Dinner's On Me, The Diplomacy's On You (Ricky) FIN

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Oh lord did the restaurant smell divine. That was how you could tell it was a good place to eat. It had to please all the senses, after all. There was no point in eating if you were just going to shove food into your mouth, as his mother always told him. When he was particularly hungry he didn’t care and any food he could shove into his mouth was worth eating, but when he was prepared to sit down and eat in his favorite steakhouse, well, he wanted the full experience.

At six forty-five pm, Zander was seated at the table he’d requested. It was one in the back, rounded with high frosted glass on the backs of the booths so that you couldn’t really tell who was sitting there. With his height, Zander found it was the only way he felt like there would be some privacy. With his acquaintance, privacy was often best, seeing as Rick worried too much. Of course, he had reasons to worry, but that was neither here nor there. As far as he was concerned, they were two guys eating steaks together. New Yorkers didn’t know how to make home cooking the way they did down in Louisiana, but they did know their steaks. Of course, their barbeque was terrible.

Leaning back against the padding of the booth, Zander sipped his bourbon, mentally preparing himself for a night with Rick. That was why he was fifteen minutes early for dinner. He needed to get his head in the right space, otherwise Rick had the talent of taking him by surprise. Oh, don’t get him wrong – he liked Rick well enough. He was clever and cunning, and once in a while he even managed to lighten up enough to enjoy life, not to mention the substantial payments the man made to Zander’s personal accounts. He had been well off before, but he enjoyed the extra cushioning that proved he was right about the supposed stock market crash. Between himself and God above, he would have kept quiet with just the acknowledgement of his brilliance from the man and his accomplices, but Rick and his cohorts didn’t trust that. Money was what they knew, and money was what they trusted. So he’d taken the payoff and never looked back.

But tonight wasn’t about that. Tonight was about the lack of communication between the two of them these days. Zander knew he was out of the loop, but not to know there was a new mayor? He could accept that things in his personal life had taken up his attention, but Rick was always about business first, and he should have called when the election race began. Zander would have prefered that over the surprise visit he'd had from Hector. In short, Rick had some explaining to do.

Zander glanced at his watch. It was five minutes to seven. Ex-Mayor Richard Plantagenet would be joining him any moment now. He tossed back the end of his bourbon and let the glass rest on the table, content to wait with the burning in his belly and the questions in the back of his mind.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

It was by now a well established fact that Richard did not have friends, in the conventional sense of the term. He had one man who one less aware of Richard's true nature could assume was a friend - the Count of Monte Cristo - but the rest were, in Plantagenet's mind, at least - acquaintances, associates and colleagues. Zander Devereux III was one such associate - perhaps on better terms than the others if only due to the fact he had supported his campaign and Richard was paying him to keep his mouth shut about the stock market - good reasons for a friendship of sorts is ever there were some.

The Devereux clan had been pro-Plantagenet for years - Zee had supported Edward during his time as Mayor, although in truth they had never seen eye to eye in any regard besides politics. He had also supported Richard and his own ideas for governance, and so it made sense that Zander continued the family tradition. When Richard had rigged the election after Edward's death in order that he would gain a majority over George, Zander's was genuinely one of the truthful minority of votes that had been in Richard's favour.

That wasn't to say the man was entirely brainwashed by the youngest of the Plantagenet brothers, nor his political methods. No, he had been smart enough, monetarily, to discern just what - or rather, who - had been instrumental in the recent stock crash. Needless to say Richard had been stunned - to have someone unravel one of his plans and, come to that, a plan intended to discredit Hector Tormei, was something he had never foreseen happening. A mixture of blind panic (mostly kept inward, but his paranoia was evident) and anger at being discovered led to a large payoff for the CEO of Devereux Industries - and a particularly discontented Richard Plantagenet III.

Paranoid about being discovered and fearful he was losing his touch - after all, until this not one of his criminal dealings had been known to anyone but himself and those who were involved in them (and Anne admittedly, although in truth she usually did not want to know) - Richard kept in touch with the CEO as regularly as he had done before the payoff, if not more so.

But then, not really. The circumstances had changed.

Zander knew it was Richard who had influenced the stock market, that much was true. But as yet he was unaware of the reasoning behind it - namely, his attempt to get revenge on Hector for his usurpation, as Richard still adamantly termed it. When the elections had been going on Richard was busy enough himself dealing with them and Zander...Richard didn't know what Zander had been up to. In all honesty they had only really got back in touch when Zander informed Richard of his knowledge of the reason behind the crash - there were questions still to be answered, gaps in knowledge to be filled, on both sides.

