The Professor

The Professor - Chapter 3

“What are you trying to do? Hog the best one all night?” Duke whispered to Baron as the second shift of ladies continued to give lap dances to all who wanted them. Only the older men opted for lap dances at this time. All the hottest chicks were on the first shift.

“Don’t hate,” Baron teased his oldest brother. “Just be glad you’re here at all to enjoy any of this, you cheater.”

“Don’t you hate on me for having a woman that wants to stick by my side no matter what,” Duke countered with a scowl, highly defensive about his recent infidelity.

Would the family ever let him live that mistake down? And why weren’t they just as diligent about nagging Earl and Marquess concerning their indiscretions? They’d cheated far more than him. Far more than Duke ever intended to cheat on his wife.

Baron’s gaze grew hard and somewhat sad again at that reminder of Megan’s disloyalty. She hadn’t stuck around long enough for him to be in crisis. At least not in any real crisis.

After two years of togetherness, which included exclusive dating, a large engagement party, and a slue of wedding plans, Megan had simply moved on to a richer man. Or so she thought since Baron had never revealed to her how much he made from outside investments and business dealings. He’d only shared what his teaching salary was.

Unable to watch Megan parade around Los Angeles on the arm of her much older new beau, whom he heard she had married by now, Baron made plans to relocate immediately following their breakup. After finding an even better teaching position and a great home in Alcove – a city of Orange County, his relocation was now complete.

Who cares that Megan had also relocated soon after their breakup? Her relatives and associates still lived in Los Angeles, which meant that she would surely return for their parties and other social events…with her new husband. If it wasn’t for his parents and siblings, Baron would never return to the L.A. area again.

“Count your blessings, big brother. Sasha may grow tired one day. They all eventually do, you know. Need I bring up our brothers or even your very own father?” Baron told Duke, reminding him of what could happen if he continued down the dangerous road he was on.

Duke instantly grew quiet. Like Baron, he knew how their mother had grown tired of her first husband’s infidelities after three sons and seven years of marriage. Upon divorcing Duke, Earl, and Marquess’ father, Ana Maria moved from Mexico and later married the son of a wealthy American businessman whom she’d been a maid for.

That second husband was Count and Baron’s father, Nicolas Weaver. Nicolas adopted Ana Maria’s three oldest boys as his own. He put all of their sons through law, medical, or business schools.

Meanwhile, Ana Maria’s first husband died a broken man in poverty two years ago in Tijuana. It didn’t have to end like that, but he stubbornly refused to take money or assistance from the sons who’d disappointed him by becoming too Americanized and downright ashamed of their Mexican heritage at times.

Refusing all lap dances after that, Duke began to conduct himself more like a married man that didn’t want to lose his wife. Less like a man going through a mid-life crisis.

Baron smiled, glad to see his first oldest brother thinking logically again. If only his third oldest brother was so easily swayed to do right, so willing to see the error of his ways.

These days, Marquess just didn’t seem to have the do-right gene in him. He was almost as reprobate as Earl now, which was why the family stopped nagging them both about their behavior. Only their praying mother still got on them about their wicked ways.

Wicked was the most fitting word right now. What other term could be used to describe what Marquess was currently doing?

Waving big bills in the air for Aurelia to see while she performed a two-minute solo routine to Alison Hinds’ Roll It Gal, Marquess deliberately pitted himself against Baron. Yes, he knew his youngest brother wanted that delicious piece of chocolate cake, had even seen their mutual attraction, but he didn’t care. Marquess stopped caring about a lot of things when his wife filed for divorce. He hadn’t been too happy even before then.