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“Tough luck,” Ethan said, clapping my back as he followed Gareth out of the room. Asher did the same, but Crossland was too busy making out with his date to even notice the last hand was over.
“I’ll prep my lawyer for the transfer in March,” Doyle said, collecting his chips just as Serenity came back with his gin and tonic. He ignored her, pushing away from the table without a care in the world.
Serenity hesitated with the drink in her hand for a few moments before she threw back the contents, her eyes going wide after she swallowed. “Don’t tell him I did that, please,” she said, concern lining her features.
“Never,” I said, and Brynn nodded her agreement before Serenity offered us a shy smile and hurried out of the room.
“You okay?” Brynn asked me after I’d remained at the table for a few minutes too long.
“Fucking hate losing to that guy,” I grumbled, finally pushing away from the table.
“Well, you didn’t lose just yet, not the marketing firm anyway.”
I looked down at her, offering her my hand to help her off the lounge. She slid her hand into mine, the feel of her skin sending electric shocks up my arm. Fuck, I couldn’t imagine how good she’d feel if I hauled her against me, slipped my hands beneath that dress and—
Stop. You can’t keep going there.
Right.
“Lucky for me I have an ace up my sleeve,” I said, finally letting go of her hand as we headed toward the door.
“Oh yeah?” she asked. “What’s that?”
“You.”
* * *
“I just don’t thinkyou fully understand the benefits, Weston,” Lena said as she climbed out of my bed.
I threw the comforter off of me, the post-coital release completely lost as she launched into another lecture. Lena Nelson had been my steady bed partner for the better part of two years, but that’sallwe were. She’d agreed to it before I’d ever so much as touched her—I wasn’t an asshole, I just didn’t want to be attached. And in the beginning, she’d been more than fine with that, but now…
Fucking hell, now all she did was talk about what a marriage would do for us.
“Beyond us being an absolute perfect match in the bedroom,” she continued, slipping into some clothes, “we’d be perfect in the boardroom too.”
I headed into my bathroom, just as much to get a reprieve as to get a quick shower.
She was way off base. The sex was just that—sex. A release for the both of us. And she was fine company to keep. Hell, she even understood the demands of my numerous business endeavors because she was heiress to her father’s tech company, but I didn’t want anything serious with her. And serious was all she’d been talking about recently.
I stepped under the scalding hot water, washing myself as quickly and thoroughly as possible before stepping out and toweling off.
When had Lena caught feelings? Our schedules rarely aligned for any true quality time and if we weren’t running into each other at functions, then we were doing what we’d just done—a quick fuck that left both of us satisfied.
“Lena,” I said, trying to be as empathetic as possible when she followed me into my walk-in-closet. “You’ve known from the beginning that I don’t want a relationship,” I continued, heading into my walk-in closet to slip on a suit.
The alarm system had clocked Brynn in before the sun had come up, as was our normal routine, and I needed to get to the office soon. Brynn was free to come and go as she pleased, and we usually started our weekday mornings getting set up for the day at my place. There were too many demands at the office, so this was the place we could get a proper, uninterrupted jump on the day.
She’d go over my itinerary, then discuss upcoming events I needed to confirm or skip, along with stock numbers and anything else that needed my attention. After that, we’d both head into my offices and continue to work through the day. She was, quite literally, my lifeline in every way that mattered.
I thought Lena would’ve been out of the house before she arrived, not that Brynn had ever acted like my casual relationship with Lena bothered her, but for my own sanity, I liked to keep the two separate as often as possible.
“We both agreed that with the kind of lives we lead,” I finally said, trying to focus my mind. It wasn’t easy when I knew Brynn could likely hear our discussion from wherever she was in the house. “That it’s nearly impossible to maintain a true connection.” Not to mention I had no intention of ever tying myself to anyone in that capacity.
Brynn’s face flashed behind my eyes, and I did everything in my power to scrub the thought from my mind.
Yes, I was committed to Brynn in a way I’d never been with anyone else, but sheranmy life. I couldn’t function without her. Plus, she’d been my best friend since high school, securing her place in my life with her no-nonsense attitude and the way she hadn’t treated me differently just because my father had money.
“Sure,” Lena said as I stepped out of the closet, adjusting my tie. “I also know that you’re a brilliant businessman. How can you not see the win here?” She extended her arms as if to showcase herself, and yes, she was beautiful, there was no denying it, but her words weren’t matching that. “We could merge our companies, which you know would send stock prices soaring. We’d likely make a few million the day after the wedding.” She took a few steps toward me. “Every major news source would cover the union,” she continued. “Which would only help our branding, leading to more income.”
