by Kristie Cook
“So what’s the plan?” I slunk down in a high back chair. This could take a while.
“The plan is that you grow up and find a girl.”
“This again? I’m not ready. Just because you and Mom got married at twenty doesn’t mean I have to do it.” I looked for a mate once and all it brought me was heartache. What was the point of torturing myself again? I’d put it off as long as I could.
“You’re not twenty. You graduate college in less than a year; it’s time to stop chasing after everything in a skirt. Find someone worth your time.”
“What does this have to do with the takeover attempt?”
“Don’t play stupid.” His cold blue eyes locked on mine.
“No one cares whether I have a mate. They know I can have a kid, it’s not a big deal.”
“Everyone cares. Everyone.” He cracked his knuckles. He only did that when he was particularly worried.
“I’ll take a mate when I meet the right girl.” I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my legs. Getting angry wasn’t going to help the situation, but I was tired of this bullshit.
“You can’t find her unless you look.”
“He does plenty of looking,” Owen mumbled under his breath.
“Looking for a mate is different from looking for a girl to jump in bed with. I’d have thought you’d understand that, Owen.” Dad really liked to get you where it hurt.
“You told me I have until graduation. That’s months from now.” I planned to enjoy every last day of my freedom until then, starting with tonight. I needed to get out of the meeting so I could find the girl.
“Building a relationship takes time. Do you expect to meet someone and bind yourself to her the next day? Don’t wait too long.”
Jared sniggered. He went through women faster than I did.
“I’m tasking you two with making sure it happens. We all have a lot to lose if Levi can’t keep his pants on long enough to find a worthy girl.”
“Absolutely, sir.” Of course Owen agreed immediately. He’d been kissing my father’s ass for years.
“Can we please talk about the real plan? The one that doesn’t involve my sex life.”
Dad leaned his elbows on his desk. He looked tired. “All we can do is stay alert and make sure our own ranks are loyal. If things come to blow, we can’t have any mutiny from within.”
“I’m guessing my dad’s already on that?” Jared asked.
“Yes. But I expect you all to do your part.”
“Will do, sir.” Even Jared knew that pushing my dad could have dire consequences.
“Good. Now get out of here. I have better things to do today.” He went back to the paperwork. I wondered if it was anything real, or just an excuse to look busy.
“Bye, Dad. Great talking to you.” I got the hell out of his office and back to the elevator. I was angry, and I could feel the transformation wanting to happen. I relaxed and pushed it back. I had other things to think about, namely Miss Legs.
Chapter Two
I leaned back against the black leather couch in our house. I’d had the couch for two years, the same amount of time I’d lived in the place. As soon as freshman year ended, Jared, Owen, and I moved in there. One year in the dorms was more than enough for us.
With some distance, I was finally relaxing after the meeting with my dad. The man knew how to boil my blood, and it usually took time and copious amounts of alcohol to get back to normal. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him, and after twenty-two years, I was beyond tired of it.
“So where do you think those girls are?” I knew I was being ridiculous. There were plenty of attractive girls around, but there was something about her that got under my skin. I’d practically memorized every curve of her body in the seconds she’d been in view. She wouldn’t be escaping from me so easily again.
Jared tossed me another beer from the fridge. “It’s their first night in the French Quarter. They’ll be at the Cat’s Meow. They always go to the Cat’s Meow.”
“No way. She’s not the type.” I tried to picture her at a place like that. No, she was classier. She’d probably be looking for a lounge or something.
“Not the type?” Jared twisted off the top of his beer. “I guarantee they’ll be there. I bet you fifty they’ll sing karaoke.”
Owen walked in, dumping three po’ boys on the table. “Who? Those girls from the hotel? Yeah, I’m in on this. My bet is Girl’s Just Want to Have Fun. They always sing that.”
“No, I bet they’re more the Like a Virgin types,” Jared threw in.
“I’m game. But let’s make it a hundred. I haven’t washed either of you out in a while.” Things were always more fun when there was money involved.
They both laughed. “All right, a hundred.”
I dug into my shrimp po’ boy, already planning out the evening. I’d find the girl and forget all about the bullshit with my dad.
The door burst open again, and the flash of red hair made it immediately clear who’d arrived.
“Have you ever heard of knocking?” Owen snapped at his little sister, Hailey.
“If you have a problem with it, lock the door.” She swiped a Coke from the fridge. She had no problem making herself at home.
“Is there a reason you’re gracing us with your presence?” I’d known Hailey her whole life and she was like a little sister—the annoying, won’t ever leave you alone type. She was only three years younger than us, but sometimes it seemed like ten.
Hailey leaned back against the counter. “Yeah. I need Owen to talk to Dad.”
“I doubt I’m going to, but about what?” Owen answered after finishing off his sandwich.
“He’s making me request J.L. as a dorm. There is no way I’m living in an all-girls dorm!”
We all laughed. I still couldn’t believe she was starting at Tulane in the fall. How was she old enough for college? I still pictured her playing with dolls even though one glance at her figure told you those days were long gone.
