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Chapter One

Roman

I know that look. The one coming from the sultry brunette across the room. It’s heat, hunger, and a silent invitation, all rolled into one. She’s made up her mind, and I’m exactly what she wants tonight.

She’s smoking hot, and it’s been too damn long since I’ve had a proper release. Add that to the pressure of managing renovations at all my luxury hotels, and, yeah … I could use the distraction.

I lift the corner of my lips at her, then offer a wink. She bites her lip and smiles.

It appears I’ve found my companion for the evening.

“I hope you’re winking at someone behind me and not coming on to me,” Walker says with a sarcastic smile. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t swing that way.”

“You’d be lucky to have me.” I grin back at him, then give him the same wink.

Colton chuckles behind his glass of whiskey. “I do remember hearing your dorm room guests agreeing with you a lot back in the day,” he says to me.

I turn my eyebrows up at Walker suggestively, which makes him burst into laughter.

“Get over yourself, dude,” he replies. “You are one cocky motherfucker.”

I shrug my shoulders. “When it’s true, it’s confidence, not cockiness.”

Lincoln looks down at his watch.

“Got somewhere you gotta be?” Sawyer asks with amusement.

“I told Kylie I’d be home by seven,” Lincoln replies.

Dean punches him on the arm. “Dude, you’ve been out with us for an hour. Are we really that boring that you need to rush home to the missus?”

Lincoln and Kylie aren’t married yet, but I’m sure it’s coming soon. He’s the first of the six of us to settle down with a woman and move in with her.

The six of us went to school together at Columbia University here in New York City.

“You’ll understand when you find the right one,” Lincoln says confidently.

I snort at the idea of me finding “the right one.”

Lincoln’s eyes home in on me. “What? You think you’re safe from falling in love?”

“I know I’m safe.”

He looks at me like I have no idea what I’m talking about. Like he’s forgotten exactly what my father did to my mother. There’s no convincing me—he knows that. I’ve learned the hard way not to believe in bullshit.

“We’ll see about that,” Lincoln replies. “Well, you fellas have fun chasing tail tonight. I’m going to go home and have the best sex of my life.”

With that, Lincoln takes off, leaving just the five of us guys behind.

“I guess that’s one benefit of a relationship,” Colton jokes.

“Before I have one too many drinks and forget to ask,” Walker says as he looks at me, “have you heard?”

My forehead furrows. “About what?”

“Eva’s moving back to the city this month.”

I vaguely remember him mentioning his sister’s return a while ago. I didn’t give it much thought. I’ve never met Eva. She’s younger, and she wasn’t around during our college years.

“I thought you might want to interview her to be your renovation designer.”

Right. He said she was relocating from Chicago, where she spent five years at a design firm, back to New York. Now she’s launching her own interior design company here.

I hesitate. Mixing business with personal ties has never been my style.

“Come on, man. Give her a shot. Just an interview. No hard feelings if you don’t hire her,” Walker pleads.

I sigh. “You won’t get pissed if I don’t hire her? Because this is a major renovation. I have no room for hiring someone because of a personal connection. I have to pick the most talented.”

“I personally think you’re going to love her work, but agreed. I do not expect you to hire her just because she’s my sister.”

“Fine. I’ll tell my assistant to set something up with her. Just text me her information.”

He smiles brightly. “Thanks, man. That means a lot.”

“When does she get here?” Dean asks.

“I’m trying to find an apartment for her to move into—something in a safe neighborhood. I told her I’d cover the cost. I don’t want her living in an apartment without security, like the first place she picked.”

“Roman, what about your building?” Colton interjects. “Isn’t the apartment below you available?”

“That’s perfect!” Walker exclaims. “Your building is safe; it has a ton of security. You living above her is an added bonus. What’s the rent going for these days?”

“It’s fifteen thousand a month, but don’t worry about rent. I make enough on that building. I’m not going to babysit her, but the space is hers if she wants it.”

Walker smirks at me. “Why am I not surprised that you’re not going to keep an eye on her for me? But thanks for the offer. I’ll talk to her about it. Every place I suggest, she freaks out about the cost and insists she can’t let me pay that kind of money.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Just let me know. I’ve made sure security is top-notch since I’m living there. You won’t have to stress over that.”

Colton rolls his eyes. “We get it. You’re a massive control freak who has more money than he knows what to do with.”

I grin at him. “Don’t act like you don’t have money too.”

“I’m a doctor. I don’t make nearly as much as you.”

He’s being modest now. He’s not just a doctor; he’s an oncologist. This man saves lives for a living. I overcharge for hotel rooms to fancy, high-class travelers who are looking to feel like they are better than other hotel guests who don’t pay the amount of their mortgage for one night in a hotel.

I’m a ruthless businessman though, and I’m okay with that. It’s who my father was and who I was raised to be. I’m a lot like my father—in more ways than I care to be.