That, presumably, was why Zander had arranged this dinner. If he was perfectly honest, despite the fact he found himself now slightly wary of the CEO (a ridiculous notion that Richard hated himself for feeling), Richard found the idea of this evening preferable to an evening spent at home, either alone and brooding with his thoughts or with Anne, having yet another argument. That was all they seemed to do since Richard had lost the election - but Richard refused to believe the fault was all on his side, considering the façade his wife was maintaining about seeing someone else.

Resolving not to dwell on that and instead focus on his other problems - namely, keeping Zander in check - Richard accepted the CEO's invitation and had his driver drop him off at the restaurant at approximately five minutes to seven. Ordinarily Richard would have preffered to be earlier but as things stood he'd had a document of particular importance with regards to his underworld dealings with Hector that required his full attention - that seen to, he would now be able to focus more clearly on this meeting.

He made his way to the table Zander had described to him, pleased at the privacy such a location within the restaurant afforded. As he approached his associate he managed a small smile - not as easy a feat these days as it had been before.

"Good evening, Zander," he said, all politeness. "A pleasure to see you again."

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

"Good evening, Zander. A pleasure to see you again."

Zander glanced up from his empty glass, catching sight of Rick. No, Richard as he insisted on being called, even though he would always refer to the man as Rick in his head - it was one of those things where he had a set system and if he messed with set system, he may just forget the man's name all together. He didn't see why Richard insisted on being so boring there. Nicknames were fun. Not that he was going to share his nickname with the man, but that was not the point. His nickname only ever came into play when all three generations of Devereux men were together. Well, two now.

“Hello, Richard,” he greeted with a smile of his own, gesturing across from himself. “Please, sit – the server will be here in a moment, I am sure.”

Richard was memorable. From time to time, Zander forgot his name, but he never forgot the man. From his appearance to his demeanor, Rick was unique. He carried himself like he was the king of the world, so Mayor had come easily to him. But he wasn’t the Mayor any more.

“So, Richard – how is retirement treating you?” Zander asked, thinking that was the politest way to lead into it. "Doing anything to keep busy?"

He was rather shocked when he’d been blind sided with that fact, but he had also been rather irritated that Richard hadn’t bothered to tell him he was no longer Mayor. Honestly, they were somewhat friendly, and the man still paid him regularly, so why all the secrecy? Perhaps he had the notion Zander had picked up a newspaper, but from what he’d learned, he had been in Louisiana during the time when the news was big. No matter, he was going to clear up everything over dinner. After all, he had invited the man to dine, and he would have to make conversation.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

“Hello, Richard. Please, sit – the server will be here in a moment, I am sure.”

Richard did as Zander requested with greater grace than was usual with him, not only in that he had left his walking stick at home but in that he felt he owed it to himself to make the best impression on the CEO. He did not want to appear weak when such a man as Zander already had a degree of power over him, however slight, with his knowledge of what had occurred.

“So, Richard – how is retirement treating you? Doing anything to keep busy?"

Richard raised an eyebrow. Retirement, indeed. Just because he had lost one election it didn't mean he was going to retire from politics - besides, even if he had retired, he would still have been working tirelessly to try and avenge himself on Hector - and working, of course, to hide the fact.

"I presume you are reffering to my no longer being Mayor of the city, for I have by no means retired from the political arena. My position in office as New York City's comptroller is enough to keep me busy."

Plantagenet was not entirely sure he liked where this conversation was heading. If Zander was going to berate and question him about their lack of communication as regards the elections, Richard was unsure just how easy it would be for him to keep his opinions and feelings about Hector in check.

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander noted Richard was moving far more gracefully than he had in past meetings. He slid into his seat almost gracefully. With how he knew the man was disfigured from the war, Zander was sure that there was more effort put into that move than he was aware of. But after years of watching his father move like that after the car accident, he could pick up on the effort of trying to appear as normal as possible.

He cleared his throat a little, putting it out of mind. He didn’t like remembering his father that way, especially because he remembered the way his father had been before. Instead he watched as Richard settled and answered his question.

