Page 6 of The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3)

ROME ASHbrIDGE

I closed my eyes and let out a long, slow sigh of pleasure as I relaxed against the wooden bench in the sauna. This was exactly what I’d needed.

“I don’t know what you’re sighing about. Your week couldn’t have been that bad. You work in a library, for fuck’s sake,” Pierce griped at me from the bench across from mine.

With a smirk, I cracked an eye open and stuck out my tongue. “Not all of us were made to save the world one lawsuit at a time.”

Pierce was a lawyer who specialized in corporate law.

Same as his father. And his grandfather.

And his great-grandfather. Probably going all the way to medieval times or whenever lawyers had been invented.

He had a fantastic analytical brain and was dangerous in an argument, which made him a great and annoying friend to have.

Most of the time, I thought he enjoyed being a lawyer, but it had a tendency to make him a very grumpy ass.

“Did you ever figure out what you were going to do about that date of yours?” Pierce asked.

I’d just closed my eyes and rested my head on the wall. “You’re gonna need to be more specific than that. I date a lot of people.”

“No shit, playboy. I’m talking about that woman you took to the concert at Union Terminal last week. I don’t remember her name. Annie? Alice?”

In a flash, all the tension I’d shed came flooding back. Because talking about Allie meant bringing up memories of running into Liam.

“Allie,” I corrected. “She seemed okay. I cut the night short and tried to ask her out a second time, but she ghosted me. Either she’s found someone more interesting, or she’s not interested in dating someone who’s pansexual.”

“You advertised that on the first date?” I could hear the shock lifting his voice almost an entire octave.

“It wasn’t my intention, but she was there when I lost my temper with an asshole.”

“Okay. Wait. I’m completely lost. When the hell did you lose your temper at the concert? And why?”

“See. This is what happens. You can’t leave early,” I chastised, but it lacked any of my usual playfulness. I sat up and twisted on the bench to face him, adjusting the thin white towel around my waist.

Pierce had left work early today and invited me over for some racquetball and a steam.

It had been hard to turn him down since my place didn’t have the greatest extra amenities, and I wasn’t in the mood to use my gym membership, where I’d have to deal with a bunch of strangers.

Usually that didn’t bother me, but after running into Liam, I’d found myself more wary of being in public.

I didn’t want another surprise like that.

Maybe it was time to give up the penthouse and build a home so I could have an indoor swimming pool and sauna I didn’t have to share.

Of course, I might have agreed to meet with Pierce because I also wanted to dig into why the man had such obvious problems with Simon. But we’d get to that later.

“Cut your bullshit. What happened after I left the concert? You’ve been quiet recently. Scary quiet. I thought you were pissed about that Allie woman.”

This was why Pierce and I had always gotten along.

The man didn’t beat around the bush, and he didn’t coddle anyone’s feelings.

He got right to it and figured out a solution.

But it meant that if I was looking for someone to lie to me and tell me it was all going to be all right, Pierce was not the person I went to.

Sebastian was the upbeat, shooting-sunshine-from-his-asshole type.

He always had something positive to say.

If I needed cheering up, I went to Sebastian.

And if I was in the mood to be an annoying little shit, I ran off to pester Declan. It was how our group worked.

“I don’t remember if I ever told you, but I had this friend growing up.

Liam.” My stomach knotted up saying his name.

I hadn’t thought I’d ever have a reason to talk about him.

Especially after all this time. But saying his name, talking about all these old memories, stirred up the same rage I’d felt as a teenager.

“We went to the same elementary and middle school. He was my best friend.”

Pierce grunted. “I don’t think you mentioned him.”

I paused and licked my lips. My eyes remained locked on my hands balled into fists in front of me. “When I was about thirteen, fourteen, I made a mistake and kissed him. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. Just stupid, I guess.”

“Sounds like you.”

A scoff made my body jump. “It gets worse.”

“Naturally.”

“His mom caught us.”

“Fuck.”

