by S M Olivier
“She spent weeks typing out your recipes,” Remy stated with a smile.
“This is amazing,” Drake shook his head and smiled as he flipped through the pages. I knew he found his note when I saw another heated look cross his eyes before he looked up at me with a wink.
“How did you get these?” Jaxson interrupted.
I shrugged. “I have connections,” I stated. We had two tickets to his favorite team to watch them in the playoffs. I had already booked the hotel for the event.
I really didn’t have connections. It was Pops who helped me secure the tickets. He hadn’t even told Jaxson that his team’s owner was currently sending their grandchild to Knightstown.
“I am so stoked! I can wear my new jersey!” He hopped up and down. I guess he was done being testy this morning.
“I’ve always wanted to drive a real race car. How did you know!” Troy exclaimed as he opened his gift.
“Maybe it was your Halloween costume of a race car driver three years in a row,” Remy mocked as he opened his backpack.
Troy and Remy had to wait for warmer weather to cash in their gifts. Remy and I were going to go hiking and camping, just the two of us. Troy and I could go to the track two hours away from here once NASCAR was running here again. That also involved an overnight stay, even though it could be done as a day trip.
“What’s this?” Noah asked in confusion, holding up the note I had included in his gift of a Bed and Breakfast to a popular resort town a few hours away from here.
“Noah,” I tried to warn him while he read the note. His eyes widened before a small smile spread across his lips.
“When have you been practicing to pole dance and where is the pole?” he asked with an excited smile.
I groaned as I covered my eyes.
“I really don’t think she wanted the rest of us to know,” Remy covered his mouth but not before I saw the grin on his face. “Although, I wouldn’t mind a demonstration as well.”
“No,” I squeaked out as Noah’s mouth opened in surprise. “He danced for me before, and I was just going to reciprocate the favor.”
“Sorry, Blake,” he bit his lip as he looked at me with intensity.
The guys laughed at me, and I ducked my head, knowing my cheeks had grown warmer.
“This has been one of my best Christmases ever,” I said as I cuddled up next to Jaxson.
Everyone else had come over, and we finished opening our presents. I had a pile of them now laying on my bed. I thought the children had gotten spoiled, but I was just as spoiled. Truth be told, we all were.
Micah and Kade were trying to figure out how to set up their drones with cameras mounted to them with the help of Remy. Drake, Sierra, and Megan had gone into the kitchen to make our lunch/dinner.
Alex was out with Noah delivering the leftover cookies. Ella was sitting behind her new keyboard as Will patiently helped her. Jace and Gavin were playing along on their new violin and guitar. Jemmy and Troy were playing with her new digital cameras.
“Mine too,” Jaxson sighed as he wrapped me in his arms. “I can’t wait until we can go to the game and spend the night in the hotel by ourselves.”
“Me, too,” I agreed.
I didn’t want to worry anyone, but I was starting to feel the numbness in my limbs again. My bones were aching, and I felt fatigued.
“Come to play with us, Blake?” Gavin smiled as he played his guitar.
“Not right now.” I feigned a smile as I closed my eyes against Jaxson. “Maybe in a little bit.”
“You boys should play us something,” Megan insisted as she stirred something in a pot.
“Sing too, please,” Jemmy requested looking up from her camera.
“I doubt they know anything I know,” Gavin demurred.
“That’s the amazing thing about the internet,” Will stated with a smile. “Name a song, and we can look it up.” He lifted Ella up onto his lap and brought his phone out.
Gavin knew he had no more excuses, so he thought for a moment. “How about What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts?” he said with a slight smirk.
I giggled to myself because Will was a lover of music, but Country wasn’t one of his favorites, not by a mile.
Will smiled as if he knew that was Gavin’s intentions. He pulled out his phone and found the arrangement on the internet. “Let’s do it,” Will relented.
“I got it too,” Jace chuckled softly as he placed his phone on the counter so he could see it better.
