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“Just so you know, your disappearing act is going to cost us a little over a million dollars.”
The exaggerated brotherly badgering was not something one wanted to hear the first thing the next morning. It was a Monday. Donovan rubbed a hand across his beard. Since being on this hiatus from work, he’d considered shaving off the damn thing but the double honk of the caravan of cars outside Magnolia Palace reminded him of the visitors rolling into the hotel for the week. What had the hot teacher told him the other day? A couple of schoolgirls and their parents? He sighed and shook his head into the camera of his laptop. On the other end, down in his office in Miami, Donovan’s older brother, Marcus, chuckled.
“You don’t seem fazed one bit,” said Marcus.
“I’m not,” Donovan replied. “This time off was requested two weeks ago.”
“Vacation suits you. Are you planning on telling me where you are?”
Donovan cocked his head to see around Marcus’s big head. “Where’s Will?”
Marcus glanced up then back at the screen. “Speak of the devil.”
“You guys talking about me again?” Will, their younger brother, said, coming around to Marcus’s side of the desk. Both men wore their signature suits, custom tailored at that. “What’s up? Where are you?”
“I’m taking care of myself.” Donovan dismissed his brothers’ curiosity. “What’s going on with this alleged million dollars I am costing the company? I am the chief financial officer. I think I’d know if we are in danger.”
“We were banking on the announcement for the new face of RC coming this weekend, so we can go ahead and book the production team,” explained Marcus. “The crew is now on retainer so they don’t take any jobs over the holidays. We had to make a sweet deal in order to do so. Zoe agreed with me.”
With Zoe Baldwin, makeup artist extraordinaire on board as the creative director, business had never been better. Profits were through the roof last quarter, and that was despite buying out half of the Ravens cousins for their shares.
“Did Zoe say something?”
“You mean Zoe, my wife?” Will clarified his claim by puffing out his chest. Probably the best decision his brother had ever made was marrying Zoe. The two of them together were a powerhouse in the beauty business.
Back before Will had come into the family business, Zoe had been not just a freelance makeup artist, but a good friend of the family business. She’d see Donovan and Marcus on assignment as well as around town at social events. They were friends. Zoe always gave her two Ravens brothers-in-law a hard time about their playboy lifestyle.
Donovan shook his head and huffed in annoyance. “You don’t need to remind us every time we talk,” he said. “We were at the wedding.” The small ceremony was held right here on the same grounds where Donovan was vacationing.
“I just wanted to make sure,” Will joked and grinned. “But seriously, she is concerned for you and your relationship with Tracy Blount, after what she heard.”
“Are you telling me I have a reputation now?” Donovan asked with a smirk. He lifted his coffee mug to his mouth and blew. He could give a crap about the rumor mill. Thanks to the gossip columnists keeping track of Donovan and Tracy’s dates, fans were rooting for the supermodel. Hell, he too thought she might have been the one. He admired that she never asked him for anything and liked that Tracy didn’t require him to stand as her arm candy at events. But alas, she was just another failed relationship for Donovan, this time caught on camera. When everyone else found out they’d all side with Tracy and pin her as the martyr for putting up with seeing his face every day for six weeks. At least this time there’d be video to explain the breakup. Donovan’s ego had taken a blow. What was worse, a woman cheating on you or the fact it happened in his own bed? How humiliated was he going to be? For entertainment purposes he asked anyway. “Wait, what’s being said?”
“That you had plans to propose to her,” answered Will.
Hot coffee spewed onto the keyboard. “What?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” said Marcus, smacking his hand on the arm of his chair. “I wagered a million bucks with Will that there’s no way you’re thinking about settling down.”
“Your money is safe, big bro,” Donovan replied flatly.
“Well, when are you coming back?”
“Are bills not being paid?” Donovan asked, emphasizing his sarcasm. He pushed away from the desk and walked backward to the bathroom, where he’d kept his towel from his shower this morning, but it was still wet. He took the shirt off his back and wiped the black keyboard. Will and Marcus groaned. Donovan sneered and winked, proud of the time and effort he put into the gym.
“Put that bird chest away,” said Marcus.
“Dear God, man,” Will gasped, “your chest is as bare as a baby’s bottom.”
Donovan flipped them both the middle finger. “Is there a reason for this call or did you just want to bust my chops?”
Marcus leaned back in his chair. “I’m still curious about where you are.”
Will leaned close to the monitor and stared beyond Donovan’s frame. Donovan pushed the screen to face the ceiling. “Well, if there’s nothing else...”
“Wait,” said Will. “What’s the deal with Tracy?”
Discussing what exactly had transpired in his condo was not something Donovan planned to discuss with his brothers. “What?”
