by Marla Monroe
Back in high school, Dee had been all eyes and dumpy clothes with a side of irresistible. She was sweet and nice to everyone, though you had to make a point of drawing her out at first. She’d never treated them any differently all the years she’d known them. Even when in their junior year they had finally bloomed, beefing up and losing their awkwardness. They’d treasured her because of that alone, but there had been something more to her than that.
They’d begun teasing and flirting with her the summer between their junior and senior years, spending a good amount of time with her. No one really thought much of it, believing it was her amazing IQ that drew them to her. After all, they might have grown into their arms and legs, adding muscles where there’d been none before, but they were still just as intelligent as they’d always been. Had Dee been their age, it would have been a close call as to who would have made the highest grades.
It had bothered him at the time that no one thought the two older boys might have been romantically interested in Dee. Now he was glad no one else had seen the real Dee beneath her boxy clothes and those thick-rimmed glasses she hadn’t really needed. It meant she was still available when they’d returned years later. He and his brother had always planned to return for her, but time had gotten away from them when they’d been building a name for themselves and saving to open their own business.
“This is going to work, you know,” he said out of the blue.
His brother finally looked up over the monitor at him and frowned. “I know. Why are you doubting it now?”
“I’m not. I’m just reassuring you. That’s all.” Andy cursed himself for letting that slip out. He’d been reassuring himself and hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Amos stood up and walked around the desk to lean against it across from him. There was no teasing grin or knowing smirk. Amos understood the seriousness of their case. They were equally invested in Dee. Both of them had been a little in love with her from the moment she’d stood up for their little sister, Lissa, and taken a whack on the shoulder by a tennis racket when she wouldn’t move away from her.
Lissa, short for Melissa, had a milder case of Down Syndrome. A lot of people didn’t realize that about her and teased and bullied her because she was slower than the others. Whether Dee had known that at the time or not, they didn’t know, but she’d refused to let the older kids pick on their Lissa. From that moment on, she’d been special to them.
“Everything is ready at home. We’ve got dinner ready to put in the oven and wine chilling for both the meal and beforehand. We’ve been over what we want to say several times. There’s nothing more we can do, Andy. We both know she still cares for us and is definitely still attracted to us by the way she reacts when we’re near her. That’s over half the battle.” Amos watched him with serious eyes that he knew were exactly like his.
“I know, but we both know that women are emotionally different than men. While we recognize our emotions, we use our heads to rationalize what to do about most anything. Women let their hearts and emotions make their decisions. It puts a wild card in the mix,” he said.
“True, but Dee is a lot more intelligent than most women. She’ll think more on everything. Stop obsessing over it. We’ve planned for everything and she’s agreed to listen to us. Everything is going to go fine.”
“Maybe if I didn’t love her so damn much it wouldn’t be so hard,” he admitted.
“If we didn’t love her so much, we wouldn’t be ready to get on our knees and beg for a chance to make things right, now would we?”
Andy watched his brother walk back around the desk and sit down again. He didn’t return to whatever he’d been working on. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen for several long minutes without saying anything.
“It’s nearly five. We might as well start closing down and locking up. If she’s not ready when we get there, we can wait on her,” Amos finally said, reaching toward his keyboard.
“Thank God!” Andy jumped up and hurried through their shared bathroom to his office to make sure he’d closed everything down and locked up his files.
What in the hell was wrong with him that he couldn’t wait thirty fucking minutes? Yeah, he’d always been the one to jump into things and preferred action over everything else, but he wasn’t rash or antsy.
I am when it comes to Dee though. We’ve been waiting on her almost our entire lives. I’m tired of waiting. I want to claim her and spend the rest of my life waking up next to her.
If only they hadn’t screwed up last year. It was mostly his fault. He wasn’t sure his twin would have succumbed if it hadn’t been for his stupidity. True, Carol had been coming on to them hard whenever Dee wasn’t nearby, but they were grown men and should have ignored it or even better, called Dee’s attention to how her best friend was trying to move in on them.
“Fuck!”
“What’s wrong?” Amos walked in just as he slammed the lid of his briefcase closed.
“Nothing. Just wishing I hadn’t screwed us up last year. I was such a fucktard about it all.” Andy carried the case with him as he walked toward the door leading into the reception area.
Their secretary slash receptionist had the afternoon off so locking up would be their duty. He hurried through the routine, making sure the answering service was on while Amos checked all the file cabinets to be sure they were secured. While he set the alarm, his brother stepped outside to wait on him.
“Door locked?” Amos asked as usual.
“Yep. Let’s go.” Andy started to walk toward the signal to cross the street but Andy stopped him.
“We need to drive over, Andy. It will be easier to convince her to ride with us instead of taking her own car.”
“Damn! I’m not thinking.” Andy reversed directions and followed Amos around to the side of the building where the truck was parked.
“Take a deep breath, man,” Amos said as they climbed up into the cab of the truck.