As the first notes rang out I was lulled by the sound of the music into a deep sleep.
Chapter 7
“You look beautiful,” Troy breathed as he walked into the room.
I looked over my shoulder and smiled at him. “Thanks. Can you help me put this on?” I held a delicate gold necklace and bracelet out to him.
I had to catch my breath as I saw him for the first time in his tuxedo. It fit him perfectly, and the stark black and white looked terrific on him. “You look dashing.” I smiled at him as he stepped forward to take my jewelry from me.
“We’ll look great together.” He gave me one of his panty-melting smiles.
I still couldn’t believe we were in California. It felt like the last few days had flown by. I had a two-day stint in bed during Christmas break. We had flown out here and then spent the previous two days shopping and getting more appropriate clothing for the sixty-degree weather that California was having.
The men had gotten fitted for the tuxedos yesterday, and I had gone off on my own to get the dress I was currently wearing. I had a little help from the sales lady, but I was happy with our choice in the end. The gown was deep emerald green in a Grecian style, leaving my arms bare. A gold trim separated the bodice from the full-length skirt. When I walked, it revealed a slit on my right side that went clear up to my thighs.
The hotel we were staying in had a spa, and the guys sent me down there earlier in the morning to get a full body massage, facial, pedicure. The hair stylist had straightened my hair and then put beach waves in it. Little gold clips pinned my hair off the sides of my face. I had felt like a pampered princess all day, and now I looked like it.
“I’m glad I picked the long straw,” Troy stated with a smug smile as he caressed my bare shoulders.
The guys had drawn straws to determine who was going to be my date for this young socialite’s party. The other guys would mingle and blend into the rest of the party. Lucky for us, Anna Black was young and single, as were several of her guests, so the guys wouldn’t stick out too much.
“Somehow I think you rigged it,” I said impishly as I picked up my clutch.
There was a knock on my door, and Troy went to go answer it as I slipped on my gold strappy heels. He laughed at me, and I knew that somehow, he had.
“Hey, boss man,” Leo said jovially as he stepped into the room. He let out a loud whistle when he saw me. “Damn girl, you look hot.”
I laughed. There was a time, a brief one, that I hadn’t liked Troy’s, right-hand man. I thought he had betrayed us before I found out Paul and his team were only trying to recruit us into his business. Hanging out with him and the other five guys that were part of this job had changed my opinion. They were all outgoing, funny individuals, and I had grown to like them all.
“Leo,” Troy said in a warning growl.
“Thanks, Leo,” I said with a laugh.
“Can I help you put your piece on?” Leo stepped forward with a Kimber 380.
It was small enough to attach to my leg, just in case we did run into the trouble. Now that I didn’t have the use of my gifts, I was thankful for the training I had received at the base. I had been there for nearly two months and had learned so much. I wasn’t as good as a shot as Troy, Remy, or Dawn, but I could hold my own.
“Touch her, and you’ll die,” Troy growled out as the man approached with the thigh holster.
Leo laughed. “I have never seen you so possessive of a girl.”
Troy gave him a pointed look before he g
rabbed the gun and holster. I lifted my leg and allowed him to strap it to my thigh. I didn’t fail to notice his hands lingered longer than necessary.
Luckily, the slit didn’t go as high as the holster.
“Because I never met a girl like mine. You don’t let girls like this get away.” Troy said with warmth.
“Is that why your brother’s watch her like a hawk too?” Leo joked.
We hadn’t explained our situation to Leo or the rest of the team. We didn’t think any of them would understand our unique situation.
“You know it,” Troy quipped as another knock sounded on the door.
Jaxson stepped in looking just as handsome in his tuxedo. He stopped short and smiled wide.
“You’re gorgeous, honey,” Jaxson said barely above a whisper. He looked over at Leo with a smooth smile catching himself. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”
“She is,” Leo smiled, utterly ignoring the look Jaxson had given me.
“The cars are here,” Jaxson informed us, clapping his hands.
