The Irresistible Billionaire

Duncan put his beer down and rested his forearms on the table. “If you really think so, how about we make a little wager?”

Maybe it was because he had three older brothers and four older male cousins who acted like older siblings, but Alec never backed away from the type of bet he knew Duncan had in mind. “I'm listening.”

“After Wednesday, you have a little more than a month off before you start work at the foundation.”

And he'd intended to do nothing but relax and enjoy himself during the break. However, if it meant proving his friends wrong, he'd gladly change his plans.

“My uncle's landscaping company always needs extra workers in the summer. My cousin handles all the hiring these days, and I'm sure if I call Gianna, I can get you a job working for it.”

Alec wasn't afraid of breaking a sweat or getting a little dirt on his hands, especially if it whipped the smile off his best friend's face. “Sounds simple enough. What do I get when I win?”

“I'll get to that in a minute. Let me finish explaining the terms first, because you might change your mind.”

Not a chance in hell.

“You have to work for a full month. If you take a personal day or show up late, you automatically lose the bet. Believe me; I'll check with my cousin to see if you've done either. The only exception to that is if you're sick. And by sick, I don’t mean you just have a runny nose. If you’re ill or physically unable to work because you broke a bone or something, we'll call it a draw and neither of us wins.”

“Again, what do I get when I win?”

“Since it's more likely you won't last a week, I'll start with what happens when I win.”

A smug smile formed on Duncan's face, strengthening Alec's resolve to prove his best friend wrong.

“You participate in the Helping Hands bachelor auction in the fall,” Duncan said, his smile growing even smugger, if that was possible.

Aunt Marilyn had been pestering Alec for weeks to be part of the upcoming auction. Each time, she reminded him that his brother Derek and cousin Scott might not be happily married today if not for the fundraising event. While the end results had been worth it in their cases, he knew neither Derek nor Scott had wanted to participate at the time. Hell, Derek had even arranged for Brooklyn, who’d been one of his closest friends, to win him that night. And even though for a good cause, Alec would rather parade through the streets of Boston naked than be a part of the upcoming event, which was why he kept telling his aunt no.

Since he had no intention of losing, Aunt Marilyn would have to find another willing sacrifice to take the stage. “Okay. What happens when I win?”

“Not that you will, but if you make it the full month, I'll participate in the auction. I doubt your aunt would object.”

His aunt would love to add Duncan to the lineup. Already she'd asked him to pass along invitations to both Duncan and Matt. Not surprisingly, both of his friends had declined the offer.

“You're right; my aunt will be thrilled. Call your cousin and set it up, and then make sure you have a nice headshot for the auction's program.”

Matt licked the sour cream off his thumb before reaching for his drink. “If you two are finished, can we play poker? That was the plan for tonight.”

“Before Sherbrooke starts to have second thoughts, I'm going to call Gianna and set everything up.” Muting the television volume, Duncan pulled out his cell phone.