Chapter 2 Ares
“I don’t want a yacht.”
Ares bit the inside of his cheek because he wasn’t going to show that he was annoyed with his younger brother in front of their investment advisor.
This meeting had already dragged on at the speed of paint drying and Xander wasn’t wrapping it up.
He was so annoyed he wanted to reach across the sleek black desk and grab Xander by his high-collared shirt and shake him.
Ares stared cooly at his brother, ignoring the look their frustrated investment advisor, Rick Peters, gave him. Rick should know by now that Ares would always side with his brother.
Even if he’s being completely ridiculous.
It was his lot in life to be his brother’s protector, to be the one that always saved face no matter what, and to keep Xander’s secrets.
Most of the time, Ares accepted his role with good humour and grace.
But he was hungry. He had a meeting of his own to get to, and he was expecting a call from Chef McNabb.
Ares shuffled his folder, ignoring his buzzing phone. “If you had ever bothered to read the reports, you’d know that we do have a yacht. It was acquired four years ago.”
“You gotta be kidding me.” Xander’s expression changed from stoic to a grimace, and he leaned under his desk.
To adjust whatever Harper’s mouth was doing, no doubt.
Ares schooled his features and, with an effort, trampled down his irritation. He had other problems to solve and this was a waste of his time.
Problems that he didn’t want the legitimate side of the business to know about.
“Xander, we wouldn’t have gone ahead with the purchase unless you signed for it,” Rick explained, exasperation creeping in his tone. “The purchase was part of a real estate investment in Monaco.”
“The Bordel estate,” Ares said.
“Why couldn’t we buy the estate and not the yacht? I don’t want the yacht.”
God forbid Xander did something that made him seem like a billionaire. With his long black hair, his sleek black vest, and a high collar dress shirt, he looked like a grown-up goth kid playing a businessman.
Ares snickered because that’s exactly what his brother was.
“We wanted a place in Monaco. The yacht was part of the deal,” Ares said. He made eye contact with his brother and, as slightly as he could, he tapped his watch.
“Fine. Make it not part of the deal. Anything else?”
Rick started to gather his papers. “No, that’s all for today.”
“Thanks, Rick, I appreciate it.” Ares stood, extended his hand. Rick shook it.
Xander stood. The three men in the room ignored the muffled, “ouch.” that came from beneath the desk.
Xander brushed by Ares, gave him a smirk as he walked Rick out of the sleek executive office.
Ares closed the door behind them.
“You should tell him that you want to take the yacht for a spin before we get rid of it, love.”
“I don’t know if going on a yacht is on my bucket list, either,” Harper said, her auburn head popping up.
“I might want to take it out for a test drive.”
It’d be sweeter if he had someone to enjoy the yacht with.
He reached for his phone, as the image of a petite woman with dark curly hair and glasses flashed through his mind.
Every person he knew was currently in a happy, loving relationship.
He was happy for them, but he wanted someone.
Ironically, he wanted someone who didn’t care that his money could buy a yacht.
“Drustan Tennyson is next.” Harper came around the front of a desk and glanced at Xander’s tablet.
“What else is on the agenda today?”
“Xander has a meeting with Henri, and then the three of us are going out for dinner. You get the place to yourself tonight.”
“Thanks, Mom, I’ll throw a party,” Ares smiled.
Harper grinned back, her eyes lighting with mirth. Xander created a calendar app that launched his empire, but Harper Blake was the best thing that ever happened to him.
“I’m starving. I’m going to run out. Can I get you anything?” Ares checked his watch.
“I called for lunch from Josie’s,” Harper flashed him a grin.
Merely hearing her name dissolved his grumpiness. “Thanks Harper. You think of everything.”
“It’s my job. Xander figured Drustan’s meeting would go long, and he’d try to take us out. So we ordered in.”
“Excellent.” He swiped his portfolio from his chair and walked out of Xander’s office.
He heard laughing from Gardenia’s open door and paused to stick his head in.
Dax, the leader of their offshore operative team, was nuzzling Gardenia’s neck.
“Hey.” Gardenia backed up onto her desk, her face flushed.
“Hey Ares. I’m here to consult with Ryder and had to stop to see my wife.” Dax slung an arm around his wife and hugged her close.
“Glad I caught you.” He exchanged a grin with Dax while Gardenia blushed.
“I’ll see you at the meeting Mr. Montague.”