"I presume you are referring to my no longer being Mayor of the city, for I have by no means retired from the political arena. My position in office as New York City's comptroller is enough to keep me busy."

“I see. I can imagine that Comptroller does keep you busy, far too busy for keeping in touch,” Zander replied dryly.

He straightened a bit, leaning his arms against the side of the table. He wasn’t exactly sure what a Comptroller did, but it sounded pretty involved, especially if Richard insisted it was a political position that kept him busy. Not as good as Mayor, he supposed.

“See, if you had kept in touch, I would have been much less surprised when Mayor Hector Tomei showed up in my office.”

And that had really made him feel so foolish, and then annoyed with Richard. Hector had caught him off guard. Hector had the upper hand. Hector was his brother. Christ, that meeting had been a train wreck from the moment the heavy handed bastard had walked into his office.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

“I see. I can imagine that Comptroller does keep you busy, far too busy for keeping in touch,”

Richard did not like Zander's tone. They had not been in contact from awhile before the elections began - he had naturally regained his old title after that. Not to mention the fact that losing said title had had a knock on effect to pretty much every aspect of Richard's life - and he considered attempting to right these words more of a priority that talking with Zander.

He would have said something here in an attempt to explain himself, even though he felt there was no need for him to do so, when Zander spoke again.

“See, if you had kept in touch, I would have been much less surprised when Mayor Hector Tomei showed up in my office.”

Richard inwardly rolled his eyes as Zander chose to use Hector's full title, but then he thought over what he had said again and found he was surprised. Granted Zander was an CEO and Hector the Mayor, it made sense they would cross paths...but for Hector to visit Zander in his office...what was the occassion? Richard was naturally curious.

"What was the reason for the Mayor's visitation?" Richard asked, not only wanting the question answered for the sake of curiousity but attempting to steer the conversation away from the behaviour of his that had so upset Zander.

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

"What was the reason for the Mayor's visitation?"

Zander snorted mirthlessly, holding his glass out to passing server. It only took a moment for a refill and the man did pause to take his order, looking to Richard to place his as well. Zander didn’t bother saying anything more until the man was far away from their table. He didn’t want to tell Rick what he had learned, let alone the wait staff. But as it was, he had to tell someone, and why not Rick? It wasn’t as if he and Hector were sleepover buddies, after all. And Rick was supposed to be in his pocket.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Zander finally replied, taking a long sip from his drink. “Heck, I hardly believe it m’self. Though had you told me you’d lost the position of mayor, the meeting would have been more manageable.”

Really, it was crazy when he thought about it. He knew about a twin, but an older brother? And what a coincidence that his older brother just happened to be one of the most powerful men in the city...They didn’t even look alike! To say he was checking up on the contents of the file Hector had left with him was an understatement. He was having Jeffry – the only one he trusted with it – tearing it apart and checking up on every fact, using all the resources of the multi-billion dollar company at his disposal.

But Jeffry didn’t know Hector, didn’t hate Hector the way Ricky did. Zander knew the man well enough to know that he collected whatever data he could on people he hated – just in case he could rip them apart. He was sure Rick had an impressive dossier on him, even if they were friends, or at least business partners under the table. Richard probably had more facts about Hector floating through his head than Jeffry would be able to find in a week.

“Tell me Richard – how much do you know about Hector? Specifically, how much do you know about his family?”

Richard may know something, or Richard may know nothing. Either way, Zander wanted to know. And if he chose to share with Richard what he knew, then they would go from there. But for now, he wanted to keep at least that much of himself to...himself.

He sighed inwardly. This was far too complicated, even for him. Life would be so much easier if he knew normal people.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

As Zander made his rather unorthodox reply, Richard would have said something back, most likely about it having been a serious question, but was prevented from doing so by the precense of the waiter asking for his order. He placed it, as well as one for a glass of red wine, before refocussing his attention (not that he had allowed it wander for long) on Zander.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Heck, I hardly believe it m’self. Though had you told me you’d lost the position of mayor, the meeting would have been more manageable.”

"Would I not?" Richard replied somewhat coldly, the manner fitting, he thought, to the derisive way in which Zander was treating him. He chose to ignore the latter comment about his not having informed Zander of his change of title. "I have seen and heard a great deal in my time, Zander - I'm not a man to shock easily."

