She was practically screaming at him as Pepper and Trixie steadfastly held their stations, maintaining the barrier between them.
“This is not a game or a setup, Brooke! I had no idea you worked here because you obviously lied to me,” he countered. “What happened to teaching ballet, huh?”
“I do teach ballet! Not that it’s any of your business!”
“Okay. So you teach ballet and you dance at Sparkles. But why did you only give me half the story?” he asked.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, you jerk! In fact … I don’t have to see you ever again,” she said. “We’re done! So just … go back to your party!”
“We are not done! We have a date tomorrow, remember?” he asked.
“No, we don’t! Goodbye, Otis!”
The dressing room door shut abruptly in his face, and Otis hung his head in aggravation. He made his way back out to the party and sat quietly stewing as he watched the others having a good time, and wondered what the hell had just happened. And what he couldn’t understand was why he gave a shit.
Why did he care that she was refusing to talk to him? Or that she had backed out of their date for tomorrow? And he realized that this wasn’t about some stupid bet. This was about the fact that she obviously believed that he had orchestrated this somehow. That he had created this situation for the sole purpose of embarrassing her. Why would she believe that he could do something so callous and insensitive? The thought angered him. Only he wasn’t sure if he was angry at her for thinking it, or angry at himself for making her think it. Was that really the public image he had been cultivating? Is that how people thought of him? As some uncaring bastard who only thought about his own selfish desires?
“You alright, brother?” Buzzy asked, sitting down next to him.
Otis nodded, but said nothing.
“You were right, man,” he continued. “Baby girl is fine!”
Again, Otis said nothing. He simply nodded once more, allowing his eyebrows to rise and fall in response.
“So, you had no idea she danced here?”
“No,” he answered. Then he took a deep breath. “What are the odds, man?”
Buz laughed slightly. “Fate is some next level shit, man.”
“Fate?” Otis questioned, looking at his friend with a puzzled frown.
“Yeah,” Buzzy nodded. “Think about it, man. Out of the blue, this chick crashes into your car, and Noah bets you that you can’t make a genuine, romantic connection with her. And then you see her here. In a place you never expected in a million years for her to be. That shit’s gotta mean something, O. Why is she all of a sudden in your orbit?”
Otis’ frown deepened. “What are you implying, Buz? What, you think this chick is my destiny or something?”
Buzzy laughed some more and took a swig of his beer. “I don’t know if I’d use a word as heavy as destiny, but … how do you explain it? Coincidence?”
“I don’t know, man,” Otis replied. He was quiet for a long time as he watched the activity going on around him. “Hey, Buzzy. Do you think I’m selfish?” he asked almost timidly.
“What?”
Buz frowned at him, and Otis looked away, saying nothing more and feeling like a fool.
“Where is this coming from, brother?” Buzzy asked.
Otis shook his head. “Forget it,” he said quietly.
“Otis …”
“Just … forget it.”
Chapter Five
Otis gathered his things and left his house over two hours earlier than he needed to. His tuxedo was already at Buzzy’s with everyone else’s, so all he needed to do was show up in enough time to dress before the ceremony. But he had something important to take care of first.
He had tried repeatedly to talk to Brooke last night at the club, but to no avail. And finally he was told that she had slipped out the back so that she didn’t have to see him. He had called and texted her several times both last night and this morning, but she was refusing to answer. So, he decided to try a more direct approach. It wasn’t until he pulled into her driveway forty-five minutes later that he realized she might still refuse to talk to him. If she was even here. But he had to try.
He got out of the car and strode to the front door, determined to leave with his scheduled date. He held his breath as he rang the doorbell, and he was surprised when it was answered so quickly.
“Hi, Otis!”
Shelly’s bright smile greeted him warmly, but he couldn’t shake the unease in his gut.
“Hey, Shelly,” he smiled. “I don’t suppose your sister’s getting ready for the wedding, is she?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” she answered, shaking her head slightly. “She seems pretty determined that she doesn’t want to see you again.”
