by E. L. Todd
“No. Between you and me, Charlie was the love of her life. She and Denise are friends, so if Denise goes for it, it’ll be a betrayal to Kat, and I’m stuck in the middle. Or Kat will realize I knew all of this and feel like I betrayed her. I’m just afraid this is going to end up with Kat and me no longer friends.”
He looked ahead, turning heads as he walked past a group of women. But he didn’t seem to notice them. “Yeah, that’s a rough spot.”
“They haven’t been broken up that long either. If it’d been years, maybe it could work. But I can’t expect Charlie to wait that long. And even if Kat doesn’t get angry at me or Denise, she’ll probably be so uncomfortable around the two of them that she’ll just disappear.”
“Yeah. No matter how it plays out, it doesn’t have a happy ending.”
“No.” I shook my head. “If Charlie and Denise ended up together, that would be great because he would be my brother-in-law. He’s always been my brother, but now he actually would be family. I’d be an aunt to his kids, related by blood. It’d be totally awesome. But…I don’t know where Kat fits into that scenario.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, enough about the drama in my life…”
“I’m not sure if that constitutes drama,” he said with a chuckle.
“It’s pretty much a soap opera. What about you?”
He shrugged. “My sister has been seeing this guy for a while. I’m meeting him on Friday.”
“Why is that drama? Please don’t tell me you’re going to be an obnoxious protective brother? That shit is so outdated.”
He grinned in guilt. “I can’t help it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just be nice. I’m sure he’s great.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “She watched what you went through, right?”
He turned his gaze and stared at me for a while, his eyes a little soft. “Right.”
“So, she’ll be fine. Is he hot?”
“No idea what he looks like.”
“What does he do?”
He shrugged.
“You don’t know anything about this guy?”
“My sister is very protective of her privacy.”
“Probably because she knows you’ll rip apart anything she tells you.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Maybe.”
I looked up ahead and stared at his friends. “So, do they know you’re a billionaire?”
His mood soured slightly at the change of subject. “That’d be pretty hard to hide, wouldn’t it?”
You hid it from me for five weeks. “I really have no idea.”
“These are my buddies from high school. So, they don’t really see me that way.”
“Oh…then you’ve known each other a long time.”
“Yeah. A really long time.”
“Do you have rich friends?”
He nodded. “Some. I keep it separate. I prefer to keep my normal life as normal as possible. In that world, people are corrupt, greedy, and simply toxic.”
“Really? I thought it would be all about shopping sprees with a little dog sitting in your Louis Vuitton purse.”
He chuckled. “That’s exactly how it is. But my friends on that side of the spectrum are a bit snobbish. All they want to talk about is money, who’s made a deal recently, how to make more money, how to show off the wealth they already have. Even though they’re in the top one percent, they’re very insecure.”
“If you grew up in that world, why are you so down to earth?”
He turned back to me, a slight smile on his lips. “Did you just give me a compliment?”
“What are you talking about? I always give you compliments.”
“About how hot I am.”
“Well, you are really hot. You want me to lie?”
He faced forward again, his smile wider. “Never.”
“Come on, you’re great.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
We reached the pizza place and sat at a big table. Dax took a seat with his friends, so I sat on the other side with mine. We ordered a couple pizzas, wings, and beers all around.
Matt kept drumming his fingers as he watched the staff serve other tables. He looked at the kitchen, as if he expected to see our order being made.
“Drink your beer and chill.” Charlie grabbed the handle of his frosted mug and brought it to his lips for a drink.
“Why don’t you eat before a game?” Denise asked.
“I did,” he snapped. “I just have a fast metabolism.”
“You’re almost thirty, so I doubt it,” I countered.
“Look, I just get hungry more often than most people,” Matt said. “Jeremy thinks it’s cute.”
“Because Jeremy is getting sex from you,” Charlie said.
“How is that going anyway?” Denise asked.
“Great.” Now that Matt was distracted by the conversation, he stopped fidgeting. “We went to the movies the other night then went home and had sex. We kinda just fell into a relationship right away, which is new for me. I don’t really do that.”
“That’s great,” Charlie said. “I prefer you when you’re settled down. You’re calmer.”
“Psh,” Matt said. “I’m never—” He shut his mouth when he saw the wings being carried out. “Oh, thank god.”
Denise chuckled then turned to Charlie. “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
Charlie had taken a sip of his beer right when she asked, so he continued to drink, like he needed a few seconds to compose himself after hearing the question. He drank his beer like water, and while he loved beer, he didn’t love it that much. He set it down and licked his lips. “No.”
I was starting to wonder if Denise was attracted to him, based on the limited interactions I witnessed. She and Kat were friends and I didn’t picture her going after a friend’s ex, but maybe she’d had a change of heart.
He cleared his throat. “You?”
