Alpha Billionaire Series

MARK

Brooke was all leg as she lounged on the back deck. Her shorts exposed so much skin I was hard-pressed to feign indifference. I wanted to sit next to her and run my hand up those lush thighs.

“What are you working on?" I asked. Brooke and her friend had their noses deep in their laptops.

I remembered her saying something about applying to a graduate studies program. I sat in an empty lawn chair just to be near her.

“Writing essays,” Brooke did not look up.

I wanted her to look up at me. Even if it were just once. She hadn't made eye contact with me since she arrived on Friday afternoon. Didn't she understand how difficult all of this was for me? How much I didn't want to be here knowing I couldn't look at her without feeling like everyone around us knew exactly what was going on.

“still? You were writing essays yesterday too.’

“A good essay requires multiple rewrites,” her friend Angela answered.

They were so focused on their writing that I couldn't even properly thank Angela for covering our asses all those times. Brooke swung her legs over and stood up. I had a delightful view of her ass as she put her laptop down. “Ym getting a drink; do you want anything?”

“Is it I00 early for a beer?” Angela asked.

“It's five o'clock somewhere,” Brooke said.

I followed her into the kitchen.

“What do you think you're doing?” She spoke through clenched teeth. “Angela doesn't know who you are. If you know what I mean?”

“Are you serious? You've been using her as a cover-up, and she doesn't even know?”

Monic put a cold beer in my hand. “She knows enough, but not the details.”

“Meet me tonight?” I reached out to touch her, but she evaded me.

“That's a bad idea and you know it." Her words were sharp and clipped.

“Can we have a minute together?” I asked.

“Oh, there you are, Mark. I've been looking all over for you." The thick drawl of Karen's friend Mimi rang through the kitchen. Brooke flinched. “Looks like the answer you're looking for is a no."

Mimi came up to us and put her hand on my shoulder. “No, what? Oh, hand me one of those Diet Cokes, will ya hun?"

“No, I don't think it's going to rain” Brooke said in the flattest deadpan voice I had ever heard. The weather had been perfec and it was obviously not going to rain. But what else was she going to say when Mimi butted in?

Brooke handed her a can. Without another word she carried her drinks back out to the patio. I wanted to follow. But Mimi had me in her grips as it were.

“We're headed out on the boat. You need to hurry. Don't keep me waiting”

She gave me an assessing up and down look, followed by what I assumed was a knowing smirk. She wasn't an unattractive woman. And it was possible that a year earlier I may have even considered her my type. Mimi was divorced and had a sharec custody of two teenagers. None of these things were strikes against her. But she wasn't Brooke. She didn’t have soft curves ora smile that could light up my c**k.

“Yeah, I'll be right there."

I stared at Brooke with longing in my chest as I crossed from the house out to the dock.

“Oh good, we thought we lost you, Mark," Karen said as I climbed aboard the boat.

Ifound a place to sit along the side. Mimi stepped over and sat next to me. As we cast off and Peyton guided the boat out into the water, Mimi braced herself against me with a louder than necessary giggle.

inwardly I cringed. Had Brooke been watching?

I had to fake it for my hosts, but I also didn't want Mimi to think I was doing anything more than being polite. Howard was right there, and available. The Millers were also up for the weekend, but they were another happily married couple, just like Peyton and Karen.

The afternoon on the boat dragged out. By the time we came back, everyone was tired and cranky and pretending they were still having a good time.

“Mark, you want to help me fire up the grill?” Peyton asked.

“Sure, I'll grab us some beers."

“I need one”

“same,” Howard said.

Karen and Mimi had already made a beeline for the kitchen. I assumed they were doing whatever meal prep was needed while us men got the fire going.

Itook a detour into the house. I hoped to catch Brooke, if for nothing more than to share a glance or sneak a touch of our hands. This weekend had been nothing but pure t****e so far.

Not seeing Brooke, I made my way to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face before heading to the kitchen to grab the beer.

As soon as I heard Brooke's voice, I stopped in the hall to listen. “What do you mean you're leaving? It's so early. You just got here,” Karen said.

“The internet connection here is spotty. And we're just in the way. You know I didn't really think you had us up here to be your free wait staff”

“I don't know what you're talking about. No one expects you to wait on us."Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“But that's kind of what's happening. You and Mimi just came in here and demanded that Angela and I start fetching things from the garage so you can make dinner. You went out on the boat all afternoon, and when you got back you were in a huff that we hadn't made dinner, and you started ordering us around.”

“Well, 'm not your personal cook. You should have taken the responsibility upon yourself to notice we were out late and jus started dinner.”

“Mom, that's never been an expectation from you. You're changing the rules to fit your narrative.”

“You embarrassed me in front of my friends.”

“And what do you think you did to me in front of Angela? You said I could invite her up here, and then you act like we're supposed to be working. She's really upset at how you and Mimi treated us. She's packing right now. And since we drove up here together in my car, 'm taking her home and not coming back."

Fuck, she was leaving. I definitely wasn't going to have a chance at sneaking off with her in the middle of the night now. Howard came down the hall and headed toward the kitchen.

I grabbed his arm and tilted my head in that direction before shaking it. He did not want to walk in on the middle of their argument.

“I think you're overreacting. I think your friend is overreacting, and that you should have a talk with her”

“Mom, no I'm not. And if anyone should have a talk with their friend it's you. Mimi was a total bitch just now.”

“Brooke!”

Peyton appeared moments behind Howard.

“What's going on? Where's the beer?” Peyton asked.

“Sounds like a family discussion,” I said.

He let out a long breath and shook his head. “I'll take care of it."

Peyton turned the corner into the kitchen.

“We should—" I nodded my head in the direction of the patio.

“Hell no. I want to hear what happens.”

I missed the next few words.

“She's being unreasonable, Peyton.”

“She's an adult Karen, and she is sticking up for her friend,” Peyton said.

“And what do you think 'm doing?”

“It will just be easier all around if we leave. You and Mimi can queen bee over everything. Angela and I can focus on our applications.”

What did Brooke mean by her application? I thought only Angela was applying to graduate programs.

“Besides. We both have to be back at work on Monday. We don't get vacation days. And this isn't relaxing”

Brooke stormed down the hall past Howard and me. The glare she gave us, gave me, would have cut through steel. She was angry, she had been mistreated. It hadn't surprised me one bit that Mimi had been a bitch. She seemed the type to be friendly and act like your best friend unless she didn't get things done the way she wanted.

I wanted to follow after Brooke. I wanted to soothe her angry brow. I wanted to take her side in this argument. But I was there as her parents’ guest.

“Kids, they can be really ungrateful. Am I right?" Howard asked. He seemed like a much better fit for Mimi than I was. Why wasn't she fawning on him?

“I wouldn't know.”

I followed Brooke down the hall. I tapped on her door. Inside she and Angela were shoving clothes into their bags. “Everything all right?” I asked.

“We're leaving”

“What happened?” I had heard almost everything, but I wanted Brooke to know that I cared.

She brushed past me and then Angela did as they stepped out of the room.

“I'm sure my mother will tell you all about it from her point of view."

She didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye.