17. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
M organ checked his appearance one more time in the phone’s camera, pushing the stray piece of hair back into place. Even the smile looked forced tonight.
This cannot be over fast enough.
Shoving the phone back into the inner pocket of his jacket, he dragged his eyes forward .
The venue was a predictable display of wealth—some historic ballroom inside of a mansion with vaulted ceilings and a sprawling, velvet - covered staircase. Of course , it was velvet. There were even the boring gold chandeliers, dripping with faux diamonds. Guests, donors, and colleagues milled about below, glasses in hand, their conversations melting into the sounds of an overpriced string quartet.
It was all the same. Nothing had changed. Networking and power plays disguised as philanthropy.
Kate, at least, seemed to be handling herself well. Though her grip was tight on his arm and she kept touching her necklace like it would disappear at any moment. An admirable show of bravery, if Morgan could find it in himself to care at all.
But Lex was a different story.
He looked like a tourist. The suit helped some—enough to pass—but he couldn’t even shut his mouth.
“So, why do you hate these things again?” he asked, his neck craning in every possible direction, eyes the size of saucers.
Morgan resisted the urge to sigh. Or shove him down the stairs. The latter would’ve been far more amusing, watching Lex tumble down into a mess of shattered bones and blood… the idea sent pleasure up the back of his skull.
“It’s disgusting. All of it. The house, the people…”
Lex leaned over a little closer, his voice dropping. “Then fuck the people, man. I wanna live here. Can you imagine the parties? This is the dream.”
His little brother was utterly hopeless.
“You’re drooling on the carpet,” Morgan muttered. “It’s fundraiser. Not a carnival. Compose yourself. ”
Lex’s grin widened but he didn’t respond.
Once they reached the bottom, Morgan found himself face-to-face with someone he vaguely recognized as one of the firm’s long-time donors, his handshake too firm.
“Morgan. Look at you, all grown up,” the man said, his exaggerated smile as performative as Morgan’s own. “You’re the spitting image of your father in his prime. I’m sorry to hear about James’ passing.”
“Thank you. We’re somehow managing to get along without him, but it hasn’t been easy.”
“And who are these two lovely young people?”
Lovely young people. The cringe rolled through Morgan’s spine and settled into his shoulders.
“This is Kate,” Morgan said, the side of his shoe nudging her heel. She let go of his arm immediately, shaking the man’s hand. “My fiancée. And this—”
“Alexander Whitlock,” Lex’s hand shot out comically fast. “But please, call me—”
“So you’re the infamous Lex?” the man interrupted. “James spoke highly of you.”
“He what?”
Lex’s gaze snapped to Morgan, confusion written all over his face, and Morgan shook his head.
That had been the first thought to go through his mind too, but he had enough self-control not to blurt it out.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” the man laughed. “James had a great eye for talent. He said you had… what was it… oh, a ‘unique perspective’ I believe were his exact words. ”
Morgan felt the vessel in his eyelid twitch. Unique. Perspective. That was rich. His father handed out compliments like a miser doling out pennies.
“Well, if that’s the case, I’m flattered,” Lex mumbled. He cleared his throat. “Thank you for telling me. Not everyone can be as perfect as Morgan, so I’m glad to be considered an asset where I can.”
Morgan’s fingers curled at his sides. Whatever that was—a jab, some backhanded compliment, or Lex running his mouth—he didn’t like it.
He hadn’t realized how tight his arms were until Kate looped hers through one again, her cheek resting on his shoulder. It was subtle. Grounding. Enough to keep him from biting Lex’s head off in public.
As soon as the man moved on, Lex turned to Morgan, his voice quiet. “Your dad talked about me? Since when? He fucking hated me .”
“Don’t read into it too much. It was probably filler conversation to entertain the elite. He never mentioned it to me either.”
As much as Morgan wanted to believe the dismissal, he couldn’t. If his father had said those things, it would make sense why Lex was written into the will.
