6. Alex
6
ALEX
I seethed as I watched Jamie laugh uproariously. It was strange seeing and hearing him because he was on the serious side. I guess since he fell in love he found more humor in life.
“So, you took the dancer to a hotel, and you…” He burst into another fit of laughter.
When he doubled over and slapped his knee, I shook my head. I liked that my friend had lightened up significantly because he could be so solemn. However, his chortling at my expense wasn’t all that amusing. His loud laughter had even gotten the attention of a few patrons who eyed us with curiosity.
“And you… you couldn’t get it up…?” he said between guffaws.
My molars snapped together, and I glared harder. “Some kind of friend you are… laughing at my humiliation.”
That only sent him into another peel of laughter, and I sighed. Picking up my glass, I shot back my drink and waited for him to sober up.
When he did, he gazed at me with pursed lips as if he was barely holding it together. “I’m sorry, Alex. I appreciate you, you know that? Even if everybody else fails to make me burst at the seams with laughter, you never will. Your stories are always entertaining.”
I scowled. “I regret telling you about what happened with Candy.”
He sniggered but held back his laughter. Clearing his throat, he went into serious, supportive friend mode. “And you think you couldn’t get it up for another woman because of Olivia?”
“Of course, it was because of her. The entire time I psyched myself up to get it on with a hot as fuck dancer, all I could think about was mine and Olivia’s first time together.” She’d been so innocent, and I’d been so turned on by that. “I could barely focus on the woman present because I kept getting sucked back into the past.”
“I hate to say this, Alex, but I told you so. We all did.”
While there was a note of sympathy in Jamie’s voice, the I-told-you-so irked me. It was expected… “Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “Still, I intend to own the biggest company in the state by the end of the month.”
“You’re driven by petty revenge.” Jamie shook his head. “I’m disappointed.”
“I’m driven by my need to win,” I corrected.
“And to play into that big ass chip on your shoulder,” he returned.
My eyes narrowed to slits. However, I couldn’t deny his accusation.
Admittedly, I’d always felt like I had something to prove to everyone who underestimated me. Being called “trailer trash” for most of my life created a competitive beast inside me that was hard to suppress. Now that I had Olivia in my crosshairs, I just couldn’t back down even though a tiny part of me agreed with Jamie that I was being petty.
I slammed my shot glass down on the table and stared at the bottle of liquor we’d been sharing. It was almost finished, and I had consumed the majority of it.
“I get it, Jamie. You, Lincoln, Spencer, and Michael are worried about me. I appreciate it, but I don't care what you guys say. I’m seeing this acquisition through.”
“And I get wanting to win…” Jamie shrugged. “I work my ass off to stay on top every day, but your situation is different, Alex. It’s Olivia .”
“How about we take her out of the equation for now?” I was getting more irritated by everyone thinking that this woman somehow controlled me. “You haven’t walked a mile in my shoes. You’re a Winchester. You don’t know what it’s like to be looked down on since you were born, to have to fight for every scrap of respect. Taking over BioTech is more than revenge, it’s affirmation. I want to get the last fucking laugh alright, man? So how about more support and less I-told-you-so ?” I glared at him until he sighed softly.
“Alright. May I offer a few more words of advice before I start with the unshakable support?”
I gave him a dirty look. “Have at it.”
“There’s a fine line between seeking affirmation and self-destruction. Acting on vendettas usually leads to a shit show…”
Although I rolled my eyes, I knew he was right. I recognized the need for caution where Olivia was concerned. However, the fire that had been stoked inside me, fueled by Olivia’s high and mighty attitude when I saw her, was full speed ahead on the highway to hell.
I poured myself another shot and held up my glass. “Well, then, to self-destruction!”
Jamie made a sound that sounded like a disappointed groan as he muttered, “You crazy son of a bitch.”
He snorted and lifted his glass, making me smirk. He really thought he could talk me out of going after what I wanted. After being friends for so long you’d think he’d know how hard-headed I was…
“So…” Jamie began. The wickedest little smirk curled his lips. “May I tell the others about Candy?”
“Hell no!”
“Oh, come on, Alex…”
“James Winchester, if you utter a word about my unfortunate incident to the guys, I will murder you.” I pointed threateningly at him. “Especially not Lincoln. He’ll never let me live it down.”
Jamie laughed and held up a hand. “Fine. Let’s drop it then because they’re here.”
I looked at the bar entrance to see three guys walk in. They looked around until they spotted Jamie and me. Lincoln grinned broadly as he barreled toward us. Spencer was behind him. He smiled too, but it wasn’t at us. He’d spotted a group of women at a table and interest sparkled in his eyes.
I snorted inwardly. And they say I’m the manwhore … Michael noticed where Spencer’s wandering eyes were, and he shook his head.
I smiled when they gathered at our table. Jamie and I stood up to receive and return bro hugs. For the moment, I forgot all about Olivia and my emotional turmoil because I was with family. These guys were the equivalent of blood brothers to me, and I lived for our meet-ups, short though this one would be.
Michael was here for business and Jamie already lived here, so Spencer, Lincoln, and I made time to visit Manhattan too. It had been almost a year since we were all together… much too long.
The laughter and banter began almost immediately, the kind that only came from years of friendship, shared experiences, and inside jokes. I wasted no time ribbing Michael about his serious demeanor.
“Ah, the professional scowler. You make frowning an art form, Mike.” That earned me one of his withering looks, and I grinned.
“Shut up and get me a drink, Tadpole .”
It was my turn to scowl and that made the grump smile smugly. He called me Tadpole in college because I was the youngest of the group at seventeen. While the others chuckled at our exchange, I lifted my hand to get a waiter’s attention. After we made our orders, the conversation resumed.
“Jamie, how’s Charlotte?” Spencer asked.
“She’s great. She’s in Oregon for her nephew’s birthday. I’m joining her in a couple of days.”
Charlotte was Jamie’s girlfriend who he had met on our group trip to Hawaii last year. They’d been going strong for a while now. Jamie was the only non-single one out of the five of us. In college, I was the only one willing to brave a relationship. The others all swore off commitment.
I joined their skeptical rank after Olivia ripped my heart to shreds. It was kind of a miracle that Jamie settled down, but I understood why he’d fallen for Charlotte. She was pretty damn special. I doubted there was a woman like that out there for me… not that I’d dare risk my heart again. True love, for me, was a crock of shit.
As we caught up, no one mentioned Olivia. They’d already given me their two cents, so there wasn’t much else to say. When I returned to Boston, I’d get back to matters of taking over my ex-girlfriend's empire.