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He choked on his drink. It spewed out his mouth and his nose. Totally worth the question, though he looked ready to murder me, and I still wanted a real answer. “You—”
“I’m serious. You’re not, which is why you choked on it, but I’m for real.” I had an appointment on Thursday, and the results would be back Friday. Just in time.
My brother, Angelos, named after another Greek God, thought about that a moment and then asked, “Like one woman or—”
“Yes, of course, one woman. In general, it’s just there, available. But have you ever met someone you wanted more than once?” I hadn’t. I actually hadn’t had fucked more than a handful of women in my whole life because once I got my rocks off, I…was done. Interest lost. On to the next thing. It was always a bit surprising for women who went down on me because at the end of that…what did they expect? I wanted a cigarette and a nap not to return the favor. If I had a nickname, it would be Selfish Dick, not Daddy or Popsicle. Fucking nerve of them and those names.
“Is this a trick question?” Angelos was overthinking, and that was more thinking than he usually did. He was all brawn which ensured people feared us. If he didn’t like something, he just…got rid of it. The solution to Dougie being a constant problem lately, no more Dougie.
I shook my head, snickered. “No. Forget it.”
“I love my wife.” He looked at me and then at the server placing food on the table across from us and pointed. “But I would fuck her in a minute. Sex and love…don’t always walk hand in hand.”
Fucking poet. I sighed, “Got it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You don’t. You…take after pops. He didn’t understand it either. He would ask, how is this guy or that guy cheating? Moms had him wrapped around her fingers so tightly he would do anything for her. Anything.”
Yes. Understood.
“I love my wife. I would do a lot of things for her, but…anything? I could love again, you know? I have. I loved that girl from Thailand. Couldn’t carry it past school, but it was real.” He winked at the waitress putting the food in front of us. “Margie is better suited to this life. She grew up in it. She knows the score. We’ll find someone—”
“No, you won’t. I will find my own damn life partner. That’s what you’re talking about, right? It’s not the love. It’s the life. I get that. And that is exactly why I will be making that choice. No one else.” I wasn’t afraid of my brother. I would be graduating right now had I not changed my major. They were all for it for this reason. I would take the entire fucking business from them and do it my way.
“You need to be careful, Apollo.” Angelos was serious. I smiled at him. “I mean it.”
“I’m all kinds of careful, big brother.” I rolled my shoulder and said, “So do you.”
He just stabbed his steak with that fork, but he paused. I asked for a refill and began eating dinner like it was no big deal. Threaten me? Who the fuck did he think he was? Dad? And yes, mom had our dad whipped. She had more sense than him. Business sense. Dad was like Angelos, emotions, and rage, swing the big dicks and get all the glory.
The operation on our campus and the ones surrounding ran smoothly for one reason. They played by my rules. Now that the extra-large idiots were not a pain in my ass, thanks in part to Harper, I could focus on real business and actual schoolwork.
This week had a lot of potential. Not all of it was good. Still, soon it would be orientation day, and I had given a personal recommendation for one particular bunny. She was returning to school after all, and…Dane needed an ego check.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dane
This morning, I woke with a start. Something was just…off. I didn’t know what, couldn’t place it, but…I tilted my head and could have sworn…no. No way. I got out of bed and went to the door, and opened it. Harpy smiled up at me. The women, dressed in shorts, xIx t-shirts that were color-coded though I didn’t give a shit what those stood for, looked at me with varying expressions. Except one, who seemed shocked, and I understood why because I was too. I looked right at my son’s mother.
“Ripley?” she asked and lit up with a smile.
I was stunned to silence, confused, and… “Fucking Apollo.”
I marched past them, not giving so much as a word of acknowledgment as I headed out of the house and toward the Junior House. That motherfucker had some explaining to do.
“Dane!” Harpy called from behind me. “Dane. Wait.” I was not waiting. She ran and then turned to put her hands up, clipboard in one of them, pen in the other, and walked backward as she asked, “What is happening? I don’t understand, but I can help. Let me fix it.”
“You can’t—” She tripped and fell backward onto her ass because I couldn’t get there in time to catch her. “Shit.”
She looked up at me. Fortunately, we were on the grass at this point. She said, “I assure you, I can shit. Though I was not sure if I would right away, thanks to you.”
It took a minute to process her words as I reached for her hand to help her up. When I did, I smiled despite my current level of anger. She let go of the clipboard and the pen to use both of her hands to pull on the one I had offered as she leaned back, bringing me down to her rather than allowing me to pull her up to me.
On the front lawn of the Junior House at eight in the morning, she wrapped her arms and legs around me and said, “Hey. Talk to me. What happened?”
“I will just carry you in there with me.” I looked at her. My temper eased a bit with her smile. I hated that I was in love with her, but I was. I had fought it, tried to keep fighting it, but as her fingers touched the shell of my ear, I closed my eyes and said, “The blonde, tall one.”
“You know her?” she asked. I nodded. “It’s the orientation for everyone, Daddy. I won’t put her in Sophomore House.”