He’d initially convinced himself it was some cruel twist of fate—that the one person he dreaded seeing had been thrust back into his life purely by chance.
But no. This had James Delacroix’s fingerprints all over it.
Even from the grave, his father managed to meddle in affairs he had no space in. He hadn’t just been an ass in life; he was the kind of man who orchestrated chaos, and this was the final, calculated result. Another way to control the narrative.
Morgan’s lips pressed into a thin line as he glanced back to Lex, whose expression had fallen into something almost pitiable.
Almost.
After one too many handshakes and insufferable pleasantries, the Old Fashioned in Morgan’s hand had never tasted so good. Bitter and floral was a divine combination—his favorite—and this one was smooth enough to cut through the tension coiled in his chest.
He wanted to drain the glass in one go, sink into the warmth in his stomach, and then signal for another… and another. But even if a car was waiting, he had to keep his wits about him. Spiraling wasn’t an option. Not here. Not tonight.
Dealing with these people was enough to send him to the bottle for relief.
Morgan brought the glass to his lips again, savoring the burn as he forced himself to sip. To stretch the drink out as long as possible. Maybe it would be the thing to finally drown out the insistent pulsing behind his eyes.
It wasn’t going to be Allison’s voice, he knew that much for certain. She hadn’t stopped talking since she spotted them across the room.
“Lex has been adjusting well, hasn’t he?” she prattled on, her aging hands moving faster than her mouth. “The last time I sat in one of his presentations, I was impressed. ”
“Remarkable,” Morgan muttered, the smile on his face brittle.
Lex laughed. “Remarkable? Really? You’ve called me a disaster four different times, Morgan.”
“It’s a compliment,” Kate said softly, her nails drumming against the side of her wineglass.
“Oh, I know. It’s just funny, isn’t it?” Lex’s smirked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Morgan saying one thing in public and another behind closed doors.”
There it was again. That deliberate jab hidden beneath casual words. Morgan’s jaw tensed, his tongue pressing against his bottom teeth.
He didn’t rise to the challenge.
“I’m just glad we’re able to continue my father’s legacy,” Morgan said, smoothing his face into something that appeared interested. “Did you entertain the idea of selling, Allie? I saw the paperwork.”
Allison raised her hand to her chest, her head shaking in practiced innocence. A flicker of an image—her fragile neck-snapping, eyes dull and lifeless—flashed in Morgan’s mind before it dissolved.
“Oh, heavens no,” she murmured. “The offers were there, as you would expect. Bunch of vultures that they are. But we knew how much the company meant to James.”
“It was his first love. Second only to Alex’s mother.”
“I just adore Susanna. Has the topic of you two working together come up before? Family dinners or the like? It must be fun. I could only dream of running a business with my sister.”
How many times had Morgan heard the same sentence, rearranged by different people, at different times? Answering was becoming monotonous .
“No.” He shifted his gaze to Lex, lingering for a fraction of a second, before returning his attention to Allison. “Fun is one way to put it. But if I’m being honest, it’s more complex than you’d think. I try to make sure Alex adapts the best he can without sacrificing my own performance.”
“You’re being modest, Morgan.” Lex pushed his wineglass to the side, clasping his hands together on top of the high table. “You’ve been so much more than hands-on with me. I think having someone to… tutor, has helped your performance dramatically, don’t you?”
What are you doing, little brother?
“Well, Morgan does have high standards,” Allison said with a tinny laugh before he could respond. “It’s what keeps things running smoothly.”
Lex pulled his shoulders back, his gaze glued to Morgan from across the table. “He does, doesn’t he? It’s a wonderful act. Difficult to keep up with sometimes.”
There was a moment of peace in the bathroom.
That’s all Morgan had ever asked for. Peace. Calm. Solitude. Had he ever been granted even one of those things? No. Especially not while Lex was around.
He let the water run over his hands, watching the ripples in the pearl sink as the noise faded into a dull hum. The steady stream of people coming and going barely registered anymore.
