The Next Book Boyfriend
Gage
A fter the worst week of my life, I planned on going home to my Beverly Hills mansion, diving to the bottom of one of the top-shelf vodka bottles I have in my freezer, and drinking the bad memories away.
As I was stepping out of the courtroom, my buddy Phoenix texted me and invited me to join him and Shane for drinks and dinner.
Although Phoenix sits at the helm of a conglomerate of luxury hotels, the CEO and magnate needs some breathing room. Something that’s impossible to do when he’s in one of his hotels, restaurants, or lounges.
The Quintus Hotel is our hangout, so that’s where he’s hiding out.
There’s nothing like a public trial and the slandering of your good name to make a man irritable as fuck. To say my fuse has been short in these past few months would be an understatement.
I get out of my chauffeured Rolls Royce and stalk towards the Quintus’s entrance. I step inside the luxury hotel and make my way to the elevators. I don’t have to wait long for a car to reach the lobby.
I invite a group of women to step in before me.
A couple of them check me out.
With a polite smile, I park myself at the back of the elevator as more people file in. As we ride up, I pull out my phone and check the latest headlines.
‘GAGE HOLLINGSWORTH FALSELY ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND HARASSMENT’
‘TALENTLESS WANNABE ACCUSES STREAMING MOGUL GAGE HOLLINGSWORTH OF BLACKMAILING HER AND THREATENING TO RAPE HER. ALL LIES’
‘SALLY brOUGHTON AND BOYFRIEND CON AMERICA INTO BELIEVING THEIR FILTHY LIES’
‘19-YEAR-OLD SALLY brOUGHTON’S ATTEMPT TO RUIN GAGE HOLLINGSWORTH’S REPUTATION. ALL THAT FOR 15 MINUTES OF FAME’
‘SALLY brOUGHTON. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME’
‘OPEN LETTER TO SALLY brOUGHTON: WHEN LIARS WITHOUT SCRUPLES CRY WOLF, IT HURTS REAL VICTIMS’
‘VERDICT CLEARS GAGE HOLLINGSWORTH’S NAME. CASE CLOSED’
I shake my head and tuck my phone away.
I let out a long sigh, my eyes lifting to the ceiling, thanking God and my parents for watching over me.
By the time the elevator reaches my floor, I’m the only one left.
I exit and stroll down the corridor.
I check my Ballon Bleu Cartier watch.
Seven.
After a week of not being able to eat because of the stress over this trial, I hope tonight I’ll be able to enjoy food.
I step inside Moonlight.
“Good evening, Mr. Hollingsworth,” the ma?tre d’ says.
“Good evening.”
“Mr. Konig mentioned you’d join him and Mr. Dennison for dinner.”
“Indeed.”
The ma?tre d’ leans into the high desk. “Congratulations. I hope you sue them for what they did to you. That was disgusting.” He pulls away.
“Don’t worry. They’ll get what’s coming to them.”
“Good.” He responds with a firm nod. “The boyfriend has money?—”
“And he’s about to lose a lot of it.” My voice is so cold, I’m surprised ice pellets don’t float in the air.
“Leave him with only the shirt on his back.”
“I don’t think I have it in me to be that generous.”
The ma?tre d’ flashes me an evil grin.
I respond in kind.
“Mr. Konig is at his favorite table. Let me take you.”
“I know my way.”
“Very well.”
With that, I stride through the restaurant.
It’s a full house.
No surprise.
There’s a reason, Zagat coined Moonlight “casual fine dining at its best”. Leave it to Larkin Gallagher for hitting it out of the park. Everything he touches turns to gold.
I spot Phoenix and Shane at an isolated table near the floor-to-ceiling windows.
My friends stand up to greet me.
“Hey,” I say, taking Shane in a bro hug.
Phoenix receives the same treatment.
After the customary greetings, I unbutton my suit jacket, and sit down.
From their half empty tumblers, I’m guessing they got here not long ago.
“I would’ve expected you guys to be hanging out at the whiskey bar,” I say.
“We were there,” Shane says. “The bar menu wasn’t enough for me. I needed real food.”
“No food at your house, Dennison?”
Shane chuckles. “There’s plenty of food.
Collin and I were in Vegas all day. It was non-stop.
We had a few interviews with a morning show and a daytime entertainment show mid-day.
Afterwards, we were whisked away to a new hotel that carries our equipment for a ribbon cutting.
In other words, we had a full day in Sin City. ”
Levi Aldridge and his wife are Collin and Shane Dennison’s business partners. They co-own Fit Thonix Sport Challenge Equipment. These four went from zero to multibillions in sales in the bat of an eyelash.
“Where’s your brother, Shane?”
“He had to fly to Miami,” he says. “Since I have to be in San Diego in two days, we had to divide and conquer.”
I nod. “Got it.”
