16. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
W hy the board members assumed a charity gala was the solution to their problems, Morgan couldn’t understand. Pouring a bucket of gasoline on a roaring fire would've achieved the same thing.
He had attended enough of these events in the past for them to mesh into one grotesque abomination. A massive, warping beast with crushed velvet ropes for arms, crystal chandelier eyes, and the sound of champagne flutes for a voice.
Each was one hollow performance after another.
Worse yet, maintaining certain versions of himself required more concentration than others. The work persona—polished, polite, poised Morgan—was by far the most taxing. After eleven hours of that, the idea of spending four more locked in a space with donors and small talk sounded like the plot of a horror movie.
There had to be some sort of release or he was going to burst.
Last weekend’s excursion had already faded. That particular high wore off too quickly, leaving him drier and uneasier than ever. The time between his “outings” was shrinking, becoming less effective and less calculated.
Academically, he understood what that meant. It was a sign that he was devolving, spiraling deeper into a space some would call dangerous. Personally? He couldn’t convince himself to care.
Everyone could be reduced to nothing in the end. He was still human, after all.
Templing his hands against his forehead, he closed his eyes and waited for the exhaustion to pass—or better yet, for the world to dissolve for a while.
But Kate’s perfume and chipper, excited voice made it difficult to shut anything out for longer than a few seconds.
“What do you think of the drop earrings with this?”
“They’re fine.”
“Would you prefer the smaller cut diamonds instead?”
“I don’t plan on looking at your ears all night, Kate.”
The pause that followed should have been a relief, but it wasn’t .
“Morgan?”
Kate’s bright red face and shimmering, teary eyes when he looked up told him he’d been a little too quiet for too long. What section of the conversation he missed, he couldn’t remember. He smoothed it over with a smile.
“The drop earrings work best with that neckline.”
Her grateful look should have done something—sparked amusement, satisfaction, something . But it was like watching paint dry. She was utterly devoid of significance to him anymore.
“Hey, Morgan?”
Five steps.
Morgan had gotten five short steps from the main suite before something else required his attention.
And, of course, it was Lex.
Why was everyone so demanding? A moment of peace would have been such a welcome distraction. He swiped the app closed, shoved the phone into his pocket, and turned.
At least Lex had managed to clean up better than expected. The gray three-piece suit wasn’t exactly the right attire for a black-tie event, but it was better than whatever knock-off, bargain-bin jacket he usually dragged into the office.
“I already told you, you don’t have to go. They only need one of us.”
Leaning his shoulder against the open bathroom door, Lex shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Yeah, I know but I wanna be involved. How’s it gonna look if you show up and I don’t? Last thing I want is for the board members—like fucking Karen — to think I’m incompetent. Our first dinner went to hell in a handbasket, no thanks to you.”
“You are incompetent.”
“Whatever.” Lex rolled his eyes, teeth sunk into his lip. “Can you help me for a minute? Please?”
The word please hung there, its tone almost grudging. Though it was the first time Morgan had heard it when he wasn’t using Lex as his personal plaything.
“One minute.”
“Oh my god. Morgan. It’s a saying, not a literal time frame. I…” Lex paused, tilting his head back and forth, “I’d like to look nice for this. Like, nice -nice. Kate looks amazing last time I saw her and you…”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. Waiting. He knew exactly what Lex wanted to say. The deliberate silence was amusing in its awkwardness, but so was watching Lex squirm.
Whatever shared, fatalistic attraction they had was obvious now. But Lex would never be the one to say it first.
And neither would Morgan.
“You always look… like that.” Lex finished after a moment. “Super put-together. What I’m trying to ask is if you’d help me with my hair.”
Such a simple request felt like pulling teeth. If Lex had just started with that, instead of stumbling through half-baked compliments and self-conscious muttering, this entire exchange could have been over by now .
Without a word, Morgan nudged Lex further into the bathroom, motioning to the toilet seat. Lex plopped down with a graceless thud, unceremonious as always.
Running a hand through Lex’s hair, Morgan wrinkled his nose. Cutting it would’ve been easier—so much easier—but that would require a trip to a salon, and he didn’t have the patience or time. Between the tangled waves and sheer volume, it would take a miracle amount of gel to make it look presentable.
“Your jewelry doesn’t match the color you’re wearing,” Morgan said as he worked.
“No one’s gonna notice it.”
“True. But you should think about the details. A performance is for the crowd, not the actor himself.”
“If it doesn’t bother me, I do not care.”
Morgan hummed, setting the brush onto the counter and reaching for the small container of product. “At least change your tie.”
“Why? You’re wearing blue, and so is Kate. We can all match. Like a big, happy family.”
“I didn’t think you were that desperate to fit in. Didn’t you always ‘march to the beat of your own drum’ or whatever childish sentiment you’d spout?”
When Morgan glanced down, the flush creeping up Lex’s face gave him the answer he was looking for. A nerve struck. A crack forming.
And then, peace.
The entire house was quiet except for the hum of the overhead light and the faint clattering of Kate’s heels down the hall. There was only one thing that required his attention and it didn’t speak every three seconds.
All in all, the entire process was not as painful as Morgan originally thought it would be. He smoothed Lex’s hair back one final time, already regretting the stickiness when Lex grabbed hold of both of his wrists. It was both out of place and unwelcome, but he didn’t pull away.
“You’re making this harder for both of us,” Lex said, his voice quiet but weighted. “Just… tell me I’m right already. It’s going to get worse from here if not.”
This? Again?
Hadn’t they moved past this topic? How could Lex still be stuck on whatever he saw at the cabin?
Whatever he thought he saw.
And when did his little brother grow a backbone? Had it happened while he was sleeping?
There were too many questions. Too many things he wouldn’t be able to have answered before they had to venture out of this personal bubble they’d created in the house.
And maybe Lex needed a gentle reminder of who was holding the reins before then.
“Is that a threat?” Morgan’s lips twitched and he leaned in. “You don’t know who you’re playing with. You’ll regret not killing me when I gave you the chance.”
“I won’t.”
“You’re forgetting I know one of your most well-kept secrets.”
Lex glanced up, his brows furrowing. “What?”
“How badly do you want me to praise you right now? ”
“I don’t—”
“You looked so pretty underneath me the other night. Laying so still. So perfect. You performed amazingly, little brother. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
The blush darkened on Lex’s face. His mouth opened like he wanted to deny it a second time, say something, but no words came out.
Morgan didn’t bother to hide the satisfaction.
Lex’s suffocating need for attention had morphed into something deliciously usable. Another pawn to move.
Maybe Morgan should start keeping track of the points after all.