Page 288 of One More Kiss

“Once us old people leave,” June added with a breezy laugh.

There would be no celebrating with Eli—that much was certain. A business deal didn’t need to infringe on my after hours. Besides, I would find any excuse necessary to spend the night at Axel’s.

“I think this dinner should be celebration enough,” I said. “Look at where we are! We’re practically exalting right now.”

Eli leaned back in his seat, propping his hand on the back of my chair. I leaned closer to the table, reaching for my water glass so I could plunk the appropriate number of lemons into it—three—and get the hell away from his smarmy reach.

There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with Eli. He was just your average wealthy jerk. Famous parents, wealth beyond imagination, a lucky mixture of gene pools. I couldn’t deny that Eli was attractive. Square jaw, a disarming smile that showcased perfect white teeth. His stare had jolted me a time or two in our private high school. But the tall, blond, and mossy mix was no match for Axel’s dirty blond Kentucky charm. He could fix a tractor and get me off. Most men couldn’t do either.

Our parents occasionally spotted someone they knew in the restaurant, pausing to wave or send a quick smile to a colleague. It was like this everywhere we went. The elite circle of the city was small. We all knew each other. Knew who belonged, who didn’t.

That was what made Axel’s business idea so fragile. Men like Eli and his father—my father, too—would never allow him into their circle. His pool of potential big-ticket clients was smaller than he’d planned on. Very few men held unimaginable power. Which was why Axel’s plan needed to be rock-solid to break into the industry like he and his brothers were planning.

“Sorry, sorry, everyone.” The rough voice of my father broke through our dull chitchat. I straightened, offering a generic smile as my father made his rounds greeting everyone. He eased into the empty seat beside my mother. “I hope you all weren’t waiting too long.”

“Don’t even worry about it, Allan,” Jeffrey said. “Your beautiful wife ordered your favorite drink while we were waiting, and we’ve gotten caught up on Cora’s courses for this semester. All’s well.”

My father nodded, looking at the tumbler of high-end whiskey—his preferred drink—as though he didn’t recognize it.

“How was work today?” my mom began, in lieu of saying What the fuck is wrong with you?

My father cleared his throat, finally reaching for the tumbler and giving it a swirl. He still hadn’t looked at me. “A busy day, as usual. Had a surprise meeting at the end that ran over, though.”

“Oh? New plans for hotel somewhere?” A conspiratorial smirk stretched at Jeffrey’s lips. “Let me guess. Dubai.”

My father laughed, but it was hollow. “No. Just another wishful idiot who thinks he can run things his own way.”

Jeffrey groaned. “God, they never stop, do they?”

“This one was worse than most.” My father’s jaw worked back and forth, and finally he looked at me, something dark twisting at his face. “Comes with the territory I guess.”

“I say, fire them the second they show signs of insubordination.” Jeffrey emphasized his point by punching the air. “We don’t need them. And apparently they don’t need us.”

“But what if they don’t work for you?”

“Then just have them ruined,” Eli said with a laugh.

My father’s smile fell quickly as he took a healthy gulp of his drink. When the glass hit the table, he rolled his neck from side to side. “I’m ready for this meeting to start. And to get some damn food in my stomach.”

“I ordered an appetizer or two already,” my mother purred.

“Great. Let’s cut to the chase. Jeffrey?” My father’s lips curled up in what looked like a genuine smile. Shocking.

Jeffrey retuned the smile, then looked over at me. “Cora, you brilliant next-gen businesswoman, you. I want you on my team.”

A shocked laugh fluttered out of me. “Why, Jeffrey, that’s so sweet of you—”

“Your coursework at Stanford puts you in a unique position to work in tandem with our company. But what I’m seeing on the horizon is bigger than just your regular collaboration. I want Margulis Realty to come along for the ride. Into space, of course, but also into the boardroom.”

I nodded slowly, fragments from my initial phone conversation with my father floating back into my head. “Of course.”

“Imagine your father’s hotels on the moon. The first ever Margulis office building erected on Mars. When space tourism hits—which it will, and soon—we need a social innovator on our side to help navigate the new terrain.”

It all sounded so wild, almost made up. But the kernel of opportunity there excited me. How could it not? “That sounds…incredible.”

“So you agree a merger would be brilliant.” Jeffrey’s smile was ear to ear as his gaze shifted from Eli to June. “Well, this makes my job a lot easier.”

“I can’t imagine a more ingenious next step than linking Margulis Realty with Rossberg Aerospace. I wish it had been my idea,” my father grumbled.

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