"Like I said, he's probably just feeling the pressure from all the changes that are going on."
"Ryan seems to be managing it okay," I said.
"Well, yes, but that’s probably because of Kellie. She's helped him settle down a little bit as well as take his intensity down a notch or two. Before her, he was all business all the time. Now that he has her and the baby coming, his priorities have changed. Hunter and the other boys, all they have is this business."
I scoffed. "I know for fact Hunter has more than this business. You would think a new woman every night would help keep a man more settled."
Andi laughed. "Well yes Hunter is a bit of a horndog. But he's been like that for a long time. That's nothing new. The changes that Margaret has made, that is new."
"What is it about men and being a playboy? I mean, I can understand wanting to hook up on occasion to have that sexual pop,” I said unable to keep the image of Hunter thrusting away at me on my desk. "But night after night? It seems like that would get old. And then if you did meet somebody special, the sex would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?"
"Well first of all, we’re talking about men here who tend to think more with their dicks than women do with their vaginas."
I laughed at that. "So true." After all, wasn't that why Hunter made the obscene proposition that he had? Because despite the fact that he clearly didn't like me and as much as I didn't like him, he was right about that chemistry. He was willing to let his dick lead him into a no strings affair. I was, of course, smarter than that.
"I think, in general, men have a phase they go through in their late teens and twenties. You know that whole sowing your oats type of thing. While most men seem to grow out of it, for Hunter, it’s different. He's clear that love isn't going to be a factor in his life. I'm not sure where that comes from but that's how he's chosen to live his life. He's made quite a thing out of it, actually. According to Noah, he has one specific club, Cesare’s, that he frequents regularly when he's trolling for his next conquest. A man like Hunter, I'm sure has no problems in that area."
"So if Noah know so much about it, then I guess he and Hunter prowl around as billionaire playboys together?"
Andi stiffened slightly and then looked over at the coffee pot. She stood and walked over to get her cup of coffee. "I think for Noah, he’s just in that sowing oats phase, you know. I don't believe he has plans to make it a permanent lifestyle the way Hunter has."
There was something in Andi's changed demeanor that made me wonder if there was something going on between her and Noah. But it was clear since she turned her back to me as she put creamer in her coffee that it wasn't a topic I was supposed to broach.
When she finally had her coffee made, she turned around. "I've got to get back to work. Welcome to Strong Incorporated. If you have any questions or need anything let me know." And with that she walked out of the lounge.
Me, I attempted to go back to work, and I made sure I looked busy, even though I didn't feel particularly productive. At the end of the day, I went home with the goal of painting or doing something creative to get all the pent up energy and regret out of my system. Unfortunately for me, there were two things I couldn’t get out of my head. One was the way Hunter took me on my desk. And two, was the idea that even after propositioning me, he might be trolling for women at the nightclub he liked to frequent. So instead of doing art, I decided to spy.
I was walking through the loud, crowded club side of Cesare’s when I began to wonder if maybe this was a bad idea. What was wrong with me that I was curious to see if Hunter was going to go pickup another woman hours after taking me on my desk? Then I chastised myself for being angry at that idea because what did I care what he did? The fact that I did care was disconcerting.
But I was already inside the club and it would look really weird if I turned round and walked out, so I made my way to the bar.
"Vodka and coke," I ordered.
"Coming right up." The bartender turned away to make my drink. Another bartender picked up his phone, checked his text, and then went over to talk to the man who was making my drink. He looked at the other bartender and next at me, then he shrugged. He brought the drink over to me, setting it on a napkin. "Here you go. It's on the house, compliments of the owner."
Who was the owner? And why was I so special?
I suppose most women would simply accept the gesture and be happy about it. But me? My Spidey sense had me concerned. I wasn’t one to go out clubbing or to be picked up in bars so the whole thing felt really weird to me.
I picked up my drink and turned around, thinking I'd find a place to sit, finish my drink and then hurry out. But as I scanned the room looking for a place that wasn't too loud or too crowded, I saw a familiar face walking towards me.
"Noah," I said as he made a beeline to me.
"Hey Natalie, I thought that was you."
I wondered if Noah was the owner. I didn't know Noah very well, having met him just a couple of times, once at the wedding and on the few occasions that I'd been at family events with Ryan and Kellie.
"What brings you to Cesare’s?" Noah asked while holding a finger up toward the bartender, who nodded and set about making a drink. Apparently, the bartender knew exactly what Noah wanted which solidified my thought that Noah was the owner.
"Actually, I was under the impression your brother Hunter likes to hang out here."
"Got your sights on Hunter, huh?" He asked.
What, no? "Not like that. It's more like a Richard Attenborough out watching wild animals in their own habitat."
Noah let out a loud laugh. "This is definitely a waterhole that Hunter likes to find his prey in."
"So, he is a regular prowler?" I asked.