“I had a meeting with the rest of the family last night and they’re all in, but I didn’t want to agree unless you were going to be a part of it.” He wasn’t going to disrespect his brother by going over his head. Lee had a right to turn him down again.
“Cherise told me that you would make one last ditch effort and I should listen to you, but there’s no need I already have my mind made up about the special.”
Leaning his shoulder against the bookshelf, Brad studied his brother noticing how Lee didn’t dress as conservatively as he used to in the past. Now, when he was home his clothing consisted of t-shirts and jeans. Cherise was just the woman Lee had needed in his life. They were truly the perfect couple.
Lee tossed one more book into the box before looking at him. “Tell your Alicia that all of the Drace brothers will participate in the little news story of hers. All I ask is that she interviews me first because with Cherise being so close to her due date, I don’t want this project to interfere with that.”
Brad wanted to ask what changed his very stubborn brother’s mind, but he already knew—Cherise. He wasn’t going to do anything to make Lee change his mind about his decision.
“Thanks Lee,” Brad said as he moved away and headed for the door, but he spun back around.
“Why are you cleaning out your books?” Lee loved those marketing books. Some of them had been around since he started his own business all of those years ago while he was still in college.
“I’m boxing up some of the older books to make room for baby photos. I’m about to have more important things to display than my old marketing books that I got years ago.”
“It’s about time you put your interest and time toward something else besides my personal life,” Brad exclaimed and then left the room to the sound of thick books being dropped into a box.
As Brad was about to leave Lee’s house so he could find Alicia and tell her the good news, Brad stopped by the kitchen door and looked at Cherise flipping through a cookbook. She had this glow about her now that she was pregnant and it looked good on her.
For the longest time, he never thought that Lee would end up with their feisty sister-in law because she put up such a battle back when Zack was dating Traci. Cherise was the female version of Lee and that was the main reason they always argued and Cherise pushed Lee away for so long.
However, after almost losing her to another man Lee came to his senses and took his ass overseas to get his woman back. He was willing to do that and more for Alicia, but he wasn’t going to be her stepping stool either. She needed to meet him halfway or they wouldn’t ever make that walk down the aisle. He stayed there a few more minutes watching how in high spirits Cherise was before he eased away from the kitchen door and left the house.
****
“Alicia, you had a wonderful broadcast tonight, but your deadline is almost up,” Tiffany told her as she walked out of her office and up to her in the hallway.
Did her boss have a life or was her life totally made by being up in her business all of the time? Alicia thought to herself.
God, couldn’t she get a moment’s break? Well, she would rather deal with Tiffany now than later. She guessed Brad wasn’t able to get through to his brothers because she hadn’t heard back from him.
Honestly, she wanted to be the one who did the exclusive interview with Brad’s family because she wouldn’t sensationalize their life story like another reporter at BBTV would to move up at the station.
Spinning around, Alicia faced Tiffany so she could finally get her boss off her back. “Tiffany, I told you.” She was going to finally tell this woman what she thought of her and it didn’t matter if she lost her job or not.
“Alicia, I was hoping that you’d still be here. I’m glad that I didn’t miss you.”
The sound of Brad’s voice breaking into her conversation made Alicia looked over her shoulder at the man who was a permanent part of her nightly fantasies now. She couldn’t take her eyes off his long strides as he headed in their direction. They showed that he was sure of himself and for some odd reason it was turning her on.
You just need to get laid, her mind taunted.
Taking a peek from the corner of her eye, Alicia noticed how Tiffany couldn’t take her eyes off Brad either and it was pissing her off. Why in the hell was her boss drooling over Brad when he wasn’t interested in her at all? He wasn’t here to see Tiffany. He came to the station to see her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as Brad walked right past Tiffany like she wasn’t even in the same room as them and right up to her.
“I wanted to see you to tell you about my brothers’ decision,” Brad answered as he pushed her glasses up her nose with his index finger.
The feel of Brad’s hands on her skin sent her blood pressure up another notch. Her attraction to this man standing all up in her personal space was getting harder to keep under control. Could Brad see in her eyes that she had been dreaming about licking French Vanilla ice cream off his bare chest?
“Will I be happy with your answer?” Alicia asked when she was finally able to get her wandering thoughts together.
“I believe so,” Brad replied as his fingers brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “How about I tell you everything over dinner?”
All while Brad had been talking to her he hadn’t stopped touching her body and it was making her even more aware of him. He looked over her seductively, patiently waiting for her answer and it suddenly hit Alicia that she didn’t want to turn down Brad’s dinner invitation like she always did in the past.
“I would love to have dinner with you.”
“Alicia, can I have a minute of your time before you leave with him?” Tiffany’s sharp voice cut in.
Her attention had been on Brad so much that Alicia had forgotten her crappy boss was still standing within hearing distance of her conversation with Brad. She could only imagine what Tiffany had to tell her.
