Page 16 of The Spare

I drop a potato on my shirt, smearing ketchup on it. "Damn," I mumble, but honestly, it's the perfect excuse to leave. "Excuse me."

I stand up, placing my napkin on the table and walking off towards the hall that leads to the bathroom. I clean up, and when I make my way to the study, Mason's right there, watching me out the side of his eye.

Chapter five

Desires of The Heart

"Hey, Mason. What the fuck are you doing, bro? Do you evernotwork?"

I studiously ignore him, refusing to look up.

"What are you looking at?"

I glance up sharply from my phone as Benny, one of my finance friends, playfully lurches forward and tries to snatch my phone from my hand. I jerk my hand out of the way, sinking a bit deeper in my seat, clicking the power button and turning thescreen black.

Cutting off the feed of something a lot better than what everyone else is currently entertaining themselves with.

"Nothing, Ben," I say, throwing him an annoyed glance as he tosses a few hundred dollar bills on the stage in front of me, making my skin crawl.

"Hey, baby doll,"he calls to a nearby stripper. "Give my friend here a lap dance."

The other members at our table trade glances and chuckle, their mirth deepening at my obvious discomfort.

I pick up my bottle and take a deep swig, moving my head out the way when the brunette comes up to me and puts her hands to the side of my head and scrapes her fingers through my hair. Her perfume is obnoxious, as are her fake boobs.

Propping my elbow on the seat, I block her from trying to drag her hand down my chest and stomach. Irritated, I cut my eyes to Ben, who takes a drag on his cigar and narrows his eyes at me through the smoke, gleefully watching me push away the stripper they hired for our table.

I cannot stand these private mansion parties. Fuck.

"You know, Mason," Joseph, the groom-to-be at this ridiculous bachelor party I was forced to attend, catches my attention. "Maybe next time we should hire some chippendales?" he says suggestively, trading a look with the two other people at our table. "Seems like they might be more your speed."

Scoffing at his audacity, I meet his eyes for a second, seeing genuine curiosity within his pea colored irises, reflecting the size of his dumbass brain, no doubt.

I look down, picking up my own cigar and busy myself crossing my ankle over my knee while I light it. I take a comically slow drag, blowing out a big smoke ring while they all wait for my response. I'd be an asshole if I just up and left after just getting here.

The purple and pink strobe lights illuminate the moody interior of the private club of one of the most powerful wall street brokers here in New York. Father does business with him, and his son Joseph is getting married this weekend. I wassupposedto be landing a major client for King Dynasty here tonight.

But apparently not tonight. And the thought upsets me.

In the effort to continue to attempt to repair mine and Father's relationship, I've spent the past almost four years straight filling my evenings and weekends with dinners, lunches, parties, and vacations; gathering clients and connections to strengthen the financial sector of the King Dynasty empire, as well as paying my dues to the California mafia Don, Lucien.

Doing anything and everything I can to take my mind off of what I can't have right now: Hendrix's sister-in-law.

Melody.

The love of my life, my confidante, and oftentimes, the thorn in my side.

But ultimately, the desire of my heart.

These last almost four years have been the most agonizing blip of time in our love story, and I'm eager to put it behind us.

I clench my jaw and shake the woman's touch off my shoulder, leaning away from her when she goes to nuzzle into my neck.

"Will you get off of me already? Fuck."I snap, irritated. The men all laugh at me again, and I decide I'm out. Father will just have to understand.

Or not, I don't give a fuck.

I firmly push the stripper away, giving her a dirty look before turning back to Joseph, seeing Ben start to shake his head, and rubbing a hand down his jaw. But I don't care if I've offended him. Joseph's seriously touched a nerve, and he's about to pay for it.