Chapter 7
Chapter seven
“You want to cover those up? You know Aunt Henrietta screams every time you’ve got the Grim out.”
I look at the shadows, vines, and thorns, mixed with cursive script and black roses that are inked from where my shirt sleeves are rolled up and stretch down to my knuckles.
We’re headed to the annual general meeting for H&H Mining.
An unfortunate obligation for being a shareholder in our family’s multi-billion-dollar company, but as much as I begrudge the task, I’ll do it for Grams and Aunt Henrietta.
They’re the reason for all the good fortune in our lives, financial and otherwise, and there’s nothing a Heart wouldn’t do for family.
“I can’t help that she thinks it’s looking right at her.” I shrug, standing from my chair and moving over to the door, pulling it open while I look back at my brother. “Why can’t this meeting be in winter, though? I’m forced to wear a suit when it’s fucking hot as Satan’s balls outside.”
“Oh!” The breathy, sweet sound of a voice I recognise too quickly commands my head to turn. Isabelle stands with a hand poised in the air, as if she were about to knock on the door.
It’s been a month now since our trip to Royal Harbour, and I’m sure I’ve thought of her more days than not.
More accurately, nights. When I’m lying in bed, unable to drift off to sleep, I close my eyes and imagine the soft warmth of her body wrapped in mine, the scent of her cocooning me.
I take her in as she stands in front of me, and I know my thoughts of her are only going to increase now.
Her hair is swept over one shoulder with little braids framing her face.
A delicate silver chain hangs low over her chest, sitting on breasts that are pushed up by a tan suede corset-style top, and I’m in hell.
Or is this heaven, imagining her in a corset and not much else?
My cock twitches in my pants, and I’m forced to take a breath and redirect my less-than-honourable thoughts.
And, now I’m remembering I just said balls right in her face.
“S-sorry. Hi,” I say.
“Hi.” How can anyone make that word sound so sweet? I desperately wish I could know what she’s thinking as I watch her eyes trail down from my head to my feet.
“Did you need something, Iz?” Caleb asks as he joins us by the door. “We’re just heading out for the board meeting at H&H Mining. I’ll be back in about two hours.”
Isabelle takes a last sweeping look up my body, and it feels like flames follow in its wake. She darts her eyes over to my brother the second she locks on mine, realising she was caught staring.
Isabelle gives us an update for Smoke and Barrel, that we need a new liquor licence since we’re outside of the casino’s building. Everything’s on track for the mini gathering we’re hosting at the site to celebrate my new business venture and collaboration with a local whiskey distillery.
“Great job, Isabelle,” Caleb says and puts his hands on her shoulders to turn her around, leading us all over to the elevators. I can’t help the displeased grunt that travels up my throat with my brother’s hands on my… Isabelle.
He looks at me, and I can tell he wants to know what the fuck my problem is. I, too, would like to know because I don’t get possessive of women. Especially ones I have no claim whatsoever over.
“What floor?” I ask Isabelle once we all step into the elevator.
“Seven, please.” I push the button for her floor, and the basement for myself and Caleb.
I can feel eyes on me as we settle into the short ride, turning to find my brother with an eyebrow arched in question.
I’ve been doing my best to avoid him anytime he asks if something happened between Isabelle and me when we went away last month.
Fucking Beth, taking that picture. I’d like to speak with whoever put out into the universe that little sisters have a duty to be nosy little shit stirrers.
Even though I’ve looked at that picture more times than I care to admit.
I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.
Why does she look so content in my arms?
As if she’s safe. Why do I look so at ease having her wrapped around me?
Why does it feel like my mind goes quiet over everything except the need to claim more?
I ignore my brother’s silent question and stare straight ahead instead. My eyes twitch with the restraint it takes not to look at Isabelle.
“Thank you for organising everything for the gathering next week,” I say to her.
“It’s no problem.” She smiles up at me quickly, and just that brief look is like a dopamine hit.
The doors open when we reach her floor, and I rush forward to hold them open for her.
I must have startled her in my haste, definitely not thinking this through.
As I lean over her, with one hand on the door, it brings my face so close to hers, her big blue eyes are level with mine, and I feel lost in a hazy daydream.
“See you later, Iz,” my brother says, like the forgotten third wheel.
“Oh, um, bye, OG,” Isabelle says as she stumbles out, walking away and looking back over her shoulder every few seconds as she retreats.
