Page 51 of The Bourbon Bargain

“No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t change my motivations in the moment either, despite what I know now. Still, I’m sorry.”

“Tell me something, would you still make that move knowing how your ambition fucked up a friendship?” Rex sips the bourbon. “Damn, that’s good,” he says quietly, holding the glass up to the light and studying the amber liquor while giving me a moment to ponder the question.

Would I? Paige once asked me why Rex’s legacy, and not another transportation company. I knew the intimate details of Rex, Inc. because of my friendship with Rex and hearing from him what their struggles were.

I used my insider knowledge to lead the deal, striking where it hurt and making our offer the only option my friend’s father, Balthazar, could take. I could very well have targeted another company with similar gains, yet I didn’t. Rex is right, I was trying to be a savior, because I went after his company with the mindset that I was doing something for him, despite quite the opposite.

“I possibly would do things differently now,” I admit quietly, looking into my own glass of bourbon like it’s an oracle that will reveal the perfect response, when it doesn’t, I continue. “Why do you want on the board at Olympus?”

He gives me a wry, knowing look. “Hayes, you know why. It’s the only thing either of us really wants. Power.”

twenty-six

The Atlanta Haute List

Spotted:ThreeBillionaireBrothersTaking Over Sleepy Savannah

Hauties in the know have been blowing up our tip line with reports of all three Olsen brothers out and about in the coastal candyland of Savannah today. It looks like Payton and Zander Olsen are in town for the event that is rumored to be happening there shortly for eldest Olsen brother, Hayes, and his wife, Paige Fairchild. The trio was spotted starting out the day at Hayes’s gothic nightclub, The Abyss, grabbing lunch at a local seafood restaurant, stopping to pick up garment bags from a local tailor, and doing some shopping. They were busy boys and we love a man who runs his own errands when he has all the money to hire someone else to do it. Billionaires, they’re just like us!

The brothers’ arrival is a dead giveaway that the rumored event is slated for this weekend, and we’re willing to gamble that it will take place on New Year’s Eve. There’s no better day for revelry to occur than the most hyped party day of the year. Who can blame them when a New Year’s kiss is the stuff of legends and most parties are never as good as you expect them to be. We can safely say that won’t be the case for Olsen and Fairchild’s shindig, not with their wealth and status to ensure they get exactly the results they want.

Whatever is set to take place will likely be a who’s who of the business world and billionaires from all over. We’re betting the new darling of The Olympus Group, the storied Southern Antebellum home turned hotel of the Fairchild family known as The Mansion, will be a key player in the event. We have our feelers out and are collecting all tips about what exactly could be happening there. What we do know is it won’t just be any old New Year’s Eve party, and we want an all-access pass. Any news we get we will share with you, so hit Like and Subscribe for all the haute gossip!

twenty-seven

Hayes

“Thisrehearsalwillconcludethe boring part of our activities,” Zander says, gripping my shoulders and pointing me into the Elysium Garden at The Abyss. “Then all hell will break loose downstairs.”

“Slow your roll, Zand. Hayes doesn’t want anything crazy,” Payton says, pulling Zander off my shoulders.

I give him a nod of thanks, rolling my eyes at Zander’s one-track mind.

“Hayes doesn’t know what heneedslet alone what he wants. He’s only getting married twice, we hope, so this is our chance to let him go wild with the bachelor party.”

“Whatever debauchery you have in mind is strictly for you, idiot. I’m having no part in whatever your scheme is.” I stop speaking when I see Paige in the garden, her back to me showing off her lush ass in a tight white dress that has her nearly glowing while framed against the green of the plants and the darkening sky seen through the windows behind her. I smile when she looks over her shoulder at our commotion, her own smile lighting up her beautiful face as she turns and comes toward me, her arms already rising to hug me before she’s close.

“I missed you,” she says, wrapping her arms around my middle and holding me tight as I return the embrace.

“You have no idea, angel.” I tilt Paige’s chin up with a finger and place a kiss on her lips that promises to evolve as she meets it.

“That’s enough of that, you two,” Zander breaks in, pulling Paige away and putting his arm around her shoulders. “Hello Paige dearest, please greet your favorite brother-in-law.”

She laughs and hugs him, and I fight the knee-jerk reaction to physically remove his arm from her body. I would never trust my brother near my wife, even if I have already threatened severe bodily harm. He’s liable to do something just to get a rise out of me, and I don’t want that fight to take place here and now.

“Hello, Zander. I’m surprised you were let out for an evening with the big kids. Did you win over Mommy and Daddy so you could stay until ten, or will they be picking you up early?” Paige asks.

I feel the tension ease out of me as she deftly handles his self-assured ways and takes him down a notch while staying entirely platonic and playful.

Having her continue an inside joke she and Zander established at the Underworld Spirits launch party shows me she is more than capable of dealing with my brother. Remembering that night makes me smile. It was the first time I had seen Zander flustered by a woman, and I was proud of Paige for meeting him on an even playing field despite it being the first time they had met. She had him on his heels and it was glorious. Serves him right, for all of the lewd comments he’s made to me regarding my relationship with Paige. At least she didn’t have to throttle him against a wall like I did when I heard them.

“Ha, ha. The joke’s on you, princess. Mommy and Daddy are here tonight so I get to stay out as late as I want.”

“I can’t wait to meet them!” Paige says, abandoning the playful tone as she scans the vestibule behind us looking for the elusive parents he spoke of. They will be arriving shortly, so she sees nothing and turns back to us.

“Good to see you, Paige,” Payton says, taking his turn to hug my wife.

“Payton, looking wonderful as usual,” Paige says, straightening his collar after she returns the hug. “No dates for either of you?” she asks my brothers, looking around their shoulders to see if any models are hiding behind them.

---