Chapter 295

MASON Inever stay at the hotel where conferences are held, preferring my own privacy over having to make small talk with people I’ll never see again—or worse, getting hit on by drunk tech guys who are too young to understand that Green Day is a punk-rock band and not a national holiday for vegans. But as I’m the keynote speaker at this particular event, I make an effort to attend the meet and greet on day one and speak to people before they get wasted on the free sparkling wine. Sean Phillips, the VP from a tech company we do a lot of business with, greets me as soon as I walk into the conference center. “Mason. It’s so good to see you, buddy.” He doesn’t bother with any attempt at a formal handshake and instead wraps me in a bear hug. “How the fuck are you?” I clap him on the back. “Good. You?” Smiling, he pulls his cell out of his pocket. “Fucking aces, buddy. You wanna see the twins?” Not particularly, but the enthusiasm in his voice stops me from saying that. A few seconds later, h