by Anna Collins
I knew the brand name of Prada like the back of my hand and those sunglasses had the earmark of that designer. He didn’t look like much of a threat, but sometimes there’s very little that you can find out from the cover of the book. It was within the pages that made up the man and I was determined to beat him at his own game.
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“I know that look and I don’t think that it’s time to play amateur detective. Be very careful and I have this sense that this man can’t be trusted. I thought that I could say the same thing for Drake, but at least he has been honest about his intentions. I don’t know why, but I feel that this guy isn’t going to say one honest word the entire time that he’s here,” Jackson said as he walked over with a big grin to initiate his own form of psychological interrogation.
I could tell that Frankie was more interested in me than any of them. He kept looking toward where I was standing. He made me feel like I was underneath the microscope. That he was making assumptions and assessing the situation from where he was standing without even saying a word to me. I didn’t want to feel like this, but he made me believe that all of my secrets were lying bare in front of my feet. That one look and I would crumble and tell him anything that he wanted to hear.
“Michelle, I would like you to meet my little brother Frankie. He is the runt of the litter, but I wouldn’t believe everything that you have heard about him. He’s far worse than that. I’m the first to throw him under the bus. You only have to look at what he’s wearing to know that he likes to put on a certain air of superiority. He actually pays $70.00 for shampoo from Joico. He won’t use anything else and if that doesn’t make him vain, then look at the glasses and the capped white teeth. He could be a politician and it’s a wonder that he hasn’t gone into office already,” Drake said putting down his brother in front of all of us and making it sound like it was no big deal.
“I want to apologize for your brother’s behavior and that’s no way to greet a guest from his own family,” I said as he walked over and took his glasses down to the bridge of his nose to give me the once over.
“Drake only speaks the truth. I’m not ashamed of who I am. My father made me in his image. I emulated everything that there was to know about the man from the moment that I was old enough to know matter. I like to think that I got all the good parts about him and the bad parts went to my other siblings. If you don’t mind me saying, but you are not what I was expecting. You don’t have your nose in the air and a bottle of Dom in your hand. I don’t even see a bottle of Perrier anywhere,” He said with only a couple of feet between us, but I think he did that on purpose not to invade my personal space and make me feel uncomfortable.
“There’s no reason to butter her up and she’s not going to exchange me for the shiny new model that has nothing to offer but heartache. I’ve lost count on how many times you have been engaged. We both know that the only reason why you put the ring on their finger is to have a bit of fun at their expense. It’s always at the last hour before midnight that you pull the rug out from underneath their feet. It might be a Persian rug that cost millions of dollars, but it’s their embarrassment that you feed on. You’re not going to find any cracks that you can manipulate,” Drake said as he tried to come to my rescue not that I asked him to.
“I was in Monte Carlo and I cleaned up at the baccarat tables. I had them where I wanted them and then I got to thinking, that maybe I didn’t have to wait to meet you at the family homestead. Just between you and me, the place is like a mausoleum. You won’t find gargoyles guarding the door, but there are animals in topiary that has always sent a cold chill down my spine. My brother exaggerates and I’ve only been engaged five times. I admit that I like to play with people’s lives, but I don’t think that I’m going to be able to do that with you,” Frankie said as he purposely drew us into our own private conversation. He wasn’t even paying attention to his own brother or Jackson.
“I have nothing to hide. I’m in love with Drake and there’s no reason for me to say otherwise. You can only look into my eyes and you can tell if I am lying or telling you the truth. Take a look and let me know what you see,” I was daring him to assess me like he would a pair of aces in his hand at the poker table.
“The one thing that I have learned from personal experience is that everybody has something to hide, Michelle. It doesn’t matter if you come from blue collar or living high on the hog like we did when we were growing up. I have to tell you that I’m not going to take everything that you say at face value. I want to learn more about you and to strip away the falsehoods that you have built around you. One thing that I can say is that you are in love with him and he feels the same way about you. Normally, I wouldn’t care who he’s spending his time with, but you are different from every other girl that has graced his presence. That is very surprising and has given me more to work with than I thought that I was going to have. You actually have a brain in your head. I’m looking forward to talking to you about normal everyday subjects,” Frankie said as he put his hand on my shoulder which automatically made me feel like he wasn’t anything to worry about.
It then dawned on me that he was touching me precisely because he wanted to lower my guard. He was using psychological tricks of lightly touching and making eye contact to make things more personal between us. Drake was right about one thing. Frankie could’ve been a politician or even a hostage negotiator. Big business had no appeal to him, but I had a feeling that he could work the room like nobody’s business
“I know what you’re doing and you can take your best shot. I don’t want you to be shy about asking me any questions that are on your mind. You came all this way and it seems rude not to give you full access to my life. I’m not going to change for anyone. It doesn’t matter how much money the family holds in the coffers. I’ve never really been about material things and that is not the reason why I’m with your brother,” I said as Pina and his brother Rowan walked by toting his one form of luggage.
