Black Hearts Red

by Leigh, Anne

  Greyson was another matter.

  Last night he’d texted me that he was going to be in San Francisco to wrap something up for his dad. His dad being Uncle Xavier. Lockheed Industries was a torpedo in the business world. They were always on the cutting edge of everything. From mutual funds to hedge funds and to the more diversified stock market indices, Lockheed carried the benchmark of smart investing.

  Matteo had said that he often consulted with Uncle Xavier about smart business. I knew he admired Greyson’s dad and even if Greyson and Matteo weren’t that close, they could find a common torch that they both carried – of taking care of their family’s legacies for the future generations.

  I was actually hoping to have this conversation with Greyson alone, but I’m sure his sister, Gen, would be okay with it too.

  Ugh. Why is Greyson here? The text from Gen just came through.

  He has to finish up something for ur dad.

  These two.

  Nic and I bickered, but not like Gen and Greyson. Maybe it was because they were closer in age or maybe it was because their personalities didn’t match.

  Why is my sister here? Greyson.

  I saw that he’d just included Gen in a group text so I just sighed and continued driving.

  I’d never be used to driving these roads. Minnesota had open, wide roads. Sometimes they seemed endless as the clouds touched the hilltops from a bird’s eye view. Here, everything was narrower, stingier, tighter.

  I passed the toll and breathed out.

  My mom’s advice rummaged through my mind like a warning.

  I didn’t want to hide anything from Matteo.

  He was important to me.

  But then he’d ask why my heart was now beating out of rhythm when it had never been the case.

  And I’d have no choice but to tell him.

  My consciousness wasn’t the only thing that was taken away from me when Reece’s mortality was taken from this world.

  My brain wasn’t the only one that was put to rest so I could heal through my injuries.

  Matty and I were moving on from the past.

  A past that had haunted us way longer than Reece would have liked. She’d have wanted us to move on, and to celebrate life.

  For all the zest she had for life, my best friend wouldn’t have wanted Matty or me to keep living in what had been.

  But what if the scars of the past kept re-opening?

  What if the wounds kept festering?

  Would I have the ability to close them up again?

  I was in a good, happy place with Matty.

  The last thing I’d want is for him to visit the dungeon of grief and regret.

  So for now, I was hoping that I could keep everything inside me.

  With every single, uncoordinated beat of my heart.

  “It’s official then,” Greyson muttered, rapping his knuckles on the table. “You and Matteo are together.”

  “We are,” I smiled, while his sister gave him a solid pat on his back.

  “You never had a chance with Ali.” Gen’s hazel eyes were filled with humor. “I told you. You’re a loser.”

  Gen was always nice to everyone.

  Encouraging.

  And motivating.

  Everyone except her brother.

  “Oh be quiet, sissy,” Greyson hissed as he chomped on the garlic bread that the server had refilled twice for us. Ever since Gen said that her brother was paying for the late lunch, Greyson hadn’t wanted to order. He’d actually suggested that Gen and I share a salad.

  For a man who was going to inherit half of his father’s company, he was such a penny pincher.

  Gen and I ordered a round of appetizers along with the chicken tortellini for me and the veggie lasagna for her. Gen started to talk about the carbon footprint of eating meat which made Greyson flag the server immediately.

  He then ordered a steak and a side of meatballs to go along with it.

  Obviously he’d rather pay for the meal than listen to his sister discuss global warming.

  I loved Gen, but with the classes I was taking and the homework I was overloaded with, the last thing I wanted from her was a lecture.

  “If I wanted Ali,” Greyson snapped his thumb and forefinger, “I could have had her.”

  This time, the smack on his blonde head came from me.

  “Aww.” His green eyes tinged with a look of pain, “That hurt.”

  “You never had a chance with me,” I said haughtily. “You’re gross and I don’t know how anyone can stand you.”

  “I’m sexy and I know it,” Greyson retorted, his tongue forming a weird O around his mouth. “You’re just jealous. I could have anyone I want and the best thing you could have is Matteo, who by the way, is not the best. And you sissy, you have your…plants.”

  Gen and I looked at each other, and we simultaneously slapped his head.

  This was the real Greyson.

  The guy who could take an insult and make it a compliment about himself.

  He never had a bad day.

  He was always smiling and filled with life.

  He reminded me of Reece so much.

  There were people in this world who were just filled with so much sunshine that you had no choice but to soak in their light. Greyson and Reece held that special quality.

  They were the unicorns in the dark, cavernous part of life.

  Geneva’s eyes lit up when she asked, “How is Matteo?”

  “Oh no. You’re not talking about sex stuff in front of me,” Greyson muttered suddenly looking pale. “I can’t take hearing about his prowess in bed. I’d have to look him in the eye one of these days, and I don’t want to know how he uses his five inches.”

  “Nine,” I giggled and Greyson’s eyes went wide with horror.

  His left hand smothered my mouth. “No more. No talking about that shit with me.”

  “If you don’t wanna hear this, take a walk and we’ll text you when your order’s here,” his sister said, as she moved her face closer to me.

