Alphahole

by DD Prince

  Meryl scoots over as close to me as she can get without touching me.

  Nope, wait…now she’s touching me. Her leg is against mine and it’s jiggling a mile a minute. She’s having a panic attack, I think. I grab her hand and squeeze it and whisper, “Breathe, sister.”

  I see her sharp intake of breath and she lets it out slowly.

  He’s still dressed for work but has taken off the tie and he’s not in his blazer.

  Meryl blushes instantly and a little squeak comes out of her. Austin tilts his head at her and smiles.

  Oh wow. Meryl has a crush on Austin?

  Not a shock. He’s very, very good looking. And she’s a manager at the new call center in Manila and there’s a team that will be taking over billing, so she’s probably worked with him and his team while she’s been here in training.

  “What’s shakin’ Meryl, Carly?” Austin asks.

  “Everything,” I answer, but I’m giving Ally a dirty look.

  Austin laughs, good naturedly.

  She looks at me quizzically.

  “Austin here is waiting for someone, so I figure he can join us while he does.” She smiles. She looks like she’s up to something.

  “You’re not waiting for your brother by some chance, are you?” I ask hesitantly.

  “I am, in fact,” Austin replies. “This was, uh, why I had to cancel.” He’s totally bull shitting me. Well, maybe he’s here to meet with Aiden but there’s no way that was planned ahead. This plan came together when Aiden told him not to take me out. I just don’t know why. Does he think I’m not good enough for his brother?

  “Please tell me you have several brothers?” Ally tries.

  Austin shakes his head. “Just Aiden.”

  I shoot daggers at Ally with my eyes. Her eyes go wide, and she winces and mouths sorry to me.

  Austin catches it.

  “Why?” His eyes bounce between us.

  “Nothing, nothing. All good.” I straighten my napkin across my lap.

  The server comes over and takes our drink orders.

  “Alphahole at 10:00,” Ally whispers to me.

  Fuck.

  My.

  Life.

  Sideways.

  “Go. Do not stay and have a drink,” Ally whispers to Austin, making him look at her with confusion. “Ally and Aiden had a thing earlier. It’ll be awkward. Skedaddle. Hi Aiden!” She switches tones without missing a beat. “We were just keeping your brother company till you got here. Your table’s probably ready. Where’s the hostess?” Ally has just blurted that out so fast that Austin’s looking shell-shocked. Aiden looks unaffected. His eyes move over me and then Meryl, then he’s looking at Ally again. Then his brother.

  “Have a good evening, girls,” Austin says. “Dinner’s on Carmichael Consulting tonight. I’ll tell your server to send my table the bill.” He winks.

  “Thanks,” Meryl says shyly, face brighter pink than even Ally’s hair.

  “Awesome. What’s our limit?” Ally asks.

  Austin gives her a sly grin. “Don’t get me in shit if my father looks over my expense reports. And make sure all three of you show up on time for work tomorrow.” He wags his finger.

  I’m trying not to look at Aiden. I fail.

  It doesn’t matter, because he’s not looking at me. It’s like I’m not even here.

  “Guess we can save our gift cards for another day,” Ally announces while clapping her hands.

  Aiden gives a polite but cold nod without looking any of us in the eyes and he’s gone before Austin moves away. Austin smiles at us and turns, saying “Later.”

  “Those are some good genes in that family.” Ally is staring at them as they go.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. So does Meryl.

  “Sorry, Car,” Ally reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I was trying to do that for Mer, not thinking he might be waiting for Aiden.”

  “For Meryl?” I ask, pointedly, but it’s already obvious.

  Meryl goes an ever brighter pink.

  “If Austin were in a boy band, he’d be alllllll over Mer’s wall.” Ally sighs dreamily. “She was like a wounded animal when she heard you almost had a date with him tonight.”

  The server is back with our drinks.

  Meryl is rolling her eyes.

  “But after I told her about Aiden putting a stop to it, Meryl agreed with me. You’re totally gonna wind up in bed with your roommate.”

  “Am not!”

  Meryl and Ally bust up with laughter together.