Brad shook his head. “No, you go and get your stuff while I talk to Tiffany. There are a few things that I need to tell her about the interview she wants you to do and now is the perfect time for me to do it. When you come back, I’ll be ready to take you out.”
Nervousness set in as Brad moved away from her and escorted Tiffany over to the other side of the room near the exit sign. She was dying to know what Brad was saying to Tiffany, but she could tell from the sour look on her boss’ face that it wasn’t good or anything she might want to hear about.
Alicia took one last look at the two people to her left before making her way to her office with the thoughts of her date with Brad in the back of her mind.
Chapter Seven
“Tiffany didn’t look too pleased when we left the station. What did you tell her?” Alicia asked Brad as they sat outside on the patio of the restaurant.
They had just finished dinner and were waiting for the waiter to bring their check. She had suggested they have dinner at D4, but Brad declined. He informed her that he wanted to be able to have a good time without Richard looking over their shoulders throughout the meal.
She had wanted to talk about Brad’s conversation with her boss over dinner, but he shut it down and wouldn’t let her. Instead, he turned the conversation towards her. Asking her questions about her past relationships and family, but she avoided most of them by getting him to talk about his childhood. She liked the closeness she shared with his older brothers, it was something very special and she envied it a lot.
“I thought Tiffany needed to understand who was doing the story and if it wasn’t you then we wouldn’t agree to the story,” Brad said, shocking her.
Alicia was surprised that Brad would take time to even speak with Tiffany because most of the time everyone at work tried to avoid her unless they had to be around her since her attitude was so nasty.
“I bet she wasn’t too pleased with your discussion,” she laughed, wishing she could have of heard Tiffany’s response.
“Honestly, I don’t care about
what Tiffany thought. My only concern is for you. Did you have a good time tonight? I was surprised that you accepted my dinner invitation without the usual fight you put up. Could you not think of a good reason to turn me down this time?”
Brad was a hundred percent right. She couldn’t argue with him. She was constantly trying to find ways not to be alone with him, but tonight for some reason was different. She wanted to go out with him and spend some alone time together with the gorgeous and kind man in front of her.
He was a very intriguing man. Most of the women in Houston probably overlooked him because his brothers were so dramatic with their outgoing personalities that fit them, but Brad did possess a lot of wonderful qualities of his own.
She would call him an aphrodisiac to her senses and Brad wasn’t even aware of it. Sometimes, he made her want to do things she shouldn’t do like take a candlelight bubble bath while he washed her back. Or slow dancing naked together in front of a fireplace...naughty little things that she had never craved before.
“I did almost turn you down out of habit,” she confessed. “But I changed my mind and said yes.”
“Are you glad that you did?” Brad asked as his dark blue eyes roamed over her face.
Before she could give him an answer the waiter came back with their bill. Brad handed the young guy a credit card and he hurried away back towards the front of the restaurant.
“Yes, I am. It was a lot more fun eating with another person instead of sitting on my couch alone watching television and eating a turkey sandwich.”
The cool night air brushed over her bare arms as the faint sounds of traffic echoed in the background behind them. Alicia couldn’t get over how perfect the night had turned out when she finally decided to let herself relax and have fun with Brad.
Tonight with Brad was one of the best dates that she’d had in a very long time. It was nice to be out with a guy who didn’t want to talk about himself or his accomplishments over dinner like the last guy she dated.
Max was a gorgeous man and was blessed with a brilliant mind, but when it came to carrying on a conversation that didn’t involve work or him he fell short in that department because he only thought about himself.
“Did you have enough fun that you might want to do something with me tomorrow?” Brad inquired at the same time the waiter brought back Brad’s credit card and his receipt. She waited until the waiter walked away again before giving Brad an answer.
“You still haven’t told me who I’ll get to interview first when it comes to your family.” Alicia secretly hoped that it wouldn’t be Lee because she didn’t want to start off on a bad note with him.
“I know,” Brad grinned, making his amazing eyes stand out even more. “So, I guess you have to go out with me again to find out the answer.”
“I think that’s called extortion,” Alicia laughed. She hadn’t felt this free and good in years that she almost forgot what it felt like.
Shaking his head, Brad stood up and came over to her chair but instead of pulling it out like she thought he would he bent down and whispered by her ear. “No, I think it’s called a guy trying to get a second date with the woman he’s falling far. So, what’s your answer, Ms. Hart?”
Turning slightly, Alicia noticed an almost hopeful glint in Brad’s eyes and she knew in that second she desired a second date with him too. She might actually have found one of the last good guys in the world...no, she knew that she had.
She was ready to do something with Brad that she hadn’t done in a very long time. Give him an honest chance at getting to know her.
“Yes.” Instead of going with her over-analytical mind, Alicia trusted her emotions.
A soft kiss was brushed along the back of her neck before the words “thank you,” were whispered against her skin.
