“Oh good, the boys are here. Come in, have a seat.” His mother came over and gave them each a kiss in the cheek before sitting down next to their father.
“Mother, it’s good to see you. Dad, you as well.” Trying to be polite, Brett smiled at them both.
“I’m glad you’re here, we wanted to talk with both of you, but could we do it over dinner please, the cook has prepared a wonderful meal for us all.” His mother stood, effectively ending the question portion of that conversation. Wanting to get this over, Adam grumbled his sentiments exactly as they followed dutiful to the dining room, which now housed four plates of food. Looking down, he wasn’t sure what it was, but he sure as hell was going to need a burger later as it was tiny.
“Please sit, it’s quail with butternut squash. Please sit.” Grumbling, he agreed and sat, as did Adam on the opposite side of the table making them look like one big happy family. Picking up his fork, he poked the bird on his plate. Sure, he remembered eating things like this growing up, but normally Adam and he were in another room and the cook would make something more to their liking.
“It’s not going to bite, now eat, we would like to talk to you both.”
“Mother, could you just please tell us what this is about so we can get the giant elephant out of the room already,” he stated as he tried the bird.
“Well, I was hoping to enjoy a meal but it seems you are just as impatient as your brother so let’s cut to the chase, shall we. I want you both to settle down. You’re both twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine with no real girlfriends, or potential marriage partners. We need you both to carry on the Graham name and take over the business if something happens to your father.”
Brett choked on his glass of water after hearing what his mother was saying. Damn if she didn't pull out the marriage card.
“Not happening, Mother, we are going to be bachelors as long as we want. Also make note that I, myself, am not going to work at Dad’s company. I like my job; I chose it for a reason. But it does make me wonder, Mother, why the sudden push for marriage. Has something happened?” This time when he looked at his mother her expression had changed but his dad was stoic as normal.
“Well, I got another invitation and it just made me think of my boys. How you don’t date, and you’re getting older now. All my friends have daughters and sons who are married and starting a family.”
“Who is getting married, Mother?”
“Oh, no one of real consequence to you, especially since she is marrying someone beneath her stature. I happen to know a few girls who are currently single. I could set you both—”
Brett growled and cut her off, “So not happening. Look, Mother, we love you, but we are not getting set up, married, or dating anyone. So leave it alone.”
She went to argue some more but Adam agreed with Brett that it was time to leave. Quickly saying goodbye, Adam stood and followed Brett out of the house. His mother asked them to stay several times over, but he didn’t listen, hell, his father just sat there eating that small bird like it was the only thing in the room.
“I want a fucking burger and a beer. Let’s head over to Dirty Dogs Tavern. Where at least we know we’ll end the night on a high. Maybe I’ll even dance a little,” Adam suggested as Brett pulled out of the driveway. He really hated when he lost Rock-Paper-Scissors on who got to drive. Adam agreed as they headed back into town. He knew his mother was up to something, but he never thought she wanted them to marry. Boy, would she have a field day if she knew that both he and Adam did date, well, they fucked, and they liked to share. It was fun to share the responsibility of a woman in bed. Granted it was what they did in college and a few times outside, but nothing since. They didn’t know if they could even make it work outside the bedroom. It seemed natural to them being twins.
*****
As the truck pulled into Dirty Dogs Taverns, Adam noticed it was a pretty decent crowd but not as bad as on Friday night when the live bands would come and play. Opening the door, he was hit by the smell of burgers. Damn was he hungry. They found a table near the back and waited for the waitress to come and take their order. He needed a menu, but Brett knew the damn thing by heart.
