time before meeting him by the poolside. Even with the decent gains I made on the stock market, I wanted to make more. Actually I want to hold down a good job. Something that will put me on the fast track to corporate dominance.

A couple of weeks ago I paid a head hunter to dig up jobs for me with various growing corporations. Unfortunately, almost all of the positions of employment he found for me so far, didn’t meet all my needs. I’m a college graduate and a man filled with drive. I’m better than your basic entry-level job candidate.

Tom already sitting poolside with a bottle of beer sitting on the glass patio table next to him by the time I finally joined him. On the opposite side of the patio table, I took a seat in the empty pool chair.

What are we drinking tonight? I asked.

He held a brown colored bottle, covered in old petroglyph art from centuries ago. I couldn’t see the writing because his hand covered that portion of the label.

A Californian hef called Spirit of the Sun, he informed me as he reached into a blue cooler by his chair. He took out a bottle of beer and tossed it to me.

After twisting off the cap, I took a swig of the beer and noticed the citrus flavor. It’s good. I feel like I can taste a little lemon in it.

He nodded. My former C.O.O. owns the company that makes it. When he left Mootown, he started experimenting with beer recipes. He came up with this on his first try.

Is he looking for a good employee to eventually succeed him one day as the C.E.O.? I asked, partly in jest, but also hoping that Tom would say yes.

His company is privately owned and his son will probably be the one to take it over, Tom answered. No luck with the job search—I’m guessing.

Shaking my head, I took another swig of the beer and then answered, Nada. Zilch. Zip. I tried to make it sound like I didn’t care, but Tom knows better. It had been three years since I graduated from USC, but I still haven’t found something to do.

Using college graduation money, I was fortunate enough to invest in a small medical company that turned my two thousand dollars into a quick thirty grand in a short two weeks. Not content with the large amount of money I made, I reinvested the profits. I was able to get by and I felt no need to rush into a job.

Well it’s just as well. Money isn’t everything, Tom said, trying to cheer me up.

That’s easy for you to say. You already have your millions of dollars in your bank account, I responded. I wasn’t sure how much he had exactly, but starting and running one of the biggest dairy companies in the United States left Tom with more money than he could ever spend.

And no life to show for it, he added. Working hundred hour weeks to get his company running, Tom regretted never getting a chance to start a family and those he called his friends, were in reality, just business associates.

At eighteen years old, Tom took over a small dairy farm in a town that was known back then as Dairy Valley. The business was failing when then owners gave what was left of the business to Tom before they left California completely. After several years, he had enough business savvy to buyout the other dairies that neighbored his. By the time he turned twenty-five, agriculture was almost all but gone in Dairy Valley and the town had reincorporated itself into the city of Cerritos. Tom sold his land to a real estate developer for seven figures, a sizeable chunk of land in the Inland Empire, and the developer also agreed to build him a mansion sized home at wholesale cost.

After buying out other dairies across the west, he rebranded his empire Mootown and placed his headquarters in Los Angeles. After acting as Mootown’s C.E.O. for over forty years, he finally decided to retire to Hermosa Beach, California.

I admired him. He did exactly what I wanted to do in life. I was already well behind Tom in comparison to where he was at my age and falling farther behind every day.

I talked to an old buddy today, Tom said. He may have a job opening you’re interested in. A small grin on his face like he had something up his sleeve.

What is it? I had asked eagerly.

I can’t go into detail about the job, but the company is a growing film production company located only several miles away, Tom said.

I had never thought about going into the entertainment industry, but if it positioned me for a job that could make me a large amount of money, I wouldn’t turn it down.

Sounds—cool.

Oh, it is. They just had a movie in the recent Cannes Film Festival, he said with enthusiasm. It was an award winner and landed a large distribution deal.

Perfect! A promising production company, just ready for someone like me to guide it in the right direction. Nice!

Yes, I believe it will be, he assured me.

I felt he had always looked out for me, but this job lead definitely shows it.

We spent the rest of the day, drinking down our beer and watching the sun disappear behind his house, just as we had many times before. I hoped my retirement would be just as relaxing as this.

Chapter Two

Several days later, I waited for Tom’s friend at a small coffeehouse in Santa Monica. Tom brokered a time and date for his friend to meet me and talk about the possibilities of how I would fit into his friend’s company. With the door open, I was sure I could convince his friend of how much he would need a guy like me to be an integral part of his company.

I was dressed to impress. I wore an expensive Italian suit, navy blue in color and a blood red power tie. My haircut was sharp and styled, and I replaced my normal five o’clock shadow with a more clean shaved appearance. I was already mentally picturing myself sitting in a corner office, making decisions such as who would be the next A-list movie star.

Patiently, I sipped on a black coffee while I waited for him out in the patio area in front of the coffeehouse. Noon passed and he was running about ten minutes late. Normally I would be irritated, but he was a friend of Tom’s, so I waited. If I could show up on time, why couldn’t he?

