Kaylee elbowed him. She didn’t need the whole world knowing that she had to resort to hiring a date.
The woman saw the gesture and unleashed a thousand-watt smile that had Kaylee smiling with her. “Don’t worry,” she said. “My boyfriend was one of them too. And the guy that owns this house was the first one to get out. My friend hired him for a wedding. You’re among equally undateable but totally awesome friends.” She stuck out a hand. “I’m Janie. Besides paying a whore, you had no idea what you were getting into, did you?”
Kaylee laughed and took Janie’s paint-stained hand. “No. None. I have no idea what possessed me to come along.”
Janie waved that away. “Ethan is hard to say no to. I get it.” She shook her head. “I still get sucked into his crazy when I’m not careful. There is a reason they call him Undertow.”
“A few, actually.” Ethan smiled and gestured Janie into the house. “We’re coming in.”
The smile dripped off Janie’s face. “Oh no, Ethan. This is the horrible surprise? His parents?”
“Yes. C’mon. Move.”
“That’s just—”
“Janie, honey,” a woman called from within, “you’re letting in a draft. Who’s there?”
Janie’s shoulders tensed. She stared at Kaylee. “Run while you still can!”
Kaylee nearly about-faced and took off, but an attractive man showed up next to Janie. Tall and broad and stacked with muscle, he was wearing a blue T-shirt and faded jeans. His thick arm came around Janie’s waist and his brown eyes softened with the contact.
“What do we have here?” the man asked. A crooked grin tweaked his lips. “Oh. The Amazon.”
“Why are we gathering at the door? Janie, Dave?” the female continued. “Are they selling something? Tell them we don’t want any.”
“Ethan is treating this poor woman to a horrible surprise,” Janie said, neither of them budging.
Pity crossed the man’s face. “What did you do to deserve that?”
“She paid him.” Janie tsked. “I bet she wishes she could return her purchase.”
“You should’ve opted for Noah and the lower heels.” Dave glanced down at Kaylee’s feet. “Oh! Boating shoes. Those are fun.”
“I didn’t realize they were nautical-themed,” she mumbled.
Dave jostled to the side as wrinkled hands with two large, jeweled rings gripped his shoulders. An older woman with stylish, cropped hair and a wrinkle-free skirt and blouse appeared in the doorway. Fully done up and impeccably dressed, she looked like she hosted dinner parties for a living.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of Ethan. “Ethan! You made it just in time for dessert. How lucky.” Her clear gaze then zipped to Kaylee. “And my, my. What a beautiful young lady.” She paused and her eyebrows climbed upward. Her gaze flicked back to Ethan. “Ethan,” she said with warning in her voice. “Care to introduce us?”
Janie and Dave melted out of the doorway with frozen smiles.
“Of course, Martha, where are my manners?” Ethan’s hand didn’t leave Kaylee’s back as he turned toward her. “Kaylee, this is Martha, Colton’s mom. Martha, this is Kaylee. We went for dinner and thought we’d stop in to see you all.”
“Oh, fantastic.” She beamed and stuck out her hand for Kaylee to shake. “Come in, come in. Colton is just putting the chocolate sauce on it now, though he won’t have enough. I’ve told him. Why he wouldn’t let me do it, I have no idea. He gets underfoot all the time. But he’s just like his father—you can’t tell him anything. He simply refuses to hear another person’s suggestion.” She shook her head and closed the door behind them. “Here we are, dear.” Martha slipped between Ethan and Kaylee and took Kaylee’s arm.
That was how it always went. The matriarch separated the vulnerable ones from the herd. Now she was at Martha’s mercy.
Five
Ethan saw fear flash across Kaylee’s expression, and the need to grab her away from Martha, to protect her, overpowered him. He slowed, taking in the unfamiliar feeling. It was so raw and primal. Natural.
She shot a furtive glance at him over her shoulder, seeking him out. Looking for a lifeline.
Their eyes connected, and in that moment, something in his middle shifted. No, it dropped into place—filling an emptiness he hadn’t realized was there. Warmth seeped out from the area and filled his body. Put weight in his feet. Yet he still felt like he was floating.