It was at this point that a waiter turned up with Richard's glass of wine. Having tasted it and pronouned it to his liking, the waiter nodded and left. Richard took another, longer sip from the glass, taking the oppurtunity while doing so to reflect on the meeting thus far. Certainly Zander wished to know why he hadn't been in touch - yet Richard wasn't the only one here who was witholding information. What was so unbeliveable about Hector's visit? It wasn't as though Richard cared about Hector's personal life or what he did outside of City Hall, or the mob, for that matter. But he couldn't help but be curious, considering his position in relation to Zander - not to mention his dislike for Hector which was all too clear to the CEO sitting in front of him.

“Tell me Richard – how much do you know about Hector? Specifically, how much do you know about his family?”

Although Richard was not a man who was easily shocked, that wasn't to say he wasn't liable to be surprised. Intruiged by Zander's query, having set down his wine glass he gave him a rather quizzical look. He knew that Zander knew he had information about the mayor, but little did he realize how much he knew. Then again, Zander didn't know about Hector's mob connections, but he did know about his true family, as it were. Richard had no idea why Zander was aking him, or just what he was insinuating.

"I know a great deal about Hector," said Richard, having mulled the question over, and not wanting to give too much away. "But as for his family, I must confess I know very little. Hector is a very private individual." He has to be, in his position, when any information could be used against him, used in an attempt to bring him down. "Why do you ask?"

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander felt like the meeting was getting off track already. He’d already said too much and Richard was asking questions in a direction he was hoping they wouldn’t get to until after Richard explained himself. But really, if he could be honest with himself after his fourth glass of bourbon, he wasn’t terribly disappointed.

"Would I not? I have seen and heard a great deal in my time, Zander - I'm not a man to shock easily."

Zander just snorted, knowing it would be a shock to the other man, watching as the waiter got approval on the wine. Wine was not a drink Zander could appreciate. Apparently the common palate he had been born to had kept him from being able to taste the difference between wines. When he drank wine, all he cared about was that it was wet and had alcohol in it. Also it came in tall bottles, which meant that he felt like he was drinking less when he finished off one on his own.

Once the waiter left, Richard carried on, still answering his questions.

"I know a great deal about Hector, but as for his family, I must confess I know very little. Hector is a very private individual. Why do you ask?"

Zander sighed a little, nursing his drink. Well, it was either tell the man, or challenge him to some form of a duel. Seeing as how they didn’t do that in the north, they would have to talk.

“Well, you can’t fault me for being curious after the meeting. According to Hector, he and I are brothers.”

There. It was out there like a snake on the verandah. You couldn’t ignore it, and it wasn’t going anywhere for a long time. So you could either run or deal with it. Zander hadn’t said the words aloud before now. He’d just handed the file to Jeffry and pondered what he could possibly do about it. So far, he had yet to figure anything out. He was still in the phase where you pondered how to deal with the snake before it slithered any closer than you were comfortable with. This was the first step, he supposed. After all, if he couldn't trust Richard to keep this information filed away to his advantage, who else could he trust?

“I’ve known I was adopted since Daddy passed, but to learn I had an older brother, and that he was mayor, was a bit of a shock. He apparently just learned about me, as well, and was probably curious. I can’t think of what else he could have possibly wanted.”

He didn’t act like he wanted anything in the form of a relationship, in fact, Hector had seemed more pissed off that he had a brother than anything. It had confused and rattled the blond man to sit through a meeting like that. And it was easier to get mad at Richard for not telling him than trying to evaluate those feelings.

“So, you can see why I would want your take on the situation. I doubt anyone, aside from Hector himself, would know more about him than you do. Especially since he is apparently the new mayor, too,” he threw in. “I still haven’t forgotten about you keeping that to yourself.”

He took a long sip of his drink, wondering what Richard would do with all that.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

Zander snorted again and Richard resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Really, sometimes the man could be so childish. And what had been so amusing about what he had said? He wasn't a man to shock easily and Zander knew this. Why was it amusing? What did he have to say?

“Well, you can’t fault me for being curious after the meeting. According to Hector, he and I are brothers.”

...Well.

All Richard's petty concerns about Zander fled his mind at these words. Hector and Zander - brothers? Plantagenet could have laughed, so incredulous was he - Hector, mayor, mob boss, the brother of Zander, of all people? This information certainly was a turn up for the books, and would undoubtedly prove useful, but... He shook his head in demonstration of his disbelief, attempting to form an appropriate response but failing. Luckily for him, Zander had continued talking.

