Aiden
I INHALED THE scent of new car, looking around in appreciation at the interior of the custom-made extended SUV that BAM had purchased. Two rows of seats, facing each other, so I no longer had to ride up front when the three of us traveled together on longer trips. Rich, thick leather seats, lots of leg and headroom, and thanks to Reid, decked out with every technological innovation possible. It was a comfortable way to travel, including a third row of seats that was easy to access or could be folded down for luggage. I had overseen the design myself, making sure it met all our specifications.
Bentley slid into the back across from me before I could get out and open the door. He dropped his briefcase on the seat beside him and took the cup of coffee I held out with a nod of thanks. We both sipped in silence for a moment. He appraised the interior of the vehicle, looking pleased.
“I like this one. Rides smooth.”
I grinned. “It does. Frank likes driving it too.”
Frank flashed a thumbs-up, making Bentley chuckle.
“Good job, Aiden.”
He sighed, leaning his head back against the smooth leather and crossing his leg over his knee. The movement caused his pants to ride up, exposing his socks. I was unable to stop the grin that pulled at my mouth.
He was wearing bright red socks with purple and blue triangles. His tie was the same bright red. Unable to resist, I tapped his foot with mine.
“Nice socks.”
He opened one eye, the glare evident. “Shut up.”
“I’ve never seen you looking so . . . jaunty.”
He sat up, tugging down his pant leg. “Fuck off. Emmy picked them out. She says I need some color besides blue and gray.” He brushed imaginary lint off his knee. “She assures me they’re hip.”
“They match your tie. Very coordinated.”
“Aiden,” he warned.
I held up my hands. “What? All I said was you looked jaunty. It’s good to try new things.”
“Drop it.”
“Sure.” I drained my coffee. “You know, a red pocket square would finish the ensemble. I bet Maddox has one you could borrow. Make you even hipper.”
“I’m gonna hip check you right into next week.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
He lifted his newspaper with a smirk. “Or I’ll tell Emmy you made fun of her choices, and she’ll cut off the scone train.”
“Bastard. That’s below the belt.”
He pulled his jacket away, showing me the highly polished belt he was sporting. “It’s new too. Will I add that to the list to tell Emmy?”
Our eyes met, both glaring, until I saw his lips quirk. Then we were both laughing. He picked up his coffee and finished it. “I told her I would try.”
I chuckled. “Honest. I like the socks. It’s just something I expect from Maddox—not you.”
“She wanted me to have them, and I had to wear them. You should see the other pair. Freaking polka dots with so many colors my head ached.” He stroked the silk around his neck. “The tie, at least, I can handle.”
“No, she’s right. The socks are hip.”
“But let’s face it. I’m not hip.”
“You’re better than you were. Emmy will make sure you’re cool.” I smirked at him. “Maybe one day, you’ll be as cool as me.”
It was Bentley’s turn to roll his eyes. “My greatest aspiration.”
I leaned back, crossing my arms behind my head. “Yep. I know.”
“You should have seen her face when she asked the cost of the socks. I thought she was going to have a coronary.”
“She’s not used to money the way you are, Bent.”
“I know. I have the feeling she never will be.” He laughed. “She was googling sock care all evening. I keep telling her to stay off the damn internet, but women . . .”
“Especially your woman. She’s addicted.”
The SUV stopped and Maddox climbed in, holding a tray of coffees along with a bag of donuts. He glanced around the vehicle with a low whistle. “Nice, Aiden. Very nice.”
“I know.” I smirked, leaned over, and snagged the bag and another cup. The three of us lived on caffeine. It didn’t matter which cup I grabbed—we all took it the same way. Light on the cream, no sugar.
“Greedy fucker. Maybe those are for me,” Maddox growled, trying to snatch back the bag.
I reached in and grabbed a double chocolate with a grin. I knew those were his favorite. I took a big bite.
“You snooze, you lose.”
“Gross. Chew with your mouth closed. It looks like you’re full of shit.”
“Well,” Bentley drawled, “if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck . . .”
Maddox threw back his head in laughter, and I grinned at them. I loved it when we were together and just being ourselves.
I tossed the bag at Bentley. “Quack.”
He handed the bag back to Maddox. “You pick first.”