What a trip.
“Well…” Martha stopped at the edge of the kitchen and looked around. Ethan joined her a moment later, seeing Dave, Noah, and Colton hanging out near a tray of cream puffs drizzled in chocolate. Martha glanced at the three guys. “Where are the girls?”
The guys stared at Martha with cornered looks.
“Well?” Martha demanded.
“Bathroom…initially,” Dave said quietly, the first to break. Noah shook his head slowly, clearly disappointed in his buddy for cracking under pressure.
“Kaylee, honey, you just stay right here.” Martha patted her arm. “I’ll go round up the others. Colton, is dessert ready? Or did you want to add a touch more chocolate sauce to the last one there?”
“I’m all out.” Colton’s voice was flat, but his mother didn’t seem to notice.
“I see. Just what I said would happen. But what do I know, I’ve just been baking for thirty years…” She smiled before shaking her head at Kaylee, as if to say, men. Kaylee blinked back at her in anxious confusion. “Anyway, I’ll get the others. I can eat that last one. It’s no trouble.” She bustled away, but not before turning to Ethan. “And Ethan, remember your manners. Introduce that poor girl around and get her something to drink. Honestly, were you raised among cavemen?”
The click of her heels left the room.
“Surprise,” Ethan said, taking Kaylee’s hand and pulling her toward the island. He sat her down and rubbed the top of her back. “That’s Colton.” He pointed. Colton winked a sea-blue eye. “He owns this place. And Dave you met.” Dave saluted. “And the last is Noah, the short guy you passed up.”
“Can I call for a do-over?” Kaylee asked with a trembling voice.
Ethan covered her shoulders with his hands, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her tightly against his chest. That might be a little forward, given his former status as a paid employee.
“She’s not big into family parties,” Ethan said to the guys. He squeezed her shoulders, relishing in that surge of electricity he felt whenever he touched her, before pulling his hands away and walking toward the fridge, utterly at home in Colton’s house. They all were. “Kaylee, would you like something to drink?”
“You’re the worst at introductions, bro.” Noah walked over and stuck out his hand. “Hi, Kaylee.”
“Why? I told her— Ah.” Ethan snapped his fingers. “Right, I didn’t mention her name.”
“Okay, here we go.” Martha bustled back in, ushering Janie and Madison, Colton’s girlfriend and cohabitant of the house, in front of her like a sheep dog. Madison wore a crisp blue dress with matching flats. Her hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders and she’d applied a light dusting of makeup for the occasion. Martha, basically. Martha was the occasion. And the only one who cared. “Colton, let’s head to the table. Your father is agitated.”
“Did they lose?” Dave asked, grabbing the tray of dessert. He had to be talking about whatever football team was currently playing. Ethan never kept track of those things.
“Careful, dear, don’t drop that.” Martha held out both hands, as though that would magically keep Dave from tripping over himself and dropping the cream puffs. “Yes they did. Badly, I guess. His fantasy-land players didn’t fare well, either. I don’t know anything about that. Why they can’t just watch the games on TV, without having to also play them again on a computer, is beyond me. Those men need hobbies.”
“That is their hobby, Ma.” Colton shooed her in front of him. “We got it. Let’s go.”
“They need different ho
bbies, then. Like you, with your playground.” Noah and Ethan started laughing. Martha would probably never admit the extent of Colton’s dream project. “C’mon, Kaylee, don’t mind the girls. One would think they were raised in a barn. Always sneaking off.”
Colton’s dad Ralph sat at the end of the table. “How many cooks does it take to make cream puffs?” he asked as they all wandered into the dining room.
“When men are in charge? A whole kitchen full, just like everything else.” Janie flashed Ralph a wicked grin.
“And if you ladies were in charge?” Colton shot back as he sat down.
Janie looked at Martha, who was organizing plates for everyone. “Martha, what do you think?”
“What’s that?” Martha glanced up. “Oh. Not long. You know how it is with men. They fiddle and they chat and they each have to weigh in on every decision as though they were the only ones who could make it.”