Alicia caught Brad’s look as their eyes connected. She tried to hold his gaze as long as she could, but it was so intense that she had to glance away. What was he doing to her? She never acted this nervous on a date with a man before, not even with Max who she thought she had been in love with.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home,” Brad said as he finished pulling out her chair. “I know you have to get up early tomorrow for the sunrise newscast. It’s how I start my day.”
She felt a warm glow flow through her. A part of her reveled in knowing that Brad got up early to watch her on the news and another part of her was a little scared at having someone care enough to do it.
Taking her by the hand, Brad linked their fingers together and led her off the patio back into the restaurant. As they walked through the other patrons, she noticed how the females took a double take at the handsome man next to her. However, she guessed that Brad was so used to getting stared at he didn’t even acknowledge the stares.
Alicia thought about her night again while she and Brad waited outside for the valet to bring the car. Tonight truly turned out to be exceptional, it was almost like it wasn’t real in some way. He had kept her on her toes with his wit and charm without being overly supercilious about it.
“What are you thinking about?” Brad asked.
“Actually, I was thinking about you,” Alicia answered, rubbing her bare arms against the low temperature in the air.
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Taking off his suit jacket, he placed it on her shoulders. “I’m assuming it was all good and nothing bad.”
Hugging the warmth of Brad’s jacket closer to her body, Alicia breathed in the wonderful smell of his cologne and then nibbled at her bottom lip. She wondered how much she should tell Brad about her thoughts. He wasn’t arrogant as Lee, but Brad did have a way about him that drew her to him more than other man she had ever known.
“Are you going to give me an answer?” He seemed to be enjoying her struggle to capture her composure and inability to find the right words.
“No, it wasn’t anything bad. I was just thinking about how glad I was that I didn’t turn you down. You aren’t a bad dinner companion after all.”
“Me too baby.” Brad seemed like he was going to tell her more but got interrupted by the valet coming back with their car.
“Here you go sir,” the boy said as he handed them the car keys.
“Thank you.” Brad took the keys and then gave the boy a tip.
Alicia never remembered a time that she had gone out with Max that he had been nice to anyone. He constantly found things to complain about instead of ignoring the small problems that came up. The guy looked at the twenty dollar tip in his hand twice before he smiled at her and Brad before running off to get another car.
“That was nice of you to give him such a huge tip,” Alicia said as Brad escorted her over to the black Lexus.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Haven’t any of your other dates given a good tip before?”
“Not any that I can count,” she answered getting inside of the car and Brad closing the door. Alicia watched as Brad walked in front of the car and then got into the driver’s side.
“I better get you home before I try to think of a way to make you stay out longer with me.”
“I have to say that I wish I could, but I’ve an early meeting with Tiffany and then I’m off the rest of the day.”
Starting the car, Brad checked for oncoming traffic and then pulled out. They had been driving for a while in silence and Alicia didn’t mind. She liked how comfortable she felt around Brad when she wasn’t over thinking the situation.
“Did you have a hard time getting all of your brothers say yes?” she asked, dying to have an answer before the night was over.
Brad stole a glance at her as he stopped at a red light a couple of blocks from her house. “I thought it might turn out differently, but yes all of my brothers agreed to it. So, all I need to know is when you want to get started” He, pulled away from the light. “However, we don’t need to go into all of it now. I want to enjoy the last few minutes of our date. No business will be talked about until tomorrow,” he said and then winke
d.
Chapter Eight
Resting her back against the seat, Alicia crossed her legs and noticed how Brad glanced at them when her skirt inched up her thighs. She swallowed down her smile. It did feel good knowing that Brad was so attracted to her.
“Tell me how it felt growing up in a family with such complex and overly protective older brothers?”
“Honestly, I’ve always looked up to all three of them, but I’m the closet to Richard. Anytime, I needed help or had a problem I went to him. He always found a way to calm me down and ease my fears.”
She was surprised to hear that Brad was closet to Richard. She would have thought it would have been Zack. “You couldn’t talk to Lee or Zack?”
“I could but not like with Richard,” Brad corrected. “He would always stop what he was doing to help me no matter what time of day it was. Richard is my brother, but I consider him like my best friend.”
“So, how do you consider your other brothers?”
“Lee is the one I go to when I need money advice. He’s brilliant at turning nothing into something when it comes to cash. I swear he can start off with ten dollars and by the end of the month it will be over two hundred dollars. He always had a way with numbers. I’m stunned that he hasn’t opened another marketing firm.”
“Now, Zack is without a doubt the business man. He can take a rundown building and turn it into a masterpiece. I’m always left speechless by his finished product. You should have seen D4 before the remodel that Dawn helped him with. It doesn’t even look like the same building.”
Alicia was glad that Brad was proud of all of his brothers’ achievements and wanted to tell her about them; however, she wanted to know about him. She only knew a few things like he loved playing, teaching tennis and plus every other Friday night that he loved going out for hot wings with some of his friends.
“Brad, I know that I haven’t shown interest before but why don’t you talk about yourself more? You really didn’t do it when you were giving me tennis lessons.”
More Than Friends: Brad Page 5
