Hypergeniture Bk. 01 Pt. 02

"We shouldn't do more without Tecla," my sister cautioned. "I'd be betraying her..."

I shook my head. Elle was a sweetheart at her core, but she could mislead herself every so often. I knew she had never discussed this with Tecla unless Tecla was the one to bring it up... Still, she was sure they wanted the exact same thing.

My sister left to take a morning shower, and I stumbled to my feet. The days before, I had neglected work. I would have to make up for that and foresaw a busy day.

Alicia had started hunting the man from Liz Wharry's past. She wouldn't find a trace of him — that much I knew. He was a ghost story; a boogeyman. I may not have known much about espionage, but I did know human nature. We all concoct our own mysteries and this one was far too salacious to be true. Sure, there may have been a morsel of fact to it all, but I didn't think we would get answers.

No, I had a theory: That night was a kidnapping gone wrong. Badly wrong.

It made sense. It was the only thing that made sense, but was Natasha involved? If she needed money... Perhaps.

An early morning walk seemed like a good idea, and I got dressed for it. The new protection agent, Skylar, was immediately behind me. She kept a fair distance and fell further back as she realised this would be a slow and thoughtful wander. Surveying the lands, I settled my eyes on the furthest point visible. It wasn't in the direction of the vineyards but rather flowed to barracks I assumed were for the workers. From there, you could take a route up into the hills. Tracing my eyes all the way back, I tried to pick up on the path I'd need to take. Then, I set forth...

It wasn't long before I regretted not bringing earphones for music. I was left alone with my thoughts, and those thoughts were... Troubling.

I had made an enormous promise to Elle and broken fidelity to Natasha. To be fair, she didn't want my faithfulness, nor did she deserve it. Still, I felt guilt, even if it wasn't the typical type.

There was also the danger... The danger of being discovered or killed. The threat of not meaning what I felt or expressing what I think in the best way. Yes, I had to lead my family, but control was slipping away, and I knew it. I also knew I couldn't stop it...

Entropy. The inevitability of chaos.

As I stopped in my tracks, what was intended to be a peaceful walk turned into teeth-gnashing. I cursed myself, "Fuck! How are you losing control?! With all the money and your mind? You damn idiot!"

Bracing myself with hands on my knees, I took three deep breaths, then three more. It dawned on me that there were witnesses to my outburst, and I felt embarrassed — workers and security people who must've thought I was mad were looking at me, puzzled.

"Girl problems?" a soothing Aussie accent intruded.

I saw Skylar's reassurance in how she curled her pink-tinted lips. She offered me a hand and pulled me upright. The blonde produced a bottle and offered me whiskey with a triumphant smile, which she must've snuck from the house. We started walking, trying to keep on an uphill trajectory. Once we reached a good spot, we took our seats on the ground.

There was nothing but the breeze to keep us company as we shared the bottle of booze. It was a little early for a drink, and Skylar was on duty, but we didn't let that phase us. No, we sat and drank and made no fuss about doing so.

"It's funny, really. This morning, I shared a cigar with Alicia. Now, I'm having a drink with you."

Skylar shook her head as she took a swig from the bottle. "Not funny at all. We have to protect you from yourself."

"That's what she said. Am I that much of a threat to myself?"

Skylar didn't answer but passed me the bottle as a reply. Taking a large gulp, the taste burned my throat, but the buzz was well worth it.

My new bodyguard blew some air out her nose and turned her eyes to her feet. "I know you're sleeping with your cousin... And your sister."

"Shit. Well... I thought you would, but still."

"I don't judge, and I won't tell a soul," she assured. "But, sir, that sort of thing can kill you if you're not careful. Falling in love, I mean."

"Luckily, we're going to be apart for a bit. Me and the two of them."

"What's so lucky about that?" Skylar asked, genuinely puzzled.

I didn't have an answer to the question. I suppose the lucky thing was that we'd all have time to think, or is that just something people talk about in movies? Aren't you supposed to know from the first moment whether something feels right or not? The thing is, I did know, and it was that knowledge that scared me.

How could I be so certain about anything, let alone something this important?

Then, there was Alicia and the slow creeping realisation that Elle was right...