A waitress approaches our table.
I place my drink order. Phoenix and Shane top up theirs, and we order an assortment of appetizers.
It doesn’t take long before the waitress is back with our drinks and a ton of food.
I lift my glass in salute.
Shane does the same.
“Here’s to the bad guys going down,” Phoenix says.
“I can drink to that,” I say.
Shane lifts his glass a bit higher. “Same.”
We clink glasses.
Phoenix and Shane take a sip of their drinks.
I gulp half of my vodka on the rocks. I welcome the icy coldness of the liquor as it coats my insides. It’s not enough to erase the last week, but it’s a good start.
“Slow down, cowboy,” Phoenix says.
“You’re right,” I say. “I need some food.”
I load up a plate with an assortment of appetizers.
Shane and Phoenix do the same.
The nervous energy I’ve been carrying with me all week dictates my every move. I eat like a man who stepped out of prison an hour ago. I empty my plate in a few bites and polish off my drink.
The weight of two pairs of blue eyes staring at me is unmistakable.
I meet my friends’ bewildered gazes.
Shane opens his mouth to say something, but the waitress appears at our table. “Another drink, sir?”
“Yes, please.”
“Holy shit, Hollingsworth,” Phoenix says.
“If it wasn’t for your text, I probably would be halfway down a bottle of vodka by now,” I say. “Food wouldn’t even be part of the equation.”
“And you would’ve ended up with a helluva hangover,” Shane says. “I guess you’re taking the day off and you won’t report for duty as CEO in the morning?”
“I’ll report for duty, just not bright and early.”
“When are you ever bright ?” Phoenix says.
“Leave him alone.” Shane comes to my defense. “The man was put through the wringer in the last week, and a different verdict could’ve sent his life spiraling.”
Truer words have never been spoken.
The waitress is back with my drink.
After thanking her, I take a long swig. I’m tempted to polish it off in one gulp, but I resist.
Shane and Phoenix are staring at me as if I’m an alien.
“If you count when this nightmare began, it’s been three months of hell on earth.” I drop my tumbler on the table. “Today, was the accumulation of it all.”
“I still can’t believe this shit,” Phoenix says. “Good thing you had Jordana in your corner.”
“Loki’s mom lives up to her reputation of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. On top of that, she handled the press with a lot more finesse and diplomacy than I ever could.”
“It was a smart strategy for you to keep quiet,” Phoenix says.
“After weeks of dodging a mob of entertainment reporters and content creators, without so much as looking at them, I was able to make a statement. I’m innocent. ”
“The two most critical words in our legal system,” Phoenix says.
Ain’t that the truth.
“Jordana’s gagging order nearly killed me, but I’m glad I agreed. Everything that came out of those reporters’ mouths set me off. I’ve never had to exert as much restraint in my life.”
“They’re pros at poking the bear.”
“Phoenix is right,” Shane says. “Good for you for not falling for their manipulation tactics.”
“Anything you would’ve said would’ve played against you,” Phoenix says. “And once it’s on news channels’ socials, it’s a bitch to get it off the internet. It doesn’t matter how many billions of dollars you have in the bank.”
“Which is why I swallowed my anger throughout the trial,” I say. “If that trial had lasted one more week, I would’ve ended up with a fucking ulcer.”
“Glad it’s over,” Shane says. “You endured enough damage to your reputation. Thank God justice prevailed . ”
I lift my glass. “Jordana Berkshire is a lethal weapon.”
Phoenix chuckles. “Don’t mess with that woman if you know what’s good for you.”
Shane nods. “Loki’s mom is a force. She eats, sleeps, and breathes PR.”
“She’s the top gun of public relations crisis management,” I say. “My dream team of lawyers would’ve gotten me off, but Jordana cleaned my public image. And that’s priceless.”
“These influencers make money so fast, it has little to no value to them.” Shane shakes his head, disapproval etching his features.
I nod.
Phoenix adjusts his tie. “Their constant need for over-the-top sensationalism is irritating.”
“They’re not all bad apples,” I say, “but those who push the envelope too far, fuck it up for the ones who walk the straight and narrow.”
“Just because you made a name for yourself by using Photoshop to dupe people, it doesn’t mean it should be your license to ruin other people’s reputation and life,” Shane says.
Phoenix nods. “You’re going to sue them, right?”
“The ma?tre d’ asked me the same question,” I say.
Shane leans into the table. “And?”
Phoenix cocks a brow.
I take another long swig of my drink. “I’m going to make Sally and Chuck pay. They’ll regret ever crossing me. By the time I’m done with them, they’ll only have a pair of socks and dirty underwear to their names. Chuck may be worth three million dollars. I have several billions .”
“Good,” Shane says at the same time as Phoenix says, “They deserve to get their asses handed to them on a platter.”
“I’m happy to oblige.”