If Lex kept on like this, there wasn’t going to be anything left to save him. Not a single thing. Not even Morgan’s restraint. Snapping Lex in two perfect pieces, severing him down the middle like an autopsy gone wrong, would give Morgan the solace he was searching for.
When the door opened again, bits and pieces of Kate’s voice floated in, strained but audible.
“—go mingle.”
Morgan moved over toward the waiting towels, close enough he could hear whatever she was talking about. With whoever she was talking to.
“The hell should I do that for?” Lex asked. “This is way more fun.”
“You can’t keep riling him up.”
“ Riling him— alright, Kate. Sure . ”
“You… you need to stop making things difficult for yourself.”
Lex laughed. “Morgan does that for me.”
Yanking open the door before it went too far, Morgan stepped out. The noise of the hallway rushed back into his ears, but all he could focus on was Lex. Always waiting. That smug face tugged at the edges of his patience and the tether holding him together thinned.
“You were in there a while,” Lex said, the glint in his eye unmistakable. “Too much bourbon, big brother ? I know how much you love your brown liquor. Whiskey is always your first choice, right?”
Morgan ground his teeth together, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. “May I speak with you? In private.”
“Yeah, of course. No problem.”
Lex’s voice carried an easy nonchalance, and the second they walked away from Kate, he slung his arm over Morgan’s shoulders. To anyone else, it was harmless—brothers being brothers, or perhaps a drunk friend desperate for support.
But Lex leaned his head down to Morgan’s ear, and even his breath was taunting, coated in venom. “What’s wrong, big brother ? Did I embarrass you? Offend you? You look so incredibly pissed. That perfect mask is cracking.”
“Shut up,” Morgan hissed. “Stop talking or your head will be the only thing cracking. Do you understand?”
The coat room was the only escape. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the one thing Morgan could find before he lost it entirely. There was no time to drag Lex outside and the gala was still in its early hours; no one would come looking here.
Even if there was no door.
Morgan grabbed Lex’s wrist, pulling him to the back. Furs, silks, and satins would be the things to hear them. Nothing living or breathing. From this angle, he could still keep an eye on the ballroom.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Morgan murmured, the tremble betraying the deep, dark fury simmering in his chest.
Lex had the audacity—the gall— to flutter his eyelashes, feigning innocence. “Making conversation. Isn’t… isn’t that the whole point? To network?”
“You are not here to make a spectacle of yourself. Or me.” Morgan took one step closer, keeping the distance between them at arm’s length. He couldn’t risk more than that.
“A spectacle?” Lex tilted his head to the side, his doe-eyed expression widening before he dropped it with a quiet scoff. “I’m just playing along with your performance, Morgan. Didn’t you tell me I performed well ?”
Morgan was moving toward him, even as the voice in the back of his mind screamed to stop. This was the thing that could explode his entire career. Lex wasn’t worth it. And yet, the fire burned hotter, clouding the edges of rational thought.
“Choose your next words very carefully. You don’t know how far you can push before it backfires. This won’t be fun anymore.”
Leaning back against the empty counter, Lex crossed one leg in front of the other. The picture of casual. “Oh, that’s the thing. I know just how far I’m going to push. And I’m already having a fucking blast .”
Lex’s fingers grazed the shoulder of Morgan’s suit, picking off some invisible something, and the smug little smile spread into a grin. Morgan could already feel the urge to rip each of those teeth from Lex’s mouth—root and all—needling at him.
“Lemme talk for a sec,” Lex said calmly, “since you look like you’re about to blow a gasket. This version of you? God, I fucking hate it. I hate seeing it. Talking to it. It’s not you—we both know that. The real you? Now that… that I like.”
“Why do you think I wanted to look my best tonight?” He pushed himself away from the counter, stepping closer. “This is going to be the moment you remember for the rest of your life, Morgan. That, seriously? Fuck you. I can play with the same rules. My way. I was even nice enough to warn you. Not my fault you didn’t listen.”