“I went out with a doctor from the hospital, but it didn’t go anywhere.” She grabbed a few fries and wings and put them on her plate, looking dressed up to eat something so casual.
“Who wants to date a doctor anyway?” Matt asked. “Touching people all day long…”
“I touch people all day long,” she countered. “Probably more than a doctor.”
“Oh yeah, that’s true.” He devoured two wings in a few seconds then dunked his fries into his ketchup before scarfing those down too.
Dax watched him from his side of the table. “Feeling better, man?”
Matt had his mouth full, so he gave a thumbs-up.
Dax and his friends laughed.
I was eating as much as Matt, but I didn’t make it as obvious.
Denise turned to me. “So, this isn’t weird for you?”
“Meaning?” I took a bite of my fry, loving the crunch.
“You’re hanging out with Dax like nothing happened.” She kept her voice low so the guys on the other side of the table wouldn’t hear.
“You mean, being grown and mature adults?” I asked sarcastically. “Relationships don’t work out all the time, and the exes can be in the same room together. Look at Charlie and Kat. They’re fine.”
“Yeah, true,” she said with a nod. “But you guys broke up a few days ago.”
“We didn’t break up,” I corrected. “We were never really together in the first place. It was more of a fling.”
“Maybe.” She kept staring at me. “But you really liked him.”
“I never said that.” I just ate, keeping my cool.
“No,” my sister said. “But it was obvious that you really liked him.”
“Well, he ended up being a big fat liar, so that changed my feelings pretty quickly.” I grabbed more fries. “Can we talk about something else now? Something interesting, preferably.”
Five
Dax
I was on the phone in my office, talking to our overseas manufacturer. The worst part of my job was all the meetings
. So much talking but so little productivity. If I said I was passionate about the software aspect of the company, I’d be lying. I was only passionate about my family’s legacy.
My assistant popped her head in.
I gave her a glare because I was on the phone.
“The reporter from the New York Press is here.”
I held up my finger to tell her I needed a few minutes.
She disappeared.
I finished up the meeting then picked up the phone to call her in. “Send her in.” I hung up then got out of my chair to walk around my desk. My hands slid into my pockets, and I felt my heart pick up just a little bit. Being friends with Carson was easier than I expected it to be, but nothing could change my attraction to her. Her humor, her candor, the selfless way she cared about her friends.
The door opened a moment later, and my assistant let Carson into the room.
She was in a black dress and heels, her badge around her neck to identify her status at the most prestigious paper in the country. She had her notebook with her, tucked under her arm. Her brown hair was straight, and her green eyes had never turned hostile again after the conversation we’d had in this very room.
My eyes took her in, and time slowed down a bit because everything about her was irresistible to me. It wasn’t just the way that tight dress fit her incredible body; it was the way she carried herself, the way she filled every room she stepped into with an undeniable presence. It was comforting but also authoritative, like she knew her worth and would never allow anyone to say otherwise.
Sometimes it was difficult to be around her because I suspected my feelings would never entirely go away. She would always be the one who got away, the woman who could have been something significant to me if the timing had been better, if I hadn’t fucked it up with my stream of lies.
But at least I had some of her…a piece of her.
I walked over to her and felt my lips rise in a slight smile. “That meeting ran longer than I expected. Hope you didn’t wait too long.”
“It’s fine. I know how it goes.” She came closer to me but didn’t embrace me. She would probably normally shake my hand if I were someone else, but that would feel out of place for us…since I’d kissed her everywhere. She moved to the couch and took a seat.
I sat across from her and rested my ankle on the opposite knee, my arm on the armrest.
She got her things organized.
I just stared at her, watched her put the recorder on the table and turn it on before she opened her notebook and got her pen ready. She crossed her legs and leaned back, lifting her gaze to look me in the eye.
It took me a second to process that look, to feel that eye contact and force myself to ignore the rush in my veins. Attractive women were a dime a dozen in this city, but they didn’t look at me with those intelligent eyes, that sexy spunk. They didn’t possess her fire, her drive.
It’d been a few days since I’d seen her. She was such a good player on the court, but she was also humble about it, admitting how sore she was from playing so hard. I spent my time having quiet evenings at home, working and ignoring the fake apartment I still had the lease on. “Your ass feeling any better?”
She smiled slightly. “It’s still pretty sore.”
“Those heels don’t help.”
“Yeah, but flats are out of the question.”
“Why?”
“Just unprofessional.”
“Wow. Didn’t know the New York Press had such a strict dress code.”
“They don’t. I do.” She turned the page in her notebook and clicked her pen. “You’re fine with me recording you?”
“Sure.”
“For this editorial piece, we’re looking to understand the role of your family within the company, and the way your software has slowly affected millions of people and businesses. Your creation is all around us, from our phones to our laptops. Honestly, it changed the tech industry. Just want to better understand the family behind it because you’ve been notoriously private for decades.”