  “And they say men talk about sex all the time.” Greyson pushed his chair out and before standing he said, “I’m gonna give you ten minutes to talk about this and when I get back, can we please move on to a different topic?”

  “I thought you were my best friend? That I can talk to you about anything,” I said, trying my best to keep a straight face. “You talk about girls with me all the time.”

  “Yeah, but those are just girls. This is Matteo we’re talking about. I know him and sad to say, but I actually respect the guy. Anyone who works their ass off to be where he’s at, and not just because of their family merit, is an upstanding man.” Greyson made a funny face, yet his handsome face remained unmarred. “Plus it’s disgusting to talk about sex when my sister’s around.”

  Gen chuckled, her shoulders vibrating, “For once, I’d have to agree with you.”

  Greyson grabbed another piece of bread before saluting us, “Text me when my food’s here.”

  “How does he eat all those carbs and not gain weight?” I shook my head. Greyson loved anything with bread and pasta. Another reason why he was my best friend.

  Without missing a beat, my other best friend, his sister, said, “Because he runs like all the girls he’s slept with are suddenly pregnant.”

  In between giggles and apple cider toasts, I described to Gen how Matteo made me feel. How every time I was with him, I felt closer and closer to falling in love. Gen’s brows just raised at that. She said that I’d always been in love with him.

  “Maybe but it’s different this time.” It wasn’t a lie that I loved him. “It’s like a different category of love. When I’m with him, whether we’re intimate or not, I just feel like this is exactly whom I belong with, you know? That after all these years of missing him, this is finally it. That this is our conclusion, the beginning to our happy ending. I know it’s early because we haven’t even been with each other for six months, but I’ve always felt like he’s the one for me
.”

  Gen studied my expression, took another sip of the warm cider from her glass, and said, “You and Matteo have always had a special connection. You and me, we’re best friends like we’re sisters. You and Greyson have the same connection, like he’s an extension of your brother. But Matteo – you’ve always seen him differently, and I know that he doesn’t think the same way of any other girl but you. It’s unfortunate that you were apart for a long time, but maybe you needed that time to heal.”

  I lifted my head in assent, letting her wisdom fill me. Gen spent most of her time with nature and plants, but she knew how I thought and she’d always been an observant in my history with Matteo.

  “Have you told him about your heart condition?” My best friend really knew me. Without me mentioning it, she just had this uncanny ability to see through me.

  “Not yet.”

  “Why?” I watched as her hazel eyes poured with questions. “Don’t you think he should know?”

  “I don’t want him to treat me differently.” Greyson was my best friend, too, but he was the funny one. The one who made everything lighter. Gen was my shock absorber. The woman who got me through difficult quandaries.

  “But that’s his choice to make, don’t you think?” She was saying what my brain was telling me to do. “He cares for you. I listen to all your stories and I know that his feelings are deeply involved with yours. Why do you want to hide something important like this from him?”

  “I don’t want him to regret it.”

  Five years ago, I saw Reece jump from the cliff.

  We were just having fun.

  But within seconds, I knew that things had taken a tragic turn, so I jumped in myself.

  Not caring how I landed.

  I’d jumped many times into water thirty feet below my starting point.

  My mind was filled with one thought, “My friend is screaming for help and I want to help her.”

  I’d felt my body hit the cold water.

  But what I hadn’t felt was the impact of the sharp edges of the rocks that I’d bashed my head into and subsequently my chest.

  “Facing regrets is part of healing, Ali,” Geneva whispered, as I watched the server carrying the dishes that we’d ordered from the corner of my eye.

  “I’m going to text, Greyson.” I knew I was changing the subject, but I didn’t want to lie to my best friend.

  She saw through my deflection and nodded, “I’m here for you, Ali.”

  I pressed my head to her shoulder.

  Good or bad.

  Thick or thin.

  Through smiles and tears, her love for me was unconditional.

  Even when I was wrong.

  Matteo

  My head pounded from reading the documents that Elaine had sent me.

  If there was one thing I hated, it was having to do everything at the last minute.

  And that was exactly what was happening.

  Java’s call late Thursday evening had jumpstarted the recent crazy turn of events.

  Carter Chan’s office had messaged Java if I’d be available to meet with Carter in Miami instead of a couple of months from now when Carter would be in New York.

  Apparently there were matters that needed Carter’s personal attendance and he’d have some time to discuss business with me.

  I wasn’t flying to Asia anytime soon, so him being in the same country was advantageous to both of us.

  Unluckily for me, it was the only free weekend I had this month to spend time with my girlfriend.

  I was really bummed to tell Ali that I couldn’t make it because of the sudden change in plans.

  Ali was down for a minute then she’d suggested that she go with me to Miami instead. She said that she could finish up her papers on the plane while I worked and we could still spend time together.

  It was a brilliant idea.

  She’d flown to Vegas, I’d offered to have our plane pick her up, but she said that she could manage. Her dad had a couple of jets at his disposal, but Ali seldom used them for personal reasons. She’d flown commercial and it ran late so her feet had literally just touched down on the Vegas strip when I’d carted her off to my plane and we’d endured the four hour and thirty-minute plane ride together.

