Blaze: On tonight? Where?
Dane: My place at 9 for anyone who wants to come. Pulse at 11
Linc: VIP
Bryce: Busy
Blaze: Won’t Kate let you off the leash for one night?
Kade: I’m down
Bryce: Fuck you, Blaze
Besides Marcus, Bryce was Avery’s best friend. They’d played soccer together since they were four, ended up in the same private school, college, and fraternity. From there, the party never stopped until Avery’s parents threatened to cut off funds and Bryce came back after that same summer wrecked over some girl. Turns out that girl, Kate, ended up as head of legal at Preston Enterprises, and they’d only just started to work things out.
Avery sighed. Another brother locked down. He loved the Sigmas, but he struggled with impulse control, and Bryce kept him in line when they veered into the extreme. No telling what trouble he’d get into on his own. Still…
Avery: I’m in
Because his dick had been dry all week and he needed a break—and an outlet—from his family’s interference.
No answer from Gage, but he’d been out of town this week. Avery closed the group and opened the next text down from Charlotte’s.
Unknown: This is Jo—
Buzz.
Another text from Melody hit the top of his screen. He read the message before it disappeared.
Melody: I need an answer by end of day.
What the fuck? He groaned, switched from Unknown’s message to Melody’s thread, and fired back a text.
Avery: Got it.
A non-answer, but maybe the response would satisfy her for a minute. Or at least give him time to get through his other messages. He flipped back to the previous text and started where he’d left off.
Unknown: —Hayes. If your offer still stands, I’d like to meet to discuss the details.
Joe Hayes. The name sounded familiar. What offer? He dealt with a lot of accountants from companies Spencer brought on board.
“I forgot to tell you,” Zach said, walking into his office with a thick binder. “Kate dropped off the Kramer contracts. I double-checked the numbers. They’re good to go.”
“Thanks.” Avery laid the binder in front of him. “Hey, do you recall the name Joe Hayes? Is he one of the guys from the Kramer merger?”
“No, that was Jana, but there was a Joe Something in the applicants you interviewed for Ashley’s position. I’ll check with HR.” His thumbs were flying across his phone before he even turned to go.
Avery had seen at least fifteen applicants last week. Zach had them in and out so fast, he barely heard their names, much less remembered them.
He really should have let HR weed out the ones that didn’t fit, but they often overlooked a diamond in the rough because they only searched for perfection. Some of his best people hadn’t looked good on paper.
Zach paused at the door. “There’s a Joseph Cooper but no Hayes.”
“Okay, thanks.” So, who was Joe Hayes? He was a whiz with numbers but couldn’t remember names for shit. He needed context. But how could he answer without offending the guy?
Avery: Are there any details I should be concerned with before we meet?
He started to move on to his next message, but the bubbles dancing at the bottom of the screen made him hesitate. They stopped then started again. Stop…start. Stop…start.
