Page 51 of The Enemy

“Okay,” I said as I stood up.

Neo turned to watch me, his eyes dragging down my legs as I let the blanket fall to the floor.

“Tell me about this partnership. What do the Parks have to offer us? Because I honestly don’t know why we would want them.”

“That’s the problem, you’re not thinking big enough.”

I took the seat across from him, and since he still had half his coffee, I reached for it and started to drink it.

“That was mine,” he stated.

“You didn’t drink it fast enough.”

“I like my coffee black.”

“I know. More for me.” I grinned.

Surprisingly, he did the same.

“You’re thinking on a small scale. I want them to do all the hard work for us. Think of all we could do with their microchip technologies. Their system is one of the smartest in the world. You add that to our luxury goods, and you know people will be dying to get their hands on it.

He was right.

“Let me see the contracts.”

Neo handed me his iPad and then went back to his work. The urge to snoop was there, but I forced myself to stick to the documents.

That took the rest of the flight. Once I got to my room, I would shower and get ready for dinner with the Parks’ team. If all went according to plan, we would seal the deal, and I would have one day to soak up the beach’s sunrays. Clove was excited when I told her where I would be for the weekend that she rushed to my place to help me pack.

When we landed, Neo grabbed my stuff, except for my blanket and pillow. The action was very domestic and he did it automatically, making me feel things I knew I shouldn’t.

Maybe he was finally acting like my stepbrother, but why did it feel like more?

The drive from the private strip in Saint Bipal to CVCC was short. The last time I was here, I was about nine. My mother wasn’t a fan of the Florida heat.

The building was three floors and shaped like a U, with the mouth of the U facing the beach. It had tall iron gates surrounding it. The whole thing screamed wealth with the terracotta roofs and the seashells and waves weaved into the iron. The big gates opened, letting us inside the club.

The drive was about ten minutes long, with curves that I assumed were more for aesthetic purposes than anything else. Palm trees and flowers in every color decorated the arrival. Benches were visible every so often, so guests felt free to wander around. A fountain in the center signaled your arrival, and the Clear View Country Club logo was on it.

When my father came to see me yesterday, he told me the reason the meeting was at the club. Mr. Parks wanted a sponsor for the club, so Neo and I came as representatives of our family. Only Mr. Parks would stay at the club, the rest of his associates were residing in a hotel forty minutes away from here, but they would be driving back and forth.

“You’ve been here before?” Neo noted from my lack of enthusiasm.

“When I was younger. Did your father ever bring you?”

He snorted.

“When I started walking, my father could barely do that.”

Right.

Neo grabbed our designer duffels, but the rest of the stuff stayed in the car since the club would ensure it went into our suites.

I stood by Neo as we went to the concierge desk.

“May I please get the keys to the Riviere member suites,” Neo asked as he handed him his ID.

The lady at the front desk began to type furiously and then handed us one card.

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