Page 7 of Duplicity

Mark gives me a judgmental look before flopping back down with a huff.

‘Don't give me that,’ I mutter to him. ‘Unlike boats, blondes are easily replaceable.’

The hot ones always think they're special. But they all blur together eventually: this month's diversion until something shinier comes along. Just like the SEVENTY 8 will be this year's toy until next year's model catches my eye.

At least the catamaran won't expect a phone call the next day.

CHAPTER 4

Brendan

The bank of glass walls behind my desk and the expanse of space and light beyond it are both luxuries of having our headquarters based in the London Docklands, where square footage comes at less of a premium than in the city centre.

When my grandfather dragged his eldest son—my father—over from their home in the Dublin docks to forge a name for the Sullivan family within the London construction industry, neither of them could have conceived of the success they would go on to achieve, the wealth they would build. Wealth that was crystallised when we took Sullivan Construction public on the stock market a few years ago, netting our family billions of pounds, which my brother Gabe now manages under the umbrella of our in-house investment firm, Rath Mor.

Billions that we’ve recently pledged to give away.

While our sister Mairead spends most of her time managing stallions with boners—she runs our family’s stud farm—Gabe and I stand at the helms of our asset management and construction businesses respectively. Gabe’s still a little green behind the ears, having left his calling as a priest after a decadeto take up the reins at Rath Mor, but I’ve grown up in Sullivan Construction and I’ve earned the top job.

I may be less academically inclined than my little brother, who’s always reading ancient philosophers and studying the fucking Bible, but I’m a doer. A grafter. I’m no nepo baby, no matter what the press likes to say about me.

Construction suits me. It suits my attention span (short) and my energy levels (high). Every single day there’s a different fight to have, a different fire to put out, and when the toiling has ceased, you have a building at the end of it. A building that shelters humans, allows them to live and work and dream.

If that’s not job satisfaction, I don’t know what is.

My favourite workdays are those where I’m out of the office, walking our sites. Even with this dazzling bank of glass behind me, I get antsy pretty quickly staring at my monitor. Today has been a desk day, which is why I’m particularly intrigued by the next appointment in my diary.

My brother’s girlfriend and the new CEO of our foundation, Athena, has requested a meeting. Even if she’s most likely only here to charm me into handing over some land earmarked for Sullivan Construction so she can turn it into a fucking equestrian centre or public library, I’ll find it entertaining. First, she’s stupid levels of hot, and second, I’ve quickly learnt that any conversation with her is like a particularly strenuous game of squash—athletic and exhausting.

I’m sure today’s not the day she’ll disappoint on either front.

‘Ihave a proposition for you,’ Athena announces, running her hand over Mark’s head. He’s sitting to attention at her side as if she’s dangling a roast chicken leg in front of him. Clearly, even dogs aren’t immune to her charms. Once again, I’m half tickled, half pissed off that my holier-than-thou brother hired himself a full-service executive assistant. Tickled because I can’t believe he had the initiative, let alone the balls, and pissed off because the Angel Gabriel has landed his perfect girlfriend.

I bet he hasn’t had a boring day in the office since he met this bombshell.

And I’d put money on their workdays being just as ‘fruitful’ since she switched from being his fuck toy to the head of his philanthropic mission.

‘Of course you do.’

I bet she gets everything she asks for. It would be a stupid man who goes up against her fierce intellect and her total lack of fucks given. Still, I won’t roll over without a fight.

She licks her lips and leans forward, offering her palm to Mark, who proceeds to slobber all over it. I’m absolutelynotexpecting the next word out of her mouth.

‘Seraph.’

I grin, intrigued. ‘What about it?’

‘Don’t tell me you haven’t been entertaining the idea of hiring a Seraph EA since you found out the capacity in which Gabe hired me.’

I have many charms, but clearly an air of mystery is not one of them. ‘And if I have?’

‘Not only can I get you on their books.’ She pauses for effect. ‘But I have the perfect candidate for you. She’s just in the process of joining them, and I thought I’d do you the courtesy of giving you first refusal.’

‘Playing pimp now, are you? Did my brother slash your salary by that much?’

She shakes her head as if to sayyou foolish, foolish man.‘No one’s twisting your arm. Are you interested or not?’

‘Why are you being nice?’ I demand. ‘Is this about sequestering some of my land?’

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