Madison and Janie burst out laughing. Ethan couldn’t help but smile at Colton, Dave, and Noah’s dark looks.
“Ralph, Madison,” Ethan said before sitting down. He claimed the seat next to Kaylee. “This is Kaylee. It’s our first date.”
“Why in God’s name would you bring a girl here, for this, on a first date?” Ralph stared at Ethan, bewildered. “You’re never going to get a call back. Look at her. She doesn’t know what end is up. Not that I blame her. These things are a circus at the best of times.”
Kaylee cleared her throat, and Ethan’s smile grew. He knew she wanted to set the record straight about this not being a date, but it was the least damning explanation.
“This is the horrible surprise that I felt like she needed,” Ethan said, nonplussed.
Ralph rested his forearms on the table. “You and your horrible damn surprises,” he groused.
“Ralph! Watch your language at the dinner table.” Martha took a cream puff and passed the tray along. “And what is so horrible about a nice gathering with family and friends?”
“Nothing, Mother,” Colton answered dutifully.
Kaylee glanced at Ethan in apparent alarm.
“Nothing at all.” Janie took a cream puff. “It is so nice when you crash the party, Martha. Ralph.”
“I missed half the game,” Ralph muttered, taking his dessert. “Not that it mattered, the bums.”
“We didn’t crash anything.” Martha sniffed in disdain.
Kaylee bit into her pasty. Her eyes lit up. “Wow. This is really good.”
“She speaks!” Dave put up his hands. “It’s a miracle.”
Martha rolled her eyes. “And what is it you do, Kaylee?”
Kaylee put her hand in front of her mouth and looked around her bare place setting. Most everything had been cleared away after the meal they’d had. “Napkin?”
“Oh. Ah…” Madison lifted her hands and looked around her own place setting.
“I got it.” Noah jumped up and headed toward the kitchen. He was back in a flash, handing out paper towels.
“I am currently a director of operations in a textile company,” Kaylee said, “and am really pushing to step into an open vice president role.”
“Smart cookie,” Ralph muttered. “If you hadn’t already mucked up the first date, I’d tell you to hang on to this one, Ethan. It’s not often a smart girl will stoop to giving a guy like you the time of day.”
“Right you are, Mr. Lewis.” Ethan winked at Kaylee, enjoying her shock. She’d soon learn that it took a great deal of effort to punch a hole in his ego. He’d have to care what people thought of him for that, and that was too much work.
“How large is the business?” Madison asked.
Kaylee lowered her half-eaten puff. “It’s a medium-sized business with its home office in Sacramento. We have about a thousand employees and do roughly eighty million dollars in revenue a year. My goal is to…” Her words trailed off, probably because she’d realized she was sharing her dreams with strangers, and she visibly sank deeper into her chair.
“What’s that? You started muttering by the end, there.” Janie pushed her empty plate away. Remnants of cream and chocolate were now smeared across her apron. The paper towel lay next to her plate, unused.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kaylee said softly. “You’re trying to enjoy your dessert. You don’t need to hear about—”
“We’ll cover it after,” Ethan said, standing up and pushing his chair back. Ralph wasn’t far behind him, probably anxious to get home, and just like that, the green light for cleaning up flicked on. Martha collected the empty plates and took them to the kitchen.
“Oh. Um…okay, then…” Kaylee’s face dropped to the still half-eaten puff on her plate.
“Oh no, let’s save that.” Madison swooped in and grabbed the plate. She set it aside as Kaylee got to her feet, a puzzled expression on her face. Peering into the kitchen, her eyes on Martha, Madison said, “We’re just hurrying them along. You can finish it after they’re gone, don’t worry.”
“Have anything new to show me?” Ethan asked Janie, not wanting to distract Kaylee from the decision at hand. He wasn’t confident she’d stay. Her eyes kept darting to the door.
“We have…things to discuss. Just as soon—” Janie fell silent as Ralph came out of the kitchen carrying Tupperware.
Ralph rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t trust Colton to clean his own kitchen. The way she hovers over him, it’s a wonder he learned how to tie his own shoes.”
