by Mira Bailee
“What’s going on here?” Maddie asks slowly, taking in the scene.
I knew if I gave in, I’d spend hours obsessing over every article, gawking at every publicized photo, and overanalyzing every little thing that’s happened over the past couple days. Like any rational person would do, I removed all methods of research, leaving only my mind to relive today over and over. “He kissed me.”
“Whoa. What?” She drops her purse on the love seat blocking off her door, and sinks down into the cushion next to it, hardly caring that I’ve rearranged our living space and locked her out of her room. “Spill, woman.”
“I went to work. He talked to me. He kissed me. We argued. I blew it.” That sums it up.
Maddie shakes her head. “But yesterday…”
“Yesterday, he didn’t know who I was. Yeah, I addressed that in our argument. Didn’t seem to help my case.”
“What did you fight about?”
She sounds more impressed than surprised. Of course she would. I haven’t put myself in a situation to have guy trouble in over a year, and suddenly here I am, skipping the drawn out, stressful relationship, and diving head first into the “we need to talk” stage.
“I…um…I guess I accused him of wanting to sleep with me.”
“But he did, didn’t he?”
“Which is why I accused him. But Number Three does not like to be questioned.” I laugh and throw a couch pillow over my face. “I don’t know what I’m doing Maddie,” I scream into the pillow.
“I’m not sure I know either. But I don’t think disconnecting from all of technology is going to solve your problems.”
I sit up and look at her. “Sorry. It’s just…he kissed me. And. Wow. It should be illegal to kiss like that because I was tempted to do whatever he wanted, and he wanted me to blow off my job to go with him.”
“To have sex?”
“Apparently not. But I didn’t get a chance to find out. He’s mad now. I’m mad now. Who does he think he is trying to get me to skip work, like my financial well-being doesn’t matter?”
“A rich guy who doesn’t have to worry about that.” She keeps a straight face for a second before we both burst into a fit of giggles.
“I would’ve been much better off getting a job at some Waffle House or something.”
“Much better off and so, so bored.” She stands up and escapes to the kitchen, coming back a moment later with two beers and her eyes glued to her phone. “Drink this.”
I accept the bottle and take a sip. “Thanks. But this isn’t going to solve anything either.”
“No, but you’ll want it when you see this.” She’s still staring at her phone as she reads, “‘Roses Are Red and So’s Devon’s Blushing Brunette.’”
My stomach seems to do a somersault as my mind pieces together what I’m about to see.
Maddie keeps reading. “‘Devon Stone was seen today with an unknown woman as they ran a suburban errand at Exotic Blooms. Stone is better suited for the alternative location, but while there were no naked ladies in this flower shop, who knows what he’s being treated to tonight.’” I snatch the phone out of her hands to see it for myself. “What are they talking about? This nonsense is passed off as journalism now?”
I’m not listening to Maddie as I see my first tabloid appearance. They used a shot of us leaving the store. Devon’s arm around me while I look horrified and awkward and embarrassed. Great. I guess it could be worse. At least I’m not scratching my nose or tripping on the sidewalk, but seeing us together in a photo—how could we ever be a match? It’s all too obvious that on the ladder of importance and belonging, Devon’s on top and I’m… across the street as the quiet observer.
“You two are hot together.” Maddie sits next to me looking at the photo again. “He’s all close to you like he really likes you, and—”
“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” I hold up the phone. “It all went downhill from here. I doubt he’d come this close again.”
Maddie lays her head on my shoulder. “There you go, making assumptions about him again. Just wait until tomorrow before you go writing this one off.”
I probably would have called in sick this morning if it weren’t Thursday. But I have to take Maddie with me, so there’s no way I’d get out of going to the Stone mansion today. Instead, I’m counting on Devon being mad enough to not show up.
We pull up to the mansion, and Maddie is just as wide-eyed as I was when I first saw the place. “Wow. What are my chances of scoring the other brother?”
I park the car and glare at her. “You’re here to work. Take it seriously, please.”
She straightens her face into a stern look. “Yes, ma’am. Very serious.”
My phone buzzes with the 10:00 am alarm. Good timing. “Let’s go.”
I lead her in through the front door, and all is quiet inside. Assuming everyone is in the back ballroom, we walk through the house, stopping every several feet while Maddie is taken aback by the luxury of it all.
“A little different than our apartment, huh?” I say.
“You’re telling me.”
We walk past the kitchen where she freezes again. Devon’s in there. Time seems to stop as I see an identical replica of the first Lust List photo I saw of him. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, casually eating an apple. Lucky apple. He’s wearing a black button-down shirt—currently unbuttoned—and cargo shorts. I never thought someone could carelessly look this good.
“Good morning ladies.” He smiles that millionaire grin of his.
“Oh good god,” Maddie mumbles next to me.
I elbow her to snap her out of it. “Keep walking.” Devon holds my gaze for a moment longer before I break away and head toward the ballroom.