  ***

  I haven’t gotten drunk tonight. Not even tipsy. No way am I chancing being late for work tomorrow and having Aiden accuse me of another case of wine-lag.

  I’ve had two glasses of wine and a big steak, a baked potato, some asparagus and salad, and then I ate a huge piece of chocolate cream pie with raspberry meringue on top.

  I’m full and, despite what happened earlier, it was a good night. Having a night out with new friends was just what I needed, especially after the shower scene.

  Ally ribbed Meryl about her crush on Austin. There’s a team-building dinner and drinks thing tomorrow night after work and it’s casual Friday so Ally is pushing Meryl to let her dress her. She’s determined she’s going to make a love connection.

  “I go home in a week and a half,” Meryl reasons.

  “So? Maybe he’ll fall in love with you and move you here and you’ll live happily ever after…” Ally is determined.

  “I don’t want to live here. I have a life back home. Family that count on me. This new job, this is a big deal to my family. They’re very proud of me. They rely on me and…”

  I put my hand on Meryl’s shoulder. “We get it. Ally, lay off.”

  Ally pouts. “Well… just have a fling then.”

  Meryl’s face goes horror-filled.

  “Go back with juicy details of the hot, rich guy you had one hot night of passion with.” Ally shrugs.

  She shakes her head. “No way. I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

  “But, you think he’s hot.”

  “He is,” Meryl says, matter-of-factly.

  I nod in agreement. He definitely is.

  “But, I’m not that kind of a girl.”

  Ally pouts. “Ugh.”

  “Why don’t you hook up with him?” I suggest.

  She shakes her head. “Too clean. I like ‘em dirty.”

  “Dirty?” Meryl asks, eyes wide.

  “Tattooed, pierced. I’m more into bikers or gangsters than businessmen.” Ally shrugs. “I need a freak in the sheets.”

  “You don’t think business execs can get dirty?” I ask.

  “Nnnoooo, not dirty enough,” she replies, but then her eyes light up. “But, I’d wager I might be wrong about our VP of marketing. Guess I’ll find out once you sleep with Aiden. Get on that, will ya?”

  “It’s never happening,” I vow. “Not ever.”

  “Bet you a hundred bucks.” She holds her hand out.

  I shake it. “Hundred bucks. Guess you’ll have to find another friend to sample the business goods and let you know if they’re freaks in the sheets.”

  She stops me. Meryl’s ahead of us.

  “Not if I have my way before Mer goes,” she whispers.

  “Not happening,” Meryl sings out over her shoulder, exhibiting ultrasonic hearing. “I leave a week next Wednesday. No way is it happening before I go.”

  We catch up with her.

  “Haven’t you ever read Fifty Shades of Grey?” I ask Ally. “Business men have all this money to be freaky without it being considered creepy.”

  “Yeah, like… imagine if Christian Grey lived in The Projects?” Really not sexy,” Meryl says.

  “It could still be hot in The Projects,” I say with a shrug. “Hot is hot.”

  “I agree. Did you see that Christian Grey tie around Aiden’s neck the other day?” Ally asks, eyes wide.

  I nod. “Oh, yes. Yes. I. Did.”

 
; “It was exactly the same,” Ally informs, unnecessarily.

  I nod. “I know.”

  “I haven’t read those books yet,” Meryl muses. “Are they very, very dirty?”

  Ally and I give one another a wide-eyed look.

  “I’ll buy them for you tomorrow on my lunch hour,” Ally tells her.

  “I have a reading app on my phone,” Meryl says. “How do I get the books on my phone? I like to read until I fall asleep.”

  “Give it here,” Ally orders and Meryl passes her the phone. Ally pulls out her credit card. I laugh.

  “Oh man, I have to go to New York on Monday. When you’re done each of those books, I want a book report.”

  “That’s why we’re going clubbing Saturday night,” Ally says. “Start reading tomorrow. You’ll get through a good chunk of book one by then.”

  “I’ll start it tonight,” Meryl says with a big smile.

  “I can’t really do clubbing this weekend…” I tell them.