“Howdy, ya’ll, what can I getcha?” The waitress named Mary Jane was dressed in the uniform assigned by the bar. Short black shorts, and white t-shirt that was cut low, two sizes too small, but at least this one had the fake boobs to fill it out. He caught Brett looking a little longer than him before he responded, ordering a burger with everything on it but pickles. He ordered the same, but kept the pickles and omitted the onion along with a pitcher of beer. The fast paced country music played over the loud speaker making a few people get up and dance while some woman sang along while drinking at the bar. The Dirty Dog Tavern was decent size, with newly remodeled seats and booths. The owner did a whole lot of these around the country, which fit in with the surrounding the towns. Several pictures of local sport teams hung beside the local war heroes, firefighter, and police officers. The tavern didn’t discriminate against anyone. Though he would be surprised if his parents would ever come into a place like this, many of the people he knew growing up did.
Mary Jean dropped off their beer before making sure she winked at not only him but Brett as well. It had been a while since Brett had been back in town so he would eventually get used to people doing that to him. Pouring each a glass, he almost didn’t stop when his mystery woman walked into the bar with Lawson and some other guy.
“Dude, what the hell, you totally are not with it. You poured beer on me,” Brett sputtered curses and he grabbed the roll of paper towels that were reserved for their table.
“Hey sorry, man. Remember the woman I told you about that hit my truck, she’s here.”
“Really, want me to talk to her? I can get her information and have her pay to get the paint fixed.” Brett started to stand, but he shook his head and pointed. Brett turned his head in the direction he pointed only to growl in response.
“Really, shit, man, we have a small problem. That’s the same chick I told you about. Seems we both have the hots for the same girl. Do you know her name?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s Ellie. And I’m gonna talk to her first.” He scrambled to get out his booth but soon realized they were coming their way.
*****
Evan felt odd coming into the Dirty Dog. Last time she was in town this was more rundown, not that she came inside or anything. She wasn’t normally a drinker, unless she had a function, then she tried to stay with the same glass of Champaign all night to make sure others didn’t notice but Lawson and Chad said this was the best place to celebrate the right way with burgers and drinks.
“Come on, Ellie. There’s a booth right over there.” Lawson dragged her to the back end of the tavern to the booth Chad pointed out. She had recently reconnected with Lawson since being back in town, but even in high school, he was always nice to her. She never met Chad before, but it seemed he was from North Carolina and moved there on a teaching job. That was how Lawson found him. Chad needed a house and used Lawson to find one. It seemed even Lawson’s plans for college didn’t pan out as he hoped. His father had a heart attack and needed help with their business or it would go under and Lawson, being the good son, came home to help. But he said it was the best choice he had ever made. Looking at the two of them, she could see it. Lawson practically glowed with joy when Chad and he were together. She could barely look around as she was rushed to her seat. A waitress came up and asked for their order, before she could say anything Chad had ordered everyone burgers and only asked if she wanted fries or onion rings. Since she was celebrating, she went onion rings all the way. She had to laugh when Chad realized what he had done, but she shook it off and told him it was okay. Apparently being a teacher kinda made him just order without worry and only asking the small things.
“Since I was a jerk about the burger, do you want something other than a beer?”
“I don’t know, I have to drive home. So maybe I should dr
ink water.”
“Come on, you can crash out in our spare room. Come on, Ellie,” Chad persisted. She smiled at the sweet man. Lawson kept trying to call her Evan for the longest time, but had been great to keep it Ellie for her sake.
“Arg, I am so glad you weren’t my teacher. Fine. I really would love to have a Long Island Iced Tea, if that’s okay.” She hadn’t had one of those in so long, but she loved them. Up north they weren’t looked at as a proper drink for a lady. She drank more stupid girly martinis than she could count. Chad got up and headed to the bar since the waitress wasn’t back yet and Lawson went to use the restroom before they ate.
Sitting by herself, she felt eyes on her. Looking up she understood why. Sitting right in front of her was Adam and Brett Graham.
Chapter Six
Brett was staring at the woman who haunted his dreams last night. Her sweet smile, her hypnotizing eyes, and her sexy-as-hell body. But he swore he knew her from somewhere. Adam said her name was Ellie, but he didn’t remember an Ellie at all. Adam didn’t seemed fazed by it and the asshat actually got out of the seat and walked over to her. Shit, I gotta move my damn feet too and not keep looking at her. Standing with as much composure as he could muster, he walked and stood next to Adam.
