“Crash Girl?”
“Yeah! Oh, I’m sorry,” Donna smiled. “That’s just what the guys have been calling you.”
“Not Otis, of course,” Mercy interjected. “He keeps correcting them.”
“But they don’t mean anything by it,” Donna continued. “It’s just their way of giving Otis a hard time.”
“Yeah, if you hang out with this bunch for any length of time, it won’t take you long to realize that the guys are really just a bunch of twelve-year-olds in grownup bodies,” Fae smiled.
“Well, it’s been my experience that most men are,” Brooke smiled, and they all laughed.
“I think I like her,” Mercy stated.
*****
Inside the house, the guys were all gathered in Buzzy’s spacious bedroom to get into their charcoal gray tuxedos. And, of course, the banter and the barbs had been flying back and forth the whole time. The excitement in the room was so palpable Otis almost felt like he could reach out and grab hold of it. Buzzy was trying to hide it, but he knew his friend well enough to know that he was a bundle of nerves right now.
Otis stood fumbling with his boutonniere, trying in vain to pin the damn thing onto his lapel when Noah suddenly grabbed it and took over.
“Let me do this,” he said sternly. He took the small flower and stick pin and began to concentrate, glancing up at his brother with a small smile.
“What?” Otis frowned.
Noah shrugged his shoulders as he continued to work. “Mmm. I was just thinking about how you're the last holdout now.”
“The last holdout?” Otis questioned as his frown deepened.
“Yeah,” Noah mumbled, concentrating on his task.
“What are you talking about, hot shot?” he asked.
Noah smiled as he successfully pinned the flower on Otis’ lapel, looking very pleased with himself. Then he looked up at him. “Well, look around you, O,” he said, looking his brother in the eye with a sly smile. “Things are changing, man. Rapidly. And for the better, I think.”
Otis scowled at him as he glanced around at their bandmates. What the hell was he getting at? Noah chuckled slightly at him, adding to Otis’ growing irritation. Then he draped his arm across his shoulders and looked out at their bandmates as he pointed to each one of them in turn.
“Otis … Benji and Fae are practically living together in that brand new house of his. And in a few months, Donna is gonna give birth and make Cory the family man that he's always wanted to be. Your best friend is getting ready to say 'I do' to the woman who’s about to give him baby number two,” he said, and Buzzy looked up and smiled at them. “And Mercy and I are slowly heading down the aisle behind them,” Noah finished.
Otis looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. “Something you want to tell me, little brother?”
Noah smiled and shrugged at him. “Just that I know she’s what I want.”
“Have you asked her yet?”
“No,” he shook his head. “But I know that I’m going to.”
Otis shook his head as he smiled at him. “I see. And so now, you think it’s your duty to get me paired off too, is that it?”
“Nah, I’m not going to start trying to fix you up or anything, if that’s what you mean,” he said, smiling at him. “But I do want to see you happy, man. And as hard as you try to fight it, I think you know that the groupie scene is not where happiness is. And I’ve watched you with Bobby these past few weeks. You are actually crazy about that kid, aren’t you?”
Otis stared at him with a blank expression, trying to keep his game face on. But he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed spending time with that kid. He got a kick out of being “Uncle Otis.” He shrugged his shoulders and smirked at Noah, attempting to downplay his attachment to Buzzy’s little boy. “Yeah well, like you said … he is my best friend’s kid.”
“Yeah, I know,” Noah nodded. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s made you wonder what it might be like to have one of your own though.” Again, Otis just stared at him for a long time, saying nothing. And Noah smiled at him again. “Okay. Lecture over,” he said, patting his arm as he walked away. And Otis watched after him for a moment, thinking about all his brother had just said. Spending time with Buz’s son had made him wonder if he would ever have that one day. And he was shocked to admit to himself that he would welcome it if it came along. Fatherhood sounded cool to him.
“Hey, Otis,” Buz spoke up as he pulled on the jacket of his tuxedo. “First, I want you to know that I second everything Noah just said. But uh … I notice that you brought the dancer as your date today.”
Otis laughed slightly and nodded his head, remembering the events of last night’s bachelor party and the moment he realized the sexy, exotic creature on the stage was his Crash Girl. The dancer.
“Yeah, I know. But I just couldn’t help myself,” Otis replied. “There’s just something about her, man.”
“Uh oh,” Benji mumbled, smiling at them. “When Otis starts saying shit like that you know hell’s about to freeze over, right?”
They all laughed as Otis began to protest. “Oh, no, no, no! Hold up,” he objected with a raised hand. “All I said was that there was something about her. That does not mean that I’m ready to marry her. Or that I even have feelings for her! All that means is that I’m willing to take a little time to get into her panties, okay?”
“You mean you haven’t done that yet?” Noah asked loudly, clearly astounded as he stared at his brother with raised eyebrows. No doubt thinking about the bet that he and Otis had made. “Oh, shit! Benji, I think you might be onto something, brother!”
Their laughter continued, as did Otis’ growing agitation.
“What? I can’t take a little time to get to know a woman first?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. You can, O,” Noah said through his laughter. “But you usually don’t! So forgive us for being shocked and confused.”