  Although I could hardly call it a punishment because as soon as I caught sight of Ali, my cock had completely taken over and I hadn’t given her any rest.

  We’d spent the whole flight making up for lost time, and when I’d woken up this morning at dawn to her heated body next to me, I’d taken her again.

  Ali didn’t complain though. She was as hot for me as I was of her.

  I loved feeling her beside me, even in slumber. My body sought hers when we were in our dream states, and the best feeling was knowing that she was with me in the flesh when I opened my eyes.

  Which was why I was slightly disoriented when I’d woken up again after our ‘snack’ at dawn.

  She’d ordered room service for me and I sipped on the coffee that was still hot, meaning that she hadn’t left long before I’d woken up.

  A note was set on top of the metal cover of the scrambled eggs and pancakes platter. She’d even ordered the extra ketchup for me.

  I’m going for a swim. I already had breakfast. Gonna do some work before dinner tonight. Don’t come down til you’re done with your stuff.

  I took a big bite of the eggs and felt my stomach growl even louder. With all the exertions we did last night, my body was now wanting sustenance.

  I re-read her note again and felt contentment sweep over me.

  If there was one person I didn’t have to explain why I was busy to or why I was physically unavailable at certain times, it would be Ali.

  She understood my life.

  She lived it with her own parents.

  She’d seen my schedule and yet she still wanted to be with me.

  She didn’t hide her disappointment when I couldn’t make it to San Francisco because I was trying to put out fires or I was dealing with a dilemma overseas. But even when she was down, she didn’t want me to feel guilty so she stayed on the phone with me when I was working during the time when we were supposed to be together.

  She wanted my time, but she didn’t demand it.

  She knew what was at stake and although I resented the distance between us, she also made me see the positives that we had – not everyone had the same resources as she and I – and so I swallowed the bad because there was so much more good.

  I stood up and looked outside the windows, the breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay was a great reminder that I was living my best life and the best part of it…I was sharing it with the woman who had always been special to me for as long as I could remember.

  My eyes were already watering from all the legal jargon, so I grabbed the Valentino rubber slides from the closet by the door and stretched my legs. The “Men’s Slippers” were courtesy of Uncle Xavier. He’d stayed at our hotels whenever he traveled for business and he’d complained that our luxury suites should offer luxury slippers.

  He had a fascination with slippers and men’s sandals.

  Mom listened to him, and our clients actually raved about having the foresight to offer butter for the soles.

  I could care less.

  But I guess it mattered to men who didn’t know where else to spend their money.

  I liked expensive shoes because they were intricately made and my feet stayed comfortable inside them even after hours and hours of meetings. But slippers and sandals? They weren’t my thing.

  But when they were available, such as now, I could appreciate the comfort that they gave me.

  I was tired of poring over words and paragraphs that repeated what I already knew. The Chan’s were integral for Asian hotels and entertainment venues.

  Getting Carter Chan on board was basically telling the market that we had Warren Buffett’s blessing.

  Convincing him to give T & T a higher percentage would be a challenge, but I didn’t partake in
this world if I didn’t thrive on challenges.

  I pressed the button for the lobby and walked around the welcome area.

  Excellence Hotel was our flagship in Miami. It was also the first hotel that I’d successfully managed before Mom gave me a bigger role in T & T. I was twenty and on spring break when I realized that we could add a concert venue in the empty lot five blocks away from Excellence.

  The venue was now the most popular stage in Miami. Booking was two years in advance and it was gratifying to know that 1200 employees had jobs because of its growth.

  “Sir. Mister Tanner.” A brunette behind the reception desk greeted me. “Hhh—ow can I help you?”

  Sometimes I wished they didn’t know I was here.

  I tried to be invisible as much as possible, but Elaine said that my cover would always be blown because everyone was alerted whenever I was in town. She often joked that it was the dark side of being America’s Most Sought After Bachelor – a title I’d held for three years in a row according to E Magazine. It was dumb if you asked me, but it was free publicity for T & T Inc. so I didn’t turn down their interviews.

  I shrugged my shoulders in my blue shirt and said, “Can you just point me towards the Desert Keyes?”

  There were four infinity pools overlooking the Florida coastline inside the hotel. One would say that I’d gone to all of them.

  They would be wrong.

  I stayed at our hotels for business, very seldom for pleasure, and I’d be the last person lounging by the pool. I smooched with the clients and investors and left as soon as I’d finished the deal. I knew why Mom delegated the acquisition of new hotels to me. She’d gotten tired of traveling and she didn’t have the energy to deal with the bullshit anymore.

  Bullshit because sometimes that’s all there was to it.

  She pointed me towards the west and I grinned at her. “Thanks Marty. Thank you for doing a great job.”

  “You’re welcome, Mister Tanner,” Marty, the name on her tag, said. “Anytime.”

  I walked away from the desk and headed for the pool area.

  Ali had been out of my sight for six hours and I was thirsting for her.

  I texted Ali asking where she was at and she replied with, Not gonna tell you until you’re done.