I snorted. Always the gentleman. So proper. Maddox grabbed a second double chocolate donut and handed the bag to Bentley who grinned and pulled out the third one. Maddox knew us all too well. He leaned forward and dropped the bag beside Frank. “One for you too.”
“Thank you, Mr. Maddox. I do love me a good donut.”
We all chuckled. No matter what we did, he insisted on calling us Mr. before our names. At first, it was Mr. Ridge, Mr. Callaghan, and Mr. Riley. He had finally agreed to use our first names, but he refused to drop the Mr.
For a few minutes, there was silence as we sipped and chewed. Bentley once again crossed his leg, and I nudged Maddox’s foot, lifting my eyebrow toward Bent. Maddox followed my line of sight, his own eyebrows rising when he saw what I was trying to show him.
Of the three of us, Maddox was the most stylish. Bentley was classic: dark suits, white shirts, silk ties. I hated suits—they felt constrictive, even when tailored to my broad shoulders. I preferred T-shirts and my leather jacket, but for the office, I opted for dress shirts and pants, only suffering a suit when absolutely necessary. However, Maddox always went all out. Vests, patterns, pocket squares, funky shoes. He would love the addition to Bentley’s wardrobe.
Maddox remained silent, sliding his glasses up his nose, and tapping on his cheek the way he always did while thinking.
“Nice footwear, Bent. Very . . . expressive.”
“Don’t start.”
“Just saying. Colorful. Unexpected. Emmy, I assume?”
“Maybe I picked them out. You ever think of that?”
Maddox shook his head, not hiding his smirk. “Maybe I dressed in drag last night and got freaky with a clown.”
Bentley shrugged. “I always suspected you had some sort of circus fetish. Bound to come out.”
I began to laugh, slapping my knee. “Bentley made a joke! Come out! Closet! Get it, Mad Dog?”
“Yeah, Bentley made a funny. Let’s alert the media.”
We all began to laugh, the sound of our amusement filling the car. I could hear Frank’s low chuckles from the front. He always liked it when the three of us started in on each other.
Maddox wiped his eyes. “Seriously, what’s with the socks?”
“Emmy’s influence.”
“She’s trying to make him hip.”
Maddox shook his head. “You can’t make someone hip. Either you are or you’re not. I hate to break it to you, Bent, you are not.”
“I suppose you are?”
Maddox lifted his legs, setting them on the seat beside me. He yanked up his pant legs. “I am.”
Bentley looked horrified. “What the hell are those?”
“These are what us hip people wear.” His socks were even brighter than Bentley’s—blues, greens, yellows—and two different patterns.
“You call those hip?”
“Yep.”
“They don’t match!”
“Exactly. The colors are the same, and their designs are similar, but no, that’s the idea. They aren’t mirror images. They’re mismatched on purpose.”
Bentley snorted. “On purpose? Looks like you got dressed in the dark.” He raised one eyebrow. “Were you feeling along the floor for your socks after the clown incident, Maddox? That’s the closest you could get to a matching pair? You needed to get out before the red nose started glowing again?”
“Fuck you, asshole. At least I buy my own socks. My girlfriend doesn’t have to pick them out for me.”
“At least I have a girlfriend. I’m not bumping uglies with a clown.”
Maddox sat back with a grin. “Maybe I’m not either. I might not have gotten dressed in the dark, but I wasn’t alone when I woke up.”
I reached out and we fist-bumped. “Listen to Mad Dog. Getting himself a bone!”
“More like a boner.” He winked. “Of epic proportions. The lady in question may not be able to put on her socks this morning, if you catch my drift.”
Another fist bump.
Bentley rolled his eyes. “You two are ridiculous.” He eyed Maddox. “Anyone we know?”
Maddox shook his head. “I never kiss and tell.”
“Unless it’s a clown.”
He winked. “Unless it’s a clown.”
Chuckling, I changed the subject, not wanting to delve into Maddox’s personal life. They would want to delve into mine next. That wasn’t happening, especially after last night.
“You’re seriously interested in this property, Bentley? It’s a summer resort—not our usual style,” Maddox queried, sipping his coffee.
“I’m interested in the land. I think we could do something special with it. The resort is old and outdated, but the land is prime. I wanted you both to see it.”
Maddox glanced at me. “Hit me.”