Skylar continued counselling, "As I see it, you need to focus on the bigger picture. Enjoy the money. Have crazy sex with anything or anybody you want. Buy first editions and fall in love with literature. Eat ridiculous foods and try daring stunts. Hell, I hear spaceships are beginning to edge out yachts for guys like you."

I shrugged. "Everyone says I should do those things, but won't it make me a bad person? At the very least, it makes me a rich asshole."

Suddenly, Skylar reached behind her back and pulled her pistol. Weighing it in her hand, she gave me a sly look. "I've got a bullet for anybody who calls my drinking buddy and boss an asshole."

"You're a maverick!" I chuckled, feeling uneasy about the gun.

At school in Switzerland, I was taught how to shoot. Still, I never liked the things. Skylar released the magazine and pulled the slide back several times, making sure it was clear. She offered me the grip with a theatrical twirl, and I took the pistol from her.

The well-balanced gun felt good in my hand: Heavy, solid, and well-built. I didn't dare to bring my finger anywhere close to the trigger, but I was curious. Curious about the pressure I'd have to apply and the way it would feel. Yes, the vague memory of the last time I fired a gun scratched like an itch.

I passed the pistol back to Skylar, and she rendered it operable before giving me a wink and putting it away. "That feel good?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That's what wielding power should feel like. You didn't do anything irresponsible with it, but you enjoyed the feeling."

"The gun wasn't loaded," I reminded. "The real deal is heavier and more dangerous. I'm surrounded by danger, Skylar. A danger that's so close I can touch her..."

"You have no reason to suspect your cousin of anything," my bodyguard insisted, knowing where my mind had drifted. "We all have secrets. They usually have nothing to do with attempted murder."

"I don't have any secrets."

The smile I got in return for my half-truth served as a silent refutation. Before sleeping with Tash, before the money, before the assassination attempt, and before my night with Elle, I didn't have anything to hide. Now, with each passing day, I accumulated new secrets that had to be hidden from the world.

"We hide our doubts and fears," Skylar continued. "That means we all keep at least some secrets. To protect those, we tell little lies that become big lies and secrets of their own. We even start lying to ourselves."

Exhaling, I took in the surroundings. My mind soon started wandering again and circled to why I'd taken my walk in the first place.

"Alicia puzzles me. It's like we know each other, but we don't know anything about each other."

Skylar didn't respond, crossing her legs and reaching for the bottle. "Let me and Miss Le Roux worry about the things you pay us to worry about. You focus on sorting out your life."

I still wasn't convinced. "You know the thing with Alicia—"

Skylar interrupted, "Sir, the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody. Now, I'd offer to have a crack at it, but I'm afraid I don't swing your way. Why don't I hook you up with a proper babe for some casual and uncomplicated sex after your family are gone? How about it? I know how to spot the ones that are best in bed — trust me!"

Skylar couldn't stop making me smile. There was so much humour and glee in her voice, yet I also didn't doubt the sincerity.

"I don't want to get over anybody," I assured, sure of that one thing. "Well, not over my sister or Tash, at least."

As I thought back to Elle's remarks about Alicia, my companion gave me a knowing look. "Three women on your mind... Sounds fucking stressful."

Getting to our feet, Skylar playfully bumped into me, and I bumped back. If Alicia felt like an older sister, Skylar felt like the brother I never had. A brother with the looks of a Parisian model crossed with a swimsuit centrefold. Perhaps that's the kind of lesbian-best friend most guys dream of having.

Right then, that could have been precisely what I needed or precisely what I didn't. It all depended on whether I could stop myself from doing what Elle predicted I would do... Falling in love — again and again.

23 • Kaapstad

My sister blew me a kiss from the swimming pool upon my return and my cousin looked happy, albeit tired. The rest of the day saw my two relatives tolerating each other; mainly around the pool at the side of the house. Alicia had procured bikinis for the girls and the summer heat made the prospect of splashing around irresistible.

I would have joined them, but work called for me. Heading into the farm's office, I settled behind a laptop and started reading reports from subsidiaries.

About an hour later, I heard the sound of footsteps and dripping. It sounded like Natasha, and I greeted her. "Hey, what's up? How are you feeling?"