  Ally gets two inches from my face and takes on some sort of angry Momma bear persona. “Besties’ orders. There are very few requirements of you as my BFF. When I call besties’ orders, you must obey. You call them, I obey. But, we don’t abuse it.”

  “Yes, sir,” I salute her. We’re back at our building. The nighttime security guard gives us a polite nod as Ally flashes her Carmichael keychain at him.

  And as I’m walking down the hallway, I’m thinking about the fact that I have to go to New York City next week with zero money.

  How on earth will I swing that?

  I don’t even know if all my meals and everything will be covered or if I’ll be expected to submit an expense report after. I have to find out. I’ll ask Alice first thing in the morning. If necessary, I’ll borrow a bit of money from my parents. I hate that idea.

  22

  AIDEN

  Just my luck finding my brother with the girls from work, with Carly of all people. I give him a look as I approach that I know he reads immediately, but thankfully quirky pink-haired Ally seems to want rid of us fast. I’d bet my Ducati that she knows I saw Carly naked tonight.

  Carly’s awkward as fuck.

  I can’t dwell on all this. I can’t look at Carly or I’ll see through her clothing. That’s it; the universe has decided I’ve now got X-Ray vision with this chick and I’ll see right through her clothing until I finally bed her.

  I can’t give it any headspace at all, though, because there’s something much more important happening tonight.

  Half way through drinks and appetizers, I’m about to start spilling my guts to my brother. We’re in a quiet part of the restaurant. But, he beats me to the punch.

  “So, I can see you’re about to say something you think is big and important to me, but I’m probably already well aware, so I’m gonna save you the hassle.”

  I look at him with surprise.

  “You and Mom haven’t been kosher for a couple years and you weren’t ever on great terms before that. Adele and I talked, and we think you found out she’s cheating on Dad.”

  I take a sip of my drink.

  “Adele followed her, out of suspicion. Saw her coming out of a hotel room about eighteen months ago with her personal trainer. She told me right away. She tried to bring it up to you but says you shut it down every time she tries to broach it.”

  I let out a big breath, realizing I’ve been pulling a Quentin on Adele. I’m not proud of myself.

  “That it?” he asks. “That why you can barely stomach being in the same room?”

  I nod. “Uglier than that, but basically.”

  “Dad knows she fucks around.”

  I raise eyebrows at him. I suspected as much, but want to hear what he has to say.

  “I went to him. Yesterday, in fact. You bein’ home, the vibe at Sunday dinner. I decided I had to get it out on the table. Ask him why you hate being around her, why he hasn’t tried to figure it out. He tried to shut me down, but I didn’t let him. He told me marriage is complicated. I pushed, and he finally blurted that he’s impotent. So, she has affairs.”

  This shocks me.

  “Told me they have parameters and she keeps things discreet.”

  I scoff. Discreet my ass…

  “Says he’s had problems getting it up for about a decade.”

  I blow out a breath. “So, she fucks around. He allows it because he can’t give her what she needs?”

  He shrugs.

  “Gimme a fuckin’ break, Auz. She’d be faithful otherwise? Not too fuckin’ likely.”

  Austin shrugs, downs his drink and signals the waitress to bring another.

  “I walked in on her,” I announce.

  His face goes sour, like he’s smelled something foul.

  “Discreet. Right,” I add.

  “In our house?” He clips, looking tweaked, like it’d be a whole other level if it was in my father’s house.

  I shake my head. “Garden shed.”

  “She was fuckin’ someone in the garden shed?”

  I lift my hand in what some would see as a peace sign.

  “Twice?” Austin asks.

  The waitress comes back with two fresh drinks and takes our glasses away.

  “No,” I say. “Not twice. Two men. At once.”

  My brother’s eyes go fiery mad.

  “Not pretty,” I mumble.

  He’s glaring. His chest is rising and falling fast.

  “She saw me. She chased me down. She then threatened me and tried to blackmail me into keeping quiet. All sorts of ugly threats. Don’t tell Dad. Don’t tell you or our sister.”