There was no warning this time, no slow build-up. Morgan didn’t feel the usual rotting, sick black coating his insides. It simply detonated, sudden, and consuming .
Before he knew it, his hand was around Lex’s throat, the pressure of his palm on skin, tension radiating up his arm. Lex’s eyes narrowed—equal parts fear and that dangerous flicker of thrill that Morgan hated. Craved.
“Look who decided to participate in our game,” Morgan murmured, soft and sweet into Lex’s ear. “Look who decided to finally show up.”
He tightened his grip, listening to the delightful, broken choking sound spilling from Lex’s throat. It blended so beautifully with the music and laughter from outside. Even with Lex’s hands clawing against the sides of his neck in some futile attempt at leverage.
“Except, if I were you, I wouldn’t drag the different versions of me into it. You think you’re clever, don’t you?”
Lex’s scrabbling fingers dug into Morgan’s shoulders. Weak. Desperate. Morgan felt the buckle in Lex’s knees, how his head lolled to one side more than the other.
“Don’t pass out on me yet,” Morgan whispered, licking his lips. He loosened his grip just enough to hear the air scrape through Lex, the ragged gasps rattling in a way the string quarter never could. “We’re just getting started. Is this still fun for you, little brother?”
Trembling arms clinging to Morgan like Lex could hold himself up through sheer willpower, Lex nodded. The tremors, the way his hips shifted against Morgan, however, told a different story. Lex’s body felt terrified even if his small mind hadn’t caught up yet.
Again, Morgan squeezed. Harder than before, just a fraction. He let his eyes close, his lips resting against Lex’s jaw. The tightness—the fear—pouring off Lex in waves was intoxicating. An irresistible pull drowning him in its weight. He wanted to sink his teeth into the scent of soap and shaving cream and devour it.
Lex’s grip slackened, his hands slipping down. The erratic rise and fall of his chest slowed to almost a stop, and Morgan released him.
Like the perfect puppet he was, Lex crumpled to the ground. Violent coughs racked his body, his shoulders shaking as he pressed his fingers against his throat. Morgan tilted his head, savoring the view. He’d barely gotten himself to calm down when he heard someone calling his name.
“Do not move—do not speak— or I’ll break your arm later,” he gritted out, pulling his eyes up and over.
And who was coming into the coat room?
Jacob Hampton.
Morgan’s excitement drained faster than if he had pulled the plug in a sink. Seeing Jacob again, after all these years, was more offensive than surprising. Like an insult to this meticulous craft he’d perfected.
He stepped toward the counter, blocking Lex in with his legs—the last thing he needed was that pale head popping up and making life more difficult. That particular situation would’ve looked… damning. He couldn’t talk his way out of the scandal.
“Jake,” he said smoothly, extending his hand. “It’s been a while.”
“If that’s not the understatement of the century,” Jacob murmured with an oily, thin chuckle. The handshake was, thankfully, brief. “College feels like forever ago. Were you looking for some peace and quiet too?”
Mirroring the laugh, Morgan shrugged. “Where else to go besides the coat room? How is your firm doing? Well, I hope. ”
It was unsettling to feel Lex’s hands on his calves, head resting against his thigh. Lex had almost stopped shaking, and Morgan had to stamp down the new urge to drive the heel of his polished shoe into whatever soft part he could find.
“As well as to be expected,” Jacob sighed, “considering the time of year and the current market. But what can you do? A little birdie told me you rode off into the sunset. What brings you back?”
“Familial obligation. My father died and the business landed in my lap.”
“Who would’ve thought we’d be in business against each other?” Jacob folded his arms atop the counter, chin resting on the back of his hand. “I’d always assumed we’d find something else to do together. Sophomore year was… erotic to say the least.”
Morgan’s smile faltered. He had no interest in talking about what happened six years ago—less so when he felt the strange tingle of Lex’s fingers tightening on his legs.
“Didn’t you just say college was forever ago?” Morgan asked, another laugh scraping out of him. “Why drudge up the past now?”
