Page 130 of Mr. Aster
“Meh,” Ashley responded. “He’s just like that when Jim brings him into these little business affairs. He doesn’t know the men yet, but if they’re cool, you’ll see Jake open up, and then we won’t be able to shut him up.”
“And if they’re not,” Nat said with a laugh, “do we take that as our sign to leave?” She looked at Avery, “Sorry, honey. I don’t mean to bail on your ass, but kissing business associate ass for a couple of drinks and lobster tails isn’t my favorite thing unless I’m getting paid for it. You know this.”
Avery laughed, “Unfortunately, you’re just as screwed as me since your husband is the VP of the company, especially since Spence is the reason those three are considering being in business with Mitchell and Associates.”
“What kind of business are they going to be doing together?” I questioned, knowing this was a good and lazy start to my article. “All I know about the Hawk brothers is that they are tycoons of some hotels and resorts.”
“They started as Hawk Enterprise, and then their father died,” Avery said. “It was a huge devastation to that family, so the sons didn’t want to see their father’s legacy fall apart. I believe Titus was attending Oxford when Herbert Hawk passed away, and he pressed on, sort of unwilling to let anything beat him down. The other two followed quickly in Titus’s footsteps, and with stellar business decisions, they grew the company to double its net worth within a year. They haven’t stopped there, either, with each brother dabbling in different business ventures, such as tech and other innovative stuff, but the real money is in their resorts.”
“And the name of these resorts?” I questioned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them?”
“They’re located in super elite vacation destinations. Those guys were extremely savvy in their business skills, soliciting only to the wealthy, making their destinations highly exclusive.”
I glanced over to the three men standing with the ladies’ husbands. “How the hell did they do that?” I questioned and looked back at Avery.
“Why don’t you ask one of them?” She smiled at me.
“Why don’tyoujust tell me?” I softly laughed.
“I honestly don’t know. You know how most of the wealthy are: if something is ridiculously expensive and difficult to obtain, they’ll stop at nothing to have it.”
“So, they created hotels and resorts that the upper class felt the need to compete over?” I said, curious.
“Bingo,” Avery answered. “They made them by exclusive invitation only. Then, that got people buzzing about who wasn’t invited, and everyone started talking about it. Of course, the hotels and resorts cater to their every desire, so some skilled planning went into that, but that’s pretty much how it all started.”
“So why does Jim want in on this?” I questioned.
“It wasthemwho solicited Jim through Spencer at some event. They want to explore the possibilities on the West Coast.” Nat looked at me, “And like Sebastian Aster III was smart enough to know, Jim is a skilled, well-respected businessman on the West Coast; you don’t come tohisterritory and compete with him—you workwiththe man.”
“Aw, Nat, you’re so kind,” Avery said with a giggle.
“I’m half drunk, starved, and dehydrated,” she returned. “I’m going to go slap Mr. Burman on his ass and ask him where our appetizers are.” She looked at me, “You’re coming with me.”
With that, I was virtually towed into the Mitchell’s kitchen, where Nat made immediate best friends with the cooks, buttering them up until they made us a small plate of food to nibble on before dinner.
As much as I initially didn’t want to come, I needed to be here. Obsessing about Sebastian all alone as I’d been doing washorrible for my mental health and kept me stuck in some weird loop, trying to troubleshoot everything to find out where it fell apart. It was painful and sad, and having no closure was the instigator of my angst.
Being around my confident and happy friends would make me feel like myself again, and hopefully, it would pull me out of my funk.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Darcy
The liquor was flowing, my belly was full, and the night was still young and beautiful. What a nice breath of fresh air to feel normal again, taking a night off from feeling rejected, unsteady, and insecure.
“Darcy, is it?” My head snapped over to where Mr. Tall, Dark, and Golden Eyes stood, smirking at me with curiosity.
“It is,” I answered. Thankfully, I wasn’t too tipsy. I had a good buzz, though, like the rest of us mingling on the deck that overlooked the shores of Malibu.
“May I have a quick moment of your time? I’ve heard some things about you.”
“Titus, is it?” I said, and he nodded. I stood up from my deckchair, one of many placed in a circle around the firepit, and addressed the group I’d been sitting with. “I’ll be back in a sec, guys.”
“Take your time, sweetie,” Nat said.
“Well, Titus, no doubt you’ve heard I’m a gossip columnist who writes shit about all you billionaires. So, yes, my boss wants to know more about you and your brothers,” I said, clearing the air so he could get straight to the point.
“Is that so? Interesting,” he smiled, and Lord have mercy, his golden irises nearly glowed. “I had not heard that, no.”
