Afew weeks later, Cain forced himself to mingle with the guests at Walter Libby’s birthday party. It was a prime networking event, and one he normally enjoyed. Walter was a decent sort, and many of the guests were family friends. All Cain wanted, however, was to be sitting in an RV, eating interesting food, and listening to Mal’s stories about his family.
Cain had flown to Maine five weekends in a row, and it was exhausting. He had reluctantly chosen to stay in Atlanta this weekend, but he missed Mal. He had already watched all his cooking videos several times and even joined his yoga sessions. The sessions were actually helping him handle his stress and sleep better. Not that he would ever tell Mal that. The omega was smug enough as is.
“Then, the aliens arrived and ordered probes for everyone,” Roe said, surprising Cain.
“What?” Cain looked down at his friend.
“You weren’t listening to me.” Roe tsked. “Where is that head of yours?”
“Up in the clouds,” Jasper said, snickering. “He’s been out of it all month.”
“That’s not like you.” Roe eyed him. “What’s going on?”
Cain sniffed. “You don’t need to worry about me. Instead, let’s worry about the two assholes who just walked in.”
Roe and Jasper both turned to look at the door.
“The one time I decide to attend a party.” Roe sighed. “Of course they’re here.”
James and Gabrial Dorsey both smiled angelically as they entered the ballroom. The pair made a handsome couple, but only from the outside. Inside, they were pure rot.
“Ignore them.” Jasper scowled.
Cain narrowed his eyes, watching the couple move gracefully about the room, blending well with the well-dressed, wealthy guests. The two were relatively popular among the younger members of Atlanta’s high society. The older members had long memories, however. They knew James had basically stolen the Dorsey family business from Roe. They had been friends with Roe’s grandfathers and knew exactly what would happen if the two men were still alive.
“Who the hell invited James Dorsey?” Walter asked, walking by Cain and his friends. “He’s going to spend the whole night trying to get me to invest with him again.”
Jasper smiled sweetly. “That is a common theme now, Roe. James lost a lot of clients because of the way he treated you.”
“That just makes him more dangerous.” Cain gave Roe a serious look. “Be careful. You have unintentionally hit the pride of both of those snakes. James isn’t liking the consequences of divorcing you, and Gabrial hates being constantly compared to you.”
Roe rolled his eyes. “Gabrial is absolutely stunning. He’ll come out on top of any comparison.”
“Maybe if no one spoke to him,” Jasper said, grinning. “He is the shallowest person I’ve ever met and all it takes is thirty seconds of speaking to him to know it.”
“Just be careful,” Cain repeated. “Yes, Gabrial is shallow, but he also literally tried to hire someone to kill you.”
“That was a misunderstanding.” Roe waved away his concerns. “I’m going to go talk to Walter, then head home. I have kids I need to make sure are in bed.”
“I half-way hope they try something.” Jasper waited to speak until Roe was with Walter. “I just want an hour with them in front of a judge. That’s all it will take.”
Cain smiled softly and studied Jasper. A month ago, he wouldn’t have been able to take his eyes off the omega. Now, Jasper was firmly entrenched in Cain’s mind as a friend. It was amazing to see how spending time with a smooth-talking trickster could put things in perspective.
“You’re drifting again.” Jasper laughed. “Come on, man. Get it together.”
“Sorry.” Cain winced. “I do worry about Roe. He isn’t taking the situation as seriously as he should.”
“All we can do is be there when it goes bad.” Jasper gave James and Gabrial a calculating look. “It will go bad. I can feel it.”
“I will call our security company tomorrow,” Cain said. “I want someone readily available if Roe needs protection.”
“Good idea.” Jasper cleared his throat. “Now, stop distracting me and explain what is going on with you.”
Cain fought a smile. “I met someone.”
A bright smile spread across Jasper’s handsome face, then dimmed. “Please tell me it isn’t one of those omegas you usually date. They’re nice and all, but they do not suit you.”
Cain laughed and Jasper stared at him in amazement.
