Page 6 of The Attraction
“Perfect,” I reply as I take the first mouthful. Feeling it sliding down my throat is soothing.
Walking past him into the apartment, I see Nic and Tori are here, and then as I’m walking toward them to take a seat on the couch, I hear her voice coming from the kitchen where she is helping Felisha. Harper is already here and sounds like she is in the middle of some epic girl talk with her bestie. The volume of her voice tells me it’s an intense story, and I’m just praying it’s not about me. I’m not purposefully listening in, but I have no choice but to hear what she is saying.
“And after the second glass of champagne, I was so ready to head to his place, but the bastard then kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for dinner and made an excuse to leave. Like, what the actual hell. He wined and dined me, and I was more than ready to get freaky in the sheets with him, and he just left. Like what the fuck, who passes up this much goodness, seriously.”
Harper’s back is to me, and I’m not sure she knows I’ve even entered the room when Felisha gives me a wave because she obviously doesn’t want to stop Harper when she is on a roll. But it’s enough to have her looking over her shoulder, and her eyes now fix on me. And because I’m an idiot and seem to lose my ability to keep my words in around her lately, I say something that is about to set the night off on the wrong foot, I just know it.
Waving at Felisha, I mumble to Harper, “Well, at least you let him feed you dinner, but then again, I guess it was because you were interested in what he was bringing to the table.” I mentally smack myself in the forehead when I see her eyes darken, and the snark in her voice tells me that she is happy to take me on.
“Yeah, pity he didn’t take what was on offer, because there are only so many times you’ll put it on the menu before it’s removed for good.” And with that, she turns back to Felisha who is giving her the death stare, and I know it’s not for what she said but that she has told her that I’m off limits and to stop flirting with me. Not that it seems to make any difference.
Nic calling my name is enough to make me turn away from her and take a seat opposite him and Tori and catch up with how their day went. They spent last night out at their country estate and went horse riding today. It’s not my cup of tea, but I know he loves being out of the city. We all have different things that relax us, and that’s what the two of them have found works for them.
“How has your day been? And if you tell me you’ve been working, I won’t be happy,” Tori asks. She has become a bit of a mama bear to the group since she and Nic got together, and even though she is the youngest, she seems to wear this role well. I suppose it comes from being with the owner and head of the company.
When Flynn met Nic in Australia, they become best friends from day one, and although I have only known Nic for almost five years, he is now one of my closest friends too. He moved back to the UK to take over the hotel chain he inherited from his grandfather, and Flynn told him I was the man he could trust with all his financial affairs. It was the first time I’d ever heard my brother talk like he was proud of me and my achievements in my career. And although it took a little while to get to know my brother again after fifteen years apart, before long, he was pissing me off like the little brother I grew up with, and it actually felt good. As much as he drives me crazy, I do love him.
“Okay, I won’t tell you then.” With a grin on my face, I take another sip of my beer as Nic bursts out laughing.
“Forrest, when are we going to find you someone to take the seriousness out of you? You need to lighten up a bit, that’s what weekends are for.” Although she is partly serious, Tori is also laughing at me because she knows I’ll never change.
“Hey, girls, we need to find a woman for Forrest to help take the stick out of his ass and relax a bit,” Tori calls to Harper and Felisha, and while I’m spitting my beer back out, I’m not the only one, as both girls in the kitchen start choking on their champagne.
“How is it after all this time, you still manage to shock me with some of the words out of your mouth?” Nic rolls his eyes at Tori, and she just shrugs her shoulders at him.
“What, it’s true. He needs a woman in his life. Look at how much better your world is now that I’m in it.” If there is one thing Tori is, it’s confident in her and Nic’s relationship. There is no doubt how in love they are.
“Maybe that’s why he is so grumpy all the time.” Harper walks toward us, happy to join in on the conversation now.
“Nah, he was this serious since the day he was born. Apparently, he perfected the frown so well, he never bothered to learn to smile.”
“Flynn, be nice to your brother.” Felisha smacks him on the shoulder as she also joins us at the couches, and she places a cheese platter down on the coffee table.
“Ughhh, you sound like my mother, Felisha,” he says as he ruffles my hair as he sits next to me, which he knows drives me crazy.
I’m sure he makes it his life mission to annoy the hell out of me, and I’m just lucky that since Felisha has come on to the scene that it isn’t quite as bad, because finally at the age of forty, my brother is starting to grow up slightly. I wouldn’t say entirely, but he’s getting better. Probably because he is too busy with his attention on his fiancée and not on everyone else.
“Gross, don’t look at your girlfriend as being like your mother.” Tori giggles as she finishes what I assume is her first glass of champagne.
“Not like that, please don’t even put that vision in my head.” To which everyone starts laughing as Rem, Elouise, and Cherie all walk into the apartment.
“Sorry we’re late, just sorting out the babysitter, and Rem of course was stuck in his office sorting something out,” Elouise casually says, and all three of us men turn our heads straight toward him to check if it’s something we need to know about.
“Not work-related, farm-related, so cool your jets, men,” Rem says, and I feel my body relax again, or at least as much as it ever does with both Harper and Cherie in the room.
Flynn has already jumped up and is opening another bottle of beer for Rem and calling to Elouise and Cherie. “Drinks, ladies?” He holds up the beer and the bottle of champagne that’s open. “And there is also red or white wine, and if you want something stronger, of course, that’s on the menu too.”
“Oh goodness, if I start on something stronger, I’ll either be asleep or passed out by dinner. Just some bubbly is fine for me, thanks.” Elouise walks toward him, and Cherie follows her.
“Beer actually sounds perfect.” Cherie takes the already open one from his hand and leaves him to open another one for Rem.
“Hey, you stole my beer,” Rem calls to her from where he is standing behind the couch, watching.
“You snooze you lose, my friend.” Everybody laughs.
Nic tops Tori’s glass up so everyone has a drink in their hands.
“Cheers to friends and life getting less chaotic.” Flynn raises his beer, and we all start clinking drinks together.