“This is ridiculous. I’m an adult.” Andy pulled out of the parking place and drove toward Dee’s office.
Once he’d parked one car down from the front door of the building, they looked at each other and nodded. This was it. They were about to try to correct the biggest mistake they’d ever made in their life. Andy just prayed Dee would finally forgive them and let them prove it would never happen again. He was ready to get on with the rest of their lives and get back to normal. He hadn’t felt normal since that disastrous day that put an end to their dreams. Maybe if they convinced her to allow them just one more chance he wouldn’t feel like a bumbling fool around her anymore.
* * * *
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stick around until they show up?” Hazel asked from the doorway of Dee’s office.
“No. Thanks, but I’m a grown woman. I’ll be fine.” Dee wished she actually believed herself.
“I know, but there are two of them and only one of you. I just figured you could use some moral support.”
“Immoral support, you mean. You’ve made it clear where you stand on the subject. I think you might be the last person I need when they get here,” Dee said, frowning at the other woman.
“Hey! Just offering.” Hazel grinned and held her hands up as she backed out of the doorway. “I’m off then. I’m taking some of my designs to a trade show in Dallas this weekend. Wish me luck.”
“That’s great, Hazel! Why hadn’t you said anything before now? So exciting! Are you going to take orders or try and drive people to your website?”
“A little of both, I guess. I don’t really know what to expect. I just thought it would be good to go. A friend of mine told me about it.” Hazel shrugged her shoulders.
“I think it’s an amazing opportunity to start building your client base so that when you open your store you’ll already have a following. That’s really smart, Hazel. Good luck!” Dee stood up and walked over to her secretary and gave her a hug. “I can’t wait to hear all about it on Monday!”
<
br /> The sound of the front door opening interrupted whatever Hazel had started to say. Dee looked up to find Amos and Andy walking into the room. Individually each man could stop traffic, but together, they literally took her breath away.
“Um, you’re early,” she finally managed to get out.
“Maybe by five minutes,” Amos said with a frown.
“We’re closing up anyway,” Hazel interjected when Dee was about to tell them she wasn’t ready to go yet.
“Great. That worked out perfectly,” Amos said with a broad smile.
Dee narrowed her eyes at her secretary, who only smiled and winked before snatching her purse off her desk and strolling toward the door. She was going to get her come Monday morning.
“What can we do to help?” Amos asked after opening the door for Hazel then closing it behind her.
“Nothing. I just need to close down my computer and make sure the files are locked up. Give me a few minutes,” she mumbled before turning on her heel to walk back into her office.
When she settled behind her desk again, it was to find Andy standing right across the desk from her. The previous frown had slipped into a tentative smile that made her wonder why he looked so uncertain. He and Amos were always ultra-confident in everything they did. This wasn’t like Andy especially.
“Is something wrong?” she asked as she started saving and closing files.
“No. I’m just waiting to see if you need help with anything. Amos is checking to be sure that all your files out front are locked. Anything in here you need me to check?”
“Ah, no. Thanks. I’m just about to shut down the computer then I’ll be ready to leave.” Dee waited a few seconds after she’d closed all the programs then shut down the computer. “Okay. Where are we going? I’ll follow you there?”
“Actually, we have the truck out front. We figured we’d all ride together then bring you back to pick up your car afterward. There’s no need to go in two separate cars,” Andy said as she stood up.
Dee paused in the process of opening her bottom drawer to retrieve her purse. Looking up, she could see worry in Andy’s expression. Was he worried she’d throw a fit or that she’d say no? Why? What had happened to turn the normally easygoing and confident man into one who seemed on edge and unsure?
“Um, well. I guess.” She slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder then pushed the drawer closed with her foot.
Andy nodded with a broad smile. “Great. Then that’s settled. Ready?”
She nodded and thought about how different he seemed. She hadn’t spent much time at all around the two men since they’d split up the year before, but Dee couldn’t remember this much of a change in him on any of those occasions. It bothered her that something or someone had affected him like that.
Amos stood near the door waiting on them when they walked out into the front office. Dee could feel the heat from Andy’s body though he didn’t actually touch her anywhere. He had to be standing really close in order for her to feel it. Why hadn’t he tried to grope her since he had the opportunity? She’d have expected him to guide her with his hand at the small of her back or her elbow at the very least. Both of the brothers had always been touchy-feely kind of men, and for Andy, of the two, not to take advantage of an excuse to at the very least caress her elbow, Dee knew she was right that something had happened to him.
“Ready?” Amos asked as he opened the door for her.
“Is everything okay, Amos?” she asked, stopping directly in front of him. “Both of you are acting a little off somehow.”
“Everything’s fine since you’ve agreed to listen to us and let us tell you how sorry we are. Andy and I want the evening to go smoothly, that’s all.” Amos smiled and nodded his head in the direction of the open door.
