Chapter 29 #2
“Or kill them before they spread,” Wyatt added casually.
Lawson nodded, “Absolutely.”
“Now, we can talk real numbers,” Colton said after we took control of the room and the deal.
The moment the helicopter touched down, I pushed open the cabin door and stepped out into the warm Los Angeles night.
Wind from the slowing rotors tore across the private rooftop platform high above my hotel, carrying the distant sound of music and the glow of the city that stretched endlessly below us.
I glanced over, seeing downtown shimmer in its usual gold tones, blanketed in white haze. Wyatt and Colton were behind me as the three of us moved across the landing platform while staff approached the aircraft with quiet efficiency.
Most patrons of my hotel had no idea the hotel even housed a secure landing deck above the rooftop lounge. From below, all they saw was the black glass crown of the building glowing against the skyline while they drank overpriced whiskey, pretending proximity to power meant they possessed it.
Wyatt glanced over the edge toward the rooftop lounge below, where fire features flickered between crowded VIP sections and pools that reflected the skyline.
“Looks packed.”
“As it should,” I replied.
As we approached the private elevator doors, Colton loosened his tie slightly. “Will Sebastian be here tonight?”
I nodded. “He and Jim arrived a few minutes ago with Spencer,” I answered as the elevator doors opened.
“Good, I need to ask him about the winery doing deliveries,” Wyatt said.
“Good luck,” I smirked. “He’s not one to talk business over drinks unless it benefits him, and you know this.”
Wyatt chuckled as we stepped out of the elevator and through the open terrace that led to the rooftop lounge.
I gave my hostess a brief nod, then, after confirming everything was running smoothly and with the precision I demanded of my employees, I walked over and sat with the men who were waiting for us.
“After today, gentlemen,” I started as the waiter set my usual drink in front of me, “I’m going to need more than one of these.” I raised my glass to the men and nearly downed the entire thing.
“Shit,” Jim said with a laugh. “Spence said you reported in that the investors tried to give you hell today…” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I thought he was lying.”
I grinned over at him. “There’s nothing like dealing with the typical bullshit when rumors start about my company.”
“What happened?” Sebastian asked. “Nothing ever gets under your skin that easily.”
Before I could respond to defend myself, Wyatt did.
“Fuckers were trying to give us hell for backing out of Maldives,” he said, taking a casual drink of his whiskey, “as if the project might now be a liability.”
Jim rolled his eyes. “They’ll use any excuse these days to make us throw a stupid party so they can get out with their mistresses and play for a night.”
“You’re not lying,” Spencer said with a laugh. “But,” he looked at me after Jake, Collin, and John Aster joined us at the table, “as I was saying earlier, shit like that is merely catnip for Titus.”
“Today it wasn’t,” I said casually.
“What’s got Casanova so twisted up in his designer boxer briefs tonight?” Jake asked with a grin.
I looked over at Jake’s probing eyes and knew the bastard was reading me like a book. It was as if he and Collin were psychically connected because Collin looked directly at me, as if waiting for me to reveal some dark secret.
“I know you surgeons bust your ass for bullshit board members at that hospital,” I said. “Well, we deal with the same shit, but it’s different.”
“Oh,” Collin smirked. “So rough day doing an eight-hour brain surgery, then?” He eyed me. “Well, from where I’m sitting, this doesn’t look like investor rage.”
“How so?” I played dumb.
“Because you’ve got sexually frustrated billionaire rage written all over you, man,” Jake added.
“Oh God,” I took another drink.
“There it is,” John pointed at me with a laugh. “Dilated pupils the second a woman is brought up.”
“Shit,” Colton said with a laugh. “He’s had that damn look in his eyes all day.”
“I have no idea what any of you are talking about or why I’m suddenly your target this evening,” I answered.
“Because a little birdie told our wives that someone went on a fun little date,” Collin said.
“Catalina discussed me voluntarily?” I questioned, positively shocked that Cat told the women about our night.
“Catalina?” Jake said with a smile. “Are we using her Christian name these days?”
I ignored the doctor, my attention fixed on one thought… why would Catalina tell her friends about us?
“It wasn’t Cat who informed them,” Jake corrected. “It was Amelia, her sister,” he said after swallowing a bite of steak. “She was at the house with her friend when Ash and Avery stopped by to check on things.”
“Imagine everyone’s surprise when it was revealed that two people we never imagined together,” Collin chuckled, “were out on a date.”
Fuck. Of course, Cat wouldn’t have brought me up. I still hadn’t done anything special to prove myself to the woman.
“It wasn’t what any of you might be thinking,” I said. “Actually, Cat wanted to do something to show her gratitude for my help.”
“So, she brought your ass to a fish shack?” John said with a laugh. “Jesus Christ, she really does hate you.”
So now, another emotion I hadn’t felt since I was a child crept into my system. Sadness, followed by subtle insecurity.
In what fucking universe do I not sleep, try to get release from fantasies in the shower, have zero patience with investors… and now feel this shit?
“You never mentioned any of that,” Wyatt said with a laugh. “I’m shocked your sorry ass got out of the damn car.”
“Why?” I snapped.
Glad I’m unraveling in front of the last people I’d ever hoped to witness me like this.
“Hell,” Jim said, hiding a smile behind his glass, “I might actually feel somewhat sorry for your investors.”
“Hawk’s emotional spiral during negotiations does sound catastrophic for global markets,” Sebastian said lazily.
Before another word was spoken, Cat walked out, and my gaze lingered on her, the stunning gold gown and black clutch somehow making her even more captivating.
What the hell? I thought. Why is she here? Is she a member of my lounge, and I never knew? Holy fuck.
My heart hammered against my chest as a smile tugged at my lips without my permission, until I saw my hostess leading two gentlemen and three women alongside her.
“How the fuck has that rat been allowed entry into my hotel’s most VIP lounge?” I practically growled each word.
“I swear, Christian Jameston is like a cockroach these days, showing up everywhere,” I heard Jim say.
“Cat mentioned to Ash that she was planning a gala for him and the Manchesters next weekend,” Jake said. “Maybe he’s here with her?”
I couldn’t peel my eyes away from that table if my life depended on it. And just like that, every unfamiliar feeling I’d been struggling to process vanished. In its place was an emotion I knew exactly how to handle—possession.
Right now, all I could see was the woman I wanted, sitting across from a snake, and every instinct in me wanted to walk over to that table, greet the guests in my lounge, and make sure Christian Jameston understood just how lucky he was that I was even allowing his ass back inside my hotel.
“Wait,” Jake said after I stood up. “Isn’t that the dipfuck you’re using her to get inside information from?”
“I’m not using her for anything,” I answered.
“He was using her,” Wyatt corrected. “Until now.”
I didn’t give a shit what any of these men thought of me at the moment. All I cared about was Jameston, and fuck that bastard for daring to get anywhere near Catalina, especially in my lounge.
Dominance, possession, and authority exploded back into my system, returning me to a mindset in which I could actually function.
“Excuse me,” I said to the group. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
I left nothing but smiles on the men’s faces behind me as I strode with an air of power to the table to inquire about the comfort of my unexpected guests this evening. This man was like a fucking cockroach indeed, and I couldn’t wait for the excuse to finally squish him beneath the heel of my shoe.