I didn’t think of him as pretentious, but the Joy bag from Gucci was all the rage with the jet setters. It was trimmed with leather and had the insignia of GG right there embossed in the material. It was a beautiful piece and had the kind of craftsmanship that you didn’t find with some other Brands. It was known as the weekend or in-flight carry-on bag.
“You’re just like your brother in so many ways and different at the same time. He’s open with his emotions and you are closed off like you have swallowed the key to the vault of your emotions. The one time that you are free to be yourself is when you are alone. Any other time, you’re always putting on some kind of act,” I said as the smile faded
“I’m going to have to be very careful around you, Michelle. You are very astute and perceptive. That makes you a danger with a one-two punch. My motives for coming here are not exactly pure of heart. Like my brothers and my sister, we are all looking for that ultimate payday. Our father was a hard man, but a fair man in my opinion. I don’t think that my other siblings share that thought about him. It’s always either me or Drake that is winning. Tanner and my sister Janine are always left out in the cold. Drake and I have a competitive nature which he has probably told you about countless times,” Frankie said with his Hawaiian shirt wide open with an obvious need to show off his physique by shaving his chest.
Frankie was wearing a pair of shorts that cost $500 from the design table of Michael Bastian. It was of a khaki design and it gave him the look of somebody that had money to burn. They were made in Italy with a particular kind of material. It was a cotton canvas hand dyed to bring out that khaki color.
“I don’t like the way that you have been talking to Michelle. She deserves more respect than what you have afforded her. You have come here to get ahead of the game. You wanted forewarned knowledge about what you are getting yourself into. By coming here, you pull back the shroud and hopefully, reveal something that the others won’t have any clue about. You want that advantage and you figure that coming here is going to ru
in things for me. If you expect to stay here, then you are sadly mistaken. You have the rest of the day and then I want you gone. It’s bad enough that I have to come and stay at the estate for a week with the rest of you backstabbing bastards. I don’t have to take you coming here. It doesn’t even belong to you,” Drake said as he was being defensive and that was the worst thing that he could possibly do with a brother that had a poker face that was worth $1,000,000 a year in revenue.
“I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I didn’t come here to look beyond the cover. You know me too well to think that I wouldn’t have some other motives for coming here other than to see your ugly face. We both know that I was the one that got the looks from our mother. She was a saint and after she died, father became the kind of man that believed that surviving in this world took a thick skin,” Frankie said as he walked down to the beach and stood there looking at the waves roll in and smash against the shore.
“I know that he is getting underneath your skin, but you can’t allow him to have that kind of power over you. I can take care of myself and I don’t need you to hold my hand. You don’t need to watch me like a hawk. He wears his wealth with no subtlety. He wants people to know that he has money. In fact, for him, it’s a conversation starter that he expects to use against an adversary. He’s not the only one that can read people. It’s nothing physical so there’s no reason for you to be jealous,” I said taking his hand and showing him the warmth of my compassion that simmered like a boiling cauldron.
“You know that I’m only going through with this because of you. I know where I stand with you. There is something magical about the simplicity of what we have together,” Drake said while bringing my hand up to his mouth and sending tingles of excitement up and down my lower extremities. I loved the way that he had control over my body and the needs that burned within. That flame was something that was only ours to hold.
Chapter 16
The two brothers competed for my attention for different reasons. Drake felt like he had to put on a show. It was his natural tendency to romance me with loving caresses and kisses that made the most difference. Frankie had this way of goading me into a debate. I think he wanted to figure out how much it would take to push my buttons. He had talked about abortion and taken the stance against it, knowing full well that I was going to jump on the bandwagon of defending a woman’s right to decide. Politics was another big stepping point. He supported Donald trump and I couldn’t think of a worst president to have in all of history.
“You are very opinionated, Michelle and my brother really does have himself a firecracker. Tanner and Janine are never going to believe for a second that a woman like you would give my brother even the least bit of notice. I understand that you met outside in the parking lot of the pharmacy that you work at. I know that you have some small town values. I’m worried that those values are going to find themselves corrupted underneath my brother’s wing,” Frankie said.
“It’s a good try, but we met inside the pharmacy and not out in the parking lot. I would say that you should stop digging and that there’s nothing to uncover, but I don’t think that you would believe me. I’m the genuine article. I’m not here as any kind of gold digger. I don’t want his money, but I’m not going to allow his siblings to cut him out of the fortune altogether. It’s his legacy as much as it is yours. The sooner that all of you can work together then all of this sibling rivalry can come to an end,” I said taking a sip of my cocktail and enjoying the pleasant aftertaste of the rum from the Margarita tickling my palate.
