“It seems the solution is that you should travel with me in the future.”
“You want me to go with you on your business trips?”
“I do.”
“What about my work?”
“I think I can talk to your boss about being flexible with your schedule and a remote work situation.”
I snort.
“You said yourself you haven’t seen much of the world. And I’ve seen so much of it by myself that it’s kind of lost its luster. I’d rather see it with you by my side.”
“And when you’re working? What will I do?”
“You can still work remotely. But besides that, you can tour, shop, go on adventures, whatever you like. And I can plan my trips with some extra time built in to spend time with you.”
“That sounds like a dream.”
“It’s going to be our reality.”
I swoon at the thought.
“I almost forgot,” Asher says, snapping me back to reality. “Declan will probably be over later this evening. There are some documents I need him to look over, and the only copies are in my home office.”
“Okay. Is he going to be here a while? I can have Pierre make enough dinner for him if he’d like to stay.”
“I’m sure he’d like that. He told me our mother is having some of her friends over, and I know at least two of them are trying to get Declan to date their daughters.”
I chuckle. “I still don’t get why Declan doesn’t just rent another apartment in the city. It seems like he is constantly trying to evade your parents in some way or another.”
“Well, when my parents aren’t throwing little get-togethers where he’s seen as a prized horse by the guests, he likes it. Declan doesn’t do well with solitude. He’d rather live in chaos than quiet.”
“What will he do when his apartment is finished being remodeled and he’s back to living alone?”
“He’ll do what he always does; throw parties and surround himself with people.”
“That still sounds lonely, unless he really cares about the people at the parties.”
“Which he doesn’t. So, yes, he’ll still be lonely. But I didn’t call you to talk about the grim realities of my brother’s life. I called because I’m going crazy without you.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely. And I see you’re wearing my T-shirt,” he purrs. “What do you have on under it?”
My stomach flip flops, remembering the cameras in the room.
“Do you want to see, Mr. Langford?”
I can hear the quiet motorized sound of the partition closing in his car.
“Show me everything.”
“Oh god.I don’t even want to know what you just got up to in that room,” Lucy hisses twenty minutes later when I walk out into the living room. I’m back in Asher’s T-shirt, and my hair is probably a disheveled mess. My cheeks are definitely flushed.
Zahra shoots me a disturbed look.
“Like you two have any room to talk,” I say, smoothing my hair. I look at Zahra. “I’ve heard you and Alec fuck more times than I can count. Back in undergrad and again when I lived with you. You two are like bunnies.”