Otis sighed. “Shelly, I swear that I had no idea she danced at Sparkles. If I had, I never would’ve planned to have my friend’s bachelor party there. I would never purposely do anything to embarrass her.”
“I believe you, Otis. And I think, deep down, Brooke knows that too. She’s just feeling really … exposed somehow,” she said. “And I know that might sound like an unfortunate choice of words, but … you get my meaning.”
“Yeah,” he smiled sadly.
“If it makes you feel any better … I know my sister pretty well. And I don’t think she’d be this upset if she didn’t secretly like you,” she offered. “You’ve got to understand that Brooke’s got a really tough exterior because she’s been hurt before. More than once. So she guards her heart pretty fiercely these days. And I have been in your corner from the beginning, Otis. But if all you plan to do is hurt her …”
“Shelly, I don’t want to hurt her,” Otis said, meeting her concerned gaze and cutting her off. And he hesitated a beat before he said, “Look, I’ve been hurt too, okay? I know what that feels like. And honestly … I think Brooke and I have a whole lot more in common than she knows. You see, I’ve been guarding my heart pretty fiercely too; I’ve just … gone about it differently, I suppose.”
He frowned as that notion settled in his consciousness. His statement was a true one. Why had he never realized that before?
“Did you hear all that?” Shelly asked, looking off to her right, to somewhere behind the open door. And Otis felt his heart drop into his stomach.
“Yeah, I heard him,” he heard Brooke say.
“Brooke … can I please come in?” he asked, looking at his side of the door.
Shelly glanced at her sister again and then stepped aside, allowing him to enter. She smiled at him as he stepped inside and quietly closed the door. Brooke was standing near the foot of the stairs, dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a matching top. But even beneath the baggy, unflattering clothing, she looked like a knockout as she and Otis eyed one another with timid expressions.
“Okay. I’m going to go upstairs,” Shelly announced, looking from one to the other. They ignored her as they continued to watch each other, each of them wondering frantically what the other was thinking. “Right,” she said softly, and then turned to head past Brooke and up the stairs.
Otis licked his lips as he took a breath. “I don’t know what to say,” he began softly. “I’m sorry, Brooke. If you had just told me that you worked at Sparkles, we could’ve avoided this.”
She rolled her eyes as she descended the bottom two stairs and walked toward him, her arms folded protectively across her chest. “It’s not exactly the way I like to start a getting-to-know-you chat,” she said.
Her voice held a definite attitude, and Otis couldn’t help the smile that he tried to stop from gracing his lips.
“I guess I can understand that,” he conceded. “But it’s not like it’s something to be ashamed of.”
“Really? Have you ever stripped for a club full of horny women and let them ogle you, and try to grope you as they stuff money into your g-string? All so that you can pay your bills?” she asked, looking him in the eye.
“Well, no. Not exac
tly, but …”
“Then we’ll revisit the subject when you have,” she said curtly.
Otis sighed, feeling almost defeated. “All I meant is that it’s not a big deal, Brooke.”
“Not a big deal?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“No.”
“Hmm. Your friend from dinner the other night, the actor?”
“Jeffrey Fremont?”
“Yeah, Jeffrey Fremont,” she confirmed. “He couldn’t place me with my clothes on, but I know for a fact that he recognized me from Sparkles. He’s in there all the time.”
“Okay,” Otis shrugged.
“So, you’re going to stand here and tell me that it doesn’t bother you that your friends have seen most of me? In the nude.”
Otis smiled at her. “Brooke, what exactly is it that you think I do for a living? I’m not playing chamber music, baby. I’m a rock star. And we had that party at Sparkles last night because Sparkles used to be a major hang out for the five of us back in the day. I and each one of my bandmates has dated a stripper or three in our lifetimes, okay? I don’t care that you take your clothes off for money, and neither do any of them. And if you choose to spend any more time with me, you will quickly come to learn that they are the only four friends whose opinions matter to me.”