Troy held his arm out to me and I took it, letting out a deep breath. This could be the night that I− we met Otto.
We got to the party thirty minutes early. Leo had already done all the preliminary work, but the hostess wanted us all to have one final walk through. She met us at the door as we walked up. She was barely taller than me and reminded me of a tiny little fairy with her elfin features and large stunning blue eyes. She even seemed to float when she walked.
Anna Black was a clothing designer. Barely out of college, she had already made a considerable name for herself. All it took was outfitting one A-list celebrity, and her business had taken off. She had started out in her parent’s basement and now had twenty people working for her.
“Well, hello boys,” she said in a thick, husky voice that didn’t quite fit her look. She immediately started to circle the guys, Remy in particular. “Can I climb you, big boy?”
I tensed up, and Troy patted my hand. His eyes conveyed his amusement and reassurance. I knew I couldn’t lash out at her, she was paying his company big money to act as security for tonight.
Remy smirked but shook his head. “I apologize, ma’am, but I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”
I had seen Remy brusque. I had seen him testy. I had seen him in so many other ways. I just never seen him as this congenial diplomatic man. I guess some of Will’s training had sunk in. I’m not sure I liked it, to be honest. I had to take several deep breaths and tell myself they were mine and women were going to be flirting with them. It was unavoidable.
“What time do you get off then?” she asked, undaunted by his polite rebuff.
“I appreciate the interest,” he said with another warm smile. His eyes briefly met mine. “But my girl would string me up if I was to entertain another female tonight.”
She sighed dramatically. “The good ones are always taken. Follow me.” Her eyes fell on me. “How pretty are you, but you can’t wear that! Who are you wearing?” she asked aghast.
I shrugged trying to hide my ire. “I found it in a boutique downtown.”
“It just won’t do. Not when we’re nearly the same size. Is this your piece of meat?” she asked, nearly undressing Troy with her eyes.
I stifled my laugh at her reference to Troy as being a piece of meat. She was Jemmy on crack. She was bold, eccentric, and a little crazy.
“You could call him that,” I said with a mischievous smile.
“Come, come. Jeeves!” she yelled at the top of her lungs when we entered the house.
“Here.” A man in his mid-forties came around the corner wearing a tuxedo and putting a watch on his wrist. “How can I help you?”
“Can you show these men around and make sure you brief Mutt and Jeff how to check the guest list once more,” Anna said brightly. She then took my arm and started to lead me up the stairs. I looked back at Troy, and he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “His name isn’t even Jeeves,” she said with a wicked grin. “When I hired him, he was so eager to please that I called him Jeeves and he never corrected me. It kind of stuck. Mutt and Jeff are my cousins. Completely worthless.” She rolled her eyes. “The rents made me hire them. They live in my pool house and mooch off of me.”
My eyes widened. I wondered why she was telling me all of this.
She opened a room the size of our whole apartment. “This is where all the magic happens,” she said with pride in her eyes. I was assaulted with color. Drawings littered the walls, sewing machines sat on tables with unfinished projects overflowing them, and half-dressed dummies were everywhere. It was like a fabric store had thrown up. I didn’t see how she could work among this chaos.
She gave me a knowing smile as if she could read my thoughts. “Out there is where I get my peace and order. In here… this is where I come to play. I tried to keep it clean once, but my work suffered.” She frowned as she went to a rolling wardrobe rack full of clothing.
She grabbed a dress and threw it over her shoulders. Then she grabbed another one and contemplated it for several moments before she threw it in another direction. “Yes!” she squealed.
She came over to me with a seafoam-green dress that was just a wisp of fabric. “You have to wear this.” When I stared at her in stunned silence, she put her hands on her hips. “Off with it. I’ve seen plenty of titties and ass. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”
“I like my dress,” I said slightly affronted.
“Come now,” she eyed me. “I know Jeeves gave you guys a pretty penny and you signed a contract. I want you to be my muse tonight.”