“Come on. This is so not fair.” Hailey pouted. When she made faces like that, she only looked younger. I decided not to point it out to her. Giving her a hard time was fun, but you had to be careful not to push it too far. It wasn’t worth her wrath.
“You can’t be surprised.” Owen tried to keep a straight face.
Hailey walked into the living room and took a seat on the arm of a couch. “So he caught me making out with a guy? It’s not like I was sleeping with him.”
Owen cringed, probably mentally picturing his sister hooking up with someone. “Hailey, Dad’s always been protective. Inviting a guy over when they weren’t home wasn’t the smartest decision, but how could you be stupid enough to get caught? You always wait until you know they won’t possibly come back.” Owen said it snidely, but I think he actually felt bad. Their parents definitely treated them differently.
“So you really won’t talk to him?” she whined.
Owen crumpled up the wrapper of his po’ boy. “Living in a girl’s dorm isn’t that bad. It’s nicer than a lot of the others.”
“I guess.” She slid down from the arm to a couch cushion. “I hope I at least get a cool roommate.”
“Me too, because then maybe you won’t show up here uninvited all the time.” I couldn’t resist. She was so easy to annoy.
“And don’t worry, Hailey. I’d be more than happy to visit your new friends anytime.” Jared winked.
“Arrgh! You guys are useless. Thanks for nothing.” She stormed out just the way she arrived.
Owen got up, pushing back his chair. “Seriously, how am I related to her?”
Jared collected our plates and brought them to the sink. No one would believe how much of a neat freak he was. “I don’t know, she’s hot and you’re ugly as shit.” He grinned.
“Don’t even start.”
I laughed. My roommates were definitely entertaining.
Chapter Three
“You better be ready to pay up,” Owen taunted.
We’d spent the better part of an hour searching the Quarter. After striking out at the classier lounges and bars, I didn’t want to admit that my friends were probably right. I finally gave in, and we walked into the Cat’s Meow. It had been a while since I’d dragged myself into that place. It’s not like it was much worse than the rest of the Bourbon Street bars, but you also had to suffer through horrible singing. The current song was no exception.
I looked over toward the stage and, sure enough, there they were, singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. I had really misread her, or maybe it was the friend who convinced her to come. “Fine, I’ll get you your money later.”
It’s not like I cared about two hundred bucks. The important part was that I’d found the girl. Mmm, yes, and she was wearing a short skirt. So maybe singing wasn’t her strong suit, but she looked good doing it.
I bought a beer and went ahead and got a shot for her. I had a feeling she was going to need it when she was done. There was something about her expression that said she wasn’t having as much fun as she was pretending to. But I was. Hell, I was having a great time. That jean skirt was so short. I got a real nice view.
“Are you sure they’re legal?” Leave it to Owen to ask such a dumb question.
“Yeah, they’ve got to be eighteen.”
He frowned. “You sure? Do you really want to mess with jail bait?”
“Shit, Owen, they’re not kids. They got in here, didn’t they?” Jared argued.
I tried to ignore them. I was still enjoying my view.
“They could have fakes. But it’s your problem, not mine.”
“Exactly, go find your own. Or wait, you don’t do girls anymore.” Jared smirked.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Both of you shut up.” The song ended, and I watched as the girls jumped off the stage. I waited until they separated to make my move.
She was definitely flustered, not even paying attention to where she was going. I walked directly into her path.
“You look like you could use this.” I pushed the shot into her hand.
She looked up at me, and I saw the recognition in her eyes. She remembered me. She nodded and then downed the shot.
“What was that?” She coughed a little. I probably could have gotten her something tamer, but what would have been the fun in that?
“A jaeger shot.” I laughed. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe I did that.” She looked back over her shoulder, like she was making sure the stage was still there.
“It really wasn’t so bad. It was more entertaining than if Cyndi Lauper performed it herself.” Much more entertaining. I looked at her up close for the first time. I watched as a few drops of sweat ran down from her neck and disappeared into her tank top. She had a nicer chest than I originally thought. Add in her killer legs and she was hotter than any girl I’d ever seen.
“So, thanks for the shot, but I need to find my friend.”
“Hey, you can’t run off on me again.” If she thought she was getting away this time, she had another thing coming. She was mine. “Besides, your friend appears to be unavailable.”
Surprisingly, Jared didn’t already have her in a corner somewhere. She was occupied by some guy who looked like he was in town for a conference. I knew the type. He was looking to score, have a story to run home with. The blonde was drunk enough he might just get lucky.
“Run off on you again? That implies we’ve run into each other before.”
So she was going to play that game?
“I saw you at the Crescent City Hotel this afternoon, but you took off before I could say hello.” I leaned in closer, using the blaring music as an excuse, even though I could hear perfectly well. Damn, she even smelled good. I didn’t recognize the perfume—but it was light, the right kind.
“Oh, I didn’t notice you.”
It was time to act interested in her life. “You here for vacation?”
“I’m here for work, actually, at the hotel.” She flipped some of her long brown hair off her shoulder.
“Are you around for the whole summer then?” Not the tourist I expected. If the sex was as good as I knew it would be, a longer stay could be convenient.
