Chapter 3 #4
“I’m trying to figure out if I should say something about romance being dead after a winner of a statement like that.
Or if I should point out that alcoholic lubrication sounds exceptionally painful,” I said, cocking my head and squinting thoughtfully.
I ignored the scowl from Luka, the irritation on Rowan’s face, and the exasperation coming off Marc in palpable waves before nodding.
“I’ll go with both. Both sound good to me. ”
“To you and only you,” Luka said in an irritated huff before turning back to Rowan. “C’mon, let’s get you a drink. We’ll see how many we can get through before you decide I’m not fit for public display anymore.”
“That statement is so loaded it’s worried about inheritance tax,” Marc muttered, and then his expression went blank when Rowan and Luka both looked at him with almost identical expressions of shock.
“I…don’t get what that means,” Luka said slowly. “But, uh…was that a joke?”
“At our expense, no less,” Rowan said, cocking his head. “I know you were nursing a drink when I arrived, Marc, but how many before I showed up?”
“He can be funny,” I interrupted, a little annoyed on Marc’s behalf. “Consider it a sign that he likes you; now go get those drinks and don’t make a display of yourselves.”
Maybe another boss would have been pissed to have their employee flip them off over their shoulder as they left, but I wasn’t that boss.
It only made me laugh as Luka walked off with Rowan.
I couldn’t be sure, but I would swear he was trying to resist the urge to loop his arms through Rowan’s.
Maybe their relationship had started off on somewhat shaky and slightly dubious grounds, but I realized there was no imbalance between them.
“Maybe one day that won’t be weird, but now it is,” I admitted once they were out of sight and looked over at Marc.
He had left his suit jacket in his office, and at some point had unbuttoned his sleeves, rolling them up past his elbows.
Maybe it was because of the conversation I’d just had with Luka, or because he wasn’t normally that casual, especially not out of his office, but I found my eyes roaming his forearms for half a second, lingering on the vein that ran along the underside of his right arm and then brought my attention back to his face.
“Rowan and Luka?” he asked, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants and turning to glance at where they had just been.
I was proud that I only momentarily took advantage of his distraction to glance at his ass before meeting his eyes when he looked back.
“It’s…unorthodox, but I can see the appeal each has for the other. ”
“Really?” I asked doubtfully. “Since when do you evaluate people?”
He snorted, walking over to take the seat Luka had vacated. “Regular people make assumptions and come up with theories about people all the time, Reggie. It’s not just Guides and people who were Guides.”
“Alright, then what appeal do they have for each other?”
“I don’t think anyone would call Luka silly or frivolous; he’s clearly capable of being serious and doesn’t lack determination,” he said thoughtfully.
“But he’s far more lighthearted and capable of warmth than Rowan is.
I think the combination makes him appealing to Rowan.
And Rowan? Hmm, he’s serious, but he’s also stable and dependable.
From what you told me about Luka, stability wasn’t always something he could count on in his life.
Though considering how hard they were fighting to keep their hands to themselves, it’s obvious it’s not just a mental or emotional connection. ”
“And with booze thrown into the mix? They’re going to be like rabbits later,” I said with a sigh.
Marc chuckled, adjusting his tie even though it was still straight. “They’re in a new relationship. I think most people are given a free pass for being more…frisky than usual in a new relationship.”
“Frisky? Call a spade a spade; they’re horny.”
“Which doesn’t detract from what I said.”
“And that doesn’t weird you out, even a little?”
“Why should it?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.
“They’re two consenting adults. And despite spending most of my time out of the resort part of Arete, I’m not ignorant to what happens there.
I know we have what I can only call an unusual amount of male on male sexual activity.
Said with mild puzzlement rather than disgust, mind you. ”
“Well, I hope after Malcolm, and now me, you wouldn’t be weirded out by gay things,” I said with a snort. “Otherwise, I’d have a few questions for you.”
He rolled his eyes. “And since you clearly decided you were going to move on from the somewhat sketchy origins of their relationship, I see no point in hanging onto it either. Well, and it’s probably bad form to act uncomfortable about what is shaping up to be one of our biggest investor’s relationship. ”
My brow rose slowly. “He’s donating that much? I thought it was like…a polite number.”
“I won’t get into specifics, but if the amount he’s giving Arete per month is polite, then I would be most interested to see what generous looks like,” he said with a throaty chuckle that made me shift in my seat slightly.
I knew better than to push. Marc wasn’t trying to keep the finances away from me, even though we both knew I had a head for numbers in the same way a sieve was made for holding water.
No, he just didn’t like discussing the ‘business’ aspect of Arete when others could overhear.
He had also grown up in a family that, while wildly well-off, considered it bad taste to talk about personal finances, let alone do something as tasteless as brag about it.
Then again, they were private about many things, to the point that Marc had kept his divorce from Charlene out of the court and between their lawyers or in mediated, private meetings.
My family? Well, my mother’s side probably would have improved the ratings of Maury and Jerry Springer.
My father’s side had more class, but were still rough and crude compared to Marc’s far more reserved, dignified family.
There were still plenty of good people in my family, but they weren’t refined… and that included me.
I gave a low whistle. “Well, my apologies to Rowan for thinking less of him, and my greatest appreciation for giving this place money when it can be oh so helpful.”
Marc had never explained how we had stayed afloat before we’d found the first few steady investors, though I suspected it had come from his own bank accounts.
Even with the sort of figures he made, not only being a Shepherd, but from his years of business dealings, I imagined putting his money into this place must have made a noticeable, if not painful, hole in his wallet.
He wasn’t the sort to bring that up, let alone complain, so I had to make peace with the fact that I would probably never know the truth.
The suspicion had been enough for me to throw myself into the project with every ounce of my attention and passion.
If Marc was going to put that much money on the line, then I needed to be just as willing to throw in whatever I could because no way was I going to match him monetarily.
The combination of passion and focus from our united efforts had created Arete, and now, at least from how relaxed he seemed as he stared out the window after mentioning Rowan’s contribution, and probably others after Rowan’s positive review of Arete, it seemed we were finally in a place where we didn’t have to worry about numbers as much.
“And please tell me Rowan wasn’t right,” I said with a frown. “And that you weren’t up there having a solo staff party, just you, the plant I replaced two years ago, and your liquor bottles?”
“I was not having a solo…I’m sorry, what about my plant?”
“Marc, you killed that thing ages ago, or were about to. I’ve replaced it every couple of months for two years,” I said with a snort. “I always thought you knew; you notice everything else.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I thought it was an unusually hardy plant, but I never…you’ve seriously been swapping it out? What have you been doing? Sneaking in and making sure the new plant resembles the old one?”
“A bit of snipping here, pulling some parts out, and voila, it looks like the old one,” I said with a shrug. “You’ve never noticed. But then again, when you water the poor thing every couple of weeks, it’s hard for anything to live that long.”
“I always assumed it perked up after being watered,” he said with a frown. “You must have swapped it out after I watered it.”
“Watered the dead one, yeah,” I said with a snort. “It’s always good to see with my own eyes evidence that you are, in fact, fallible.”
“I feel there are better ways to do it than gaslighting me over a houseplant.”
“Gaslighting is such a harsh word.”
“What would you call it?”
“Maintaining your self-delusion.”
“That…is not better.”
I smirked, looking him over. “Then how about I buy you a drink? If your plant isn’t going to get watered, you might as well.”
“Sure,” he said with a smile. “Go ahead and ‘buy’ me a drink.”
“Let’s go make some questionable decisions,” I said with a laugh as I stood up and fought the urge to reach out as he got to his feet, but his groan of fear was enough for now.