Turning to the door, I saw there was no one there. I still heard the dripping, but as I rubbed the side of my head, the sound faded. A little later, Natasha walked into the room. She was drenched from spending a day in the water and dripped from her head to her toes as she leaned against the wall. This time, it was real.

"Busy?" my cousin asked, clearly with something on her mind.

I shook my head. "Nah, never too busy for you."

"Uh-huh?" she smiled cheekily. "How can I convince you to stop being in love with me?"

"Who says I'm in love?" I challenged, with an edge to my voice.

Natasha was expecting me to play along. Her mood was back on the upswing, so she expected mine to do the same. We'd had a bad tiff the day before, and she'd been confusing me. I wasn't going to be cheerful when I was desperate to know what was happening in her head. Desperate to see if I could trust her.

"Can't we just have sex, and that's the end of it?" she asked.

"Yes, yes... I know... You get off on the idea of being a rich man's mistress. You also apparently feel nothing for the fact that we used to be best friends."

"Oh, c'mon, Olly... Cheer up a little," Tash encouraged. "I know I've been a bit crazy, but I'm still the same old me."

"Are you?"

Natasha turned away from me, and I realised she was strategising. The wheels in her head were spinning — she was calculating. For a split second, I even saw her transform into another person.

Sometimes you look at someone, and they have a 'private' moment in plain sight — an instant where they're thinking about nothing and no one except themselves and what they want.

"The problem with how we used to be is that it was awfully close to acting like boyfriend and girlfriend," my cousin theorised. "We can be lovers or we can be family, but we can't try to be both. I need emotional distance if we're going to have sex..."

My eyes narrowed. "What do you even mean?"

"Ugh, you know what I mean!"

Employing my own tactics, I turned the conversation sharply to try and throw her off balance. "What's up with that phone you had last night?"

"Why change the subject?"

"Tell me about the phone..."

"No."

Natasha squirmed, looking at her feet and inhaling deeply. She was cornered, and she wanted to find a way out of having to answer.

"I told you that I bought it at the airport."

"Our people were with you all the time. When did you go buy the phone?"

"On the arrivals side. They were waiting for me outside because it's an airport and that's how airports work! Jeez, Olly... I told you! I just forgot the old one by accident."

"Weird," I remarked, "I could've sworn I saw it when you arrived. On your bed."

Chewing her cheek, Natasha was getting angry. She looked at me with a tinge of rage, but then guilt and shame followed. I was sure she wouldn't tell me the truth, but she felt compelled to make up a better lie. "Oh... I realised I didn't forget it when I unpacked."

There was something off about every word my cousin spoke. She was being dishonest — about everything — which meant she came across as wildly unpredictable.

The unpredictable is as alluring as it's frightening. Men like me are drawn to contradictions, secrets, chaos... In fact, most men are, but most men don't have my kind of enemies.

The little conversation settled it. My people would be keeping a very close eye on Natasha going forward.

I couldn't trust her.

• • •

Elle was next into my office, bikini-clad and dripping water from her long black hair. Whereas my cousin kept a distance, my sister plopped herself on my lap and settled into my arms, triggering a content sigh from the both of us.

"Life is perfect," she said.

All the stress from my previous meeting with our cousin faded, and I felt nothing but good.

"You know, sis. We never have to do more than we did last night," I offered. "Not every romance needs sex, and I'd still be committed."

Elle didn't like this, grinding hard against my lap. "Stop treating me like a girl and start treating me like a woman," she commanded, keeping up the grind to convince me of her point.

"You're right," I admitted. "You're all grown up."

My little sister groaned. "It's going to be so hard waiting... I can feel you against me right now..."

"And I can feel you grinding away."

"You like it?" Elle asked shyly. "I'm no good at being sexy, but I want you to have everything. Tec will help... She's the—"

"Don't be down on yourself," I interrupted, hugging Elle closer and kissing her shoulder. I knew the door to the study was still open... We were risking everything, but I almost didn't care. I couldn't lose track of being her guardian, though. Maybe I could be her lover, but that didn't mean I stopped being her big brother.

"C'mon," I instructed, bouncing Elle on my knee. "Go pack your bags for Singapore."

"Are you excited about your interview?" my sister asked.

"I am, actually. It's going to be pretty easy, I think, and I'll get a chance to say some things that have been on my mind."