“Pretty much,” I muttered. “She totally freaked out, and then Liam shoved me to the ground, blaming everything on me. Until that moment, he was my best friend. He always had my back. Even against our parents. But with his mom losing her shit, he couldn’t throw me under the bus fast enough.”

“Douche.”

I nodded. My throat grew tight and dry. After clearing it, I continued.

“His mother threw a major hissy fit. Didn’t even try to get to the bottom of things.

Ripped Liam out of the school we both attended and called my mom.

Threatened to have me arrested for sexual harassment and a bunch of other shit. ”

“How did your parents take the news?”

With a roll of my eyes, I finally looked up at my companion.

“Because my parents have half a brain, they sat me down and asked what happened. When they understood I was only a little curious, they reminded me I needed to ask before kissing, but they didn’t care who I was kissing.

I was a teenager! As long as I wasn’t sticking my unprotected dick into people, catching diseases, and getting girls pregnant, they didn’t care.

But from that day on, I was banned from having any contact with Liam.

They didn’t trust his parents to be rational. ”

“That makes sense. Even if your parents could have crushed them in a lawsuit, it would have still dragged both you and the other boy through hell. Neither of you needed that kind of trauma.”

Yeah, I couldn’t argue with that. Even though that first year, I’d come up with plans to “accidentally” run into Liam so I could get some answers.

And maybe apologize for the kiss. Not that I felt like it had needed that much of an apology.

It was a tiny kiss. It shouldn’t have been such a big fucking deal.

If it hadn’t been for his mom, I would have asked him if he’d liked it or not. If he’d said no, I would have apologized and promised never to do it again. It had never been my plan to fuck up our friendship over something so small and stupid.

“Whatever,” I muttered, half talking to myself. I shoved a hand through my sweaty hair, pushing it out of my face before grabbing up my nearby glass of water. A couple of swallows wet my mouth and parched throat, allowing me to continue. “I ran into Liam at the museum last week.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Nope,” I said, popping the P . “Ran into him at the bar. Couldn’t fucking believe it. What the fuck is he even doing in Cincinnati? He should be in Providence…or fuck, I don’t know. Anywhere but here.”

“Does he live here now?”

“I think so. While we were sniping at each other, I noticed he was wearing one of those museum employee badges. He’s got to be living here now.

” Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees and dropped my head into my hands, threading my fingers through my hair.

“The past, seeing him here…it’s all been on my mind since that night.

What do you think I should do? Should I try to find him and talk to him?

Try to get some answers about what happened so many years ago? ”

“No.” Pierce’s answer was sharp, without a bit of hesitation.

I lifted my head to find that he’d also shifted on his bench to fully face me.

His expression was grim in the dim lighting.

Like Declan, Pierce also didn’t believe in fucking around when the topic was important.

“Don’t try to find him. Don’t talk to him. ”

“But we’re adults now and living in the same city.”

“Yeah, and he could have been living here even longer than you, but you never encountered each other. Speaking as not only your friend but also the person you’re most likely to call to come bail you out of jail?—”

“Ha. Ha. So funny.”

“I’m serious. Your very smart brain has a way of shutting off at the worst times, and you run off to do idiotic things. Talking to Liam falls into the stupid category.”

“I won’t do anything stupid.”

Seconds ticked by, and Pierce said nothing. He stared at me as if I were a moron. And he wasn’t wrong. I probably would do something stupid despite my best efforts.

“Rome,” he asked in a low, even voice. “Please, let it go. Stay away from him. Don’t go looking for him.

Forget he even exists. I can’t imagine there is anything you can say to each other after all these years that will improve your life or his.

If anything, you’re more likely to cause each other more pain.

You’ve both lived this long apart. Keep it that way. ”

I straightened from my slouch and shifted on the bench to lounge against the wall, resting my foot up on the wooden slats where I currently sat.

Maybe it was the heat loosening up all my muscles after our grueling racquetball game, but I didn’t have the energy to pursue the Liam issue any longer.

Maybe Pierce was right, and it was better to let it go.

Whatever we’d had as friends years ago was dead and buried. Why try to resurrect it now?