“Hey, Ellie right? I’m Adam. This guy I’m sure you remember, Brett.” Brett could almost hear the shakiness in Adam’s voice as he talked.
“Yes, I remember. How are you guys doing?” He could tell she was being polite; damn he wanted to get from polite to friendly to friendlier.
“Going great actually, now that you’re here. So, are you in town early for the high school reunion next month? Heard it’s going to be big.”
Brett was going to chime in, but Lawson and Chad came up at the moment.
“Hey, guys. See you spotted Ellie. You guys wanna join us. We just ordered.”
“That would be awesome, but only if that’s okay with Ellie, we are just waiting for our food to come out.” Brett watched as uncertainty crossed her face, but Lawson leaned over and whispered something in her ear and she smiled.
“Sure, you can join us.” Chad handed Ellie her drink and took a seat next to Lawson while Adam, the lucky ass, slid in next to Ellie making him grab a seat from an empty table next to them after placing their beer on the table.
“So I overheard you mention the high school reunion?” Lawson asked as he took a drink.
“Yeah, we wanted to know what brought Ellie back to this neck of the woods, only thing I could think of was that,” Adam chimed in.
“Well, I did actually forget about the reunion, not that I want to go anyway, but I came back because I wanted to help my dad and open a shop.”
“She just bought the building on the corner on Main and Walnut Street.”
“That place seems pretty run down. It’s gonna need a lot of work.” Just then all their food came out. He watched as Ellie bit into one of her onion rings as though it was the best thing she had ever eaten. He had never met a woman who actually ate them. Most didn’t want to because of bad breath for whomever they were partnered up with. She finished the one before looking at him.
“It is, but it's okay, I can do a lot of the smaller stuff myself. It’s the heavier stuff like the drywall, the electric, and hell, I think I need a wall taken out, but I don’t know which beam is for support. Things like that.” Brett couldn’t help but smile. It just turned into his lucky day all of sudden.
“Well, peaches, you’re in luck, because that’s what I do.”
“You do construction?” She seemed a bit surprised.
“Adam here has the brains and did the lawyer thing. I am an architect. But I love to get my hands dirty on site.”
“Really. Wow. Maybe I might have you come out and take a look, professionally speaking that is. I can get your quote and talk to some other companies. But then again I am getting ahead of myself. I don’t close until next week, so I have time.” She smiled at him and suddenly he had the urge to always make her smile. Tonight she was wearing a black tank top with some lace trim and a blue gypsy type of skirt and white sandals. It was simple enough to be casual, but it looked great on her. The only jewelry she had on was a small set of diamond earrings. But as he watched her, the more he noticed things. She had a cute little freckle on the side of her neck, she wore very little make-up, and she was someone he wanted to get to know a whole lot better.
*****
Adam watched as Brett was talking to Ellie and instantly knew that his brother liked her. This could cause issues with them. Just by listening to her, Adam could tell she wasn’t a one-night stand type of girl, she was the forever type. It was something he hadn’t really thought about before, but with her, he saw something more than an empty townhome. What about Brett? They shared before, on several occasions, but could they share a wife? Their parents would freak out, but he had seen it work with other couples in the town and they seemed happier than most. Not hearing what was said until Brett hit him.
“Hey, man, you okay? We asked you some questions and the lights were off upstairs.” Brett gave him a quizzical looked before Adam shook his head.
“Yeah fine, just a long day. You know how paperwork can be. What was the question again?” Adam suddenly felt like an ass for not listening to her or anyone at the table.
“First we wanted to know if you wanted some more beer. Lawson is going to the bar and getting refills.”
“Sure. I would like some more.” He thanked Lawson and what shocked him more was that Chad got up and left too. “Did I scare them away?” Suddenly Adam felt like an ass, he didn’t mean to make them leave.
“Nah, I just think Chad wanted to talk Lawson into dancing with him.” Brett pointed to where Chad was pulling him over to the floor.
