Page 1 of The Deal Breaker
CHAPTER ONE
As the clock struck midnight, poker night at Dash Cabot’s house ended. Relief surged through him, but his tense shoulders didn’t loosen. The scent of alcohol, the remnants inside glasses, hung in the air. Nothing beat an evening with his seven closest friends—and tonight was no exception—but he was ready to say goodbye to his family by choice and send them home.
Someone said good night—Brett Matthews, who owned an investment firm in downtown Portland. So far, he was the only one with a baby, but Dash had a feeling more of their group would be on the track to parenthood soon.
Kieran O’Neal and Mason Reese followed Brett to the front door.
Three down, four to go.
Dash wouldn’t kick out the remaining ones. He’d needed this impromptu poker night as much as the others, who each ran their own companies. Well, except for Henry Davenport, who’d inherited his money.
Blaise Mortenson said something and then laughed before elbowing Wes Lockhart.
Wes groaned. “Uncle jokes are worse than dad ones.”
“Just wait until you marry Paige and become an official uncle.” Blaise elbowed him. “You’ll beg for my punchlines.”
“That will never happen.” Wes grabbed his jacket. “I can come up with jokes on my own.”
Across the room, Adam Zeile laughed before waving goodbye. “Cambria is waiting up for me. I need to get home.”
About time.
Dash wasn’t sure if he’d thought the words or said them aloud. No one glanced his way with a frown, so that was good. Sometimes he said the wrong things or people took his words the wrong way. Around the guys, Dash could be himself, but after a long week of attending meetings and dinners, dealing with issues on a new project, and being forced to act “professional,” he’d had enough socializing.
His shirt collar irritated him. He’d rolled up his sleeves before letting them down more times than he could count, and his muscles twitched.He wanted to put on sweats, a hoodie, and escape into a video game.
Instead, he put away the cards and chips. Sure, he could have left them for the morning, but he needed to do something or he’d be tempted to say “get out.”
Not unusual for him.
He wasn’t rude on purpose, but his brain functioned ten steps ahead of everyone else and even then what he wanted to say didn’t always come out the way he intended. He was trying to do better. In some cases, he’d succeeded, like when someone needed him. Dash had risen to the occasion when Wes was an idiot with his now-fiancée, Paige, and after Blaise told them about his parents being drug addicts.
One more gone.
Henry Davenport topped off his glass.
Dash sighed. He would have expected Henry—who’d never worked a day in his life yet had the highest net worth in the group—to have left already. The guy usually had a date lined up after their poker night ended.
Be patient.
Dash pressed his lips together. No reason to eye his gaming system yet. Only three remained. Their discussion over the latest change to the country’s interest rate wouldn’t last long.
In a few minutes, he would be alone. Then, he could stay up all night and play video games to make up for the time he’d lost to…adulting.
Most people had no idea what being a billionaire meant. Sure, some like Henry did nothing but spend or give away their money. He could do that because others like Brett and Blaise grew his investments. The others, including Dash, ran companies. He could work twenty-four hours a day and still have more to do. Which was why his Friday night gaming time was sacred even when he had a date with his girlfriend, Raina, or his friends got together.
Blaise pocketed his winnings. He hadn’t counted the money, but Dash bet the guy knew the exact amount.
“I can’t wait to do this again.” Blaise’s smirk grew. “It’s like getting candy on Halloween, but no trick-or-treating required.”
“Luck,” Henry countered. “And you didn’t win that much.”
“Skill.” Blaise flashed a lopsided grin. “And yes, I did.”
Dash never took a side, but Blaise usually won because of his fine-tuned poker skills. The money, however, went to a school program that sent food home each weekend with kids who qualified for free lunch. Dash knew this because an employee, Blaise’s sister-in-law, Fallon, had mentioned it at work. But it made sense since Blaise had once been a kid who went hungry more often than not.
Blaise shrugged on his coat. “Thanks for hosting, Wonderkid.”