I pulled off my sunglasses and rubbed my eyes as I gathered my thoughts. Before I could speak, Bentley narrowed his eyes. “Aiden, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“You look exhausted.”
Maddox studied me, and I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable at the worried looks on their faces. I needed to shut that shit down—and fast.
“Maybe you’re not the only one scratching the itch, Mad Dog.”
“You were with someone last night?”
I lifted one shoulder, dismissing the question. “Like you, I don’t kiss and tell. Now, can we move on to business?” I forced a smirk to my face. “Unless you want to sit around and braid each other’s hair and talk girlie shit.”
Bentley groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Spare me. I have enough of that now. Do they ever make a move without consulting each other? I swear she has Cami on speed dial. This morning it was about what color tights she should wear with her dress. I told her black, but she had to call Cami.”
“And?”
“Apparently, nude was the decision. Black was too—” he held up his fingers in quotations “—harsh.”
“This is the woman you let pick your socks?” Maddox muttered.
“Fuck you.”
“You first.”
“No thanks, Emmy took care of that as well.” Bentley settled back in his seat, his grin wide and wicked. “That, my friends, is the reason I put up with the constant consultations.”
“Sex.”
He shook his head. “Sex with Emmy.” Even though his voice was teasing, there was no doubt about his feelings. His eyes were warm and his contentment shone through. I felt a flash of jealousy at his obvious happiness, but I tamped it down. He deserved to be happy.
He studied me for a minute, then flicked his hand. “Okay. Back to the business at hand.”
Inwardly, I sighed with relief. Business, I could handle. Bentley’s inquisition, not so much.
“Huge lot, over five acres, prime waterfront. Been in his family for years, but none of them live in the province now, and they don’t want the responsibility of a resort. The owner is retiring to be closer to his kids. He reached out to us—the land isn’t even officially up for sale.”
“Any reason why he reached out to us in particular?” Maddox asked.
“His granddaughter, Jane Whitby, interned with us a couple of years ago. She told him how awesome I was to her.”
Maddox raised his eyebrow. “You were?”
Bentley chuckled. “I remember Jane. She was bright. Efficient.”
I nodded. “Sandy loved her. We gave her a bonus and a great reference when she left for Calgary. She told her grandfather we would do right by him if we were interested.”
Maddox nodded. “Great. That was nice of her to think of us.”
“Anyway, from the pictures I saw, the land is the prize. The buildings need to be demolished. Far too much work to renovate, but it could be sweet if we built. I can already think of a dozen investors who would want in.”
“If the numbers work,” Maddox mused.
“This remains between us,” Bentley cautioned. “If we go ahead, nothing anywhere but verbal conversations between the three of us until the papers are signed.”
“We’re safe, Bent. We’ve overhauled everything—all our systems are tight. Reid has all that shit under control. No one is getting through his systems,” I assured him. “No one is spying anymore.”
He sighed, staring out the window. I knew the betrayal of his lawyer and friend, Greg, had shaken him. Bentley had become overcautious with everything. Emails, texts, phone calls. He would relax eventually, and I knew I had to be patient.
“For now, keep it between us,” he stated.
“Okay.”
Maddox spoke up. “I thought Muskoka was the place to be for resorts.”
I leaned forward, shaking my head. “Think about it, Mad. By noon every Friday, Highway 400 is backed up with people trying to head up north. One accident and you’re stuck for hours. Then heading home Sunday is the same. The reason people want to escape the city is to relax. By the time you get there, you’re tense. It takes a full day to adjust, then you have to head back and you’re faced with the same thing. Once again, you fight the traffic and crowds. So, it’s all for nothing. You’re right back to being tense.”
Bentley spoke. “Aiden is right. We researched it thoroughly. Muskoka is awesome, but it’s gotten ridiculous. The very things you’re looking to escape follow you. The crowds, the traffic, the expense. Port Albany is still small and not as developed. Great views, nice lakes, and still peaceful for the most part. Marketed in the right way, I think it would sell extremely well, whether we keep it in BAM or form an investment group.”
“We’re pretty tied up with Ridge Towers—can we take on another project?” Maddox queried.
Bentley shrugged. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see the land, find out what he’s looking for, and decide if we’re interested. We can always buy and hold it until we decide.”
Maddox and I agreed. “Good plan.”