Who the hell does she think she is anyway?
Shaking my head, I unwrap the paper, my mouth watering at the sight of the turkey. I take a bite, enjoying the familiar taste... Until my teeth crunch down on something that definitely doesn’t belong.
I freeze. Pulling the sub away, I inspect it. My eyes narrow when I find the offensive culprit. A crouton. A. Fucking. Crouton.
That little brat…
Shaking my head, I drop the sandwich to my desk and push back my chair, ready to go out there and shout at her for her insubordination. But I stop myself. Barely.
Because if I go out there, then I’ll be giving her what she wants.
A reaction. Engagement. Attention.
Well, fuck that. I’d rather eat the damn crouton than give her what she wants.
I don’t, of course.
Instead, I unwrap the sub and calmly pick out every offending crouton. I throw them in the trash, rewrap my lunch and slowly take a bite.
I smirk, as I swallow the meat down.
Evan – One.
Anais – Zero
When boys’ night rolls around a couple of nights later, I’m more than ready for a night with my friends.
Hayes is hosting tonight, at his Columbus Circle penthouse. His daughter is with his parents at his brownstone. Two properties. Two lives. One for family. One for everything else.
My driver pulls up outside Hayes’ building. I slide out of the car, just as Harrison arrives, handing his keys to the Valet.
“Maxwell,” he nods in greeting.
“Lauder,” I grumble back.
He chuckles and claps a hand on my shoulder. I shrug him off, already irritated by his presence. Though it’s not really him I’m pissed at. It’s his sister. Three days of dealing with Anais have tested every ounce of patience I possess.
The frustration I have toward Anais now extends to him. Just hearing the Lauder name is enough to send me off the deep end.
“Someone needs to get laid.” Harrison says, eyeing me. “You seem more grumpy than usual.” I shoot him a glare, but he just smirks, shaking his head. “Come on, man. Seriously. When was the last time you fucked? Visited Elite? The gossip pages have been suspiciously quiet lately.”
“Fuck off,” I grate out, coming to a stop at Hayes’ private elevator and punching in the code.
He leans against the wall, watching me. “I’m serious, man. Your dick will drop off from under use.”
I exhale. Harrison’s not wrong - about the last time I fucked, not my cock falling off - it’s been a couple of weeks since I last got laid. Celeste, my usual casual hook-up and a runway model, has been out of town, which is why I haven’t bothered. And while the tabloids love to paint me as a playboy, I’m not a serial womanizer like Nathaniel. I keep it simple, sticking to women I know or Elite, the high-end sex club we’re all members of. No strings. No drama. It’s easier that way. Women who don’t expect more from me than a night of good sex.
Celeste gets that. So do a few others. Though one’s been getting clingy lately, so I will have to end that particular arrangement. Relationships are a hard pass for me. I also knowCeleste is clean. Though I’ve always used condoms with every woman I’ve ever been with, including Valentina, my long-term girlfriend, I expect the women I fuck to have a clean bill of health. Like me. One of my favorite things to do is eat pussy, and I don’t want to eat a dirty cunt, no matter who that woman is. Safe sex is good sex. And I will continue to practice it.
My dick twitches with need.
I suppose I could always give Amelia a call…
The elevator dings open, snapping me from my thoughts.
We both step inside.
I run a hand through my hair and sigh. “It’s been a long week.”
