Under Wraps by Louisa Keller

Author:Louisa Keller [Keller, Louisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-22T16:00:00+00:00

The bar was a dive.

I had picked it out for that exact reason—putting us all on the same level. Nobody had to fork over ten dollars for a beer, or make small talk with cheery servers. We each went up to buy our own drinks at the bar.

Four different tabs, no money talk, no interruptions.

It was a solid plan, but it only took about two minutes to go to shit.

“So,” I said, addressing Beauregard who was sipping an IPA. “Ainsley told me that you run the US side of things for your philanthropic foundation. What’s that like?”

Beauregard smiled at me in a very polished and professional way.

“Lots of managing other people, rubbing shoulders with potential donors, traveling around the country to check on projects,” he took a long draw of his beer before continuing. “The day-to-day is actually quite boring, although I do enjoy the opportunity to spend so much time meeting new people and exploring areas I have never visited before.”

Dom snorted, throwing back most of his old fashioned.

“Something to add, Dominic?” Beauregard said, quirking one eyebrow.

“You expect me to believe that you’re bored at work?” Dom sneered. “You’re a goddamn billionaire, man, if you don’t like your job, you can just quit. Live off your trust fund or whatever.”

I kicked Dom under the table and he turned his glare on me.

“Give them a chance,” I muttered, nodding toward Ainsley and Beauregard.

Dom sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Alright, fine, I’m sure it’s really dull running a philanthropic corporation or whatever,” he conceded.

“Foundation,” Ainsley corrected automatically.

I held my breath, waiting for Dom to fire back, but he just nodded stiffly.

“Foundation, then.”

“Dom, tell them about your work,” I said encouragingly.

He shot me a filthy look.

“They don’t give a shit about my videos.”

“You won’t know until you give them a chance to decide for themselves,” I said with fake enthusiasm.

This was starting to grate on me.

“Videos?” Ainsley asked, clearly making an effort solely because of me. “Are you still acting? Carson told me about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.”

“Uh, no. That was just for fun,” Dom said, looking surprised.

“He and his boyfriend are YourTubers,” I interjected, “they make videos about queer culture and traveling as a gay couple.”

Beauregard’s eyes lit up.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “That sounds amazing.”

“It’s really cool,” I said, trying to build up enough momentum for the conversation to stand on its own two feet. “They just got back from a couple of weeks in Honduras before we headed down here.”

“I spent a few summers in Honduras back in the nineties,” Ainsley chimed in, looking genuinely interested. “Near San Pedro Sula. I volunteered in medical clinics and perfected my Spanish language skills. It is one of my favorite places that I have visited.”

There was a beat of silence and then Dom said, “I was in elementary school in the nineties.”

Ainsley looked like a deer in headlights, right up until Beauregard and I both burst out laughing at the same exact moment.

“Christ, Ainsley, we’re old in this crowd,” Beauregard choked out, slapping his brother on the shoulder.

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