  He’s watching, listening, and I can see his temperature rising.

  “So that was when I hired Jude.”

  Austin knows Jude is a buddy. We’ve been out for drinks and run into him a couple times together. He didn’t know before now that how I’d met Jude was because I’d hired him to investigate Audra.

  “I had him dig. She’s spending Dad’s money like it’s goin’ outta style. Money hidden. A few days ago, Jude found out she recently got two new life insurance policies on dad. A while back though, I found out …” I wince.

  He jerks his chin up, urging me to continue.

  “That my and your paternity might be a question mark.”

  His shoulders slump and he swallows.

  “She had an affair with Uncle Mitchell. It may have started around the time she got pregnant with you. It might’ve even started before I was born so…”

  I put my hand into my inside pocket and pull out the envelope and drop it on the table but keep my hand on it.

  “I had paternity tests done. Over a year ago. For both of us. I haven’t opened them. I don’t know what it says. I’ve been sitting on all this, but after talking to you today, after she stormed into my office tryin’ to exert her authority, I knew I had to get in front of this. Bridge the gap with us before she pulls something. If he’s been having medical problems for ten years only, there wouldn’t be a question of our paternity. If it’d only been ten years? Uncle Mitch died just over ten years ago. She might’ve even been fuckin’ him when she married Dad, according to some of Jude’s digging.”

  Austin’s eyes are on the envelope.

  Uncle Mitch committed suicide. So, if he’s his father, my father, or both, it’s not like we’ll have to start calling him Dad. I told Jude I might want Uncle Mitch’s suicide investigated, too. I haven’t decided on that yet.

  “I left these envelopes in my safety deposit box here in San Diego and that was another reason I liked being in New York. Far away from these envelopes.”

  He says nothing. He’s just staring at it.

  “Pissed at me?” I ask.

  He shakes his head, but he’s not looking at me.

  “I shouldn’t have done this in public,” I say.” Maybe I shouldn’t have done it at all.”

  He grabs the envelope and rips it open. Just like that.

  My gut churns and acid rises up the back of my throat.


  He yanks out the single piece of paper and his eyes are on it less than five seconds before relief floods his face.

  Thank fuck.

  He passes it to me.

  I read it, see that my father is, in fact, Austin’s biological father, and then my forehead is on the edge of the table, my forearms resting on my thighs, my hands trembling. This has kept me up at night. Many nights.

  My brother squeezes the back of my neck reassuringly and then pats my back as he takes the paper from my hand.

  I look up when I catch the scent of something burning.

  The table has a candle on it and he’s used it to set the paper on fire. It singes quickly, and he drops it into the empty plate from his appetizer and it quickly burns to black dust.

  Just like that.

  We’re drawing attention from the closest table. The flame goes out and the couple go back to paying attention to one another instead of us.

  “You make me wanna kick myself in the ass, little brother,” I say.

  He gives me a tight smile. “Where’s yours?”

  “Safety deposit box, still.”

  “Come with you tomorrow. Open it there with you if you want.”

  Why the fuck have I been putting this off, letting it consume me for all this time?

  I suddenly have a new appreciation for my brother. I’ve been punishing myself by keeping a distance. He’s a good fuckin’ guy.

  “I’m a dumbass,” I mutter.

  He laughs and then shakes his head. “You didn’t know where I was at.”

  “Because I had my head up my ass,” I mumble.

  “I don’t know how I’d’ve handled it in your shoes, but whatever. We’re cool, man. You and me. It’s all good. Tell me about life in the big apple. And then tell me more about your sexy roommate. We’ll deal with the rest tomorrow. Tonight, I wanna have a nice dinner with my brother.”

  The waitress comes with our food.

  What if he’s Quentin’s son but I’m not?

  “It’s gonna be all right man. Either way. You’re my brother no matter what some paper says. Adele’s brother. Braeden’s second favorite uncle.”

  I snicker.

  “And Quentin Carmichael is your dad.”

  Dad. But maybe not father. All this time, I’ve been so worried about how a different answer would impact Auz. Now reality is setting in. What about me?