“Yeah, well, we had a bet, didn’t we?” Otis countered, trying not to let Noah get to him.
“Yeah, we did,” Noah confirmed.
“Alright then,” Otis shrugged. “I’m just playing to win.”
He turned to examine his appearance in the mirror, effectively putting a close on the subject. And thankfully, the guys let it drop as well. But as he stared at his reflection and adjusted his tie, Otis suddenly felt like an ass. Was he just playing to win? Is that all he cared about where this girl was concerned? He remembered promising her sister that he had no intention of hurting Brooke. And yet, he knew that if he went through with this bet he would end up hurting her. At the end of the month when the terms of the bet ran out, if he simply cut his losses and collected his prize … Brooke would end up hurt once again. And he would be the arrogant asshole who purposely set out to win a bet, with zero regard for her feelings.
He was selfish. He thought about his question to Buz last night, and the things floating through his mind at the time that had prompted the question. Buzzy hadn’t answered him, but Otis didn’t really need him to. He knew the answer. He was a selfish, self-absorbed man.
He tried to push all those thoughts from his mind as he and the others finally made their way out to the backyard for the start of the ceremony. And as he took his place beside the groom, Otis looked out over the small gathering of family. His eyes met with Brooke’s as she sat with the girls, and she smiled slightly at him. She looked amazing in that little gray dress she was wearing. The length of it showed off her fabulous dancer’s legs while the lace drew his eye in seductively. And he took a few deep breaths as his earlier thoughts floated through his mind as he watched her. Anxiously, he returned her smile.
When the ceremony was over and the happy couple was mingling with their guests, Otis made his way to the microphone and got everyone’s attention for his toast.
“Okay, I promise not to bore you all with a long speech,” he smiled. “But I couldn’t let this moment pass without saying something. Plus it’s like … the only real duty of a Best Ma
n, besides holding the rings.”
He waited for the light laughter to calm down before he continued.
“So, everyone here pretty much knows how close the five of us are,” he said. “We’re a pretty solid unit. We do most things together. Unless there’s a woman involved, of course.”
“Aw, come on, O. Some of us have done that together too! Many times,” Benji spoke up with a sly smile. There were a few shocked gasps in the crowd, but mostly amused snickers.
Otis couldn’t keep a straight face, and he doubled over in laughter for a moment as the others chuckled with him.
“Okay, I’m not even gonna try to deny that,” he smiled. “But my point was, that it’s rare that you’ll find one of us somewhere without the other four. That’s why my back-up singers are standing here with me now,” he joked, gesturing to Noah, Cory and Benji who all stood with him at the mic, glasses in hand, as everyone laughed again. And again, he waited for them to quiet before he went on.
“We don’t have any elaborate words about love and forever. You can listen to a few of our ballads for that. But we just wanted to remind you, Buz … how much you mean to the four of us, brother. Jagged Ivory would not be what it is today without you driving the beat behind us. And we would not be the same if you hadn’t joined us. We are better men for having met you. And we wanted to take this moment to officially welcome Janie, and Bobby, into our family. We love you, man. We love all three of you,” he said, raising his glass, and the others followed suit. A sweet chorus of ‘Aww’ rose from the small crowd as everyone toasted the bride and groom, and Buzzy looked truly touched by Otis’ heartfelt words. But he wasn’t the only one.
Brooke stared at him with a curious expression, once again baffled at trying to figure Otis Ivory out. He seemed to have genuine affection for the four men he called his brothers. So much so that he had referred to their significant others as his sisters. Brooke had been surprised by that at the time. It wasn’t something she would expect from a man she initially thought of as a pig. And listening to those women talk about Otis was every bit as eye-opening. They liked him. If fact, Brooke would even go so far as to say that they loved him. They went out of their way to paint him in a flattering light for her. Not because they were trying to put one over on her, but because they clearly cared about him. And they didn’t try to make him sound unreal - they each readily acknowledged the fact that Otis could be arrogant and egotistic at times. But they also used words like loyal, and straightforward, and open. And Brooke found herself wondering if she would ever get a complete picture of who Otis really was.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
She heard his soft, sexy voice at her ear and jumped slightly before turning around to face him.
“You’re going to have to do a little better than that, I’m afraid,” she said with a quiet smile. “I mean, these are tough times. With the rising cost of living, and nobody I know is getting any pay raises these days …”
Otis laughed as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants, suddenly not trusting himself to keep his hands off of her. “Okay, I feel you. How ‘bout a dollar? A dollar for your thoughts.”
She smiled at him and shook her head. “I was just thinking about you, actually.”
“Me?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Good thoughts, I hope?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” she smiled.
“You know, I believe you said that when I picked you up for dinner the other night,” he smiled. “So you still have no idea what to make of me?”
“Oh, I have definite ideas about you, Mr. Ivory. I believe that you’re a paradox,” she smiled.
“A paradox?” he repeated as his eyebrows reached for the sky.
“Yes,” she nodded. “You are teaming with contradictions.”
“I am?”
“You are.”
“How so?”
“In every way! Are you a nice guy or are you a jerk?”
“Well …”
“I see you as both, I think.”