“I’ve known I was adopted since Daddy passed, but to learn I had an older brother, and that he was mayor, was a bit of a shock. He apparently just learned about me, as well, and was probably curious. I can’t think of what else he could have possibly wanted.”

So...Hector hadn't known he had a brother either? This situation just continued to get stranger as it was explained to him. Speaking from personal experience, Richard would have been perfectly content not knowing he had brothers - then again, Zander had been adopted. His case was different - very different- to Richard's own.

“So, you can see why I would want your take on the situation. I doubt anyone, aside from Hector himself, would know more about him than you do. Especially since he is apparently the new mayor, too. I still haven’t forgotten about you keeping that to yourself.”

Somehow, Richard managed a small laugh.

"Surely that matter is of little consequence now, Zander, considering what you have just told me?" he said, with a smile. "Hector Tormei and yourself - brothers! Who would have thought it?"

He was amused, to be certain. But he wouldn't be Richard if he wasn't already planning on how best to use this information to his advantage. It was then that he came across an interesting conundrum. He was, in essence, in both the brothers' power - paying Zander to keep quit about the stock market, and in Hector's pay with his work for the mafia. His smile faltered a little at this, but then he devloped the thought further. Did Zander know? If he did, how had he reacted to the news? And if he didn't, would he ever find out?

Richard wasn't exactly about to ask about such a matter, particullarly due to the fact he would incrimiate himself in doing so (not to mention get himself in Hector's bad books). Instead he took another sip of wine, still contemplating the information, before saying;

"Am I to presume, from your asking me to tell you more about him, that your brother was not forthcoming with the details of his life before he found you?"

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

When Richard laughed, Zander wondered if he was missing the conversation. Absolutely nothing was funny about this.

"Surely that matter is of little consequence now, Zander, considering what you have just told me? Hector Tormei and yourself - brothers! Who would have thought it?"

He could see the point. He and Hector looked nothing alike. That was where his biggest doubts had originated. He did not think the man was telling the truth if he could not even see himself in his brother's features.

“It makes me feel better to dwell on it,” he excused, leaning his elbow on the table in a very rude manner. “And I doubt anyone would have guessed it. He certainly knew he was taking me by surprise, but he came with documentation.”

And because his daddy didn’t raise a fool, he was having that documentation checked into. He did not want to believe too much before he was absolutely sure. But the urge to tell someone, even Richard, was too much for him, thus the amount of babble he had already unloaded. His mother always said his mind was too loud to keep his thoughts to himself for any significant amount of time. And if not for his want not to hurt her with all of this, he would have gone home to the family and spoke of this with them. As it was, his worries and insecurities on the matter wouldn’t be analysed here with this man. It wasn’t their way.

"Am I to presume, from your asking me to tell you more about him, that your brother was not forthcoming with the details of his life before he found you?"

“Oh, I did ask. Or at least I tried. Hector did not seem to feel as if having a brother was anything more than a severe inconvenience and I felt it was better not to ask everything I wanted to know. So whatever you can supply would be welcome.”

And he had wanted to know everything. He was curious about his brother. But as Hector had pointed out, with powerful men such as themselves, there was documentation everywhere, and he need only use the Google and he would know everything public about the man. For the more private, he needed Richard.

“Tell me, Richard – did I watch far too many happy family sitcoms as a child? Or are brothers normally like Hector?”

Either way, his hopes and excitement had been quickly dashed. Now that he knew his brother had no interest in him beyond the cursory explanation of who he was, Zander doubted Percival – still, what a terribly stiff name – would be any better. Any and all desire he’d had to find his twin was now stricken from his list of things to do. Perhaps in a few weeks or months he would be up to it again.

“Because if that is the case, I am thankful for my sisters.”

Sidda and Jean were the lights of his life. He loved how easily they got along, how the girls depended on him to care for their hurts, screen their boyfriends, handle their divorces, and accompany them to church every Sunday. Just thinking about going to church with Hector and the faceless Percy instead made him want to get up and go find the girls, even if it would end up with one or both of them painting his nails – hands and feet.

“And now, I have no idea what to do with the knowledge Hector is my brother!” he huffed, annoyed by the uncertainty. “Any thoughts?”

