Of the three of us, Cole and I are the ones who clash the most.
He just wants to solve the problem and create thebestproduct. Even if that means flying to Brazil and not even bringing back viable material. He’s perfectly content to makeveryexpensive improvements to a product even when it doesn’t mean a large return on profit.
My job is to look at the bottom line, make it as large as possible while maintaining our reputation. We never compete on price, not in any of our ventures, but that doesn’t mean every product needs a ten-fold improvement for a small increase in margins.
Cole and I do not see eye to eye on that all the time. He’s often the last of us to get bored with a venture, and Nico has to work hard to get him re-oriented.
In fact, Nico has to work hard to make sure Cole and I aren’t at each other’s throats. When it’s good, it’s electric, the two of us working off of each other like well-oiled machines. But when wecome to an impasse, our insistent, bull-headed natures usually steer us toward a stalemate at best.
Did Cole sense my interest in Lucy? Is that what he’s doing down here?
No. That, again, feels far more likely coming from Nico.
There’s more laughing and murmuring from inside, and I’m still frozen outside. Maybe it’s not what I think. Cole could be here for another reason.
I can’t think of one right now, but it’s so absurd for Cole to be here that I can’t accept him pursuing her romantically. It’s been years since Cole even seriouslylookedat a woman, let alone took the time to do something like this.
We’ve had our fair share of opportunities. Nico partakes happily. I occasionally bring a woman home, but especially over the last few years, Cole has seemed far more interested in work than dating.
Time continues to stretch on as I stand in the doorway, convincing myself that it’s not what I think. Cole briefly mentioned Lucy having the idea for the disinfecting cases. That must be what he’s doing down here. Talking to her about the product.
And I can’t knock on the door without first making up a reason for me to be here. I could say I saw the light on and wanted to make sure everything was okay—but I can’t actually see the light from our cottage. I could have been out for a walk, but Cole would know that I have an exercise bike in my room, and that’s always what I use for exercise when I’m here.
Finally, panged with a bitter sense of disappointment, I decide that I’m going to turn around and try again tomorrow. I even take the first step away from the door.
Then, breaking through the trills of nature and the thick wall of the cottage, I hear Lucy’s voice.
Strangled, low, “Oh mygod,” slipping through, half-pleasure, half-dismay. The exact kind of sound she was making when I had her bent over the back of the couch, her moans like cries, sobs, pleading and chanting at once.
Fury hurtles through me.
Without thinking, I turn and slam through the front door, thinking that I might just kill Cole.
Chapter 26
Nico
Aman can’t even enjoy a luxury jacuzzi, glass of limoncello in hand, with an unbeatable view of the ocean when his friends are being fucking idiots.
And on the onerealbreak we get a year.
Of course, I take a hell of a lot more vacations than the other two, but that’s beside the point.
The point is that this is supposed to be the one time the three of us can relax together. I’ve been looking forward to it even more this year—which has nothing to do with the pretty little assistant staying in the cottage down the path from us.
In years past, our uptight assistants would do exactly as they were told, staying out of our way, taking notes dutifully, reminding us to hydrate. One of them even had the gall to ask me if I knew about the damaging effects of alcohol.
“Yeah, buddy,” I’d chuffed, knocking back another tequila shot. “That’s the point.”
Those shots took their toll, and I did, in fact, feel like my brain cells were dwindling the morning after. Now, I stick to sipping alcohols, which are more satisfying anyway. This limoncello was supposed to be my opening toast to the week for the guys.
But I ended up breaking open the bottle on my own.
We deboarded the plane, waved goodbye to the pilot, and watched Lucy trek up the path to her own accommodation before continuing onto ours.
I still remember when this place was under construction. I’d been mostly in charge of designing it. My favorite part is the deck I’m on now, which sticks out over the side of the cliff’s outcropping and looks directly to the ocean.
As a teenager, I was typically looking at the water through a thick haze of smog, but it was still romantic. Now, it feels like I’ve distilled the experience down. Found the cleanest, purest cut of this scene that I can.
