The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  He showed me the employee restrooms but told me that there was one in their office as well. I’d be working in there so it was more convenient and I blushed at the idea of having to pee in there with them so close. These boys were so cute and charming and I noticed the way that some of the girls looked at him as we passed them. He explained that there were several places to eat nearby as well as coffee places, so I had a lot of options. Breanna already invited me to eat with her today. I nodded and we went back to the desk where he showed me a little about the computer and tablet, explaining their uses for the company as I tapped at the keyboard of the fancy Apple desktop. “There is also a laptop in our office for you to work on. If you want to do that today and kind of learn everything, that would be good. We can order in for lunch.”

  “I am going out with Bre to celebrate the first day,” I explained with a small smile as he nodded.

  “Of course,” Brent said as he looked at the open door. “Want to work in here?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. I would likely be up and down asking them questions, so I grabbed my cup and walked inside. I got set up at the small but comfortable desk as Brent leaned over me to show me what to do, making me blush as his brother looked on. This was going to be hard but I was just a shy girl from Tennessee, nothing they would be interested in. Besides, they were my bosses and that was against the rules.

  I did an order with him watching me, telling me that I seemed to get it so far. Brent told me to ask if I had any questions at all and I nodded as he made his way back to his space. I went through the next one slowly but successfully with a small smile as I hit send. The guys turned on some music at a low volume and I liked how it seemed to lighten the air in here, since I could sense that they were both stressed out.

  I looked around here and there, noticing some pictures on the shelves. I wondered if they had girlfriends and then remembered what Google told me about them. They were players, well-known on the party scene. At least, they were before they took over the company. That had to be a shock for these guys after what I’d read. Brent looked to be the more responsible one while Brandon had an air of mischief about him.

  “How long have you been in New York?” Brandon asked as I licked my lips and looked up at him.

  “Four years. I started with Ames back home and decided to try something new when they expanded. It’s a shame they closed but I was lucky to hear about this.” Brent nodded and gave me a look across the office. I would be bringing home about eighteen dollars an hour and since my place was rent controlled, I’d make it just fine. I couldn’t go crazy or anything but I’d live just fine. I was used to simple, growing up in Franklin.

  “It’s good that you stayed. A lot of people don’t find it to their liking and go back home.” Brent nodded as I shrugged.

  “It’s so different here that I love it. Mama worries, but I am used to that.” I smiled at the mention of my sweet mother, excited to see her.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, where is the rest of your family?” Brent asked, seeming to be the one that talked the most.

  “Oh, Daddy died in a warehouse accident ten years ago, and their parents were both older and passed before that. I have an aunt and an uncle, but they left Tennessee to raise families. People get busy.” I said as I looked at the computer. “I’m sorry about your father. It’s sad what happened.”

  “It was a shock,” Brandon said as I pressed my lips together.

  “We are trying to figure this place out and take care of our mother and sister. It’s pretty crazy,” Brent offered as I smiled sympathetically at him. “Sometimes, I don’t know what he was thinking.”

  “He trusted you boys. He was aware that you could handle it and from the looks of things, he left you a successful company. I understand it must be hard being so young and stepping into his shoes, though,” I told them as I sent another order after reading it. I didn’t mention that I’d done a search for them on Google and found out about their wild past. I wasn’t one to judge too much, though I knew that I was not their kind of girl. I’d seen pictures.

  We worked through the morning, and soon Breanna was texting me about lunch. I told the twins that I’d see them in an hour and grabbed my purse to leave. Lord, they were hot. I needed some fresh air.

  Breanna took me to a deli and asked me all about the job after buying me lunch. I told her what I could and looked at her. “The guys seem nice.”

  “They have a rep but I think overall they are. Their dad was a good man.” She looked sad for a moment. “They look a lot like him.” She smiled at me. “They are gorgeous and there is two of them!” She giggled sweetly, too much like me to say much more than that. Breanna had a boyfriend of two years and was devoted to him. I dated a boy back in school but it wasn’t serious and I’d never slept with him. Moving here overwhelmed me so I hadn’t dated at all, even though there had been some interest from men. They found my accent cute.

  My new bosses were city boys through and through, and though they might be charming, I’d never let my thoughts about them out of my mind.

  CHAPTER 19

  Brandon

  I looked at Brent as the door closed and let out my breath. “That girl is so sweet and innocent.”

  “That she is,” he agreed and glanced at the clock. “Want to go to lunch after I take care of these emails?”

  “Sure,” I agreed as he read the screen and typed something. I knew that he was going to hold back from this even though that little drawl of Jane’s turned me on. She was nothing like the others but that was part of the appeal to me. In about fifteen minutes, he got up and I followed him to the elevator to hit our favorite deli. I crossed the street and looked over to see Jane and her friend walking back to work

  The dress hugged her curves well as she walked, laughing at something the other girl said. Jane wasn’t skinny but she was not overweight either. She was only about five foot six and she reminded me of one of the pin up girls you see at places. I didn’t like a woman too skinny anyway, since I liked to have something to grab or smack. The idea of smacking Jane’s ass made me harden a little and I looked away.

