Chapter 63

“Considering you’re the man of the hour, you’re very quiet, Jax.”

Dallas Sykes leans back in his chair, pushes his plate away, and downs his third martini. The department store mogul is the embodiment of the sexy bad boy, forever photographed with half-dressed women on his arm. Marcus and I ran into him on our Cortez site trip—rumors from that day eventually landed all of us in the tabloids alongside Dallas and his very married girlfriend.

“My name is Marcus,” he says. “And I apologize. I have a lot on my mind.”

He doesn’t look at me. I don’t expect him to. We’ve managed not to look at each other for ninety minutes—ever since we arrived at the restaurant separately.

We’re at a round table; I’ve taken the chair next to Nikki’s. Aiden had to cancel—apparently Trent took a long weekend, but issues at the Century City project need him—so there are five of us. Nikki, Nick, and I arrive first. When Marcus shows up a few minutes later, he has to choose between the s