My sister gave an exaggerated sigh of disapproval to show she'd rather stay but got to her feet eventually. "What is on your mind?"

"Well... I want to convince the public that the company won't change too much. We'll still put female talent first; that's what makes us unique and successful. I also want to show people I'm not arrogant — I know my limits — and I'm open to learning."

Elle looked proud of me as I explained. She kissed me on the forehead: One last gentle reminder that she loved me with all her heart.

"Don't let what I said about Alicia bug you, and don't worry about hurting Natasha's feelings... She's a slut, and sluts don't care."

"Jesus, Elle! I wish you wouldn't talk like that!"

My little sister flicked her hair back but didn't hesitate to apologise when it came down to it. "I'm just bitter because she got you first," Elle confessed. "Then again, I also see the way you look at her... And the way Alicia looks at her... And the way the new blonde chick looks at her... You don't trust her either."

"Don't worry yourself with that, sis."

"I'll always worry if someone out there wants to hurt my big brother. She broke your heart, and I hate her for it."

"Don't ever hate anyone," I counselled, believing it to be good advice.

Elle started walking to the door but turned to me before she left. "You hate the people who stabbed you. Don't you?"

"It's hard, but I try not to hate them," I lied.

"Well, I hate them. I hope they all die and burn in hell."

Elle left, and later that evening, two helicopters landed on different parts of the farm. The first was to take Tash and her to the airport, while the second would drop me off in the city for my interview. They were mammoth beasts, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Honestly, I didn't know they made 'em that big.

"Why can't the interview happen here?" I asked Alicia as we boarded our chopper.

The aircraft was spacious inside, and my head of security took her seat opposite me. I couldn't help but look at her differently... I couldn't help but question if I had fallen for her. The answer must've been obvious, but I didn't know my heart and didn't know myself. She was gorgeous, talented, sweet with me, and there wasn't the complexity of blood relation. Still, one thing weighed against me wanting her: she worked for me, and she was too good for me.

All the women in my circle were remarkable, but Alicia was... Different. I could earn her love and her admiration, and I certainly had her loyalty, but her needs were rooted in whatever happened between her and her father. She wouldn't easily trust a man, and she worked hard to make sure the need never arose.

Sensing my mood had gone bitter since the night before, Alicia left me to my own devices as I looked down at the world. If you've never been to Cape Town, I'd highly recommend it. The city blends into nature — sparse and green — with views of the famous Table Mountain possible from most places. Yet, next to some of the wealthiest people in the world lived some of the poorest. Like most cities, or maybe more, this was a place with two identities that offered different experiences depending on your luck in life's lottery.

Watching the landscapes below, I couldn't help but smile. I was flying high, in love and astonishingly loved by others. "What was it like growing up here?" I asked, expecting an answer brimming with romance and nostalgia.

Alicia shrugged, dismissing my question. "I can't remember."

"You left when you were very young?"

"Not that young. I just can't remember."

I nodded, understanding that some memories are best buried in deep graves among all the tragedies of our lives. There were lots of things I couldn't remember either; recent things.

We landed at an ocean-side helipad, meeting with Skylar and the rest of the convoy. With the blonde taking Alicia's usual seat in the front, my security boss was free to sit in the back with me. I was in my own world, and my body language said as much. The interview didn't scare me at all. It was for a publication we owned: A 'business' magazine that's less about financial news and more about men's fashion.

Alicia started briefing me as we got closer to the magazine's headquarters. "I'm not a press person—"

"I should hire a press person," I interrupted. "I need to hire an assistant and someone to look after my family... I've been very unfair to you, Alicia. You're doing ten jobs at once."

My companion seemed perplexed by the drift of my mind from one thing to the next. Somehow, she knew me well, and I doubted that many people would've picked up on my mood. Maybe my sisters — maybe Tash... Definitely not my mother.

"Are you sure you want to do this interview? We can always cancel," Alicia offered. "The Board will simply have to understand."

"Huh? No... It's fine."

There was a silence in the car as both Skylar and Alicia calculated the night's worst-case scenario. If they felt I would embarrass myself, they would pull the plug. But, it seemed they had faith in me, and Alicia resumed briefing as I tried to be a little better at paying attention.