Chapter 3

WELLS

My brother calling me last night telling me about our dad's fucked up plan blew my idea to take Opal to the hotel all to hell. What they are doing is absurd, but apparently, all players are on board, which I think is crazy. Money makes people do stupid and crazy shit. As soon as I hung up, I drove back to the hotel and went to bed, planning to call my dad first thing today.

I should have at least asked her real name because calling the woman I fucked in an alley Opal seems odd. My flight leaves in a few hours, so I can't even go back to Hidden Gems to see her again. I have her number, though, so I'll text her later after I speak to my dad.

Grabbing my cell, I scroll through my contacts until I reach his and hit the call button. It only rings twice.

"Hello, son."

"Dad," I reply coolly.

"Your brother said he spoke to you last night and told you we're contemplating a merger with Royal Flush Enterprise? Having their gaming systems exclusively in our hotels would be beneficial to both companies."

"It would. But I don't see why we can't just buy them out or partner with them with an airtight contract. Why are we trying to merge our families in hopes of the business following suit?"

"This is the quickest way to make it happen. Plus, if your brother locks this down for us, he could be set to inherit both companies. Becoming a COO of two major corporations."

"I guess you're right. It just seems seedy. And it certainly wasn't the emergency Jonas made it out to be. He interrupted my plans and made me miss out on something important."

"Pussy isn't important, Wells. You know, most women just want you for the lifestyle you can offer them. Jonas probably helped you dodge a bullet. Speaking of your brother, I need to go. Jonas and I have a board meeting in ten minutes."

"I'll be back tonight. My flight leaves in three hours. I'll see you at family dinner tomorrow." I hang up and flop back on the bed. This plan is shitty and could have millions of holes poked into it. But it's not my deal; while I am a share owner in the family business, it's not my source of livelihood like it is Jonas'.

When we came of age, it was very important to me to make my own money. My mother marrying my dad when I was thirteen made us wealthy and gave me an older brother. We've never used the step title; Roy has never treated me differently than Jonas, and Mom considers Jonas to be her son. I appreciate that now as an adult more than I did when I was young.

If I don't hear about how the plan unfolds before Sunday, I'm sure I'll hear all about it at dinner that night. It's a smart move if it works out. Drew Salahan owns a sports betting and gambling company, while my dad owns a chain of hotels across the country. To merge the two would mean Covington Hotels would have exclusive rights to all Royal Flush Enterprise's gambling machines and tables in the hotels, so it's a win-win for everyone.

My next order of business is to send a text to Opal to say good morning and apologize for last night. She doesn't respond right away, which I chalk up to her being busy. I sit up and get off the bed. I need to hit the shower before I head to the airport.

Once I'm out and dressed, I pack my stuff back into my suitcase and make sure all my papers are in order inside my briefcase. Checking my phone to see if Little Doe has messaged me back yet, a frown finds my face when there's still nothing.

I was hoping to tell her when I'd be in Vegas next, so we could get together. She was a great conversationalist and a good fuck. I enjoy a woman who can let loose and not worry about rules or what others think. From talking to her, I know she dances for fun and the thrill of it.

She has an undergrad in marketing but works for herself at the moment, only taking clients she wants that find her online organically. Letting me fuck her in the alley told me she's a free spirit and a bit of a rebel. If we were caught, there would have been charges; I'm sure my attorney could have them thrown out, but still.

Grabbing my suitcase and briefcase, I glance around to make sure I didn't leave anything and head out, down to the lobby. After checking out, I toss my bags in the passenger seat of my rental car and drive the short trip to the airport. After entering the airport and dropping my bag off at the luggage counter, I pull out my phone. Still nothing except a text from Jonas wishing me a safe flight.

Shoving it back into my pocket, I make my way to my terminal. I'm far too old to sit around and wait for some woman to text me. If it was just a night of fun with an older man, so be it. There are plenty of fish in the sea and being a country apart never would have worked long term. Having good company in Vegas when I'm here once a month would have been fun and I would've loved to spend more time exploring her young, curvy body.

But luck isn't on my side.

I got in late last night and since today is Sunday, I've spent the day unpacking and getting ready to be back in the office tomorrow. I work from home, so it's not like I have to go far, but I still always have to play catch-up after my trips to Vegas. Someday, maybe I'll have a regional manager to oversee the Vegas clubs, but I just haven't found someone to trust with that much responsibility yet.

My clubs here in Chicago are where I spend the majority of my time and energy. I only expanded to Las Vegas last year with two clubs, but if I open a third club out there, one weekend a month won't cut it. I'm also looking at opening clubs in Florida and Texas; my developer and business manager are checking the market in each area to see which would be the better first move.