“Take your time, Gardenia.”
He spun on his heel, whistling as he walked out of Gardenia’s office and out of the executive floor offices and took the elevator to the main floor.
The thought of seeing Josie made him feel lighter, easing the burdens on his shoulders. He wanted to see her cute smile. The way she blushed when he looked at her with heated appreciation.
The main floor of Axis Management hummed with an energy of anticipation like it did when they were about to launch a new project.
Ever since they hired Jillian, Harper’s assistant, and opened the downstairs, he enjoyed coming to work in this glass and steel building that his brother wanted so separately.
Ares couldn’t deny that Xander’s plan worked. The public facing side of Axis Management was all about technology innovation and bringing innovators of new designs to market, like the anti-breakable glass that was soon going to be on every laptop and smartphone that Laurent Technologies produced.
That deal was a long time in the making and hadn’t been announced yet.
Axis Management housed a lab, recruited the best scientists and engineers in the world, and, besides technology and fabrication, had their hands in medical and biochemical industries.
“Hi Meg,” Ares said to the head of their tech department.
Meg pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Good morning, Mr. Montague, we’re just setting up the showroom for the presentation later.”
“I know we’re in capable hands,” Ares said.
He bypassed her, then pushed opened the door of the conference room.
Another one of Xander’s quirks, it featured an oval kitchen table from when they first started and had at the house they rented space in, before Xander decided to build this piece of glass and steel architecture, that stands impressively modern in the downtown.
Ares poured himself a cup of coffee from the waiting carafe and scrolled through his phone. He wanted to text Chef McNabb, but he stopped himself, knowing he was going to see Josie in a few minutes and he’d ask her himself.
When the chef bemoaned his lack of skilled chefs at the last poker game, Ares had to toss out Josie’s name.
Over the years, he had thrown her as much business as he possibly could, but didn’t feel it was enough.
The last time he saw her was at Kayleigh and Erik’s wedding, where they shared a quick dance.
He wanted to spend the whole night with her and invited her to dinner again, but once again, she’d brushed aside his request.
But he wasn’t going to give up.
Not in a creepy, stalker way, but he was sure Josie was nervous around him and he wanted to reassure her.
If she said that she wasn’t interested in him, well, he was man enough to take the hint. And it’s not like he didn’t have women throwing themselves at him wherever he went.
But there was something about Josie that made him want to spend more time with her the more he saw her.
He couldn’t get her out of his mind and now that his brother’s life had calmed down and their business -both the public facing and their private operative side was handled -, it was time to make it clear to Josie exactly how he felt about her.
“Ares, there you are! I thought you had run out the door because you knew I was coming.” Drustan Tennyson set his briefcase down on the kitchen table.
Ares exchanged the man’s handshake. “And miss you? Not at all Drustan. I’ve had this meeting circled on my calendar for the last month.”
“Yeah, in fear,” Xander said, striding into the room. “Drustan. No need to sit. You won’t be here that long.”
“I always said you two were funny! Not many people can boast about knowing you before you built your empire.” Drustan slapped Ares’s shoulder.
Ares gritted his back teeth. Drustan was one of those fist pounding guys. The guy who wanted to take you to the football game and then snort a line.
Unfortunately, he was also had a brilliant technical mind, and he was the CEO that gave Xander’s scheduling app the go ahead.
Ares’s only part of this success was buying stock in Drustan's company and shares in the app. Even if it mortgaged their father’s estate. At the time, Ares couldn’t think of a better way to use the money, because fuck the bastard. He and Xander washed that money away as quickly as they could.
“The answer is still no, Drustan. Even if Axis Management did have the technology, you think we do, it’s not for sale.” Xander leaned back in his seat, giving the appearance of being all casual.
“Everything is for sale, Xander,” Drustan placed his hands against the back of his neck and stretched. “Everyone has a price.”
Xander leaned forward, making eye contact with the man. “No. You might have heard that we’ve been too busy developing break-proof glass technology.”
“Which is why I know you have your fingers in the nanotechnology field. The call for better nanotechnology application is a loud one, and the need is great. If someone was to replace the increasingly outdated conductive film used in every touchscreen, there is a boatload of money to make. I know you like a challenge, Xander.”
“I don’t know if I need any more challenges,” Xander said.
“Okay, pretend that you didn’t hire the leading expert in nanotechnology.”