“Chill, guys. I did. He’s been Romero’s friend since they were kids.” Cam’s need to explain pisses me off. I don’t need him to speak on my behalf.
I get up and move towards my friend.
“Nic.” Damien adjusts his collar as he swaggers my way.
“D.” I reach out and shake his hand when a face I wasn’t expecting comes into view behind him. “What the fuck? Why did you bring Kyle to my brother-in-law’s bachelor party?” I hiss.
Kyle is a junior agent at his agency. From the few interactions I’ve had with him in the past, he seems like an okay guy. But I don’t know the guy well enough for him to attend my future brother’s bachelor party.
It’s fucking weird. Especially since Kyle briefly dated my sister last year. It obviously didn’t work out, but still. He shouldn’t be here.
Damien claps me on the back in a bro hug and shocks me when he says, “Chill, bro. It’s no big deal. He’s my partner now.”
I pull Damien to the side, out of earshot, as Kyle introduces himself to the guys and—without invitation—grabs the bottle of bourbon and helps himself. “When did this happen?”
“A while ago.” Damien shrugs, all cool, like he doesn’t owe me an explanation.
He does. Especially when it’s my money that bankrolled his agency, and it’s explicitly written in our business contract that any additions of managing partners will be discussed beforehand. With me. I don’t want to cause a scene, so I’ll save that conversation for later.
“Well, you should have fucking asked. This isn’t cool.” My headache returns full blast. I can feel the shooting pain behind my eyes again.
“Oh, so now you worship the ground Miller walks on because he’s all cuddled up with Lia?” Something flashes in Damien’s eyes as he uses my nickname for Talia, and something like hot coals burns in the pit of my stomach.
What the fuck was that look?
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Damien ignores me and winks at the server who walks by with a tray of drinks in her hands.
“D, I love my sister, and I won’t disrespect her. Don’t come here and cause problems where there are none. You hear me?” I clench my fists and my jaw, my back molars grinding. Damien has been my best friend since we were kids, but this guy is not him.
“Whatever, man. It’s all good. We just want to talk to these guys. Maybe some of them need new representation.” He flashes me a smile, the same smile I’ve seen for years, but this time it feels different, and it fucking irks me. Grates on my skin. “We’re cool, right?”
Like a hot poker to the optic nerve, my eye twitches, and the throbbing pain in my head intensifies. I need a fucking minute. “Yeah. Cool. Excuse me.”
I head to the restroom to clear my head. My heart beats against my ribs, and the overhead lights make it difficult to keep my eyes open as I walk into the brightly lit bathroom. Rushing to the sink, I turn on the faucet to splash cool water on my face and run my wrists under the stream.
The icy water has the desired effect, and I catch my breath as the dull ache in my head recedes.
As I turn off the water, Lance walks into the men’s room. “You okay, Romero?”
“Fine,” I grunt. The weird unease from my interaction with Damien returns.
“Fine never means fine.” Lance crosses his arms and leans against the tiled wall.
I glare at him. “I’m not a chick. Fine is fine.”
He scoffs a laugh. “You don’t look fine, tough guy. Just know I’m here if you need something.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I exhale sharply, pushing my anger and frustration down.
If I let my anger win, my head might explode. Besides, I’ve had way too much mushy talk to be going on about my feelings with my teammate in the bathroom.
I leave Lance behind and make my way over to Damien, who is at the bar, drink in hand, talking to his newbusinesspartner. Kyle being a partner was never part of the deal.
“Can you believe this shit?” Kyle slugs back a shot and slams it on the bar.
I pull up short when I hear my sister’s name.