  “That is not Tracy and Veronica,” Brent said beside me as I nodded. I looked away every time I saw Tracy in the building, knowing too much about her. I didn’t make it obvious after what Veronica told us but I tried not to be overly friendly to everyone to begin with. I was still trying to figure out my role here completely and I tended to follow Brent’s lead at the office.

  He was polite but not too friendly. He did things for the staff on more of a low-key level, excluding our assistants. I knew that he struggled with that though. We entered the deli, running into some friends that we ate with. They were still living our old lives and we caught up with them before excusing ourselves to get back to work.

  I felt some resentment towards everything that happened as we walked back. I missed Dad, my former life, and the relaxation that I used to have even when he was pushing us. Now we were learning how to run his company and trying to take care of our family with the little time that we had during the day. I fucked off more than my brother and knew that, not listening when Dad suggested college to both of us. I think that Brent was considering it before Dad died and he still could, but with what time? Now that we were both working so much, I didn’t see time for too much unless my brother wanted to study online late at night.

  I knew that things might calm down after the holidays, but this as one of the most successful shipping companies in the world. We had many regular clients and the office was rarely dead, no matter what time of year it was. I remembered the hours that Dad spent at the office even when it was established, though somehow, he managed to work time in with both his family and his wife. “It’s hard to believe that Trevor and the guys are still doing the same thing, isn’t it?” Brent asked as I glanced at him.

  “In some ways. They are just twenty-two as we are.” I shrugged as he took a slow breath. “Do you miss it?”

  “Of course, I do. We
were living that life up until the night he died and it was a great one. I have to wonder if we’d have done it forever, though,” Brent glanced at me as we walked into the building. “It would have gotten boring eventually, right? We’d settle down like Dad did: get married, have a family, or whatever.”

  “That sounds like the future, not now. I am having trouble wrapping my mind around this sometimes,” I muttered in a soft voice as we walked across the lobby to the elevators. Brent smirked at me with a weary gaze in his eyes as we leaned against the back wall of the car and took the ride up.

  Jane was sitting at her desk and working at her computer as we walked up and I took in those big eyes of hers. They begged for me to touch her, take her like I had the girls before her. I wanted to fuck the innocence right out of her, making those eyes beg for more as I blinked. She looked up as she sipped from her cup, smiling at us as she set it down.

  “You found the good deli,” Brent told her as she glanced at the cup and laughed.

  “Yeah, thanks to Bre. I don’t know this side of town too well, but I reckon I will soon enough.” She glanced at the office door and then back at us.

  “Did you want me to keep working out here?” Jane asked as Brent looked at me.

  “How confident do you feel on the orders?” His question was kind, and Jane blushed a bit.

  “I think I’m fine. Maybe leave the door open?” She suggested with a sweet smile as my brother laughed.

  “Done.” Brent replied as we walked inside and left it wide open. We took our places and started working, playing a station on Pandora low so we could hear if Jane needed us. I kept from talking about her as we worked, keeping it to general business as I grinned behind my desk. He looked at me a few times, shaking his head as he noticed the look in my eyes. “Stop it,” he spoke softly as I laughed and glanced at the door.

  The day ended at five, and we walked out with her, offering Jane a ride to her place as she grinned and waved her hand. “I’ll catch the bus, but thank you. I’m expecting my mama to be there with supper ready.”

  We watched her walk to the stop and get on the bus for a moment as Brent narrowed his eyes. “I’ve never met a girl like her before.”

  “Mom would want to eat her right up,” I told him as he laughed and nodded. “We should tell them about Christmas since Mom would love to fawn all over them.” We shared a long look.

  “The first Christmas, though. Would that be too much? I know that we’ll have a ton of family over already, but would Mom be up for it?” Brent wondered aloud as we walked to the car. I knew that it was insane to consider this idea at all, but something about Jane touched both of us…well, besides her sweet drawl and hot body. She just seemed to need a family for the holidays and that was Mom’s specialty.

  Brent walked into the house first and inhaled the scent of roast chicken. “That smells so good.” He said as we looked into the kitchen to see Mom helping with dinner.

  “You’re home for dinner!” She came and hugged both of us before telling us to wash up for dinner.

  We all sat down as Ashley tried to text before Mom told her to put her phone down. We talked about Christmas Eve dinner and the following day, during which family would be in and out. It was going to be busy and emotional for all of us and I looked at Mom for a long moment. “Mom, are you sure about all of this?”

  “I know that I could spend it with just you three, but we never did that before. Dad always wanted the family here and I am not going to change that this year,” she looked at me with a soft smile. “I’ll feel better having people around. It doesn’t mean that I’ll miss him any less, you know.”

