Page 12 of Promiscuous Lies

I try to hide my smirk. “Hello, Dutton’s little sister. It’s good to see you’re studying hard in your final year of college,” Hawke says.

“Don’t give me that shit!” she snaps as she strides over to Hawke and swipes the bottle from his hand, then takes a long swig. I sigh. She’s obviously in a mood. She drops onto the couch between the twins, and I know she’s done it intentionally because it pisses me off when she positions herself so closely to any male.

“Hey, mini tornado!” Hawke says, going to throw an arm over her shoulder. He pulls his arm back when I give him a deadly glare. He chuckles, knowing it will irritate me.

“Far worse than alittletornado,” Ford corrects.

Billie glares at him as Hope quietly takes a seat across from me. I’ve never been able to understand the star pupil much. Her sculptures are already renowned worldwide, and she is as much in the spotlight as her famed mother, Lena Love, who is a singer. And yet, there’s a quiet edge to her that reminds me very much of her father, Alek. And that makes her silently dangerous.

Unfortunately, she and my sister have been friends since they were kids. Hope is two years younger, though, with my sister’s immature mood swings, you would never know it.

“Oh, Ford, don’t tell me you’ve started growing a personality,” Billie bites back.

“Unless you brought him sweets, he isn’t going to bite back,” Hawke jokes, immediately redirecting her wrath to me.

“So what did you do to Trea, hmm?”

If only she knew. I don’t think I’d be her favorite if she knew I carve messages into the chests of people who try to become friendly with her. But it’s the role of a big brother. My father taught me to look after my family, which I take very seriously. He’s aware of my antics and doesn’t see anything wrong with them.

“I’m talking to you, Dutton! I’ll tell Mom!” she yells.

I see the corner of Ford’s lip curve up, and Hawke begins to laugh.

I place my drink down. “We’re past the point of ‘telling Mom.’ And do you think it’s so bad that I had a hand to play in exposing his dirty little secrets? Do you agree with what he was doing?”

Her shoulders sag, and the fight begins to leave her eyes. “No. He should be put behind bars for what he’s done, but that’s not the point, Dutton, and you know it. I’m a woman, not a child. You need to let me date like a normal person! Let me make my own mistakes and fall in love!”

Love is a criminal notion. Everyone seeks it, pines for it, then wallows when they lose it. All of which alters their fucking brain cells because they don’t think critically.

“You’re too young to love. Focus on your studies and?—”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Dutton!” she says, exasperated. “Your overprotective nature will literally drive any woman to insanity.”

Ford is looking at his phone as he casually hands his glass to Hope, who takes a sip.

I sigh. Is my sister intentionally trying to humiliate herself in front of this group?

“I keep women safe. It’s what I do.” It’s what my father taught me to do. “So, no, I won’t apologize for deterring the wrong type of men from getting close to you.”

“What, are you a matchmaker now?” Billie hisses. “And who will be good enough for me, Dutton?”

I stare at her, taking a sip from my whiskey. It’s the same look I give her whenever I’m done with a conversation.

She throws her hands in the air and screams, “Well, thank fuck you’re leaving the country for two weeks! Who knows how many cocks I might get in my holes while you’re gone!”

My grip tightens on the glass as she swipes the bottle from the table and flicks her honey-colored hair over her shoulder. “Come on, Hope. Fuck these guys. Let’s go pick up Ivy and have our own fun.”

“Wait, don’t take the bottle!” Hawke yells at her back. Hope hands Ford the glass, and he watches them silently as they leave. Billie slams the door shut.

“You’re going to break that,” Ford says, and that’s when I realize how tightly I’m holding the glass.

My teeth grind. I’ll be gone for two weeks, opening another gentlemen’s club in Italy. I’m flying over there to keep the grandparents at bay. Something Eli hasn’t done for two years now, which I always hear about. Which is exactly why I’m the favorite grandchild. Surprising, considering I still don’t know if my grandfather, even in his old age, likes my dad. But over the last two years, I’ve been going every six months, at the very least, as I expand our businesses.

“How much will it cost for me to have one of you trail my sister for two weeks?” I ask the twins.

Hawke chuckles. “You know we work for Eli, not you. And I have a feeling Eli might agree with her on this one. You have to give her some breathing room.”

I glare at him, and he holds his hands up in defense.

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