Chapter Two #2
He had been in a relationship with his assistant for two years after his divorce. However, when Prince found out his assistant was embezzling funds from the company, he had no problem sending him to prison, which instantly ended the relationship.
Oddly, Prince was not broken up about it.
Their relationship had not been known by anyone inside or outside of the company, yet he still felt he had wasted two years on a man who was greedy and not looking for love.
He had had lovers and hookups, but nothing meaningful.
It had been a while since he had sat, laughed, and talked with someone all night about everything before making love until dawn.
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of Nova, who had found new love and started another family after their divorce. Then again, she was not the only one in his circle who was married with children or had a couple on the way.
Take his friend Lucas Hamilton, who, years after his wife died and left him a single father, found love again in Tucker Stevens, an FBI agent. Prince didn’t want to think about all his other friends who were living in marital and familial bliss.
Maybe I’m just lonely, and taking time off from my job was a gut reaction.
"Prince, are you listening to me?" Roderick asked.
"Sorry," Prince said, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face. "I was thinking about something. What did you say?"
"I asked if we're still on for dinner," Roderick repeated.
"Um, let's take a rain check," Prince said, glancing at Finn, who had ordered a burger with fries while his mind drifted elsewhere. "I'm feeling tired."
"Oh," Roderick said, looking down at the table. "I guess I'll call you later."
"Yeah, let's finish our talk tomorrow," Prince said distractedly as he reached for a napkin and was about to dab at the ketchup smudging the corner of Finn's mouth. His hand froze midway when he became aware of what he was about to do. Thankfully, the kid had his head down and didn’t notice Prince's slight movement.
Finn was so focused on eating that he licked the red liquid from the corner of his mouth.
Prince's gaze latched onto the pink swipe of his tongue, and he looked away when his name was called.
"Prince."
He looked away from Finn and was surprised to see Roderick still standing there, when he had assumed he had already left.
"Is there something else?" Prince asked, his brows drawing together.
Roderick stared at him without speaking, and it made Prince more irritated than he cared to admit.
"No, I guess not," Roderick said softly, then glanced at Finn before walking away.
What the hell is that all about? He watched Roderick walk away.
"If you cancelled your date because of me, you shouldn't have. I’ll be all right on my own."
Prince sighed. "First, it wasn't a date. Second, it had nothing to do with you. I'm exhausted."
"Are you sure about that?" Finn asked, dipping his French fries in ketchup and stuffing them into his mouth.
Prince's brows furrowed. "What are you asking that I'm not getting?"
"Mr. Sullivan, I might not know many things about romance.
Well, scratch that, I know nothing about relationships.
" He shrugged. "I've never been in one. But I've seen Bevin break a lot of hearts since we've been friends, and that guy looked disappointed when you broke off your dinner plans with him. "
Prince leaned back in his seat and looked at Finn seriously. "What do you mean, you've never been in a relationship?"
Finn shrugged. "It's just never happened. I've been more focused on my studies."
"What about high school?"
Finn shook his head. "I studied all four years to get a scholarship to college, and when I got to the next step, it was to graduate."
"And now that you're so close?" Prince asked, reaching for a fry and devouring it.
"It's my internship, then maintaining a job," he said thoughtfully.
Finn's focus on his goals was one thing Prince liked about him. However, the kid was young and should enjoy his life. "You know what they say about all work and no play, Finn?"
"I guess many would say I lead a dull life, but I'm good with it. Once I get a stable foundation, I'll think about falling in love."
Prince tilted his head to the side and observed Finn. From what Bevin had mentioned, the kid was shy but self-assured and knew what he wanted. Prince knew that Bevin protected Finn, and he could see why. With his quiet beauty, it was surprising that Prince was only now beginning to notice.
When he was introduced to Finn years ago, Prince had been knee-deep in expanding the company and might have seemed dismissive.
Over the years, he had only taken time off from work to spend it with Bevin, mainly around the holidays, when Finn came once or twice.
During those times, Prince paid more attention to his son's needs than to his friend's. But now that Bevin wasn’t around, he could see Finn's beauty for the first time.
And gorgeous he was, with a smooth, elegant, almost poetic softness that blurred the lines between masculine and feminine. It added to the calm, steadfast grace in the way he carried himself, giving him a more mature aura, as if he belonged in another era, setting him apart from his peers.
Prince openly admired Finn while he ate, not missing a single detail.
From the dark hair that fell around his face, framing eyes that held emotions he might never speak aloud, to his flawless peach complexion, straight nose, and heart-shaped lips that any man or woman would find hard to pull away from.
Fuck, what the hell am I thinking? Prince questioned himself when he realized his thoughts were veering into territory they should not enter. This is Bevin's friend. I can't be thinking of him in that manner.
"Your happiness is all that matters," he said, reaching for his cellphone.
He sent a few instructions to Monroe, expecting them to be completed without fail.
He also sent a message to his special assistant.
Then he opened his email to distract himself.
Prince scanned through his messages. His family's business was mainly hotels and resort properties. Once he took over the company, he’d expanded its reach by investing in airlines, booking and travel agency platforms, cruise lines, theme parks, and entertainment ventures.
To strengthen his personal financial investments, Prince invested in wineries, breweries, and high-end couture fashion.
He also held a ten percent share in a technology company that Bevin started a few summers ago.
Prince had never forced his son into the family business.
However, he knew it was only a matter of time before Bevin took the reins from him.
Unlike his father, Prince wanted Bevin to pursue his own happiness rather than worry about family obligations.
So he was surprised when Bevin approached him just after his freshman year with a business proposal for a tech startup.
It was a solid proposal, but before Prince agreed to invest, he asked his son why.
Bevin said it was something he had to do, and that surprised Prince.
It took the company two years to find its footing, with Bevin dedicating time to it during school and over his summers. Prince had never seen his son work so hard, and he wondered just how much his friend knew about Bevin's endeavors.
"I'm done eating."
Prince looked up from his phone and noticed the kid had cleaned his plate. He nodded in approval, then stood, slid his phone into his pocket, and grabbed his coat. "Come on, let's go."
"Mr. Sullivan, you really don't have to show me to the cabin. I'm a big boy. I can find my way. All I need is the room number and the key."
"I'm not going to the room just because of you. I'm old, and it's my nap time." Prince shrugged and walked away, though not before hearing the kid mumble something under his breath.