  “We’re just making sure that you’re okay,” Brent told her as he reached out for her hand.

  “I know,” she replied as Ashley looked on with wide eyes. She was having a hard time with Dad’s death and we were all worried about her. Mom told her that she could bring her boyfriend to ease her pain and made us promise to be nice to him. We both grumbled about it but knew that Ashley needed everything that she could have to get through this tough day.

  After we finished dinner, Ashely disappeared upstairs and Mom brought us into the living room. “I am going to be in the area doing a little shopping for Friday tomorrow. Can I take you handsome boys to lunch?”

  “That would be great, Mom. Come in any time since you’ll end up talking to the entire floor,” Brent teased her as I laughed. “Is Ash coming with you?”

  “If she’s awake, I’ll try to drag her along,” she smiled as we looked at each other. We stayed up talking for a while, enjoying the quiet time with her and trying not to think about work. It would be here soon enough and it was nice to relax for a change and just stay up talking.

  Looking back, we hadn’t done that enough with Mom before this. We were always busy. Now that Dad was gone, it made me appreciate these moments so much more. We finally went to bed, knowing that we’d be tired in the morning but happy to have time to talk to her.

  CHAPTER 20

  Brent

  We dragged ourselves in the following morning and grabbed coffee at the small stand just outside the door. I had the idea to grab a cafe mocha for Jane, since girls seemed to like those kinds of drinks. I added it to the order, shrugging when Brent gave me a curious look. “It’s a nice thing to do,” I defended my action as he raised an eyebrow.

  I told Brent not to entertain any ideas about Jane, but she was gorgeous in a much different way than Cecile and Veronica was. They were experienced and oozed sensuality, particularly Veronica. She was as free a woman as any that I’d ever met and that was saying a lot.

  Jane was the sweet, country girl and I had half a mind to think she was still a virgin. I didn’t doubt that men hit on her all the time with those eyes and her curvy body, but Jane didn’t seem to be the one-night-stand kind of girl. That made her a great assistant for us but I didn’t like the fact that I was attracted to her, as well as my brother.

  I carried the coffee into the elevator and smiled at her when she glanced up at me. “I brought you a coffee,” I offered as she smiled widely. “I hope you like mochas.”

  “I do. They’re my favorite. Thank you.” A flush spread over her cheeks as I observed her and Brandon walked up behind me.

  “You’re welcome to work in the office today if you’d like.” He offered with a grin as I glanced back at him.

  “Sure. I can ask questions that way since I hit a few snags yesterday.” She grinned and we walked inside of the office as she gathered her stuff together. We took our seats and she came to sit at the smaller desk with her coffee in hand, filling the air with the scent of chocolate in addition to our strong brew.

  “This was your father’s office?” Jane asked hesitantly as we worked and I glanced at Brandon.

  “It was. Hence the family pictures that we left up. It makes me think about him.” I smiled as I glanced around.

  “It’s a great space,” she offered as I nodded. “Did you come here as kids?”

  “Here and there. Once we got older, other things distracted us,” Brandon told her with a smirk on his face. She looked at him and frowned for a moment as I watched the wheels turning in her head. It would be easy to google us and see our story, something I wouldn’t be surprised about at all. People did it all the time.

  Jane returned to her work, entering order after order with a few pauses as she figured something out. She’d think deeply about what she needed to do and smile brightly when she figured it out. I sensed that she was an independent woman hidden in a sweet southern girl and it turned me on more. I was seeing a couple of girls when I could, but nobody special and I craved a girl with a heart and a mind.

  Wait…what? Was the innocent assistant more appealing to me than the past two?

  We worked through the morning, and she got us all some more coffee for the break before we got back into that. We asked her questions, and she spoke lovingly of her father and other family members that were gone now. She talked about Tennessee, admitti
ng that she lived in a smaller town than she first said.

  Just after twelve, there was a tap at the door and our mother walked into the room. We looked at her as she looked around the space with emotional eyes for a moment before they took in the three of us. “Oh, hello there.” She walked right over to Jane and offered her hand, introducing herself.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am.” Jane smiled brightly as she shook her hand. “I’m Jane Drury and I just started as their assistant. It was kind of being in the right place at the right time.”

  “They didn’t mention another assistant. It’s wonderful to meet you. Where are you from?” Mom asked her and I could see her tucking Jane under her wing and taking care of her already.

  “I moved here from Tennessee about four years ago. I came with a company that sadly closed, and I was lucky enough to hear about this position.” She glanced at us with a flush on her face as Brandon leaned back.

  “She’s coming to lunch with us,” he said under his breath as I nodded.

  The four of us left about fifteen minutes later, with Mom leading Jane ahead of us as she walked towards her favorite Thai place. We watched them bond as they chatted and Brandon let his eyes roam over Jane’s body. “I don’t know if this is good or not, Brent. Mom is obviously crazy about her and she’s going to be at our house for Christmas with that beautiful smile.”