Page 20 of Tender Offer
When Madison left, she took with her my ability to care. I leaned into the bachelor life and fucked any woman in my path. I never made a public spectacle of my private life, never officially dated anyone out in the open. My brother and father lauded my conquests without realizing I was dead inside, missing the piece of my heart I allowed to break.
Once I became CEO, I reduced all sexual activities to a few women who’d maintain my privacy and not expect emotional attachment.
William crosses my office to stand next to the window that spans the length of the wall. This high up, I have a view of Westminster and the flat across the street I keep for convenience. It’s clear out, with a mix of frost and light winds. Another cold day in London.
“Tell me you at least enjoyed Ravenous while you were there.” My brother stuffs his hands into his gunmetal suit pockets andsighs. The accusing glance he casts is full of the disappointment he inherited from our father.
His pear-shaped jaw and steel blue eyes are the only physical markers of their shared genetics. William is his mother’s child, and I’m mine.
My father married Briar less than a year after my mother died. They had William two years later. His sandy blond hair and teardrop face make him the spitting image of the woman who’s loved our father faithfully despite his own disinterest in upholding his marriage vows.
Outside of the Donnelley name, the thick brows, and the semi-thin lips, I’m nothing like William or our father. I lack the proper English accent thanks to years of boarding school, and I wear my mother’s features with pride. From the pictures Nonna showed me, she was a knockout. Thick hair framed the graceful lines of her face. My honey hue is a mix of my mother’s caramel and Nonna’s mahogany shades. Our wide cheekbones hold the same smile.
I was only hours old when she died. Every story Nonna shares implants memories I couldn’t experience. But her spirit is alive in the culture my grandmother instills, from generations of Black Sicilians who’ve called the island home and asserted their place.
“Preston. I haven’t seen you in weeks. What’s gotten into you?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “It was exceptional,” I say about Ravenous. There’s no enthusiasm behind my tone, but it’s not a lie.
Ravenous is my after-dark project. It won’t be available at every Donnelley property, but it provides select guests a taste of pleasure away from prying eyes. It’s not a full-fledged sex club, but it offers elements of exploration and voyeurism.
The Vail pop-up was exquisite. I chose our Colorado property because of the unsuspecting location. It was a last-minutedecision, but we pulled it off with great success. Who knew my holiday would coincide with a singles’ retreat or be the place where I found Madison?
The shows and demonstrations were everything I hoped for, a top-tier experience for our first go at a pop-up playspace. Guest concealed their identities behind masks and cloaks, which made it easy for me to slip in on the nights I went. I like to watch, and I enjoyed a few shows, including a personal performance with a dancer and her toys.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” William’s mouth twitches. “How was the action?”
I didn’t sleep with anyone, a fact that disappoints him. My flight from London to Colorado was a different story. The flight attendant assigned to my family’s jet kept my glass full and the head of my dick at the back of her throat.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“Oh, sod off.” William dismisses me with a hand. “Like you’ve been productive, the way I caught you daydreaming. What’s got your attention, anyway?”
“Nothing.”
My corner office is far from small. The engineered gray oak flooring, black walls, and recessed ambient lighting reflect a transition from my over-the-top predecessor to a modern aesthetic. The seating areas around the room border my desk, which is stationed front and center. The sleek wood trimmed in gold is long enough to serve as a conference table for meetings, but it does a shit job of keeping my nosy brother at bay.
He rounds the corner before I have a chance to close the window with a hundred open tabs.
“Who. Is. That?”
William goes completely still. He shamelessly gapes at a photo of Madison resting on a lounger in a bikini. Her face is to the sky, her eyes closed, the sun kissing her smile.
“Madison,” I say to her image.
William’s whistle is low. “No wonder you’ve been glued to your computer. I’d be beating the—”
“Knock it off! Don’t be a fucking ass.” What gray hair I have is because of this prick. I love my brother, but he needs to learn when to shut the fuck up.
He lifts his hands and takes a cautious step back. “Apologies. I meant no disrespect.” He tips his chin to the screen. “She’s a looker.”
“What now?” I sigh at whatever is about to come out of his mouth.
He hesitates with a bite to his lip. “You’ve always had a thing for ’90s women. She looks like the one in that movie you made me watch, with the Terminator.”
“Eraser.”
He snaps his fingers. “That’s the one. Looks just like her.”