Why not ask his elder? The man would probably have a more objective view than he himself.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

“It makes me feel better to dwell on it. And I doubt anyone would have guessed it. He certainly knew he was taking me by surprise, but he came with documentation.”

Richard resisted the urge to laugh again. The fact that Hector knew he was taking Zander by surprise - then again, how could he not, with such a revelation? - was amusing. Richard didn't care to dwell on the fact that he himself had been surprised by Hector when he chose to enter the mayoral race - that wasn't relevant to this conversation. He was a man to laugh at others misfortunes, and having Hector for a brother...well.

“Oh, I did ask. Or at least I tried. Hector did not seem to feel as if having a brother was anything more than a severe inconvenience and I felt it was better not to ask everything I wanted to know. So whatever you can supply would be welcome.”

Here Richard was unable to hide a smirk. Feeling as if having a brother was a severe inconvenience was, as the phrase went, the story of his life - and he had two brothers. But he felt it was best not to let Zander in on how he truly felt about Edward and George - no-one save the family even had a hint of his true feelings towards them.

“Tell me, Richard – did I watch far too many happy family sitcoms as a child? Or are brothers normally like Hector?”

Really, Richard was not the best person to whom that question should be asked. Although Edward and George were ultimately good people - far better than their younger brother, at any rate - they had not always been entirely kind to him in his youth. Then again, Richard had done little to deserve their kindness, even if they were related.

“Because if that is the case, I am thankful for my sisters.”

Richard was personally thankful he didn't have sisters - two brothers were enough, and even in death Edward persisted in troubling him.

“And now, I have no idea what to do with the knowledge Hector is my brother! Any thoughts?”

Having had time to process all of what Zander had said, Richard attempted an appropriate response.

"I would not go so far as to say all brothers are like Hector, but then again, my case is different to yours, and your case is quite unique." He paused. Then,

"As for what you should do with the knowledge that Hector is your brother - I would exploit it, if I were you. Use it to your advantage. How often does one discover one's brother is the most powerful man in the city, after all?"

Although this was said in a surprisingly light-hearted manner, considering Richard's usual tone, even as he reffered to Hector's being the most powerful man in the city, his grip on the wineglass in his good hand tightened slightly.No matter that Hector had been in power for months - Richard was still bitter.

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

Zander was aware that he had babbled far too much, not really giving Richard the chance to answer. He just had the urge to speak, and speak he did. He was like a cricket at sundown tonight. So he tried to keep quiet as the other man spoke.

"I would not go so far as to say all brothers are like Hector, but then again, my case is different to yours, and your case is quite unique."

Zander gave that one to him. While Richard had grown up with his brothers, Zander had not. He’d had the girls, but the girls weren’t a fair comparison. They’d grown up as pampered princesses – they still had that life style. Who knew what life had been like for Hector or even Richard and his siblings? He supposed he was heartened to hear that not all brothers were like Hector. Perhaps Percy would be more agreeable. They were twins, after all. They couldn’t be so different.

"As for what you should do with the knowledge that Hector is your brother - I would exploit it, if I were you. Use it to your advantage. How often does one discover one's brother is the most powerful man in the city, after all?"

Zander couldn’t help but laugh. Rick always managed to get a chuckle out of him. He had an interesting sense of humor that always seemed to put a smile on Zander’s face. Tonight, it was welcomed.

“And just what would I do, Richard? Walk into city hall and demand to borrow the big gold key to the city for an hour? Or perhaps I could start name dropping and start getting my meals put on Hector’s tab?”

It was rather absurd. With the money and connections he already had, he had no use to name drop. But then, he could use Hector’s position to his advantage in the business world. If investors knew he was likely to be backed by the mayor – his brother – then he could increase the amount of investment income to the projects that his company was constantly endeavoring to complete...

He shook his head slightly. Now Richard was putting ideas in his head. He could manage just fine without Hector.

“I suppose I meant that I needed ideas for what to personally do now that I know Hector is my brother. I don’t particularly want anything to do with him right now, but you know me. In a month or a year or even five years, I could regret not having anything to do with him.”

And that was the real kicker. Hector was a thorny person, but he was still part of the briar patch that was apparently their family. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And then there was his own family. When they found out...

“Oh God. Richard, when my mother finds out...” Zander groaned, taking a swig from his drink. “She will throw a dinner party. You know she will.”