“Okay …”
“Are you a gentleman or are you a pig?”
“Uh …”
“Again, I think the answer is both.”
“Well, I …”
“Are you the loyal, loving brother or are you the self-absorbed ass? The extremely talented singer/songwriter/rock vocalist or the spoiled little rock star who takes everything for granted?”
“Um …”
“Because I see you as all of those things,” she stated.
Otis stared at her as if he couldn’t believe she was saying these things to him. And at first, he wasn’t at all sure where she was going with it. But there was a light in her pretty blue eyes, and a smile kissing her luscious lips, and he suddenly couldn’t help smiling himself.
“Dance with me, Feisty,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading her to the large patio where the small dance floor had been laid, and Tunes, one of the hottest female DJs in Los Angeles, was spinning the sounds.
Otis took Brooke into his arms and pulled her close, and their eyes locked as he started to move. They spent about five songs in that heated gaze as their bodies swayed slowly to the music. Both of them lost to the world around them as they focused solely on each other.
Otis felt something so compelling when she looked into his eyes that way, as if she were looking through him and into his soul. It was slightly unsettling, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. There was something almost irresistible about her, and he wasn’t at all sure what to make of the strange stirrings within him. He allowed his hand to rest on the small of her back, just above the curve of her ass, and he could feel her hips twisting toward him as they moved.
As they danced, he let his eyes drift to her lips, feeling the strongest sense of desire. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way. And to his delight, he could feel that same vibe from her too as she studied his mouth. He pulled her closer to him and dipped his head toward hers.
“Uncle Otis!”
Their kiss was aborted by the insistent tugging on the coat of his tuxedo, and he turned to look down into Bobby’s adorable face.
“Hey, buddy. What’s going on?” he asked.
“Uncle Otis, when the party is over, I have to go home with Uncle Benji and Aunt Fae,” the child announced.
“Yeah, I know,” Otis replied. “How cool is that? Getting to hang out at Uncle Benji’s place for a few days, playing his video games. Man, he has the best collection of games ever! You do know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Bobby answered. “But I wish I could stay with you.”
Otis was taken aback for a minute, shocked by the kid’s request. “With me?” he questioned. And Bobby nodded his head. Otis smiled at him, and then crouched down to meet him at eye level. “Bobby … I would love for you to stay with me. But, um … I don’t really think your parents would think that was a good idea.”
“I know,” Bobby pouted. “Dad said that you would be too busy.”
Otis smiled at Buzzy’s delicate explanation. “I’ll tell you what. I am never too busy to play with you,” he said, looking the child in the eye. “How about I come visit you one day while you’re at Uncle Benji’s, and we’ll hang out for the afternoon, okay? We’ll play video games or go get some burgers. Whatever you want to do, alright?”
“Okay,” Bobby agreed, smiling broadly.
“Alright. Gimme one,” Otis said, holding his fist out. And he smiled as Bobby pounded his fist and they both blew it up. He turned and ran off with a smile, no doubt eager to inform his parents and Benji that Otis would be visiting him in a couple days.
Still smiling from ear to ear, he stood up and turned back to Brooke. And he frowned at the strange look she was giving him.
“What?”
Brooke didn’t know what to say. If she didn’t know any better, she would almost think that he had paid the kid to come over and make him look good. But she had seen the sincere look of surprise and fondness
in his eyes when the child asked to stay with him. He’d been truly affected.
“I just … I didn’t realize that you were so close to your friend’s little boy,” she stated.
“Mmm,” he hummed, narrowing his eyes at her. “Translation … you’re wondering if I’m really as nice as the kid made me seem, or am I actually a monster who eats small children for breakfast. Right?”
Brooke couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her. “No. That’s not what I was thinking.”
“You liar,” he smiled. “You’re wondering if I set that whole thing up!”
Her giggles turned into embarrassed laughter. “No, I’m not,” she insisted. “Okay, maybe at first.”
“See! I know what you think of me, Ms. McKenna,” he smiled.
Her laughter stopped and she smiled at him. “How can you know that when I’m not even sure what I think of you?” she asked quietly.
He stepped closer to her, pulling her into his arms once more. “I think you know exactly what you think of me,” he said softly as he looked into her eyes. “You’re just afraid of it.”
Brooke said nothing as she stared into his eyes, holding his intense gaze. He was right. She was afraid. She had been afraid for a long, long time now. Two serious failed relationships and an absentee father would do that to a girl. But none of that was important right now.
They watched with everyone as the couple cut the cake, and Otis introduced her to each of his bandmates. And she briefly met his parents who seemed like very nice people. She was properly introduced to Bobby, and she got to tell the bride how stunning she looked in her pale blue wedding gown. And by the time the festivities finally began to wind down it was late afternoon.
They were preparing to leave when Otis turned to her and stated, “You know, you look much too amazing to simply go back home.”
“Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Mmm hmm,” he smiled. “How about we go back to my place for a swim?”
“A swim?”
He nodded at her. “You do know how to swim?”
“Yes, I know how to swim,” she answered. “But I can’t swim in my dress and heels. And you invited me to a wedding, not a pool party. I don’t have a suit stashed in my purse, you know.”
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 86
