I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
Hamilton nodded at a nearby table. “Over there is an heir to one of the largest corporations in the country,” he said. I followed his gaze and stared at the slender man tossing back shots. He looked about my age. I was about to ask what the point of all of this was, when an elderly man with deep wrinkles, a limp, and dentures sat next to him and started kissing the younger man’s neck.
“This is the sort of establishment that doesn’t allow cameras and doesn’t ask questions.”
“Ah,” I replied before shifting in my seat. Why did Jared know about this place? Was it just one of those common knowledge things, or did he need a secret place to hang out with his friends?
“You’re nervous,” Hamilton stated. It wasn’t a question. He just knew.
“Things were easier when we were just fucking at my apartment,” I replied. Jess snorted.
Hamilton grabbed my thigh and kissed me on the temple again. He had started doing that a lot lately. It was such a tender and authentic gesture.
“Hey!” Jared’s voice boomed. I got out of my chair to give him a hug. In typical Jared fashion, he was wearing tailored slacks, a button up shirt, and a suit jacket that cost more than my rent. His blond hair was slicked to the side, and the Chapstick on his lips made his mouth shine. He wrapped me up in a large hug, picking me up off the floor a bit. I could feel Hamilton’s hard eyes on us. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the invite. This place is…”
“Pretentious as fuck?” Jared finished for me.
“Exactly,” Jess replied.
“It’s not my usual hang out, but I figured you’d like some privacy, you know, since you’re fucking your uncle now.” Infinity choked on her drink. Hamilton curled his fist. Jared and I sat down, and my skin suddenly grew hot. With an angry Hamilton on one side of me and an overly affectionate Jared on the other, I felt sandwiched. “If I’m hooking up with someone not ready to come out of the closet, I’ll bring them here.” Jared looked down at the empty table in front of me. “Want me to get you a drink? I know how you love gin and tonics.”
“That would be gr—”
“I got it,” Hamilton replied before waving down one of the cocktail waitresses. Within minutes, we all had drinks and had settled into an awkward silence. I had hoped that maybe this would bring us together, but it just made things more uncomfortable. A buzzed Jess and Infinity disappeared to the bathroom ten minutes ago and still hadn’t come back. I was desperate for a buffer, but something told me they’d be a while.
“So, what are you going to school for?” Hamilton asked while curling his hand around my leg, his reach dangerously close to the apex of my thigh.
“Ethics and Politics,” Jared replied. “Did you go to school?”
“Nah. I started working as soon as I graduated. Why politics?”
Jared shifted in his seat. “I’ve just always been interested in it. I grew up in it.”
It seemed like everyone in Greenwich had a political background. I tried to remember what Jared told me about his family. I knew his mother owned a nonprofit.
“Family business?” Hamilton asked. “I just can’t get over this feeling like I know you from somewhere.”
Jared cleared his throat and smiled politely, but I sensed an unease about him. “Can’t say we’ve ever met.”
Hamilton tossed back his drink and grinned. “Are you sure? I just really feel like you’re familiar to me.”
Jared cleared his throat again and rubbed the back of his neck. “Nope. I don’t know you, aside from what Vera has told me.”
“I bet she’s told you all about me, hmm?” Hamilton said before grabbing my hand from where it was resting in my lap, and kissing the inside of my wrist. My breath hitched. “What was your last name again?”
I watched them speak to one another like it was a tennis match. “Anders.”
Hamilton grinned before clapping hands together. “That’s where I know you. You interned for Joseph last year, didn’t you? I’m not usually so involved in the family business. But you have one of those faces you just can’t forget. You were at the holiday party. I remember because I saw you when I snuck off with one of the servers for a quicky.”
I snapped my head to Jared. “You worked for Joseph?” I sputtered.
Jared licked his lips. “I was going to tell you—”
“Wait. Wait.” I pushed Hamilton’s hand away before standing up. “You worked for Joseph? Are you still working for him?”
“Your parents just wanted to make sure you’d be safe while here. Joseph promised me a job after graduation if I—”
I shook my head. “You asshole! I thought you were clingy, but really you’ve been my bodyguard. Was asking me out part of that agreement, too?” My voice was shrill, but I didn’t care who heard me.
“Your mother hoped that if we got together, you’d stop this ridiculous thing with Hamilton,” Jared explained. “But I promise I like you, Vera. It started as a job but—”
“Stop. Just stop.” I massaged my temples. “Have you been reporting back to my mother? Did you tell her about Hamilton and me?” Jared averted his eyes and looked at the ground. Motherfucker. I reared back and slapped him without thought just as a ruffled Jess and Infinity emerged from the bathroom. “You dick! Don’t talk to me. Don’t fucking look at me.” I turned to look at Hamilton, who looked annoyingly pleased with himself. “Let’s go.”
“Happily, darling,” he said before smirking at a red-faced Jared. I stormed out of the bar and walked toward the car with Hamilton trailing behind me.
“Fuck, I wish I could have caught that on camera,” he rasped.
“This isn’t a joke, Hamilton. My mother knows about us!”
He pushed me against the car and cupped my cheeks. “So what?” he asked.
“So, she’s going to be mad.”
“So what?” Hamilton repeated.
“Jared has been feeding information to them,” I whined.
“So. Fucking. What.”
Hamilton kissed me hard and rough against the car door. Jess and Infinity laughed while heading to where they parked. I think they told us they’d call later, but I was too lost in my kiss with Hamilton to make sense of their words. On and on it went. His tongue surged past my lips and lapped me up. I arched my back and grabbed his shirt. I trembled with every stroke of his talented mouth against mine. He tore away from me with a smile. “So. What.”
I let out a shaky exhale. “So what,” I echoed before pressing my forehead against his chest. “Let’s go home,” I whispered before pausing. “Oh my God. He’s my neighbor. Do you think Joseph coordinated that?”
“Want to go to my place?” Hamilton asked.
I reached up to kiss him on the jaw. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
19
I woke up to my phone ringing—again. The shrill sound reverberated off my skull and was a high-pitched annoyance that made my body tense up. Her calls were constant. Jared and my mother were desperate to get a hold of me. I didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know that it was my mother once again, trying to track me down and stop me from ruining her happy little family. Part of me wished she would get on a plane and have this conversation in person. I wanted her to look me in the eye and tell me that her sham of a marriage with Joseph was more important than my happiness.