“Was I an experiment to you, Morgan? You can’t brush off what we did as some drunken encounter or a couple of frat boys being boys.”
The words sifted in and out of Morgan’s ears, but most of his attention had diverted to whatever Lex was doing under the counter.
Lex’s hands had slid up Morgan’s calves to his inner thighs with a touch that felt extremely inappropriate. Distracting.
This wasn’t the right time.
“I think we were looking for the same thing back then,” Morgan said. He moved his hand down, the frustration too potent to ignore. Pressing his palm against Lex’s face, he shoved him back, firm enough to get his point across.
Lex didn’t stop like a normal person would have. Didn’t back down. Instead, his tongue darted out, gliding up Morgan’s wrist. It traced Morgan’s thumb so slowly that shivers raced down his spine.
The obscenity spun his mind in a different direction. For a second, Morgan nearly stopped breathing. Every part of him tensed, and he glanced down before he could stop himself.
Lex’s huge blue eyes met his and, as if on cue, he wrapped his hand around Morgan’s wrist. Slipping the thumb out, he pulled Morgan’s first two fingers into his mouth instead. His tongue swirled around them, languid and torturous, before he shoved them so far back, that Morgan could feel the resistance of his throat.
“You’re always attached to your phone,” Jacob’s voice cut through and it took too much concentration to tune back into the conversation.
“Yes…” Morgan muttered, forcing his eyes up. “That tends to happen. Even during a party, someone always needs me.”
“Well, no matter.” Jacob flashed a grin, gaze roaming down Morgan’s face. There was a moment when he was certain Jacob knew what was happening out of sight. He was positive. But it passed as quickly as it came. “They can wait, can’t they? I haven’t seen you in ages and you’re occupied with me right now.”
It was the sort of comment that would have set Morgan off—the idea that he owed anyone his time, that someone was worthy of his undivided attention. The arrogance was disgusting.
But Lex’s mouth wasn’t on his fingers anymore.
No .
Instead, he was tugging down the zipper of Morgan’s slacks one tooth at a time, the sound impossibly loud.
The flood of arousal drowned out the edges of irritation, leaving him clinging to whatever control he could manage.
“Of course,” Morgan said, his voice tight to his own ears. “But why don’t we keep it professional? I don’t want our personal life to inter—” He cleared his throat, barely able to mask the stutter in his breath. “Interfere with our professional.”
Necessity was the god of hypocrisy.
Morgan was acutely aware of that as Lex freed his cock, trembling fingers running along the hard length. The hesitation when they found the ladder of piercings along the underside was almost palpable.
A Jacob’s ladder. It was funnier than it should have been considering…
“I don’t see why we can’t have both,” Jacob countered, insistent as ever. “Business partners by day, lovers by night. It worked out fine for us before, didn’t it?”
“We were students. Not quite functional adults. The circumstances were different.” Morgan gripped the edge of the marble, fighting to conceal every single emotion threatening to pour out of him.
Lex’s inexperience was painfully obvious—the wet, stop-and-start of his tongue, the awkward way his hand wrapped around. Surely, Lex had touched himself at some point. Let some girl suck him off. Surely. But the uncertainty left Morgan balancing between outright laughter and the need to clench his jaw to smother the groan.
Poor Lex. In over your head again .
“Circumstances have a funny way of repeating themselves. It’s silly to fight something that’s bound to happen.”
Morgan’s lips curled into a polite, distant smile. “Jake. Nothing is ever set in stone. Circumstances are just that—circumstantial.”
Lex’s teeth grazed the head of his cock, the slightest hint of pressure, and the anticipation was too much. Morgan slid his free hand behind Lex’s head, fisting his hair and yanking him closer until he felt that nose slam against his groin. Lex dug his fingers into Morgan’s thighs, mouth and throat convulsing around him.
If Lex was already here—already willing —what would the harm be in using him just a little longer?
Jacob was saying… something, but Morgan couldn’t be assed to figure out what or why he was still there in the first place. It all disappeared into this white buzz, an electric hum, as he tugged Lex’s head back slightly before forcing his cock back into that sweet little mouth. Tongue and teeth, wet and tight—it was all he could do not to give in on the spot and let lust take over completely.
And Lex? All of that common sense must have disappeared.
There should have been more of a struggle. Should have been that soft gag. A sob. Something to give himself away. But there wasn’t. There was only a hum, so quiet Morgan couldn’t hear it but he could feel it—vibrating against the piercings until his eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head.
He couldn’t help but pull Lex back again and again, fucking his cock deep into that waiting throat. Reveling in the suction, the pressure of those fingers clawing into his thighs .
Morgan let himself drown in it. Drown in the eager wetness, the firm press of Lex’s skull when it met his groin. The way his delicate little brother had no problem swallowing him down.
It wasn’t until the flat of Lex’s hand slammed into his thigh—harder this time, a warning—that he stopped. He eased his grip, expecting to feel the cool rush of air when Lex moved back. When that never came? He glanced back down for a second, just one, and the sight was mesmerizing.
Lex’s lips stretched around his cock, cheeks hollow with sheer effort and determination. Those blue eyes shimmering with tears, streaked down his cheeks.
“Morgan, are you even listening to me?”
He tore his gaze away only to find Jacob staring at him with a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
Jacob shook his head, his posture straightening as he put more distance between them. “You’ve been looking at me this whole time, but I don’t really believe you’ve heard a word I’ve said, have you?”
“Guilty as charged,” Morgan managed, his voice too ragged. Too obvious. He forced on another smile, placing both hands on top of the counter. Rubbing his palms against the marble did little to calm the coil tightening in his lower stomach.
He should have shoved Lex away, ended this bizarre encounter before it embarrassed them both.
But he didn’t. He couldn’t.
Not when he felt Lex’s tongue tracing each of the piercings so slowly—so clearly—he could almost see it. Not when he felt Lex’s hand inside his pants, fingertips rolling against his balls.
Breathing suddenly became a monumental challenge .
“Let’s put a pin in this conversation,” was all he could get out.
“I’ll hold you to that, Morgan.”
With a casual knock of his fist on the counter, Jacob turned and walked off, his footsteps echoing against the floor until they disappeared around the corner.
“Reckless isn’t a strong enough word,” Morgan murmured, finally able to relax the muscles in his thighs and arms. His entire body thrummed. Intense. Overwhelming. Teetering right on the edge of release.
And Lex chose that exact moment to stop what he was doing—ensuring Morgan paid his penance for the crime they just committed. He unlatched his lips with an obscenely wet pop and Morgan couldn’t suppress the groan this time.
Allowing his little brother to do whatever he pleased, encouraging it…
Stupid.
That had been exceptionally stupid.
Shivers ran down his spine as rearranged himself. Zipping his pants was the last thing he wanted to do, and it proved nearly impossible, but it was a necessity.
Taking one step back, Morgan tilted his head to the side.
Lex hadn’t moved, not really. His chest heaved, breath catching just loud enough as the swell of the quartet died down. But his eyes? They were fixed on nothing—vacant, distant, glazed over. That too-vibrant blue against his flushed, red face and swollen lips only made him look more inviting.
“Don’t,” Lex whispered before Morgan could even open his mouth a second time. “Just—just don’t. ”
“Don’t what, exactly?”
The dark spot on Lex’s gray pants was curious. Especially when Morgan took the placement into careful consideration.
He crouched down, rolling his lips together to keep the smile at bay.
“Don’t ask how much you enjoyed yourself?”
“I…” Lex’s voice cracked, his hand rubbing against his throat as he swallowed. “I couldn’t breathe , Morgan. You can’t—”
“The only thing I told you was not to move or speak. The rest? That was all you. What’s your excuse now, little brother?”
Of course, Lex didn’t have a single answer for that.
Not one word.
And Morgan hated how much that irritated him.