The Southern Submission (Southern Gods #4)
1. One
One
Payton
“ F ucking finally!”
I turn toward my sister-in-law's husky, feminine voice and give her a teasing smile.
“Harlowe,” I acknowledge. “What’s the deal? I’m not late.”
She reaches for the bright pink box with the oversized bow I'm carrying, places it on a table behind her, and wraps me in a quick hug. Her growing baby bump presses against me uncomfortably as I pat her back.
“You’re supposed to be the buffer, but you’ve failed. Get your ass in there and buff. There’s only so much Paige and Zander can do to make Hayes and me play nice for very long. I need more allies,” she grumbles, releasing me from her grasp.
I laugh. There's bad blood between them and it doesn't matter how many apologies Paige forces out of Hayes, or how long they’ve been family, the two may never be friends. They begrudgingly ended their feud following her reconciliation with my younger brother six months ago. Since then, they’ve barely tolerated each other without coming to blows. It started as a slight Hayes served Harlowe five years ago when he tried to pay her off to stay away from Zander. Treating her like one of the hundreds of other women Zander had slept with didn’t go over well, and it still stings Harlowe’s pride even now.
“You could always fight it out. See which lion wins. My money’s on you,” I joke. She narrows her dark eyes on me, looking like a lioness ready to attack, and I put up my hands to warn off her claws. “Okay, fine, relax.”
Harlowe drags me deeper into the Buckhead mansion Hayes and Paige live in. Soon, the squawking cries of my newborn niece, Madelyn can be heard. Paige is reclined with the tiny baby in her arms, tired but happy. Harlowe and Zander’s son, Hendricks, is next to her, peering at the baby with interest. Hayes hovers nearby, watching his wife and newborn intently as if they’ll need something in the next second. Zander sits on the other end of the sofa, observing his son with a smile.
Zander missed out on the first four years of Hendricks’s life because he didn't know he had a son. Once he found out about his kid, he became the most enthusiastic father and loves that little boy with a fervor I haven’t seen from him since he discovered skydiving.
This little scene of domestic bliss is a touching sight. My brothers now have wives and children, settling into a new era where our company, Olympus International, is no longer the prime directive in their lives. It’s still my top priority, and I’ll continue that way. I have no intention of settling down or letting myself fall prey to whatever’s in the water they’re drinking. There’s no chance of that happening because I don’t date. At most, I have play partners who let me take out my desires and urges, and that more than satisfies any need I have for companionship and sex. But…I have to admit, seeing my brothers like this makes me happy for them, even if it's not for me.
“Hi!” Paige calls with a smile. “Come hold Maddie. She’s waiting to meet her other favorite uncle.”
My eyes grow wide as I tentatively sit next to Paige, holding out my hands for the pink-wrapped bundle she hands me. The little thing inside has dark hair and a tiny, squashed face that blinks at me sleepily and cries as I take her in my arms. I’ve never held a baby before. She feels fragile. Her cries grow louder as I hold her close.
“I’m doing this wrong. She doesn't like me.” I try to give her back to Paige as the bundle squirms.
“She cries at everything right now. Let her get used to you. My arms need a break and yours are strong from all that swimming you do. Stand up and walk around. She likes that,” Paige instructs. I do as the Southern belle tells me, rising carefully and walking the length of the room while my older brother keeps staring like the brooding, protective father he is.
“I’m not going to drop her, Hater. You can stop eyeing me like that.” I use his childhood nickname that always riles him up, making him grimace.
I laugh and the tiny baby settles in my arms, her cries growing quieter as I pace. I catch sight of Cerberus, Hayes’s hulking black Cane Corso guard dog, watching me with shrewd whiskey-colored eyes from his bed in the corner. He’s not a typical dog that’ll love on you or happily take treats from guests. He’s only a snuggly pet for Paige. With the rest of us, he’s a menacing presence protecting his people, and apparently, I’m holding his newest charge and could be here to hurt them.
“Hey, tell your demon spawn I’m not a threat,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at Paige, who has more sway with the dog than Hayes does now.