“Oh hush.” Martha came out behind him. “Janie, good to see you again.” She gave Janie a hug. “Ethan, it’s always a pleasure.” She hugged Ethan before moving on to Kaylee. “So nice to meet you. Don’t mind Ralph. Ethan is an absolutely wonderful man. So sweet and caring. He’ll treat you well, even if he can’t keep up with everything you say. That’s really the most important thing, isn’t it?”
Janie coughed out laughter. Why Colton’s parents thought Ethan was a card short of a full deck, he did not know, but he found it funny as hell. They all did.
“He better,” Ralph said. “Or you let me know and I’ll sort him out.”
Kaylee’s smile was tight. Ethan couldn’t help chuckling.
“C’mon,” Madison said, plucking at Kaylee’s sleeve. “Let’s hit the kitchen. We have this huge house, and we only hang out in the kitchen when friends are over. It’s ridiculous.”
Kaylee gave Ethan another look, reminding him of a trapped rabbit, before letting Madison lead her away. On the way into the kitchen, Madison grabbed his date’s discarded dessert plate. Martha’s hand hooked around his arm before he could follow.
“She’s very pretty, Ethan,” Martha said in a low, serious tone. “And she seems very put together. Ambitious. You should definitely try to hold on to this one.”
“Not likely, after bringing her here,” Ralph muttered.
Martha’s lips tightened, and it was clear she was trying to ignore Ralph. “Just treat her like a lady and communicate with her as best you can. She’ll see what’s important.”
Janie, who hadn’t joined Madison in the kitchen, probably because she’d sensed something like this would happen, shifted and her face turned red, obviously from trying to hold back laughter.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lewis. I’ll certainly try,” Ethan said seriously.
“Oh for heaven’s sakes.” Martha scoffed and pulled her hand back. “How many times must I tell you to call me Martha?”
“One more time, as always,” Ethan said. She beamed at him, as if proud of an exceptional student, and he steered Janie toward the kitchen.
“Stolen line,” she muttered.
“She doesn’t watch movies like Pirates of the Caribbean,” Ethan replied.
“They’re right about one thing. Huge mistake, bringing Kaylee here.” Janie patted Ethan’s shoulder. “You’re as dumb as Martha thinks you are.”
Ethan laughed as they headed into the kitchen, passing Madison and Colton, who made faces at them as they walked toward the front of the house. Before Ethan stepped over the thres
hold and into sight, he heard Dave say, “Janie doesn’t think he’ll go for it. She says that he’s weird, but he’s not that weird. I don’t agree.”
“I have a feeling you’re talking about me,” Ethan said as he wandered over to Kaylee, sitting at the island with the rest of her cream puff in front of her.
Janie crossed the kitchen. “Where are the rest of the puffs?”
“Are you still hungry?” Noah asked.
“Number one, hunger has nothing to do with dessert. Get a clue. And no, actually, I wanted to see if Kaylee wanted another. Like a good hostess, since Madison is asleep at the wheel.”
“What?” Madison asked, coming into the kitchen. Colton was right behind her. They must’ve successfully seen his parents out. They could all relax now.
“She was calling you rude, basically,” Dave said.
“Hello, pot.” Madison looked around. “Where are the rest of the cream puffs?”
Noah smiled before opening the fridge door. He brought out a plate with five cream puffs on it, none of them drizzled with chocolate sauce.
“If only I’d known those were in there,” Ethan said to Colton, rubbing his hands together. “I would’ve blackmailed you, brother.”
Colton laughed. “I hate when my mother is right. No way did I want her to see how short I was on the chocolate sauce.”
“Oh no, please. I’m fine with this one.” Kaylee held up a hand as Madison offered her another one.
Noah put the plate on the island. “Yes, Ethan, they were talking about you,” he said. “And you will never guess what they are going to ask you to do.”
Six
“No, no! Wait. You guys.” Janie leaned against the island, staring at Kaylee. “We have a guest—”
“No, we have a guest.” Madison waggled her finger between herself and Colton. “You are also a guest. You don’t live here, remember?”
Undertow: Big D!ck Escort Service Page 4
