Page 14 of Rivals Next Door

Elena studied me for a moment and then her eyes softened with understanding. She simply nodded and refilled my glass.

I tipped it to her as I lifted it.

“So, do you have any idea what you’re going to do to keep your hands on BioTech?”

I blew out a breath. “Not a clue. I just know that I can’t let Alex win. It will be too humiliating.”

Elena quirked an eyebrow and drank. I followed suit. We’d need a few more bottles of wine before we got through lunch because I was stressed to the extreme.

6

ALEX

I seethed as I watched Jamie laugh uproariously. It was strange seeing and hearing him because he was on the serious side. I guess since he fell in love he found more humor in life.

“So, you took the dancer to a hotel, and you…” He burst into another fit of laughter.

When he doubled over and slapped his knee, I shook my head. I liked that my friend had lightened up significantly because he could be so solemn. However, his chortling at my expense wasn’t all that amusing. His loud laughter had even gotten the attention of a few patrons who eyed us with curiosity.

“And you… you couldn’t get it up…?” he said between guffaws.

My molars snapped together, and I glared harder. “Some kind of friend you are… laughing at my humiliation.”

That only sent him into another peel of laughter, and I sighed. Picking up my glass, I shot back my drink and waited for him to sober up.

When he did, he gazed at me with pursed lips as if he was barely holding it together. “I’m sorry, Alex. I appreciate you, you know that? Even if everybody else fails to make me burst at the seams with laughter, you never will. Your stories are always entertaining.”

I scowled. “I regret telling you about what happened with Candy.”

He sniggered but held back his laughter. Clearing his throat, he went into serious, supportive friend mode. “And you think you couldn’t get it up for another woman because of Olivia?”

“Of course, it was because of her. The entire time I psyched myself up to get it on with a hot as fuck dancer, all I could think about was mine and Olivia’s first time together.” She’d been so innocent, and I’d been so turned on by that. “I could barely focus on the woman present because I kept getting sucked back into the past.”

“I hate to say this, Alex, but I told you so. We all did.”

While there was a note of sympathy in Jamie’s voice, the I-told-you-so irked me. It was expected… “Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “Still, I intend to own the biggest company in the state by the end of the month.”

“You’re driven by petty revenge.” Jamie shook his head. “I’m disappointed.”

“I’m driven by my need to win,” I corrected.

“And to play into that big ass chip on your shoulder,” he returned.

My eyes narrowed to slits. However, I couldn’t deny his accusation.

Admittedly, I’d always felt like I had something to prove to everyone who underestimated me. Being called “trailer trash” for most of my life created a competitive beast inside me that was hard to suppress. Now that I had Olivia in my crosshairs, I just couldn’t back down even though a tiny part of me agreed with Jamie that I was being petty.

I slammed my shot glass down on the table and stared at the bottle of liquor we’d been sharing. It was almost finished, and I had consumed the majority of it.

“I get it, Jamie. You, Lincoln, Spencer, and Michael are worried about me. I appreciate it, but I don't care what you guys say. I’m seeing this acquisition through.”

“And I get wanting to win…” Jamie shrugged. “I work my ass off to stay on top every day, but your situation is different, Alex. It’s Olivia.”

“How about we take her out of the equation for now?” I was getting more irritated by everyone thinking that this woman somehow controlled me. “You haven’t walked a mile in my shoes. You’re a Winchester. You don’t know what it’s like to be looked down on since you were born, to have to fight for every scrap of respect. Taking over BioTech is more than revenge, it’s affirmation. I want to get the last fucking laugh alright, man? So how about more support and less I-told-you-so?” I glared at him until he sighed softly.

“Alright. May I offer a few more words of advice before I start with the unshakable support?”

I gave him a dirty look. “Have at it.”

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