I sighed heavily. I didn’t really believe that she could fire Troy’s team, especially this close to her party but was it really worth causing waves over it? I started to slip off my dress.
She gasped as she eyed my gun. “I thought you were just eye candy for the men. You work with them?” Her eyes narrowed. “You can’t be more than twenty. How did you get in with such a reputable company? Do you even know how to use that thing?”
I didn’t bother correcting her about my age, instead I laughed. “I assure you, I am more than capable of using it, and I’m more than just a window dressing. I got in with my…talent.”
“Badass!” she smiled. “Now, on with it.”
I slipped on the dress, and the stretchy fabric fit me like a second skin across my breasts. The top was made of a lacy material, and was nearly see-through and as whimsical as the woman who created it. The dress was sleeveless with a gold clasp on my shoulders connecting the front and back. The front cut low to the top of my waist, and the back cut all the way down to my hips. The skirt was a gossamer fabric that twirled around my legs, ending at mid-thigh, and as I walked, it shimmered and changed colors like a mermaid’s tail.
I looked at myself in the mirror, and I had to admit I liked it—loved it, even. I didn’t feel like I was dressing in my mother’s gown. It felt younger yet elegant. The fabric revealed my form almost perfectly, and the lace bodice covered all the right places while still showing enough skin to entice.
The guys were going to go wild. I smiled.
“Did your pops abuse you, or your man?” she asked bluntly as she adjusted the back of my dress.
I stiffened. “Neither.”
“My real dad did.” She snorted. “You can’t fool another damaged girl,” she stated as she went over to one of her workstations and withdrew a tube. “This is costume make up. It can cover all your cigarette burns like magic.”
She began to rub it over the scars on my back.
“It was my stepmom and some of her boyfriends,” I murmured as I saw the same shadows in her eyes that I carried at times. That explained her over-the-top behavior. People like us were either withdrawn or cautious, and sometimes, we were overly outgoing so no one could see the demons that lurked below. No one suspected the funny, outgoing one to ever battle the darkness. Darkness didn’t have a face. It had many faces.
“My dad pimped me out. Did your st
epmom?” she asked.
I wanted to tell her it was none of her business, but I sensed her need to relate to someone. “No, but she looked the other way when her boyfriends showed me too much interest.”
“I made sure to gather all my evidence, and I turned his ass in when I was fourteen. I was placed with Ma and Da. Best people ever.” She twirled around her workspace. “I wouldn’t have this if it wasn’t for them pushing me. I paid off their house last year, and when they’re ready to retire they can live well above comfortable for the rest of their lives.”
I smiled at her. “My story is a bit more complicated, but I wasn’t rescued until I was seventeen.” She didn’t need to know that it was less than three months ago (not counting the jump back in time) that I was seventeen.
She gaped at me. “Why did you stick around for so long?”
“I have a sister,” I defended myself.
She nodded. “The system would have failed her too. You did the right thing, by protecting her.”
“I wish I could have protected her more,” I murmured.
We found the guys walking around the building. Aaron, one of the other guys, had his dog Jake running around, casing the perimeter.
“I said no dogs, Jeeves!” Anna cried plaintively.
“You won’t even know we’re here when your guest arrives,” Aaron hastily reassured her. “We just want to make sure everything is safe for you and your guests.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve! Everyone is happy. I had a few threatening phone calls, that’s it. And this person won’t have the balls to attack me at my own party,” Anna insisted.
“Your father and mother requested it,” Jeeves stated with a patient look.
“Ma and Da don’t pay you!” Anna stomped her foot like a petulant child.
Jace stepped forward with a charming smile. “Anna, may I call you Anna?”
She nodded and looked at him like she was eyeing a decadent dessert.
“I understand that you want to have a good time,” Jace continued. “And your guests want that too, but in cases like this, we always have a dog, and not once did the guests or the host know he was even there. If you like, we can give you another list of our references. Particularly where dogs were used.”
