Page 10 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)
CHAPTER FIVE
The fuckmeister has arisen
Helix
“I think she would fit in really well here, Helix. We both know her qualifications are impeccable, but she seems like a good person too. She was so kind to Calvin, and he definitely approves of her.”
I’m at Remi’s flat in London, and I relax back onto his black leather couch as I speak with Abigail on the phone.
Her report makes me feel better, especially the part about Calvin.
I don’t stand for anyone being condescending toward him.
I actually refused to work with one supplier after their salesman copped an attitude and made a rude comment about our driver.
While Calvin may not have the academic brilliance of his sister, the man is a gem. He’s loyal and kind, and I regard him with the utmost respect for his service to our country.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I ask, “And she seemed like she would fit in well with the rest of the team? You know I don’t like drama and shit.”
Abigail hums thoughtfully. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.
Nicolette got along with everyone. She even took time to stop and engage with Cody and Marla while they were homogenizing some samples of that new under-eye gel.
” Cody and Marla are two of our graduate students who are working toward their PhDs.
“Cody didn’t say anything stupid did he?” While he’s a highly intelligent kid, sometimes he can be a bit awkward.
I can hear Abigail’s grin through the phone. “He asked her what her favorite amino acid is.”
I shake my head in amusement. It’s not the weirdest thing he’s ever said. “And what was her answer?”
“Phenylalanine.”
“Mental acuity and mood. That’s a good one,” I muse. “I trust you, Abigail, and if you think Dr. Bell is a good fit, I’ll make her an offer.”
She sounds pleased. “Good. I was afraid if we didn’t find someone to replace me, you might hold me hostage in servitude.”
A smile crests my lips. “Distinct possibility, though I would have treated you well and let you out of your cage for bathroom breaks at least twice a day.”
“Well, aren’t you sweet,” she drawls sarcastically. “Though I am a little sad I don’t get to work with Dr. Bell. She’s brilliant.”
“And what am I? Chopped liver?”
“Meh, you’re okay,” she teases, “but I do think we may have found someone who’s actually smarter than you, boss.”
“We’ll see,” I say mildly, though after reading Nicolette Bell’s extensive resume, I think Abigail may be correct.
And I’m surprisingly okay with that.
“Everything go okay with the interview?” Remi asks when he wanders back into the living room with two glasses of fine scotch.
“Yep, Abigail likes her. I just emailed Dr. Bell an offer, so we’ll see what happens.”
My brother hands me a glass and settles into the black recliner adjacent to my seat on the couch. “How’s Phoenix doing?”
I think about my twin as I take a sip. The liquor tastes warm and buttery-smooth going down. “Seems like he’s doing well. He has one of us keep Reece every Tuesday, but he’s kinda tight-lipped about where he goes on those nights.”
“Probably getting some pussy,” Remington remarks, crossing his legs at the ankles. “God knows he needs it.”
“Maybe, but it’s weird. You know how he is. He’d tell me if he were hooking up with someone. Phe has never been shy about his body count.”
Remi shrugs. “Could be that he’s getting serious with someone and wants to see where it goes before telling the family.”
“Could be,” I admit, “though he swore he’d never get serious about anyone again after Bea.”
My brother’s nose wrinkles at the mention of Phoenix’s former fiancée. “I know what happened was fucked up, but I’m glad we never have to see her again.”
“Amen, brother,” I say, lifting my glass in a toast.
“I hear we signed one of the players from the women’s new football league to do a campaign for us.”
I nod. “Yeah, Houston’s getting a team, the Dragons, so Phoenix thought it would be good to get one of the players from our home team. Jordie McNamara is her name.”
Remington takes a sip of his drink. “I think that’s a smart move. Women’s sports are on the rise, and it seems like this new league is going to be very popular. And Jordie is fantastic.” At my raised eyebrows, he chuckles. “Don’t look so surprised. I watch more than the golf channel.”
I laugh with him. “There have been women’s football leagues for years, but this one has the full backing of the NFL, so I think you’re right.”
“This is a good opportunity for Hale Cosmetics and for Jordie.” Remi pauses and rolls his eyes. “As long as Phoenix doesn’t try to fuck her.”
My head tilts to the side in thought. “He won’t. She’s way too young for him.” I lift my glass to my lips and drain the contents. “Now what are we eating tonight?”
The vibe of the London steakhouse is almost Gatsby-esque with its boisterous elegance. I cut into my Scottish grass-fed fillet, swirl it through the truffle mustard, and take the first bite.
Remington smiles at my quiet moan. “Good, huh?”
Swallowing, I nod. “Very. It’s been a while since I had a steak.”