“You don’t care?” she asked, clearly not believing him.
“I don’t care,” he repeated. “Now will you please, please get dressed and come to the wedding with me? I promise, you will have a fun day.”
She stood looking at him and slightly shaking her head. She didn’t know what to think of anything he had said about being hurt himself and not caring that she danced at Sparkles. But she believed that he hadn’t shown up there to humiliate her.
“Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll go to the wedding with you.”
He smiled broadly, showing off those insane dimples. And she rolled her eyes at him once more before turning to go up the stairs.
Shelly was waiting for her at the landing, not even bothering to hide the fact that she was eavesdropping on their conversation. She was grinning like a loon and silently clapping her hands.
“I’m so happy for you,” she squealed.
“Shelly, it’s just a wedding,” Brooke sighed.
“It’s not just a wedding; it’s your second date! What are you going to wear?” she asked, following her into the bedroom and helping to rummage through Brooke’s closet. She easily settled on a gray, Nicole Miller knock-off that consisted of a form-fitting silk slip with a beautiful floral lace overlay that hit a few inches above the knee. The overlay had a square neckline and sported wide, bell sleeves. The dress practically screamed romance. It was perfect for a wedding! Of course, Brooke was also aware that she would be completely covered in this dress. Symbolically, anyway, since the lace overlay was very sheer.
She dashed in and out of the shower in no time, allowing her hair to air dry as she went about getting dressed - a process that resulted in abundant ringlets flowing over her shoulders. Something she usually tried to avoid because she hated her naturally curly hair and preferred to straighten it with her blow dryer. But right now, she simply didn’t have the time.
“I am so happy you’re giving him another chance,” Shelly gushed as she helped her get ready, pulling the sides of her hair back with a pretty silver-and-rhinestone hairclip and letting the rest hang down her back.
“I’m not sure that I am, Shelly,” Brooke replied. “Like I said, it’s just a wedding.”
“But he sounded so sincere before, when he was talking about being hurt too,” Shelly said. “I wish you could have seen his face. I truly think he’s being real with you, Brooke.”
“God, Shelly, you are such a romantic,” Brooke said in exasperation. “You give everyone the benefit of the doubt, whether they deserve it or not!”
“And you don’t think he deserves it?” Shelly asked.
“I’m not saying that. I just …” She paused for a moment as Shelly finished with her hair, and she looked at her sister’s reflection in the mirror. “I’m not like you, Shell. I can’t be that trusting. Fairytales don’t happen in real life. This is not Pretty Woman and I’m not Julia Roberts!”
She stood up and ran to her closet, looking through her shoe boxes for a suitable pair to go with her chosen dress. She pulled out a pair of sexy, four-inch, silver strappy heels and slipped them on.
“Last night, after Otis tried to muscle his way into the dressing room, Pepper lectured me again about the whole sugar daddy thing.”
Shelly groaned. “Not that again!”
“She’s got a point, Shelly,” Brooke said, pulling out a small silver clutch bag and transferring her things into it. “Why shouldn’t I try to get whatever material perks I can out of this relationship? Especially if he’s playing me?”
“But you don’t know that he’s playing you,” Shelly replied.
“And you don’t know that he’s not.” Brooke stated.
“Wow,” Otis whispered from where he stood at the foot of the stairs. He had wandered around the living room, looking at the family photos that the girls had on display as he waited for Brooke to get ready. Checking his watch periodically to make sure they still had plenty of time. He still needed to get to Buzzy’s and get into his tux after all.
And as he wandered around the living room, he discovered that when he neared the entryway by the staircase, he could hear their voices upstairs with near perfect clarity. He had heard their entire conversation. So, not only wasn’t she impressed with the whole Jagged Ivory thing, but Brooke McKenna didn’t believe in romance and fairytales either, huh? And this was the woman Noah had chosen to stake a bet on. Otis snorted softly as he smirked to himself. There was no way he could win this thing. This girl was truly invincible. Invulnerable. Unconquerable.