“Cerberus, Uncle Payton is our friend. We love him, okay, big guy? I have yummy treats if you behave yourself,” she coos in a baby voice that instantly has the big dog’s stubby tail wagging. He lowers his head to his paws and lets out a chuff of air as he finally relaxes his bulky shoulders. That dog is too fucking smart and scary. I breathe a little easier now that he no longer appears to want to jump over the couch and take me down for holding Madelyn.
“You look so natural with a baby,” Harlowe says in a singsong voice. She’s curled in Zander’s lap, glancing over at Paige for confirmation.
Paige nods when I catch her eye, looking a little too dreamy herself.
“She’s right, Payton. Seeing you with my baby is making my heart burst with happiness. Hayes, you better get over here and hold me before I cry. My hormones are all over the place.” Paige dabs at her eyes.
“When will you start dating seriously so you can have a family of your own? Don’t you want this for yourself?” Harlowe asks, a gleam in her eye.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” I warn, ready to hand the baby back and get the hell out of this trap my sisters-in-law are setting for me. “You’re both hormonal and crazy if you think I need a wife and babies.”
“It’s like what Jane Austen wrote in Pride and Prejudice ,” Paige says. “ It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ”
I scowl at them both. I don't want a wife. I don't want to date. I just like to fuck petite blonde women who call me Daddy on occasion.
“I know the sweetest woman you should meet,” Harlowe says with a calculating look as if this was her plan all along. “She’s hot as shit. She’s a friend from my old modeling days, so I think you’d like her. Consider it a favor to me since she’s new to Atlanta and needs a tour guide. You’re just the man to do it because I’m too busy.”
I look around the room. Paige is beaming up at me, fully on board with this idea, Hayes is smirking, and Zander is openly laughing as he listens to his wife bait her trap. Fuck no. I’m stuck here holding a baby, without an easy escape. What fresh hell is this? At least Hendricks is ignoring the conversation, rolling his Hot Wheels cars along the couch between Paige and Zander, oblivious to the snare being set.
“I respectfully pass. I'm sure she’s wonderful, but I don’t want to be set up with one of your friends. Or with anyone, for that matter.”
Maddie makes a gurgling noise in my arms, drawing my attention to her tiny face, and I wonder if I did something to upset her. Is she on Harlowe’s side, too? Women . They can’t all be against me.
Harlowe gives me a disbelieving look and fishes her phone from her purse. She quickly opens it, then flashes the phone toward me with a stunning redhead’s Instagram account on display.
“This is Jillian. She’s adorable, funny as hell, and loves the water, like you. You should really meet her before you make that decision.” She swipes through the photos and videos for me to see what I’m turning down as I rock back and forth in front of her with the baby in my arms.
Harlowe’s not wrong. Jillian is hot and fit, and from her carefully curated Insta feed, seems like a lot of fun. But I’m not looking for the relationship Harlowe wants to saddle on me.
“I believe you. I’m just not interested. Don't waste your time trying to set me up.” Jesus, my hands are getting sweaty at the thought of being tied down to one of Harlowe’s friends when all I want is to work to my heart’s content and focus on my job. I like being a workaholic. It suits me.
Hayes lets out a bark of a laugh at my discomfort and stands, not wanting me to hold his child anymore. He relieves me of my burden and cradles the tiny baby in his huge arms like it’s nothing.
“This is fucking great. You’re in for it now. Glad her sights are set on you and I can finally relax,” he says in a low voice with his back to the sofa. I raise an eyebrow at him but smile in challenge at Harlowe, ready for whatever she thinks she can throw at me. I settle on a chair across from her as Hayes moves around the room, soothing the fussy baby.
“Okay, maybe not a model, then,” Harlowe says, intent on her Instagram as she quickly searches and turns the phone to show me another account. “This is Libby. She’s a single mom friend that I know from Hendricks’s school. She’s a total MILF, with the sweetest little boy that Hendricks is obsessed with. They’re in the same class, and Theo’s smart, too.” She shows me a photo of a stunning brunette with huge blue eyes and a gorgeous smile, holding the hand of a cute little boy on a playground.
“Harlowe,” I warn as she scrolls through Libby’s Instagram, showing me more photos of Theo and her mom friend, an apparently down-to-earth and smoking-hot woman who knows how to take a killer photo .