“Oh, okay good.” Turning, he looked at Ellie as Brett slid into the seat that Lawson and Chad had vacated not moments ago. “Do you dance, Ellie?” The soft blush came over her face as he grabbed her hand and held it in his. They were so small and delicate. Yes, he may work in an office or courtroom, but he liked to work on his truck, or work out.
“Not really. I’m not much of a dancer, at least not like this.”
“What do you mean like this, country dancing or slow dancing?”
“Umm, well both I guess. I can waltz some because my aunt made me take classes, even though the instructor was a mean old woman with a walking stick that hit my hind end more than once for not having good balance.” She giggled. Damn that sweet sound went right to his cock. Holy hell, he never even saw it coming. Her innocents and sophistication was something that drew him in. She wasn’t snobby, but classic in everything she did. However, he did appreciate that she ate her burger with gusto and didn’t skip on the onion rings. This woman was a mix of everything; it was everything he wanted and more.
“You know it’s not that hard to do.”
“Is it now?” She lifted an eyebrow to him in a questioning manner.
“Yep, it’s all about the right partner. Even with the waltz, you need someone strong enough to lead your movements. Do you want to try?” Adam held his hand out and she seemed very hesitant as she looked between him and Brett.
“Go on now, peaches, dance with Adam. I’ll wait right here and keep your seat warm.” He winked at her and Adam took that moment to grab her hand and help her out of the booth. Once she was standing next to him, he realized how small she was compared to him. Last time he saw her standing was when she was wearing some killer heels, leaving him standing with food, a scratched truck, and a hard-on that took a really cold shower to get rid of. When his feet started to touch the dance floor the music changed to the sweet slow song of Chris Young’s “Who I am with you,” started to play and suddenly things were brought into perspective. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her close and at first she placed her hands on his arms, looking down at the floor as he helped guide her around the floor. The sweet feeling of her in his arms was like nothing he ever felt before. Her softness called to him o
n a deeper level he never knew he had, it was a protective instinct. As the music kept going she seemed to soften some in his arms and her face looked up at him. Bright blue eyes looked at him as if she could see deep down in his soul and knew all his secrets. He swore he knew her, even if it was just high school, there was something more. He would have remembered an Ellie; he would have been drawn to her, like he was now. The music had stopped, but he wasn’t done with her yet. Still looking into her eyes, she did a half smile that had the corner of her mouth perk up. Damn if it wasn’t sexy as well.
“I take it you still want to dance,” she challenged and just continued to let him lead as another song started. He didn’t know this one, but a woman sang about lost love and time and he swore it was like a sirens call to him. Just like Ellie. Damn, even her name rolled off his tongue.
“Oh yeah, angel, I sure do. Plus, you dance amazingly. See, told you it was all about the right partner.” Again, this brought a giggle from her. “I take it your partner wasn’t that good.”
“He was nice enough, but then he was either younger than me and he hit my boobs with his head, or old enough to be my grandfather.”
*****
Evan was having fun playing a part of someone else. Today had been a good day. First, no one knew who she was; second, she got the store front; and third, her dad was doing better; fourth, Adam and Brett didn’t know that she was dorky goofy Evan from high school, but rather thought she was sophisticated Ellie from up north. Granted she was the same person inside, but they never looked before now. She could have fun with this, but she had to admit to herself the thought of going to the high school reunion and people finding out who she was scared her some. What if when they found out who she was they made fun of her again? Kids are bad, but adults are even worse at times. Shaking her head, she made sure she would think about it another time. Right now, she was swaying across the dance floor with Adam, something she admitted she wondered what it would be like during her high school years. Granted he was an ass in high school, but he was also really cute. However, he grew up to be something different. He still had the same features, but more defined. His dirty blond hair was cut neat with a clean shave. He had grown some along with more muscles. The honey brown eyes were the same, even Brett sported the same eyes, but his darker hair and goatee made him look more like a bad boy. It wouldn’t be hard to tell that they were brothers.
Seducing Their Swan Page 4