A man walked by my table and pulled a double take. He stared at me for an extra beat and then he asked, Are you Justin Carlson?

Standing up quickly, I stretched out my hand to shake his. Yes—yes, I am.

I’m Tom’s friend, Nick Jamison, he introduced himself while he shook my hand. He definitely didn’t look anything like I imagined he would. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, blue jeans, and Birkenstock sandals. He looked more like a man on vacation if I hadn’t known that he was there to interview me.

Nice to meet you sir. Can I get you a coffee or tea? I offered.

He shook his head while he took a seat at my table. Despite his appearance, I was ready for a serious talk about the business of the movie industry. I was prepared to impress him with ideas I thought up just last night and an eagerness to help his company grow even more.

So you’re the wonder boy Tom talks about so much? he said light heartedly. And you dressed up so well for our meeting.

That’s because I wanted to look my best for the man in charge of an up and coming company, I said trying to flatter him up a bit.

Oh wow, he laughed. Sounds like you’re ready to say whatever it takes to work for Blue Wave Films.

That was the first time I heard the name of his company. Tom wanted me to go to the interview and be natural, instead of sounding rehearsed. It made it impossible for me to research the company in advance. After hearing the name, I couldn’t recall ever seeing a movie made by his production company.

I just want to show you that I have what it takes to take Blue Wave to the next level.

Next level? I’m quite comfortable on the success we’ve had already, Nick replied. We’ve won awards for the work we have produced.

Yeah, Tom did mention that a movie you made won an award at the most recent Cannes Festival. I tried to make it appear that despite my lack of knowledge I had in his company, that I wasn’t completely unknowledgeable about his business. Unfortunately it was about the only factoid that I knew about Blue Wave Films before the interview.

We won a Palm Dog.

I had no idea what that meant. A Palm Dog? I asked.

Best performance by a dog in a movie, he said. "We did a comical movie called A Dog Day Summer starring my own dog, Stewart. He loves being at the beach and the movie centers around him trying to figure out how to surf."

Not what I was expecting, but I figure I could work with that. So you make movies with a targeted demographic of—children?

Normally no, but we had some extra room in the budget to take a chance on making a film beyond our normal range, Nick answered. We normally make movies centered on the ocean, such as surfing films.

Disappointment started to creep up inside me and I was hoping that my facial expressions weren’t showing him how bummed I was starting to feel.

We are expanding our production into documentaries now though, he added. This creates an opening with our company.

You need someone to market them? Or find a way to increase your distribution channels? I said in hope that my possible role would be a vital component in the company’s growth.

No, Tom suggested you because we need a narrator for the documentaries and someone who could also write copy for our surfing movies.

Excuse me? I said with confusion.

Well, so far in our conversation, it appears you have a nice voice, just as Tom told me. And as far as writing copy, we need a copywriter that can sell our surfing films, he said. They sell on websites like Amazon and eBay.

Could you elaborate more on what these surfing films are? I asked Nick, trying to find a nugget of gold in his job pitch.

You know those films you see at places like seafood restaurants that play on the TV’s? Those movies.

The ones that play in the background while people eat? I asked.

Exactly, he replied while smiling. We make a pretty penny or two making them.

That’s all you want me to do? I said with disappointment.

He nodded.

Look. I think I’m the right guy for your company, but someone like me can plan out your company’s future so you can jump into feature films or at least something like cable television, I said. Maybe he just needed someone like me to pave the way for his company to step up to higher levels.

He shook his head. "I don’t think you’re following me here. I’m happy with what we do and where we’re goin’. The only expansion I’m looking on doing is documentaries that promote saving the environment. I’m not interested in feature films. I made Dog Day Summer on a lark."

Why didn’t he want to make more money? He had the resources. He could spin his award at Cannes to help him earn more income and create more opportunities. I couldn’t understand why he was going to limit himself to film obscurity.

Why would Tom suggest me then for your company? I thought out loud. He knows what I’m looking for in an employer.

When I last talked to him, I told him about the relaxed schedule. Monday through Friday type of job. No major travel. The type of job that allows you to have a work-life balance, he answered me. I would be able to pay as high as seventy-five thousand a year.

For most people my age, this probably sounds like a dream. For me, it was the wrong direction. To become a millionaire and put myself in a position to run a company one day, there is no way I can accept his offer of employment. I hated what I was going to have to do next, especially since Nick was a friend of Tom’s.

Look, I appreciate thinking of me for this position and for meeting me here today, but I just don’t think I’m the person you’re looking for, I told Nick.

Really? How so?

It’s not you, I said sounding like I was breaking up with a girlfriend. It’s me. Seriously. I have set life goals for myself and I just don’t think your position would help me accomplish them.

Confusion covered his face. I’m sure he thought he made an excellent offer to me and he did, but it wasn’t quite right. I didn’t need a Monday through Friday type of job. I needed something that could make me rich and a well-respected businessman.

"Are you sure? Normally I wouldn’t offer that much for this position, but being so highly touted by Tom, I found a way to squeeze out