Besides, if he had been living in Cincinnati for a while and this was the first time I’d seen him, it was unlikely that I’d ever run into him again.

I didn’t go to the Cincinnati Museum Center that often.

Maybe once or twice a year. He likely worked in the back offices or something. I’d never see him.

“You’re right. I gotta let this go.” I sighed. “The whole thing caught me off guard. I never expected to see him again. Dredged up all these bad memories and emotions.”

“It’s over now. You won’t see him. You can return to dating Allie or Kevin or whoever catches your eye.”

I huffed a laugh. “There has never been a Kevin.”

“I have faith in you.”

“Asshole,” I muttered, letting my eyes fall shut.

Yeah, I was a serial dater, and I went through them fast. But it rarely took long to figure out that the person was just there for my money or what I could do for them.

For a few, it was the sex. Which was fine.

I could do that sometimes too, but that was a lot harder when I had Sebastian and Declan flaunting their new forever boyfriends in everyone’s faces.

But now that we’d discussed that night at the museum concert, another thought came to mind, and psychopath that I was, I couldn’t stop myself from poking at that sore spot.

Only because I thought it would help Pierce in the long run, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was a nosy, meddling prick.

“I was wondering…”

“Oh Lord, kill me now.” Pierce stretched out on the bench, using it as a bed while draping an arm across his eyes.

“Do you have an actual beef with Simon, or is there some old bad blood between you and Sawyer that you’re now taking out on his brother?”

Pierce groaned, the sound seeming to be called up from his bowels. “I’m not discussing it with you.”

“Yeah, but you aren’t discussing it with anyone, and that’s wrong. You’ve clearly got a problem?—”

“I don’t have a problem.”

“And it’s making you extra grumpy anytime someone mentions Simon’s name.”

“So, don’t talk about him.”

“Then if he shows up at some function, you make Declan look like a motormouth.”

“Whatever.”

I clenched my teeth and held my hands out in front of me, my fingers curled. That man needed a good shaking.

“The point is, something is fucking wrong, and you should talk to your friends. None of us can understand why you have a problem with Sawyer’s little brother.”

“You know what?” Pierce snapped suddenly.

He shoved upright and swung his legs around to set his feet on the ground with a soft thud .

“I wish everyone would stop calling him Sawyer’s little brother.

Simon isn’t little anymore. He’s not some kid.

He’s a grown-ass man, with a college degree and a job.

He doesn’t need anyone coddling him or holding his hand through life.

I’m sorry he lost his brother, but everyone needs to stop thinking of Simon as some poor fucking kid who’d be lost without everyone jumping to save him. ”

Pierce surged to his feet and stomped out of the sauna, slamming the door behind him.

Ooookkkaaaayyyy…

That was totally unexpected. He wasn’t wrong; we kept referring to Simon as the little brother, and I had trouble reconciling the image I’d had of him when I was in college with the man he was now.

But that explosion had come out of the blue. If Pierce really had a problem, it seemed to be more of a Simon problem than a Sawyer problem, but I still couldn’t guess what the hell it was.

The best I could do now was to pass this nugget of information along to Sebastian and see if Mr. Sunshine and Soft Touch could get Pierce to explain what his problem was.

As I was figuring out my game plan, the door to the sauna jumped open, and the grouch stuck his head inside.

“Get your ass out of here. It’s been half an hour. I don’t want to return and find you passed out and dehydrated.”

I flashed him the broadest grin I could manage. “What? You’re not going to let me wither away into Rome jerky?”

“You’re disgusting.” He stepped away and turned back. “Get out here and get dressed. After my shower, we’ll stop by your place so you can change. I want to eat out tonight. We’ll hit the Avenue.”

“Sure. I’ll text Declan and Sebastian. See if they’re up for joining us.”

Pierce grunted as he led the way out, and I followed.

And just like that, all the weirdness was forgotten.

God help me if I ever lost Sebastian, Declan, or Pierce as a friend. At this point in my life, they were more like family, and I’d do anything to make sure they stayed happy and safe.