Chapter One

Hawk

The phone went off and Hawk groaned, slowly recalling the events of the night before. He didn’t remember much. Well, not much after entering the strip club. Getting wasted at the strip club, as he and his friends often did on Friday nights, had been all he had on his mind the previous day. Now it was Saturday and he didn’t have any plans other than sleeping in and wandering around his penthouse apartment, thinking about the women he had seen and wondering what had possessed him not to bring one of them home.

When his phone went off the second time, Hawk lazily reached over the side of the bed and picked it up, halfway hoping it would be some hot bodied airheaded woman he had met at the club. Unfortunately, it was his brother, and he wasn’t too happy.

“Been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday afternoon—is there a reason you’ve decided you’re too cool to answer your phone all the sudden?” Blake’s voice came through the phone and Hawk rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, it’s called living a life. Not that you remember what that means,” he remarked. Even as adults, the three brothers took every opportunity they could to keep each other in their places.

“I know how to live life, Hawk, just like I know how to run a business. Have you seen the latest?” Blake made no effort at all to mask the snarky tone he was using with his brother, and Hawk couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, who’s it about this time? Did Cole do something I need to know about?” he asked with amusement. The unamused tone on the other end told him his brother was in no mood.

“It was about you, Hawk. Surprise, surprise. The baby in the family wants none of the work but all the glory of the family business. If you think that’s how this is going to be, you’ve got another thing coming, man.”

Hawk laughed at his brother’s subtle threat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, actually. I haven’t done anything newsworthy!”

“Just turn it on. You’ll see what I mean.” Blake hung up the phone before Hawk had the chance to answer, and he groaned as he rolled off his stomach onto his back. He grabbed the remote and switched on the TV, unenthused about what he was going to find.

The news was filled with the same old garbage as always, and he was just about to text his brother and tell him he was crazy when the reporter caught his attention.

“As many of you saw published in the Times yesterday there is question as to how much Hawk Parker of Parker Industries really cares about the family business. Only a few months into the brothers’ control of the company, you can see Hawk would much rather be spending his time in bars with strippers than doing anything for the business.”

Hawk sat up in bed, slightly amused, slightly angered. The other news anchor chimed in.

“To his credit, we did see him at the Gala last week alongside his older brother, Cole. The eldest was, no doubt, back at the office, but did we really need all three of them to be there? I didn’t think so.”

Hawk shook his head. He knew the news loved covering his antics, and it was no surprise to him that there was more coverage about him today. What he couldn’t figure out, however, was why they were targeting his interest in the company. Of course, he knew he could be playing a larger role than he was, but at the same time, he was the youngest of the three—and Blake was the only one who had really wanted the Industries to begin with.

“You might say that he is doing his part there, but what about the rest? You can’t tell me that everyone is thrilled with his backseat approach to engaging in the company. What did Berkshire have to say about that again?”

Hawk sat straight up in bed. It was difficult enough that the news was throwing this out on a Saturday morning for everyone to see, but now they had to get Berkshire to comment as well? Everyone knew Berkshire was just waiting for the brothers to fail and the company to fall apart—in which case they would be handed everything practically tied up in a red bow.

Hawk listened to what the company had to say, shaking his head in anger rather than amusement. He clicked off the TV and threw the remote across the room.

“Fuck!”

His phone went off once more, but this time he ignored it. He had seen what his brother wanted him to see, and he didn’t need to hear it all over again. Yes, he knew this didn’t look good for the company, but he also didn’t think it was as big of a deal as everyone was making it out to be. One year, that was all he had agreed to doing, then he would be back to living life the way he preferred.

“I’ll talk to you Monday, asshole,” Hawk said when he saw that his brother had left him a voice message. He didn’t need to be told what he already knew. Hawk had a real knack for business, and if he wanted to be involved, he would be. Only if, however.

***

“Come on, Hawk, you know we need you. Just for a while—once this year is up, you can be done and out!” Blake drummed his fingers on the table. Seated with his hand resting on his balled fist, Cole looked bored, while Hawk leaned back in his own seat, his feet up on the mahogany.

“Look! What do you want me to do? I’ve shown up to your parties. I’ve talked to your little reporters—isn’t that enough?” Hawk asked, his frustration clearly evident.

“Just be a little more proactive. It’s not much, really. But we need you to do this. I’ve got something for you to do, if you think you can manage it.” Blake leaned forward and Hawk looked at him with annoyance.

“How about you take a trip to Vegas? The company will pay for it if you can follow the rules. They’re throwing up a new luxury hotel, the Red Emerald. Top of the line luxe property, all the bells and whistles for catering to the jet set … we have a lot of money invested in it. I want you to go down there and see how things are coming along. Do you think you can handle that?” Blake asked.

Hawk rolled his eyes. “Your idea of me being more proactive is to go to Vegas for a few days? You’ve got to be shitting me!” He laughed, and both Blake and Cole exchanged a look.

“The plane is leaving tomorrow afternoon, and if you are going to be on it, you better get packed. Can I trust you to do this?” Cole asked. He, too, was doing his part in the company in spite of the fact that he didn’t wish to be, and he was more than happy to pawn off the trip on his brother. Hawk looked from one of his brothers to the other, then shook his head.

“You know what? Fuck it. If this is how you want me to help out, fine, I’ll do it. But, I don’t want to hear either one of you harassing me while I’m down there. I know a thing or two about business, and I’m going to have the freedom to do this myself.” He gave both his brothers a look, and after they exchanged a glance with each other, Blake sighed.

“All right. But you’re going to have to check in to let me know how things are going. We are partners, like it or not, and we’re going to have to work together on this.” Blake slid the folder over to Hawk, who picked it up and flipped through it uninterestedly. He rose from the table and walked toward the door, still shaking his head over the situation.

“Make us proud!” Cole called out condescendingly. Hawk ignored him, heading for the elevator. He didn’t know if he actually agreed that he and his brothers were partners. They liked to do things their own way as much as he did. And he could certainly handle this on his own.

Hawk dropped the file off at the front desk, telling the secretary to put it with the other paperwork on the hotel. He was about to leave when Lisa Mason, wife of the company’s press release manager, Garret, stopped him.

“Lisa! Aren’t you just looking as sexy as ever?” he said with a flirtatious smile. She smiled and looked down at her pencil skirt. Though she was very happily married to Garret, she and Hawk enjoyed their fair share of flirting with each other.

“I wasn’t sure if slate was my color, but it’s growing on me. So, I hear you’re on your way to Vegas.” She raised an eyebrow, and Hawk laughed.

“Word travels fast. Jealous?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Just do your best not to cause any more scandals while you’re down there. Can you do that for me?” she asked. He looked away.

“Come on, Lisa, where’s the fun in that?” he teased.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “We’re counting on you, Hawk.”

“All right, I promise,” he said with a facetious smile. She held his gaze for a moment, then turned and walked away. Hawk let his eyes linger on her for a long moment before he turned on his heel and headed out the door. He had some packing to do. His brothers might now employ minions to take care of that sort of thing, but Hawk liked to keep people’s hands off his clothing unless those people were gorgeous, stacked ladies.