“The father’s totally out of the picture, so no baby daddy drama, either. Ready-made family, win-win for company PR! She’s a total sweetheart who I like, which is rare, but I’ve heard what she likes in bed and it’s hot. Not at all saying she’s easy, but if you hit it off, I could see it being mutually beneficial.”
Paige chokes out an embarrassed laugh and claps a hand over her mouth, scandalized by Harlowe’s brazen words. She’s young and innocent, completely sheltered until she met Hayes, who has likely corrupted her thoroughly at this point, but it’s hard to remove the impeccable Southern manners forced into her. Harlowe is unapologetically herself and can be a bit much, especially for a prim and proper debutante like Paige. The fact they get along so well is still shocking, but everyone likes Paige.
“Damn, Harlowe. You’re shameless. Do you even hear yourself? Libby’s hot and that kid’s super cute, but I’m not interested in dating anyone. Find her a good guy who will do her justice as a boyfriend because it’s not going to be me.”
“You’re impossible. You can’t be the only Olsen brother without a partner. It’s indecent.”
“Indecent?” I scoff, my smile slipping as Harlowe grows more insistent. I point at my younger brother. “Zander being a player for ten years was indecent. Not wanting to date your friends is far from that. Let me live my life on my terms and enjoy my work. I’ll be fine.” I’m keeping my words family-friendly due to the little ears around me, but I want to let her know how irritated I am with her insistence.
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “I think it’s bad for business. You’re the PR guy. You know better than anyone that being in a relationship would show the world that the men of Olympus are calming down, becoming more serious than ever, and committing to the stability of their company. Isn't that what Zander being married did? It’s done wonders for your subsidiary stock prices. You’re the lone holdout. We need to wife you up.”
She wraps Zander’s arm around her belly and laces her fingers with his. He pulls her back into his lap, fully on board with whatever she says. He’s a stupid, besotted fool. I swear he loses his ability to think with his big brain whenever she’s around.
“My love life’s never been a problem for the company, like Zander’s was, so you can’t use that against me,” I point out, gesturing at Zander, who makes a face at me like he doesn’t want me bringing up his past indiscretions in front of his wife, who is all too aware of them. “As for being committed to the company's stability, there’s a hacker I need to track down, and all the operations to run. I’m putting in more time than ever to ensure the company’s success, so obviously I’m already doing my part. I don’t need a wife or a girlfriend to do that.”
Harlowe’s shoulders slump as I refute her arguments with ease, but she straightens and gets a gleam in her eyes I don’t like the look of. “Just let me introduce you to a few people. Give them a shot and see what you think in person,” she persists. “You need a girlfriend.”
“Uncle Payton, do you want to borrow my girlfriend?”
I look over, surprised at the small voice chiming in, and catch Hendricks looking up at me from the rug where he’s playing with more of his toy cars. “That’s a nice offer, buddy, but I don't want to take your girlfriend,” I say with an easy smile. “Your momma is playing around. I don't actually need a girlfriend, but thank you.”
“It’s okay. It's just pretend. Taylor and I play boyfriend and girlfriend on the playground, but it’s not real. You could pretend to have a girlfriend and Momma would be happy.”
I chuckle at his suggestion. “That’s very nice of you. I’m sure Taylor likes playing with you more than she’d want to be my girlfriend.”
He shrugs and goes back to his cars satisfied that he no longer has to be a part of the conversation. I turn back to Harlowe and give her a look.
“You see what your antics are doing? Your kid is trying to save me now. How about we leave this subject and get back to the cute baby and new mom we’re supposed to be celebrating? I’m good on my own. There’s no need for you to meddle in my love life.”
Harlowe pouts for a moment before leaning forward and pinning me with her most calculating stare. “Mark my words, Payton, a woman is going to come along and turn your world upside down and have you eating your words. I’m going to laugh my ass off when it happens.”
Her words sound more like a curse and a tingle of unease runs down my spine. “If that’s the case, I’ll laugh with you.” My smile feels a little more apprehensive than usual after what she said. I need to plan for a future assault where Harlowe is concerned. She doesn’t give up easily. I’m going to be an ongoing target for her machinations if that look is anything to go by.