Page 84 of Maybe You

“Christ, no.” He says it with feeling. So much feeling that it makes me raise my brows at him from sheer surprise at the vicious edge in his voice.

He gathers himself swiftly though, and the “No” he says next is more subdued.

Silence falls between us. I should probably just let it go.

“Do they live in New York?”

Sutton sighs.

“Yes,” he says, but there are no further details given.

“What do they do?”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m rapidly losing my erection here.”

I wait him out until he sighs again.

“The Holland family dabbles in many different ventures, but our flagship is a shipping company, excuse the pun. The family also has a large real estate portfolio and shares in a number of different companies.”

“But you’re not working for the family business?” I ask. “Isn’t that how it usually goes for people like you?”

Some of the humor seems to come back at that.

“People like me?”

“Well-off people. The ones from incredibly wealthy families with trust funds big enough to buy a small country.”

“You think I should put in an offer for Vatican City?” The corners of his mouth curl up.

“The Vatican would probably burn to the ground the moment you signed the deed.”

He laughs. “I’m not going to lie, it’s a possibility,” he says.

“Why would you even want Vatican City? It doesn’t feel like your kind of place.”

“I can fix him,” he says solemnly.

“I thought we as a society had already collectively agreed that’s not something that works,” I point out.

“We as a society always insist on repeating our mistakes, too. And to answer your question, no, I do not work for the family business.”

Don’t poke. Don’t poke. Don’t poke.

“Why not? Isn’t there some CEO position and a cushy corner office somewhere that’s been waiting for you since you were born?”

He looks down at his crotch and shakes his head morosely. “And it’s gone.”

“Sorry,” I mutter. “Not about your dick. I mean about the intrusive questions.”

He waves me off. “I’ll survive.” He eyes me for a moment. “You know those huge corporations that destroy everything in their path without a second thought, whether it be a small business, a park, the whole environment, or the souls of little children? And all of those are equally pointless in their eyes?”

I nod.

“Well, that’s the Holland family for you.”

“Okay,” I say slowly. “Makes sense you wouldn’t be a part of it, then.”

He sends me a pitying look. “I’d fit right in with the rest,” he says. “I have all the prerequisites to thrive in that world.”

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