My brother’s knife slices through his Japanese Wagyu as smoothly as if the meat was a slab of warm butter. “Did you get the glitch worked out with the samples today?” he asks before placing a small hunk of steak into his mouth.
I take a sip of my delicious red wine. “I should have it sorted by Monday. I’ll head up to the lab in the morning.”
“I knew you would. So what’s going on at home? Anything new?”
“Perri got home this week, and Reecie learned how to wipe her own ass.”
Remington covers his mouth with his linen napkin, but it barely muffles the snort. “Sounds like cause for a party.”
I pop a potato into my mouth, and my eyes almost roll back into my head at the salty, crispy outside and tender inside. “These fries are amazing.”
My brother lifts an eyebrow and corrects me. “They’re called chips here. This restaurant fries them in beef drippings. That’s why they’re so good.” His gaze drifts to something over my right shoulder, and his entire demeanor changes. When his brown eyes darken, so does his deep purple aura.
Ah, he’s spotted something that interests him. Or someone.
My thought is confirmed a second later when a British female voice says, “Remi! Don’t mean to geg in, but I wanted to say hi.”
Remington gives a jerk of his chin, and, like she’s been summoned, the buxom brunette rounds the table and kisses him full on the mouth. She’s wearing a short sparkly black cocktail dress with tiny ruffles at the shoulders.
My brother whispers something into her ear, and she giggles when he palms her ass right in the middle of the restaurant. He looks around her and speaks to me. “Do you mind if I have company later?”
A smirk pulls at my lips. “Not at all. I’m going to bed early tonight.”
Six hours later, I regret that permission. The woman is not quiet, and these two have been going at it for the past four hours. Four. Fucking. Hours.
After the noise finally ended and I managed a couple hours’ sleep, I’m fully dressed and making a cup of coffee in Remi’s kitchen. He strolls in wearing only loose-fitting pajama pants and a road map of scratches all over his torso.
“Well,” I say dryly, “the fuckmeister has arisen.”
Unaffected by my irritated tone, he steals my coffee, adds some sugar, and takes a long sip before handing it back to me. “Sorry, I forgot how loud Aster can be.” His voice is filled with the grit of someone who got zero sleep and gives zero fucks about it.
“Are you on some kind of supplements or something, Rem? Because good god!” Seriously, I like to think I have stamina in the bedroom, but four hours nonstop?
His hair looks like a mother pterodactyl has begun building a nest in it, and he runs a hand through the dark locks, which doesn’t help. “No. I sometimes practice tantric sex. It can last a while.”
My eyebrows lift. “I’ve heard of that but haven’t looked into it much. Isn’t it where you’re looking for a deep emotional bond with someone?” Remi shrugs and turns to open the refrigerator. “So this Aster is someone important to you?”
The slam of the refrigerator door startles me, and I cup my coffee mug with both hands to steady it. Remington turns slowly, his eyes diminished to narrow lines that barely show a hint of blue iris.
“No, she’s nothing to me but a fuck. And no, I’m not playing her.
Aster knows what I’m able to give and what I’m not, and she’s good with that.
” He leans his shoulders back against the fridge and rubs at his chest. “I don’t get with her often because I don’t want to lead her on. Just every couple of months or so.”
I prop my ass against the countertop and take a sip of my coffee, wincing at the too-sweet taste. “Sorry, Rem. I didn’t mean to get you all riled up. I just thought the tantric stuff was something you were supposed to do with… a partner. Like a real partner you’re trying to connect with.”
His gaze falls to the wood floor, and his voice goes quiet, contemplative. “I’m trying to find something I had once. Only once.”
After a few beats of silence, I understand. “The girl you were with after Phoenix’s bachelor party.” It’s not a question because it doesn’t require an answer. I already know because all I heard for weeks afterward was about his one perfect night. Remi nods anyway.
“Yeah, Minnie.” He shoves away from the refrigerator, the movement almost violent as he strides to the pantry door and opens it. “I’m looking for another connection like that. I remember thinking that night that being with her was almost tantric.”
What he’s looking for is dawning in my brain. “So you studied tantra so you could try and find the same thing with someone else?”
“Yes,” comes his clipped answer as he moves things around on the top shelf.
“Have you ever thought maybe it was the woman and not some arbitrary experience with a stranger that you can recreate with another person?”
Remington’s head drops, and he blows out a sigh. “Of course I have. But I can’t have her.” He turns, and his face is pinched with… pain? “Why did she leave in the middle of the night, Helix? I thought—no, I knew she felt it too. So why?”
For five years, everyone has been focused on how that weekend changed Phoenix’s life forever, but it seems Remi was just as affected.
And if I’m being completely honest…
I was too.