Frankie was pulling off the meat and other assorted vegetables from the skewer that the brothers had been barbecuing most of the afternoon. I don’t think that he was expecting much from it, but the smile on his face gave every indication that he was enjoying himself. I had spread my wings and I had learned to fly underneath the radar better than anyone.
“I shouldn’t tell you this, Michelle, but I like you. You seem upfront and personal. You haven’t taken any kind of offense to my questions. I used to believe that women were only good for one thing, but you have changed my mind. I can only hope that this is not all smoke and mirrors. I hope for his sake that he never lets you go. He couldn’t do any better even if he were to try. He’s a lucky man, but I’m not going to give up until I figure out what it is that the both of you are trying to hide from me. I might not find it here, but the home field has its advantages. We are in our element when we are together in the family homestead. You’re going to learn very quickly that this family is like a bunch of jackals,” Frankie said with a tone in his voice that made me terrified to step one foot inside their home.
“I don’t know why all of you can’t just get along. I’m going to love Drake no matter what you say or do. I am educated and I won’t be tricked or manipulated into thinking bad things about Drake,” I said.
I could see that Jackson and Drake were trying to stay out of the conversation. They were talking amongst themselves in whispered words like they were coming up with some sort of game plan. This was a battle of wills. Drake was the kind of guy that had his own private jet and flying it by his own hand was another way to snub his nose at his siblings.
“You’re so naïve that it’s refreshing. It’s going to be fun to turn the tables on the both of you. A force including myself, Tanner and Janine will make short work of anything that you are hiding. I know deep down that you are giving us the middle finger salute. The reality is simple. Once you enter into our playground you play by our rules. I would suggest that you refrain from joining him. I want you to be free of all of this. There’s no point in putting you through unnecessary hell," Frankie said like he was giving me fair warning to walk away before I was destroyed by their careful machinations.
“I have to wonder why you would even consider warning me out of his life. Could it be that you are scared that what you’re seeing is the real deal? Deep down, you see that he’s happy and I’m the one that is responsible for that. I’m unwritten and you can’t read my mind. I’m just beginning to understand the dynamics of this family. I’m staring at a blank page in front of me, but there are certain truths that not even you can hide. I can almost taste that desire to make your brother suffer. My book is open, but I don’t think that I can say the same thing for you,” I said leaning forward and making sure that he understood that I wasn’t going anywhere.
The children of the Sumner name had been conditioned to never let anybody get close enough to hurt them. This was their father’s way of preventing them from feeling the kind of heartbreaking revelation like he had felt when their mother died. He sheltered them and made it impossible for them to look at those that they may care for without judging and digging into their past.
“I like you. My brother has found one of the good ones. I’ve taken up more than enough of your time. It’s been interesting, but I think that we need to dispense with the pleasantries. You’ve told me what I needed to hear. I know that you’re not going to give up easily. I just hope that you are ready for the games to begin. The house has been the bane of our existence from the moment that we were born into it. You can’t handle the hot heat rising. You know what they say about if you can’t stand the heat,” Frankie said getting up with his brother Drake standing toe to toe with him. They were glaring at each other with daggers in their eyes.
Drake was not at all subtle about his anger for being ambushed in a place that he considered sacred and off-limits. Frankie, on the other hand, showed his arsenal in the way that he smiled. They had their battle plan and neither one of them was going to show any kind of mercy.
“I don’t know what you thought that you were going to accomplish by coming here, Frankie. The only thing that you have done is make me angry. The one thing that you should never do is ruffle my feathers. You know that I’m not one to stop. I see you coming here with your words being your own personal white flag of surrender. I know you better than anyone and that white flag is only a ruse to draw me in until you can run
me through with your sword metaphorically speaking. You know who the better student is when it comes to fencing. That foil in my hand was an extension of my arm. I protect those that I care for even against my family. I use that term loosely because we have never been close and I don’t think that we ever will be,” Drake said trying to get his last parting shot in an effort to make Frankie see that the battle had already been won.
“I will take everything that you say under consideration. Contrary to popular belief, I do want my siblings to be happy. I often wish that we could be closer, but we can’t change our basic nature. We are like those leopards that can’t change their spots. I do love you in my own way. I will always have your back. The one thing that we can count on is family to help when the chips are down. Blood has always been thicker than water. I think sometimes you forget that and you need me to remind you that we are still family,” Frankie said with Pina clearing his throat and holding the luggage that he had brought with him.
“You always do this and you make it impossible for me to send you away. Stay for as long as you want. I’m trying to show you some loyalty and to give you the benefit of the doubt. It’s the least that I can do for Michelle. She’s under the impression that we can be saved, but we both know differently. We may project a pretty picture, but underneath we are a festering boil of deceit,” Drake walked away, shaking his head and looking back one last time like he still couldn’t quite believe that his brother had deemed it necessary to come here of all places.