But that privacy couldn’t hide my disastrous divorce. “I have a question first.”
“Go ahead.” Her professional attitude wasn’t much different from how she was on an everyday level, but she was definitely more soft-spoken, more focused.
“Anything going to happen with Denise and Charlie? I heard her ask him if he was seeing anyone.”
“You heard that?”
And I heard Denise question Carson about the normalcy of our situation. I also heard her response, that we were just a fling that died out, that people could be mature and remain friends even when a relationship was over. It wasn’t a fling to me, but I tried not to take it personally that it had been to her. “Yes.”
She lost her confidence slightly, like she was embarrassed I’d probably overheard other parts of the conversation. “Yeah, I thought that was odd too. Charlie has asked me to feel her out before, to see how she feels about him, but I’ve always declined because it would feel like a betrayal to Kat. Now, I’m just curious to know how my sister feels about my best friend.”
“I think there’s a spark there.”
“Yeah, me too. I feel like eighth graders talking about it.”
“Like I said, drama.” I smiled.
“It does feel that way. How does Nathan feel about Kat? Is he sprung?”
I didn’t want to share what he’d told me in confidence, but I didn’t want her to think Kat would definitely find her happily ever after. “He’s into her, but not in love by any means.”
“Well, they haven’t been dating long.”
“Yeah.”
She looked down at her notes again. “Do you remember your grandfather well?”
“I have a lot of memories.” My elbow pressed into the armrest, and my knuckles rested against my jawline. “He was brilliant. Just the way he spoke, he had this eloquence about him that conveyed how bright he was. In terms of development, I wasn’t around much for that, can’t recall his process. But when my father ran this place, he was really involved in the software aspect of the business. I think having several generations of people with a good understanding of the product as well as the business has allowed us to retain our success over so many generations.”
“Are you that way too?” she asked. “Do you just handle the business side of things, or are you part of the development and expansion of the software.”
“There’re a lot of brilliant minds working for this company, and they’re the ones evolving the program. I’m not involved with that process, but when I meet with the team, I focus on the applications of our new products and guide them into the kind of evolution I want to see. I see the big picture, but they see all the steps to get there.”
“Two kinds of minds working together.”
“That’s a good way to describe it.”
“There’ve been rumors that Clydesdale may be teaming up with one of the biggest American companies for a project. Is that true?”
My only response was a smile.
“Keeping secrets, huh?”
I shrugged.
She smiled and moved on. “Your sister is also a big player in the company?”
“She’s head of distribution, but we work closely together. She’s also involved in the big decisions of the company because she holds significant shares.”
“And Rose Frawley?”
Just hearing her name made acid flood my mouth. “She’s more of a silent partner…”
She studied my face, probably saw the venom enter my eyes. “I don’t have to ask about her if you don’t want me to. I can omit it from the article.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “The world knows about my nasty divorce. It’s no surprise.”
She grabbed the recorder and turned it off. “How does that work anyway?”
“It doesn’t. She just gets a check.”
“Like, forever?”
I nodded. “I was an idiot who didn’t get that prenup. Therefore, she owns half
of what I own, which includes this business.” I was so fucking stupid, so fucking naïve.
“Can you buy her out?”
I shook my head. “She won’t sell.”
“Why?”
“Why would she accept a big check now when she can collect for the rest of her life? Then her children can inherit that and continue to collect.”
Her eyes fell in a deep look of sadness. “Jesus…”
“Yeah. It sucks.” I’d had enough time to process what had happened, but it still haunted me. I was ashamed she’d made a fool out of me in front of the whole world, that she’d robbed my family of the profits from their hard work. If we’d just gotten a divorce decades down the road because of irreconcilable differences, it wouldn’t hurt so much. But the fact that it was all a ploy, that she used me to get to this level, that when I suggested a prenup and she was offended, it was all a ruse. That’s what fucking stung.
She took me for a ride.
I trusted too easily. I saw the good too easily.
Carson dropped her gaze for a moment and shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, Dax. That’s so shitty.”
“Yeah…thanks.”
“Maybe someday you can remedy the situation.”
No. She got what she wanted, and she would never give it up. “Next question.”
She sighed before she grabbed the recorder and turned it back on. “Where do you see this company in the next five years?”
“No idea. I hope it’s still successful and customers still like our product. But I avoid thinking about the future as much. I focus on being the best I can be in the moment. If you work hard, there should always be a future. But what that future will be exactly is always unknown.”
She made a note in response to what I said. “Do you plan to hand this company to your son one day?”
“Or daughter,” I added.
Her eyes changed slightly, like that response meant something to her.
“I don’t have a family and I’m not sure if I ever will, but if I do and they want it, of course. But my sister may want the same thing, and she’s just as entitled to it.”
“But you want it to stay in the family? You don’t intend to sell or outsource a CEO?”
