AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can’t. I’ve got meetings with my contractors after this. We’re doing a huge reno on this luxury apartment complex. Well, it’s sure as hell not luxury right now, but it will be when I’m done with it.”
“Soon, then.” I glanced at my phone and saw the time. “Oh, shit. I need to go if I don’t want to be late.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just remember to use protection, okay?”
I rolled my eyes and left him, but found myself wishing Charleston could come along tonight. It felt like I could use the emotional support, because I wasn’t myself around Dominic. I never could quite predict what was going to come out of my mouth with him, and that was dangerous, to say the least.
I really did want to finish that interview, though. He’d barely given me anything about himself, but the pieces I did have captured my attention. The man who seemingly had it all, except something was missing. But what? What caused the hole he seemed to be working so hard to fill? Was it a woman? Was it the troubled relationship with his father? Or maybe it was something else entirely.
Maybe I’d finally get answers tonight.
19
DOMINIC
As promised, Darcy texted me just before seven telling me to get my ass downstairs and into her car. I was expecting some kind of sensible city car–like one of those little European numbers that barely used any gas.
Instead, I was greeted by a wood-paneled station wagon that was visibly shaking and puffing out globs of dark smoke. “What the fuck?” I asked.
Darcy leaned across the passenger seat and manually cranked the window down. “You going to get in, or are you allergic to poor?”
I shook my head and pulled on the handle, but the door didn’t budge.
“Here,” Darcy said. She lifted a leg with impressive flexibility and gave the inside of the door a kick. It gave a metallic groan, but swung open, nearly taking out my shins.
“Is this thing safe?”
“Are you kidding? They used to make cars like tanks. Other than the risk of lead paint or something, I think we’re going to be safe.”
“Why do you even have a car? Hardly anyone in the city does.” I asked.
“Because it’s nice when I drive out to see my parents. It was my grandma’s, then it was my mom’s, and then it was mine when she got herself a new car. So it’s free except when stuff breaks. Plus, I’ve got a sneaky hookup on a free parking spot that’s always available.”
I decided it was better not to ask. I’d spent the past few hours distracting myself from work with plans on how I was going tonotfuck things up tonight. I’d let myself be far too familiar with Darcy already. Every time we got together outside work, things got out of control almost immediately.Not tonight.
“So this is a party for Marcus, right?” Darcy asked once she pulled out into traffic. The car smelled like old leather and diesel. Every part of the upholstery was cracked and the yellowing foam beneath was showing through.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Is it his birthday or something?”
“I think his sisters are just celebrating his new job. But the family has an ungodly amount of money and throwing parties is sort of a weekly event for them.”
“Really? Where is the money from?”
“They are Fitzroys. Marcus’ great great great grandfather or something was one of the original settlers to move out to Texas. He bought up tens of thousands of acres of land when it was dirt cheap and they’ve been selling it off piece by piece ever since. All the kids get a huge trust fund allowance and they can work in the family business if they want.”
“So Marcus is a trust fund kid, huh? I didn’t picture that.”
“Yeah, well, not exactly. When he turned eighteen he got access to the whole thing. He decided to donate it all to a charity that opposed his family’s business as soon as he got his hands on it. It was something like twenty million, and he’s a dumbass for giving it all away.”
“Wow,” Darcy said. “I’m guessing there was some bad blood with the family then?”
“He doesn’t talk about it, not even to me. But I have to admit I can’t help respecting that level of spite.”
“No kidding. How many sisters does he have? I met the two at the bar. Christine and Ally, right?”
“Yeah. There are six. The youngest is seven and Christine is the oldest at twenty-six.”