It was what his mother did. They were fancy affairs that seemed to be designed to torture him. He had no doubts his mother would go all out for the mayor. It would be painfully awkward for Hector to be amongst the Devereux clan. For the most part they were socialites who could handle their own, but there were members of his family tree who were less than couth and they would prod at the man like nothing else. And his mother would try to bond with Hector. He could see his sisters practically hissing at the bigger man and it was enough to make him groan again.

Forget knowing normal people. His life would be much easier if he were related – by blood or name – to anyone in the ball park of normal.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

Needless to say Richard was pleased when Zander laughed - it seemed to focus had shifted from Richard's failings to the absurdity of Zander's new and unexpected connection to Hector. That and Richard was glad Zander was no longer snorting with derision.

“And just what would I do, Richard? Walk into city hall and demand to borrow the big gold key to the city for an hour? Or perhaps I could start name dropping and start getting my meals put on Hector’s tab?”

It was Richard's turn to laugh - that hadn't exactly been what he had meant, but then he had been vague in his words. The idea of Zander marching up to Hector and demanding the key to the city was a particullarly amusing one if only for the mental image it conjured rather than the possibility of it actually occurring - the look on Hector's face, Richard suppossed, would be priceless.

“I suppose I meant that I needed ideas for what to personally do now that I know Hector is my brother. I don’t particularly want anything to do with him right now, but you know me. In a month or a year or even five years, I could regret not having anything to do with him.”

Having not the slightest idea how best to repond to that at present, considering the fact Richard himself wanted as little as possible to do with the one brother he had that he hadn't murdered, Richard used the slight pause in the conversation as he attempted to think of a response to take another sip of wine.

“Oh God. Richard, when my mother finds out...” Zander groaned, taking a swig from his drink. “She will throw a dinner party. You know she will.”

Really, there was no need for such an overdramatic reaction. Richard could not deny he was amused by Zander's theatrics, however. He knew how Zander's mother's dinner parties went, if only from the stories Zander had told him. The thought of Hector at one of those events was laughable indeed.

"Surely that would be an oppurtunity to get to know your brother better?" Richard said, a smirk in place. He was joking with Zander, teasing - he knew how much Zander disliked such affairs.

[ZANDER “ZEUS” DEVEREUX]

"Surely that would be an opportunity to get to know your brother better?"

Zander narrowed his eyes over at Richard. He was smirking, clearly making fun of him. No one dared these days. It was hard to poke fun at a CEO. But Richard probably still thought of him as the child Zee carried around on his hip. Zander actually appreciated that.

“How I’ve missed your brand of humor,” Zander drawled back.

Well, he had to admit that his mother seemed harmless to those around her. She was just a socialite, after all. However, these New York women had nothing on the women down in Louisiana. They’d been southern belles and debutants longer than anywhere else by sheer will and determination. They took social affairs to insane heights. It gave regular folk nosebleeds.

“Richard, you’ve met my mother. If she threw a dinner party with the intention of letting Hector and I get to know each other, it would surprise me if we even saw each other at the dining table, let alone had the chance to talk. She’d have everyone, and their single daughters, between Hector and me.”

He loved his mamma dearly. She was the woman who took him in and loved him so much that he never guessed he came from anywhere but inside her. But that being said, she was determined he meet every single woman in the state in hopes that he just might marry one of them, and Hector would have to take a back seat to the chance he might meet someone and give her more grandbabies. She already spoiled his nephew enough that the boy was desperate for another baby to share the load.

“And if she does throw one of these parties, you are going to be there to suffer with me.”

The constant chatter of guests, the gossip, the small finger samples that only teased at the main course, and the fact he had to make nice with people he couldn’t even remember the names of...He still childishly sat on the staircase with a glass of bourbon when it got to be too much. At least with Richard there, he could have someone to pester. He really should invite friends to those evenings. It always seemed to slip his mind.

He had no doubt Richard would accept if he knew Hector would be in attendance. The old devil would probably get a kick out of watching his brother trying to mingle with a bunch of southerners. As well, his mother had a soft spot for Richard that would probably make Hector persona non grata if Richard was at the same party.

You did not want to be persona non grata to Milly Devereux.

“Speaking of suffering, I neglected to ask after Anne. I trust she’s still putting up with you?”

He grinned at his own jest. He liked Anne well enough. He always asked her to dance at parties, enjoying that she could dance and smile and look like she wasn’t just as bored as he was.