I can feel the hint of a smile on my face as I step back into the elevator with my brother.
“We’ll be speaking of this,” he deadpans.
“Nothing to speak of.”
“My fucking arse.”
“I said there’s nothing.” Because if there is, I’d really like to know as well.
“You lie, baby brother.”
Caleb might be the oldest, but I’m bigger and taller. “Why don’t you come up here and prove it?”
“Perhaps I’ll just tell Grams about the interesting little display I just witnessed.” He shrugs and steps out of the elevator when it opens at the basement, and struts over to his Lamborghini.
“Fine,” I say, following behind. “I’ll just tell her about your redhead.
” Yep, the same redhead he met last month came back to my bar, and I wish I could erase the things I witnessed that night.
It’s entirely confusing behaviour from Caleb.
Not the fact that he’d hook up with some random person he met out, but the fact that it was with the same person twice.
“You already did that, you bastard,” he grumbles at me over the roof of his car, where we stare daggers from either side.
“There are more details I could share.” I point an accusing finger at him. “Just what did you do on my dance floor?”
The bar might have been dark and packed with people, but I saw enough to know whatever they were doing in such close quarters was definitely not for public consumption.
My brother blushes, and that tells me all I need to know. I need to steam clean the floor again.
We both hop into the car and make our way through the city. The streets slowly change from high-rise buildings to more boutique stores as we head further into the suburbs, stopping in front of a bakery instead of H&H Mining headquarters.
I step out of the car and stand on the sidewalk of Sesame Street. “Why does this street look like a rainbow threw up on it?”
Caleb throws up his hands, stomping past me to the door. “Why are you such a grump? Find something fun to do, would you? Or someone,” he says as he walks across the sidewalk to the front doors, then pauses. “But not Isabelle.” He pulls on the antique handles and steps into the bakery.
I follow him inside, casting away thoughts of Isabelle, and instead study the desserts and pastries in the cabinet while Caleb talks to the woman at the counter. There are all kinds of tarts, slices, cannolis, and doughnuts. I opt for a dirty chai latte and an orange sugar doughnut.
“Was it just those?” The woman asks from behind the counter.
“We better bring something for the others,” I say, still looking in the display case.
“Can we get a pumpkin spice cannoli?” Caleb asks.
“Make it two, and two of the espresso cream doughnuts as well. Actually, can we just get two of everything?”
“And one maple cinnamon doughnut in a separate bag, please,” Caleb adds. I look at him out of the corner of my eye, and he shrugs. “Isabelle loves cinnamon.”
“She does?”
He doesn’t answer, just points his narrowed eyes at me, analysing my interest. I take in the bakery while we wait for our coffees. It’s clean and simple, with soft white painted walls and pastel blue upholstered benches. Small vases of daisies sit in the centre of every table.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I pull it out and see a notification from our sibling group chat, but before I can read it, Caleb thrusts a pastry box in my hand while my phone continues to vibrate.
“What are they saying?” With the box in my hand, I can’t get my thumb in place to unlock my phone. Caleb ignores me, smirking at his phone.
With a sigh, I shift the box, managing to lean it on the edge of the counter so I can unlock my phone to see what’s going on.
CALEB:
The score is now Caleb and Beth against Gage in the stance that he’s talking SHIT when it comes to nothing happened with Isabelle.
What the fuck?
“Dick,” I mutter as Caleb walks past me to the front doors with our coffees in hand.
BETH:
YES!! I knew it!!
MASON:
WHAT?!?! But I didn’t get a chance to meet her and expose her to my charms yet.
BETH:
What charms?
MASON:
Ahhh many a woman find me extremely charming. TYVM
BETH:
Many a woman find you easy.
MASON:
What’s the difference?
I follow Caleb out of the bakery and back to his car, leaning the pastry box on the roof so I can type.
ME:
Nothing happened!
BETH:
Umm, we all heard in Royal Harbour when you called her Buttercup…care to explain THAT?
I’m shaking my head as I drop into the car and reach for my coffee, where Caleb left it in the centre cup holder.
I look over at my brother, and he waves his phone at me.
Yeah, okay, I’m not really helping my case by saying there’s nothing between me and his friend when I do shit like this. Still not talking about it.
“It’s nothing,” I snap.
Caleb’s snort sounds ironically much the same as the one I give myself in my head.
Yeah, it’s nothing.
If nothing was everything.