This is How I Party

Tyson

I saw the moment I won. Now, we were moving into negotiations. I might have shown my hand by expressing my deep interest in the piece, but I didn’t care. I wanted it. I had already decided it was going into one of my museums, which was really just my private collection that I got to charge people to view. People paid a lot to see my vast collection of artifacts that dated back more than a thousand years.

She tossed out a number. I smiled, accepted it, and continued to browse through the artifacts that were lying on the tables. Alec followed behind me. Once I had made my selections, I left Alec to handle the business of payment and procuring the items and the necessary documents.

“I’ll meet you at the hotel,” Alec called behind me.

I put up my hand, indicating I’d heard him. I pulled on my sunglasses and walked back to the waiting jeep. I was taken back to the hotel by the driver I had hired to run us around. I was anxious to get home. I already knew Alec would be coming back to the hotel stoked about the awesome find. I was happy but not happy enough to go out drinking. That was more of Alec’s thing. He loved to celebrate a good score. My idea of celebrating was a good scotch in a comfortable, quiet room.

I walked into the hotel and headed for the penthouse suite I always used. I offered to let Alec stay with me, but he insisted on his own room. I knew that was because he was hoping to have company. I didn’t begrudge his lifestyle, but I wasn’t interested in the game of dating. And it was absolutely a game.

Women thought they liked me when they saw me. I had the looks, but my personality was lacking. At least, that was what I had been told. I supposed one of my character flaws was I didn’t give a fuck what people thought about my personality. I wasn’t a dick, but I wasn’t the friendliest guy on the planet. I didn’t have to be. I just had to be polite to my patrons.

I took a shower, changing out of the dusty clothes and tossing them in the plastic bag I always carried with me. I used my fingers to comb through my jet-black hair, pulling on a plain white tee. My jeans and tees were my favorite. I always felt like I was playing dress-up when I put on the suits I had to wear when I was working. The last year or two, I had been wearing less suits and more casual wear.

As the billionaire owner of Historical Estates, I could dress how I damn well pleased. I had slowly transformed into the guy that could wear faded jeans one day and a five-thousand-dollar suit the next. Keep them guessing.

I poured myself a healthy dollop of the smooth scotch and took a seat on the plush couch with my iPad in hand. I browsed through my emails, sending the ones with leads for new acquisitions to Alec to vet further.

It was an hour later when I heard the knock on the door. I got up and let Alec in without bothering to ask who it was. “Done?” I asked him.

He was grinning. “Done. They’ll be shipped at the end of next week.”

“Scotch?” I asked.

“Yes, please and then I need to get ready for my date.”

I shook my head as I walked to the bar to pour his drink. “Let me guess. Layla?”

He laughed. “How did you know?”

“Because you are like a rutting buck.”

“She’s a nice girl,” he answered.

I made a choking noise before handing him the drink. “If that’s what you call nice, I hate to see what you call mean.”

He sipped the scotch. “I like a woman that is a little feisty. Makes it fun.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“I got a lead on some stuff in Sweden,” he said. “I have asked for more pictures and documents. If it looks promising, I will let you know.”

I nodded. “I think we need to start digging around down south a bit more.”

“Like Mexico?”

I shrugged. “Mexico. South America. I’m looking for something interesting. The Egyptian thing is way overdone.”

He laughed. “It’s popular. People love the idea of King Tut and pharaohs and all that stuff.”

“I’m bored with popular,” I told him.

“Got it. I will put out some feelers. Are you thinking Aztec? Mayan? What are you in the mood for?”

I thought about it. “Surprise me.”

“How about something jade?” he proposed. “I have a couple of buyers who have reached out inquiring about jade artifacts.”

I curled my lip. “Boring.”

“But valuable,” he countered.

“Fine.”

“What are you going to do on our last night here?” he asked.

I held up my glass. “You’re looking at it.”

He laughed. “You certainly know how to party.”

“I don’t need to party.”

“But you should party. You are single, rich, and from what I understand, ladies find you attractive.”

I smiled. “Do I really come off as the kind of guy who needs to be responsible for someone? I’m no good at taking care of people.”

“You could be if you wanted to.”

“Maybe, but I’m not interested in learning how to be a good boyfriend. I suck at it and I’m okay with that.”

He finished his scotch and put the glass on the counter. “You know what they say,” he said, letting the words hang.

“What do they say?”

“Practice makes perfect.”

I rolled my eyes as he laughed and walked toward the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Don’t oversleep. I won’t hold the jet. You’ll have to find your own way home.”

He laughed and closed the door behind him, leaving me to my peaceful solace.