Page 9 of Daring to Love You
“Come on. I have ten minutes to tell you why I called this morning,” Wes said, snagging Lynix out of his thoughts. “Want a drink?”
“Definitely. The stronger the better.”
They went to the family room at the back of the house that used to be their game room when growing up. Their mother had converted it shortly after he moved out, and it looked like a totally different, more sophisticated space.
Lynix headed straight to the small bar. He needed a little calming elixir to help him get through the night. But nothing too strong to where he risked embarrassing himself or his family.
He grabbed a tumbler and a bottle of cognac. Once he poured his drink, he took a healthy swallow.
“I take it you didn’t know the Baldwins would be here,” Wes said.
“Of course not. I wouldn’t have come if I did. I know that whole crazy situation is in the past, but I wouldn’t put it past Pops to start some mess tonight.”
“I wish I could disagree, but he is who he is.”
“True, but anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?” Lynix knew if they didn’t show up in the living room in ten minutes, their mother would come find them. She might be sweet, but when she told you to do something, she expected it to be done.
“How attached are you to Chicago PD?”
Lynix lifted an eyebrow, wondering where this was going. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m attached, but I like my job well enough.”
He could honestly say every day was different, and there was never a dull moment. Still, there were days when he thought about doing something different with his life. Especially since he’d been thinking about a future with Dorian.
“I want you to come work with me,” his brother said and sipped his drink.
Wes mostly oversaw the companies that fell under the family’s hospitality ventures, including restaurants they owned around the country.
“Before I hire another executive, I figured I’d see if you’d be willing to come on board. You can finally use that business degree of yours, and before you ask, I promise to keep dad away. To be honest, he hasn’t been micromanaging as much as he used to. He calls himself semiretired, but Thane and Omari say otherwise,” he said of their brothers.
Thane was the Operations Manager of their father’s very first business, a manufacturing company that had recently gone international. While Omari was the Operations Manager of their tech company. Wes oversaw the hospitality leg of the family’s holdings, but he also owned a few businesses of his own. Lynix honestly didn’t know how he did it all.
“I find that hard to believe,” Lynix said as he gently swirled the liquid in his glass while thinking about his brother’s offer.
“Believe it. We had a big blowup last year, and I told him either he backed off or find a new CEO. He conceded, and I haven’t had any trouble… Well, I haven’t had many issues where he’s concerned.”
Lynix nodded. That was good to know. Surprising, but good, nonetheless.
“And I’m prepared to triple whatever you make with the city,” Wes added, looking pleased with himself.
“You know I’m not motivated by money. I have enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.” Especially if he was careful with his investments. “It would be cool and a nice change of pace to work with you and in the family business. However, I’m going to have to wait for an official offer before I say yes. Can’t have you saying one thing with the intention of going back on your word,” he joked, knowing Wes was one of the most honorable men he knew.
His brother chuckled. “I’ll get on that. In the meantime, I have some pressing issues that need to be handled. Things you can probably do while still with Chicago PD.”
“Yeah, just let me know what you need.” He finished off his drink and set the empty glass on a table, knowing the housekeeper would take care of it. “But if I do decide to leave the force, I’d want to give a few weeks’ notice.”
They continued talking as they left the room, and as they strolled down the hallway, the door to one of the guests’ bathrooms opened.
They slowed, and the first thing Lynix saw was a black, high-heeled sandal attached to a dark, shapely leg. When the woman’s full body appeared in the hallway and they locked eyes, Lynix’s heart slammed against his chest.
Marisela—his ex-fiancée.
Chapter Five
“Hello, Lynix. It’s good to see you.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same,” he ground out, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side.
Ignoring the way her dark eyes gave him the once over, Lynix moved around the woman and headed to the main foyer. He feared that, if he opened his mouth to say more, he’d say something extremely disrespectful because that’s how much he hated her.
