Page 22 of Dr. Stone
“Why are we going to a rooftop lounge at Titus’s hotel anyway? Did Jim decide to invest in that VIP playhouse, too?”
“God knows what my brother’s acquiring now. Between the Hawks and the Asters, I can’t keep up. Maybe his next move is merging his yacht and aviation company with your old man at Stonecrest.”
I let out a short laugh. “Yeah, maybe when hell freezes over. Everett Stone would rather choke on glass than merge with Jim Mitchell. Until then, they’ll keep circling each other like two alphas in the same territory.”
“Your dad’s a tough old bird.”
“You’re not wrong. But hell, I never thought Sebastian Aster IV would merge with anyone, and now look—two of his sons are practically family with Jim Mitchell.”
“Eh, he’s is just getting soft in his old age,” Jake said with a laugh.
“There’s no other explanation. I’ve known that man my whole life. He’s been like an uncle to me and has always been as ruthless and money-hungry as my father. Selfish as fuck, untouchable, and now look at him? He’s practically a teddy bear,” I finished, finally getting to my car.
“Okay, off the subject of those old buzzards,” Jake said. “I was just texting you so you know to take the side streets. I’m still slowly moving out here. And when you arrive before me, I’ll put you in charge of my order. I want an A5 Wagyu Tartare and a double Macallan 18.”
“Last I checked, Collin was your little bitch, not me,” I teased.
“You are when he’s stuck behind me in traffic.”
“Why did the guys choose this spot?” I asked again since we had jumped off the subject of why I called Jake.
“I have no idea. It was Jim, Spencer, and Sebastian’s idea, not mine. Maybe they need us to kiss Titus’s ass a little?”
“Is he going to be there?” I questioned. I hadn’t seen him in years. When we were kids growing up on the East Coast, he and his brothers were like family to me and my younger brother. The Hawks split their time between Europe and the Hamptons, but whenever they were in the States, the five of us were inseparable. “I haven’t seen that fucker in forever.”
“I didn’t get a guest list, so I can’t tell you that,” Jake said. “I was just told this is where we were meeting tonight.”
“Yeah, I get it. It’s just kind of random, but who cares? After my day in the office, I could use a few drinks.”
“I hear you, brother,” he said.
We wrapped up the conversation so I could drive into downtown Los Angeles to one of the many exclusive hotels that Titus owned.
Damn, just thinking about that asshole made me miss him. It had been over a year since I’d seen him after he moved out here. The man had everything going for him—uncommitted love, a luxurious life, and more women than he could shake a stick at.
The valetbarely had time to catch my keys before I stepped inside, into a skyscraper built for one purpose: to spoil the rich rotten. Classic Titus—never content with comfort when he could craft an empire-sized seduction.
The elevator rocketed skyward, smooth and silent, until the numbers above the doors hit the top floor. When they slid open, I stepped directly out onto the rooftop, the city spilling out in every direction.
It was like walking into one of Hawk’s wet dreams. Black marble streaked with gold stretched beneath my feet. Silk-draped cabanas lined the edges like private sanctuaries. And at the center, an infinity pool blazed with the reflection of thesetting sun, molten fire seeming to pour over the edge and into the skyline below.
The hostess was all sharp lines and soft temptation—sleek black dress, heels that could kill, legs for days. Titus’s personal hiring policy was clearly alive and well. She guided me through the lounge, low, sultry jazz curling through the warm evening air. Servers glided between tables with the precision of a choreographed performance, carrying trays of food that looked like something you’d frame, not eat. I’d walked in without an appetite, but suddenly I could’ve ordered half the menu.
It reminded me—briefly, uninvited—of how Andie’s smile used to slip past my defenses the same way this place did: quietly, deliberately, until you realized you were already caught. I pushed the thought aside. This wasn’t the night for distractions.
I slid into the booth where Jim Mitchell, Sebastian Aster V, and Spencer Monroe were already half through their drinks.
“Stone,” Sebastian greeted first, smirking. “Long day? You look like hell.”
I flagged the waitress, ordered two double Macallan 18s and Jake’s tartare, then gave him a slow grin. “Let’s see you perform a twelve-hour surgery and still look this good.”
“Yeah, but your ass was in the office all day, no?” Spencer chimed in while Jim did what he always did when we doctors joined these CEOs for anything. He sat back, amused, waiting for the opportune moment to roast one of us doctors.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same sometimes,” I answered.
“All the same my ass,” Jim finally spoke. “It’s nice to see you look like shit now and then, though,” he said with a smirk, nodding toward the entrance where I’d just walked through. “Because the way those two dipshits go on about your handsome looks, you’d think they were one bad day away from breaking up just to have a shot at you.”
“Bullshit,” Collin said as he arrived at the table. “If we can’t resist this little boy toy, we’ll just bring him into the circle oflove.”