Bullshit!
Every woman had a weakness. A soft spot. A secret inclination. All he had to do was find hers. And maybe she and her sister had already given him all the clues he needed. Shelly said Brooke wore all that armor because she had been hurt before, more than once. And Brooke herself had just stated that fairytales didn’t come true and Prince Charming didn’t exist. So what if he proved her wrong?
He had wandered back into the living room as his mind began to work overtime on his new strategy. And he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice her coming down the stairs.
“I’m ready,” she said quietly. “I hope I haven’t made you too late.”
Otis turned and stared at her, letting his eyes drink her in as all conscious thought left him. “You look beautiful,” he said, meaning every word.
Brooke flushed slightly at the look in his eyes. She was very used to men looking at her with lust. It was part of the job. But something about the look in Otis’ eyes made her feel sexy and desirable, not cheap and tawdry at all.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He walked toward her and presented her with his arm. “Shall we?”
Brooke took his arm and looked back at her sister. “See ya, Shell.”
“I won’t wait up,” Shelly replied, smiling at them.
He led her outside and over to his waiting car. And as they got on the road, he was quiet, his mind still formulating a plan.
“You don’t have to work tonight, do you?” he asked.
“No. I’ve got Saturday and Sunday off,” she answered. “First time in forever that that’s happened.”
“Excellent,” he smiled.
The drive to Buzzy’s took less than twenty minutes, and when they got out of the car, Otis reached out and took her by the hand, leading her to the house.
“I’m going to have to leave you to get into my tux and do my Best Man duties for a while,” he said once they stepped inside. But Brooke was so busy looking around the swanky home that she barely heard him. “Brooke?”
“Hmm?” she asked, turning back to him. “Oh. Sure. I understand.”
He smiled knowingly at her. “Com
e on. I won’t just leave you on your own,” he said, taking her hand again. He led her into the living room and out of the door in the glass wall to where he saw some friendly faces.
“Excuse me, ladies,” he said, interrupting their conversation. “This is my date, Brooke McKenna, and I was hoping you could make her feel welcome while I’m standing down front.”
“Well, of course, we will,” Mercy smiled.
“My brother’s girlfriend, Mercy; Cory’s wife, Donna; and Benji’s girlfriend, Fae,” Otis said, pointing them each out as he introduced Brooke to them. “I am leaving you in very good company. These ladies are like my sisters, okay?”
“Yeah, that means we know all the good dirt about Otis,” Donna stated.
“We’ll fill you in as soon as he’s gone,” Fae smiled.
Otis narrowed his eyes playfully at them. “Maybe I should introduce you to someone else,” he mused.
“Get out of here, you goofball,” Mercy giggled, shooing him away.
“I’ll see you when the ceremony starts,” he said turning to Brooke. Then he leaned in and sweetly kissed her on the cheek. And from the astonishment in her eyes, he knew instantly that he had taken her by complete surprise.
He smiled as he walked away, and Brooke felt a strange tingle of warmth begin to spread throughout her body. She turned back to her new acquaintances and gave them a timid smile.
“It’s a lovely day for an outdoor wedding,” she said anxiously.
“It is,” Fae agreed. “Janie couldn’t have asked for better.”
“Janie?”
“Oh, that’s the bride,” Fae clarified.
“Right,” Brooke said with a nod. “Janie and Buzzy. Otis did fill me in on the happy couple.”
“So, have you known Otis long?” Donna asked, absentmindedly caressing her baby bump as expectant mothers so often do.
“No. Not long at all, actually,” she answered. “This is only our second date.”
“Brooke was the driver of the other car in the crash,” Mercy explained.
“Oh, you’re Crash Girl,” Donna exclaimed with a bright smile.
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 85