A slap on my back instantly sets a wave of anger coursing through my body when I turn my head and see a face that I’d much prefer never to see again.

“Sebastian,” I say through a clenched jaw.

His smug smile forces my hands into fists. “Roman. Funny running into you. How’s business?”

“Business is great,” I reply sternly.

“That’s good. Our sales are up. I was hoping that didn’t mean we were affecting your revenue.”

I’m sure he was worried about that. His line of hotels is our biggest competitor. They just did a major renovation and have stolen some of our clients. That’s part of the reason I’ve decided that we need to revamp our most luxurious hotels. These rich clients want to stay at only the best.

“Our revenue is just fine, Sebastian. Thanks for your concern. It was nice seeing you.”

I turn my head back to the guys and ignore the cocky laugh that echoes as he walks away.

“I hate that guy,” Walker says coolly.

“Does he know about your renovations?” Dean asks.

I shake my head in response. “No, but I’m sure he’ll know exactly why I’m doing it the moment he finds out.”

Sawyer waves his hand. “Who cares what he thinks? You have the advantage of doing your renovations after his. Now you know what you are competing with. You just have to top his design.”

“That’s true. Go spend a night in his hotel to see what you need to beat,” Colton says.

“That’s not a bad idea.” It will give me the edge I need to stick it to him once and for all. I guess there is a benefit in him doing it first.

I look across the room at the brunette I know I want to bring home tonight. Instead of staring at me, which she has been all night, she is now laughing at something Sebastian is whispering in her ear.

I swallow hard, trying not to reveal my frustration. I know it’s what he wants. He is always aware of my desires just so he can swoop in and ruin them for me.

This man lives to make my life hell.

Suddenly, I’m no longer in the mood to be here. I just want to get my plans in action so I can take the motherfucker down.

“I’m outta here, guys.” I slap the table lightly as I stand.

I reach into my pocket and grab two one-hundred-dollar bills and throw them on the table.

“Walker, text me your sister’s information tonight. I’m moving forward with my renovations immediately. I don’t have time to wait.”

Before any one of them can answer, I take long strides away from the table until the April breeze hits my body.

I text my driver, Aaron, to let him know I’m going to walk home tonight.

I’m rarely outside. I go from one hotel to the next, one meeting to another, never getting time to take in the feeling being outdoors gives me. Plus, now that the bitter cold of winter is over, we are starting to see the first signs of spring.

The walk from the bar we were at in Midtown to Hudson Yards, where I live, is about thirty minutes. Once I turn onto West 33rd Street, I know I’m about halfway there.

My mind keeps going back to what my father said when I told him that I was going to do major renovations to our luxury hotels.

“My hotels are fine the way they are now,” he said as he poured his hundred-dollar glass of Macallan. “Don’t fix what ain’t broken.”

His words have weighed heavily on me since our conversation a couple of weeks ago. There is still a part of me that doesn’t fully trust my own decisions.

Sometimes, I feel like a fraud in a suit.

Just a lucky son of a bitch who inherited a string of hotels that I will one day run into the ground.

As the oldest of four kids, I knew this was the hand I was dealt.

I was destined to take over his business.

But my father is a stubborn man and has never been willing to listen to anyone else’s opinions.

His revenue began dropping years ago. I suspect that’s why he retired and handed it over to me. He knew something was slipping from his control and didn’t want to stick around to be the reason the company began to fall apart.

Now it’s up to me to save his mess.

He refuses to believe that the world is changing.

The things that his generation values are not what the generations after him value, but he won’t admit it.

His generation wanted to wine and dine where the celebrities did.

They were about staying somewhere that had five-star service.

Today, it’s all about what your social media account looks like, which means the right ambiance to get that perfect picture.

Change is not something that comes easy to him. Unless it’s women we’re talking about, but I prefer not to think about that part of my father.

The line of green trees and bushes lets me know that I’ve arrived at my building in Hudson Yards. I walk through the front door, into the lobby, where Fred, one of my favorite security guards, is on duty.

“Hello, Mr. Bertini,” Fred greets me in his maroon uniform with his familiar smile.

I nod my head. “Fred. Have a nice night.”

The strip of elevators to my right is for the other residents. I turn left and then make an immediate right to my private elevator to the penthouse. Though I can use the main elevators to get to my place, I much prefer my privacy.

I swipe my card, and the elevator speeds to the top, opening directly in front of my door. As soon as I walk inside, I know it’s going to be another long night of fitful sleep.

I can feel the unsettled part of my soul that comes alive when I’m alone. There’s only so much I can do to distract myself from the feeling. Once I’m home, all alone, there’s no running from it.

I could take a pill or have another drink, but I know that is a slippery slope.

I just have to accept the fact that this level of pressure and stress is my new life.

The weight of the company rests on my shoulders, and there’s no going back.

I’m the only one of my siblings willing to take over dad’s legacy.