I sit at my desk, focused on the stack of paperwork in front of me. My fingers tap rhythmically on the keyboard as I review the latest financial reports for my clubs and bars.

The buzz interrupts my thoughts, pulling my attention away from the numbers and spreadsheets sprawled across my desk. I glance at the screen, startled, and see a notification.

I get excited thinking it's Opal, but when I look at it, disappointment fills me. It was just my calendar, alerting me that family dinner is in thirty minutes. I drop the papers I'm holding on to my desk and walk to the front door to slide my shoes on. The drive to my parents' is only ten minutes, give or take, depending on traffic. If I'm late, my mom will have my ass, so I always try to arrive early if I can. On my way, I use Bluetooth to shoot another text to Opal.

Getting to my parents, I knock twice before pushing the door open. Stepping inside, I call out. "I'm here!"

"In the kitchen, baby!" my mom hollers from the back of the house. I smile, knowing she's there cooking her little heart out for tonight. That's one thing I've always adored about my mom. No matter how much money we had after she married Roy, she insisted she make all the meals. Three meals a day, even during the school year, she packed lunches for Jonas and me.

"Hi, Mom," I greet as I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her cheek. She's at the stove stirring what looks like a homemade spaghetti sauce.

"How was your trip?"

"Uneventful, thankfully. Everything is running as it should, so it was an easy in and out. I'm glad to be home. Vegas is fun for a short trip, but I enjoy the quieter big city life here." I snag a noodle from the pot over her shoulder and slurp it into my mouth as she bats at me with her wooden spoon.

"Good. Now get out of my kitchen ‘til I call you. Your dad and brother are in the den watching the game."

"Love you, Mom," I call over my shoulder as I head in that direction.

"Okay, so tell me how your date went. Or I should say, the first step in your corporate merger." I stab a meatball on my plate as I sit at the dinner table with my family.

"It was rough at first, but she remembers how good we used to be, so she agreed to a make up date," Jonas tells me.

"What do you mean, how good you used to be? And why do you need a makeup?"

"Well, she was at the restaurant waiting for me already, since I was running a bit late."

"Oh, that's a great first impression Jonas, Christ," I interrupt him.

"Okay, not my best look. So I get there and head to the table she's sitting at and when she sees me she stands up, totally shocked when I tell her I'm her date. We dated a little when I was in my early twenties. She wanted more than me at the time and I broke it off. She moved to Vermont after and I haven't seen her since. Anyway, I get there and she slaps me. Hard, Wells. Mom put concealer on me to cover some of the fingerprints."

I chuckle because he deserves a lot more than a slap. I can't believe that's all she gave him. How do you go on a ‘blind date' with someone you dumped years ago and expect it to go well?

"Then she stormed from the table, straight out to the street, but I followed her, begging her to hear me out and gave her the gift I bought. I knew I was meeting her, so I came prepared with a pair of three carat diamond earrings. She loved them, of course. So I asked her to let me take her out the right way and she agreed. I'm taking her to the theater tomorrow night after work." Jonas looks proud as a peacock that this is looking good so far for him.

"And do you really want to try with her, Jonas, or is this just a business deal?" I ask. "She's a human with feelings. So if this is just you and Dad wanting to merge companies, we'll find another way." I swear, if he tells me it's purely business, I'll call this woman right now myself and tell her the whole fucking thing.

"It's both, and she knows that. She's not going into this totally blind. When we dated before, we were amazing together until she wasn't. She was and still is a smoke show, but she's so uptight and condescending sometimes. I didn't think I could do that for the rest of my life, but we're older and I've thought of her from time to time. Maybe she's the one who got away." He takes a sip from his wineglass and I can tell by his tone and the slight glimmer in his eyes he's being honest.

"Okay, but a woman scorned like that doesn't forget or forgive easily. So tread lightly," I warn him, dabbing my mouth with a napkin.

We eat the rest of our meal, just making small talk and discussing the next family vacation we plan to take in the spring. My mother, as usual, turns the conversation to her favorite topic—when she'll get grandbabies.

"Mom, in order to give you a grandbaby, I have to find a woman worth settling down with." I roll my eyes at her and she leans over, smacking me with her napkin.

"Wells Covington, there are plenty of good women out there. You just have these unreachable standards you think your girl should meet. Roy, I'm sure knows a nice girl your age he could introduce you to."

"Absolutely not. I'm focusing on business. We just expanded to Nevada and we're debating between Texas and Florida. Now is not the time for a long-term relationship or a child," I tell them forcefully.

Little do they know, I think I met her back in Las Vegas and she is indeed a girl. About half my age and won't return any of my texts. I've given up on trying already. I've moved on to more drastic plans; I'm going to see if she's at Hidden Gems next month when I visit, and if she is, we'll call it fate.