Page 8 of Allure
The man who had gotten the one thing Marco had never been able to hold on to.
These luncheons never happened without Joel showing up since he was a member of Crimson. They unfortunately ran in the same circles, and usually Marco wouldn’t miss an opportunity to get into a pissing match with him. It showed everyone they had lunch with and at Crimson why Garrison Inc was always the better option for pretty much everything.
Marco enjoyed pissing Joel off and kicking him off his self-imposed pedestal. There had been a war waged between them since as far back as he could remember. He was sure it stemmed from their business dealings, but it was fueled by their connection to Syra. He hadn’t known when he started messing with her that Joel had been the ex in her past—the one she hadn’t been able to fully let go of when they met. He had been too busy trying to be her future that he didn’t care about that part of her past.
When she left him, it had been her art that drew Joel out of hiding to coax her back to Ivywood. Marco had no doubt Joel knew he was the other man. The publicity her art show had gathered had put them in pictures together, stealing kisses and looking at her like she was his world.
And when she left, your world imploded, making you the mogul you are now.
“Not exactly.” Marco looked down at his phone, running his thumb over the touch screen, trying and failing to type out a response. He hated that she used email as a means to communicate and didn’t bother leaving a phone number. “She’s requesting we meet up to talk.”
Asli hummed in his throat, and Marco’s gaze snapped to him. “What? Whatever you have to say, spill it,” he grumbled, hating the way Asli was looking at him with a knowing smile on his face.
“You had her one night after she left you high and dry how many years ago? You’ve seen her once since said night, and it’s like you’re smitten all over again. You’re smiling. Your pulse is probably racing. I bet your balls are tight and your palms are sweaty.” Asli chuckled, and Marco shoved at him, causing him to laugh harder.
Marco slipped his phone into his pocket, waiting until after lunch to send his response to Syra. The hostess’ bright smile had flashed his way, letting them know their table was ready. They followed her through the restaurant, with Asli humming some adolescent rhyme about him and Syra, and it made Marco want to trip him.
Once they were at their table, both Asli and Marco grabbed the two seats at the head of the table—a show of power that Marco liked to flaunt, but it also gave him a clear view of the door and who was coming toward them. He liked to watch when their company came in and how quickly they slipped a mask on when they approached the table—Joel especially. Marco knew who at Crimson didn’t care for him, and it was always fun watching the way their dislike turned into fake pleasantries.
“I wouldn’t be so smug, Asli. You don’t know Syra the way I do.” Marco leaned toward his friend, a smile on his lips because he knew what would happen once Syra and Asli spent time together. “I’m betting once you spend some time with my estrellita, she’ll have your little artistic soul singing. You’ll be crafting masterpieces in her honor and whispering her praise on your knees against her lips. As much as I hate how Syra played me, I’m man enough to admit the magnetic draw she has…the proverbial moth to the flame. You won’t be able to resist her any more than I could.”
Asli’s deep laughter made Marco’s smile grow. “Nothing to say, Asli?” He hummed. “That means you know I’m right. It’ll be interesting watching you fall.”
“And what happens if I do?” Asli ran a hand under his chin, his focus seeming to be on something not in the restaurant.
Marco heard the serious note in his friend’s voice. He knew with Syra coming back into the picture and how their dynamic had been, this conversation would eventually come up. There weren’t many women they were involved with they hadn’t shared, and Syra was one of them, but that had only been because Asli was out of the country when Marco met her. Had Asli been here, and if Syra was okay with it, Marco would have invited him in. It wasn’t much of a question about where Marco landed when it came to Syra and Asli but where they both landed.
“I think you and Syra need to have that conversation.” Marco caught himself too late. “If it gets that far,” he tried to amend, but the smirk on Asli’s face told him it was too late.
“You’re a dick.” He shoulder checked his friend. “You’re not slick. Whatever happened with me and Syra is in the past. There will be no repeats, so this conversation is a waste of time.”