Dee sighed and walked outside into the crisp fall air with Andy following closely behind her. When she turned to lock the door behind them, Amos held out one hand for the key. This was what she was used to, one of them arrogantly expecting her to let them handle everything. She pretended that it annoyed her by glowering at the man when she handed over her office keys.
She listened for the door to rattle when he tested it then held her hand out for him to return them. He smiled and after bowing elegantly over her hand and kissing the palm, he laid the set in her hand and walked on ahead. Everything seemed to revert to normal after that. Amos unlocked the passenger door while Andy walked around to the driver’s side to get in.
Seconds later, Amos had her lifted into the cab of the truck and safely fastened in between him and his brother. Andy started the engine and pulled carefully away from the curb to head in the opposite direction of all of the restaurants in their small town. The road they were on would take them to Seymour where there were a few more places to eat than there in Perry Flats. Maybe they were going to the BBQ place she liked so much.
When five minutes later they turned off the main road down County Road 761, Dee knew why Andy had been so uncomfortable. They weren’t taking her to a restaurant for a public dinner. They were carrying her to their house where she’d be alone with them to discuss events and emotions she hadn’t wanted to revisit again in the first place. They’d managed to broadside her and there was nothing she could do about it.
“You know. Deceiving me and letting me believe we were going out to a public restaurant instead of back to your house doesn’t help your case much,” she said without looking at either of the two men.
“Would you have agreed to talk with us somewhere other than a public place if we had asked?” Andy pointed out, his knuckles turning white with the amount of pressure he seemed to be exerting on the steering wheel.
Amos looked in her direction and shook his head. “Which is why we didn’t provide full disclosure of our plans.”
Andy sighed. “I guess we’re back at square one.”
Chapter Four
The instant they pulled off the county road onto the twins’ gravel drive, Dee’s stomach began to tighten and twist. She knew she could trust them not to hurt her or do anything to her she didn’t agree to, but she also knew they were masters at seduction. If they set their minds to it, she wouldn’t be able to turn them down.
It wasn’t so much a matter of not wanting anything to happen as it was that it didn’t need to happen. She was afraid that if she allowed them to seduce her she’d agree to anything they wanted and find herself right back where she’d been only a year ago—madly, helplessly in love with them. If she could believe that they would never cheat on her again, that wouldn’t be so bad, but Dee didn’t want to live her life always second-guessing them if they were five minutes late when they’d been gone, or if she got hang-up phone calls.
I can’t worry all the time that they aren’t with me who they might be flirting with or if they’re having an affair. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work, and I can’t afford to make a mistake with other people’s money and lives. It would kill me if they cheated on me again.
No, Dee had to avoid any possible entanglement at all costs. No matter how convincing they might be, she had to resist them. Otherwise, she might as well hang up her career and any hopes of a normal life.
The sudden silence when Andy shut off the engine pulled her back to her current situation. He’d stopped in front of their home instead of parking in the garage. That gave her a brief bubble of relief. Had they parked in the garage, Dee would have instantly assumed they had no intentions of taking her back for her car later.
Amos opened the passenger door and climbed down from the cab then turned to help Dee down. She couldn’t help but admire the strength in his arms as he easily lifted her down without a single tremble or grunt. She knew she wasn’t light by any means, but the two men always made her feel half her size. Where did they get their strength? There wasn’t a local gym where they could work out. Unless they had one somewhere in their home, she was at a loss. Men didn’t have that kind of physique or strength without some sort of physical activity outside
of sitting behind a desk.
Since she’d been inside their home before, the clean but comfortable state of the living areas didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her was the massive dog that met them in the entryway. She wasn’t sure what kind it was, but from the looks of it, the animal was still in the growing stage by the looks of his too-big paws.
“Dee, meet Dozer. As in bulldozer,” Amos said as he kneeled to give the strange-looking dog a good scratch and rub.
“If he isn’t reminded, he’ll bulldoze you over with his excitement,” Andy explained.
As soon as Amos stood up again, Dozer head butted Andy in the leg and looked up with an expectant expression on his doggy face. Dee couldn’t help but smile as Andy rolled his eyes before bending down to ruffle the poor thing’s fur.
“Go on with you, boy. We’ll play fetch a little later tonight.”
Instead of following directions, Dozer turned his attention to Dee. He looked her up and down then inched a little closer and sniffed the air around her before nosing her hand. She rolled her lips in to control the smile that threatened to explode over her mouth if she allowed it. Instead, she ducked her head and rubbed the massive animal on the head. It easily reached her waist so massive was an apt description in her book.
“Sorry. He’s curious and tends to ignore our orders right now,” Andy said, giving the mutt a slight shove with his knee.
“It’s okay. I think he’s adorable.” Dee scratched Dozer behind his ear and laughed at the goofy openmouthed grin he gave her complete with drool. “How did you end up with him? I thought you were too busy to take care of a pet.”
“Yeah, well. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but we didn’t realize he’d get so big when we got him,” Amos admitted.
