Brother to the Boss (Managing the Bosses 8)

“Oh? And who might that be?”

Anna scanned the golf course and, seeming to spot him, lifted one hand and waved it in the air to try to get his attention. It worked.

The man who walked over was tall and dark-haired, with bits of silver distinguished throughout, the sort of attractive that seem to run in wealthy families. He smiled charmingly at them.

“This is Nicholas,” Anna said.

“Nicholas,” Mark said slowly. “Not Sunrise Applications Nicholas?”

The man looked surprised, but he smiled. “Actually, I am Sunrise Applications Nicholas. I didn't expect you to know the name.”

Mark's eyebrows lifted, the friendliness disappearing from his face. “I do actually speak to my brother on a regular basis, you know.”

One of Erica's hands hooked around Mark's arm as Nicholas started to frown, and she smiled at Nicholas and Anna both, the expression strained this time rather than sharp. “If you'll excuse us for a moment,” she said, tugging him away.

Mark let himself be drawn a few feet to the left, but he shook his head when she tried to go farther. “What?”

“Do you really think it's a good idea to take that kind of attitude with a patron?” she whispered.

“You may not be aware of this, Erica, but he’s trying to ruin my brother. He's buying out his stock in an attempt to run his business into the ground.”

“I am aware of it, actually,” Erica retorted. “You've told me about it, remember? But your brother has it under control, doesn't he? So why create a problem here just because he annoys your brother? If anything, you're helping Alex. You’re taking some of Nicholas' money. Is it a bad thing to let your enemies enrich you?”

That wasn't really what he would have expected to ever hear her say.

It was also kind of hot. Mark shook himself. “Letting my enemies enrich me isn't going to be a great excuse when Alex shows up demanding to know why I'm serving his arch-rival in the business world. This guy tried to screw over Alex and Jamie. He’s nothing but trouble.”

“Who says Alex has to know?” Eric's hand tightened a little around his arm. “I mean, think of this, Mark. He's rich. As rich as Alex is, if not more. You should see the tip he gave me. The man is loaded and he's not afraid to flash it around. That, and his presence could be really good for the club. People are going to want to be where he is. He's a popular man. And he already told me that he likes to have a lot of his business meetings over golf. So he'll be bringing in other customers that way, too. You kick him out, and a lot of other people are going to go with him, or not come at all. Do you really want that?”

Mark's jaw tightened as he considered the possibilities. Alex was going to be pissed at him if he found out about Nicholas. But only if he found out, right? He was playing with fire here, and he knew it. No matter what he did, he was going to lose in some way. And Erica did have a point about the money and the man's ability to bring in other customers. He wasn't going to sacrifice a quarter of his client base just to keep from annoying Alex. And if Alex did happen to find out, he could always explain. His brother, of all people, would understand putting business before other concerns.

He sighed. “Alright,” he said, pulling his thoughts back from elsewhere and looking down at Erica. “I'll play nice. But he does one thing out of line and he's gone. I don't care how many customers he brings here.”

“You got it,” Erica answered.

She let go of his arm, and they made their way back to where Nicholas and Anna were still waiting, giving them expectant looks.

“Well?” Nicholas asked. “Is there going to be a problem?”

Mark gave him a smile that he was pretty sure didn't come across as totally genuine, but it was polite and that was what mattered. As long as he had plausible deniability, the man couldn't accuse him of anything but professional courtesy. “Welcome to Little Lake Country Club,” Mark said. “We hope you enjoy your time with us.”

Nicholas' answering smile was like the cat that got the cream, and for a moment Mark wondered if he'd made the wrong decision. But there was no threat that came with it. Nicholas simply said he was sure he would, and moved back toward the driving range.

“And you, Anna,” Mark said to the woman, who was still lingering. “I hope you enjoy your time here as well.”

She smiled, dipping her head to look up at him through her eyelashes. “Oh,” she said, “I'm sure that it’ll continue to be a wonderful experience. After all, you run the place well.” She turned to follow Nicholas, and Mark felt Erica looking at him.

“What?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

“Really?” she demanded, voice low enough that the guests a dozen yards away wouldn't be able to overhear. “You're going to fall for that simpering act?”

“Simpering act?” Mark answered. “I was just being polite.”

“Oh, sure you were.” Erica crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you going to be that polite to every attractive woman that comes out here?”

“'I'm going to be that polite to eve

ry customer, regardless of whether they're a woman or not.” Mark took a step closer to her. “And I really don't know what you have to complain about. I saw you with those two guys the other night.”