“Can I get you gentlemen any drinks to start with while you wait for your guests?” Sandy, the usual server who waited on them when they came to Hibiscus, had picked the perfect time to come over and interrupt their conversation. Marco should have known what Asli was doing. The time for him and Syra to be anything more than bed buddies had passed when she left. What was coming was a purging to get her out of his system.
They declined the offer for drinks, and Asli waited till Sandy was out of earshot before he spoke again. “As fun as it is to fuck with you, I spoke to Fletcher earlier and he said he can’t figure out what keeps tripping the alarms on our buildings in Industrial City. The cameras keep glitching, and when he goes out there, everything is still intact. He thinks it might be wildlife, but he has to do another thorough sweep to see if he finds any nests.”
Those buildings sat empty in Industrial City as Garrison Inc tried to figure out what to do with them. They had been a part of the revitalization of Industrial City, but so far neither Marco nor Asli had any idea what to put in those buildings.
“The buildings are left untouched?” Marco asked just as the first pair of their luncheon guests arrived.
Marco and Asli stood as the Johnsons made their way over. “From what Fletcher showed me and when I checked the cameras, nothing was vandalized or out of place. It’s almost like someone is testing the alarms for something.”
They shook hands with the Johnsons and did the customary small talk that Marco didn’t participate in. Something about what Asli said sparked an inkling of a memory he couldn’t quite place and it pissed him off, wondering why these alarm triggers felt familiar. He brushed it aside as Lucas and his wife, Jamie, joined the table and Jacob and Brandon followed shortly after. They were all shareholders in Garrison Inc, and Marco plastered a smile on his face when all he wanted to do was leave.
Asli brushed his shoulder as they resumed their seats. The touch was subtle enough no one would think anything of it if they saw it, but Marco knew it was Asli’s way of reminding him to play nice and retract the fangs because David and Colton had just strolled in.
Marco hated Colton—hate was a strong word, but there was no love lost between them. They’d gone to the same college and ran in the same circles. Colton was an all-around jackass, but it was made worse when Marco had fucked two women Colton had been into. Marco hadn’t known he was into them at the time. It hadn’t been anything serious between him and the women, but Colton took it personally, so much so he’d been the first to toast Marco on the downfall of the first company his father had given him.
The prick made a celebratory announcement when he thought Marco’s days with Crimson were done. The smug smile on Colton’s face as he sent Marco well wishes and better luck next time had been all too satisfying for him to wipe off as he rose to new heights with Garrison Inc. Colton couldn’t beat him, and it came as no surprise that he saddled up with Joel Hernandez who waltzed in behind David and Colton, as if that would help them take what Garrison Inc already owned and dominated.
The three of them made their way toward the table, loud laughs and big hellos all around until they met Asli’s and Marco’s eyes. Hatred and unchecked anger lined their features as they stood next to their chairs while Marco and Asli remained seated—relaxed and refusing to verbally acknowledge them.
The air in Hibiscus thickened with tension, and Marco secretly prayed one of them finally pushed past the line they kept to and gave him a reason to put his fists through their faces or give the rest of the people sitting here enough of a reason to not invite them out to these luncheons any longer.
“Asli, it’s good to see you still on this side of the world. You’re always missed when you’re traveling.” Jamie’s voice broke through the tension at the table and Colton, David, and Joel found their seats just as the waitress came over to take the drink orders.
Marco kept to his water, which had been poured before everyone showed up. He kept his gaze on Joel, noticing the bags under his eyes and how on edge he seemed. It made Marco sit up straighter and pay attention to the man who had been given the privilege of giving Syra a new last name.
Joel had always come to these lunches and the Crimson National club with a smug smile on his face. His cocky attitude on display like he had every right to be here, even though he was the weakest link at the table and not in the right tax bracket for Crimson. Joel not only lost almost half of the property in Lockwood to Garrison Inc, but his other business ventures had also failed horrendously to boot. His only source of income was real estate, but even then he couldn’t keep up with Garrison Inc to give them real competition.