“Yeah, I’m here until I start school in the fall.” So Owen wasn’t completely off. She was probably fresh out of high school.
“All right, so where are you going to school?”
“Princeton.” She tried to hide a smile. She was proud, but didn’t want me to know it.
“Nice.” Smart girls weren’t necessarily bad, as long as they didn’t overanalyze everything.
“You in school?”
“Yeah, I’m going to be a senior at Tulane.” Maybe she’d loosen up a little if she realized I was in school. Some girls were like that. They assumed you were a good guy if you were in college. It made no sense, but it usually worked.
“Oh, so you live here?”
“Born and raised.”
“I didn’t think locals hung out at places like this.”
“We don’t usually, but they’re great spots to meet girls from out of town.” Or more specifically, it was a good spot to find her.
She shook her head. “Ah, so you’re one of them.”
“One of who?” I tried to figure out what group she was throwing me in with.
“The type to prey on innocent tourists.”
“Innocent tourists? You make me sound like the big bad wolf.”
“And you’re not?” She got a twinkle in her eye.
A wolf? As if she was dealing with something that tame. “Only if you’re Red Riding Hood.” I’d pretend to be a wolf if it involved her.
“Wow, that’s original,” she said sarcastically, but her face gave her away. She was definitely interested. “Well, nice talking to you.”
What? Was she seriously trying to blow me off again? I had to act fast. “Hey, I didn’t even get your name yet.”
“Allie.”
“Is that short for Allison?” I needed to keep her talking.
“Yes, but no one calls me Allison.”
“I’m Levi.” I held out my hand.
“Is that short for something?” She gave me her hand and it felt nice in mine. I didn’t want to end the contact. I liked touching her, but I finally dropped it.
“Leviathan. But you can call me whatever you like.” Hell, she could call me a wolf if she was doing it in my bed.
“Well, nice to meet you.” She actually started to walk away. What the hell was going on?
“Wow, it’s hotel bar guy.” The blonde swayed as she walked over drunkenly. Either she was a light weight or she’d had more to drink than Allie. Allie—it was nice to have a name to go with those long legs.
“So you did notice me.” I leaned in closer to Allie again. If she’d noticed me enough to talk to her friend, I was good to go. She was just playing hard to get. I didn’t mind a good game of chase.
“So, does that mean you changed your mind?” the blonde asked.
“Changed her mind? About what?” Had she talked about me more?
“Allie’s sworn off men, or so she claims.” Blondie took a swig from her beer. If she drank much more, she’d pass out before anyone got her home.
“Is that so?” What did that mean exactly? I’d have thought she was into girls, but I wasn’t getting that vibe.
Allie exhaled loudly. “Yes, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Any particular reason why?” I was intrigued. Had someone hurt her? I felt an unfamiliar feeling of protectiveness take hold. I shook it off.
“None that I wish to explain.”
“She thinks it’s because she has bad luck with relationships, but really it’s because no one is good enough for her,” Blondie tattled. Allie’s eyes got all big—I got myself ready for a cat fight.
But then Allie relaxed her shoulders. “I think I need another drink.”
“My pleasure. What can I get you?”
“Surprise me.”
There was nothing overly flirtatious in her voice, but I still took her willingness to trust me with the task as a good sign.
“I will.” I winked at her. “I’m good at surprises.”
I needed to find the perfect drink. Allie seemed like the kind of girl who liked them strong and sweet. I ordered her something different, my own invention. I called it the Oasis. I heard the girls continuing to argue. One of the many benefits of enhanced hearing was eavesdropping in on conversations. The blonde’s name was Jess, and she was really egging Allie on.
As I returned to the girls, Jared caught my eye. He and Owen were sitting at a table across the room. He nodded, wanting us to come over. Normally, I’d have made him get off his ass, but I wanted Allie’s attention, which meant getting her friend fixated on someone else.
“A few of my friends are sitting over there. Care to join us?”
Jess glanced over and answered first. “Why not?” Her words were casual but it was obvious she was interested in one of my friends. I hoped it was Owen—that would make tonight interesting.
Allie still hadn’t said anything, so I looked to her. She finally nodded, and we walked over.
I made the introductions. “Girls, this is Jared and Owen. And this is Allie and Jess.” I realized afterward that they might have thought it was odd that I knew Jess’ name, but they didn’t seem to notice.
“Well, hello there.” Jared grinned. He looked over Allie, but then moved his attention to Jess.
Owen just nodded. “Hey.” He smiled again, but I didn’t worry about it. He knew not to get in the way of what I wanted.
Jess sat down next to Jared. He must have been the one who caught her eye. I’d hoped she’d keep Owen occupied so he’d stop looking at Allie, but it didn’t actually matter.
I put down our drinks and pulled out a chair for Allie, careful to make sure she sat in the one closest to the wall. I wanted her attention all to myself. “You can’t really mean to punish the entire male gender for the errors of a few.”
I watched her pick up her drink and taste it. Her whole body responded to the sip. Her shoulders relaxed and she leaned back against her chair. She liked it, and I liked her smile. It went all the way to her eyes.