Amidst all the party preparations, I spot Celia talking to Keenly. The room is almost ready for Saturday. I’m not sure what more work can be done, but I’m certain Mr. Keenly would think otherwise. He sees me walking over, says something quietly to Celia, and rushes away.
After introducing Maddie to Celia, I turn to find Devon standing behind me.
“You know, you’ll break my fragile little ego if you try to avoid me.”
“I highly doubt that.” I notice Maddie is turned away from Celia and gawking at Devon. “Maddie, Devon. Devon, Maddie.”
“Hey,” she says, keeping it unnaturally cool. I almost laugh seeing Maddie Lowell—for the first time ever—try to keep control of herself. “Nice place you got here.”
“It’s not my place.” He doesn’t even look in her direction, and instead stares at me. “Can we talk?”
Did that just happen? My super gorgeous roommate just tried to get his attention and he ignored her the same way he ignored me the other day?
I turn to Maddie and spin her back to Celia. “Get to work.” I look to Celia, “Do you need anything from me right now?”
She tries to hide a knowing smile. “Nah. We’re fine in here.”
I reluctantly follow Devon out of the room. We end up in the study at the front of the house—the same one Devon and his father argued in during my interview. This room matches the office across the foyer, only instead of a desk, there are couches and a coffee table. I settle into a leather chair, dropping my purse between my feet, and try to think of what I should say. I’m still not sure what I did wrong, but I feel like I owe him an apology.
“I’m sorry,” Devon says before I can say it myself.
“Me too.”
He walks along the perimeter of the room, eyeing the walls of bookshelves. “You don’t need to apologize. I was being a jerk. I shouldn’t pull you away from your work.”
Like you are right now? “No, you shouldn’t.”
“And I shouldn’t throw last minute surprises at you. It seems like you don’t do well with them.”
“No, I don’t.”
Devon stops at a shelf focusing on a small box sitting on it. He opens it and shifts things around inside. Seeming disappointed, he closes it and
continues walking. Again with the ulterior motives. What is he doing?
“I have a boat.”
He makes me want to scream. He rarely makes sense, and when he does, I’m the one who misinterprets him. “And?”
“That’s where I was going to take you yesterday.” On the opposite side of the room from me, he stoops down and attempts to open a locked set of doors. He stands up abruptly and pulls a set of keys from his pocket. His attention is so far from me as he returns to those doors, trying out one key at a time.
“Can you just stop?” I say, raising my voice.
Taken by surprise, he whips back around.
“I don’t know what you’re doing,” I say as he follows my gaze back to the locked doors. “Or why. But just stop and talk to me for a second without having other, more important things on your mind. Talk to me.”
He stands up and leans against the shelves. “We have a family yacht. It’s available to all of us, anytime we want. I was going to bring you on it. Give you an afternoon to relax. Nothing else.”
That wasn’t what I’d expected. “Thanks. I guess. But—”
“You can go with me this afternoon. I’m meeting some friends on it, so it may not be as quiet as it would’ve been yesterday. But maybe that’ll make you more comfortable. A group instead of just the two of us.”
Just the two of us. I like the sound of that. But no, I’m not being pushed around anymore.
“Tell me what you’re doing first.”
“I just said, we’re going on the boat.”
“No. I mean right now. You expect me to go out on the ocean with you, yet I’ve been watching you play cat burglar all week. You’re looking for something. And you said you think your family has screwed you over. What is it?”
He studies the little locked doors again. “My father’s will. I think he wrote me out.”
“Why don’t you just ask him?”
“I did. He told me to drop it.”
Funny, I know how that one feels. “So you’re trying to find it anyway?”
“I am.”
“Is it in here?”
“I’ve searched everywhere else. He doesn’t use this room much, but I suppose that makes it a good hiding place.”
“But you have keys…”
“That I’ve spent this week finding and copying.”
That makes a little more sense. “So? Go ahead.” This isn’t my family drama, and that makes it a little exciting. It’s like we’re having a Bonnie and Clyde moment, and I’m loving the trust he just put in me.
Devon tries a couple more keys before the door swings open. Inside is a safe. “Dammit,” he says. But then he starts hitting buttons, trying code after code. Something tells me he’s been snooping around his family for years. A long beep indicates he finally entered the right combination, and he hurries to go through the contents inside. “Yes!” He looks back at me. “You must be my lucky charm. I’ve been trying to get this thing for weeks.”
He pulls out a sealed envelope and locks everything back up.
“Won’t he notice it’s gone?”
“Not in the time it takes me to make copies and return it.” He stands upright right as we hear footsteps coming from outside. “Shit.”
He rushes over to me, kneels down, and shoves the envelope into my bag as the door to the study opens.
I hear a man clear his throat and realize without context, it’s just Devon hanging out between my legs with a slight look of panic on both our faces. My reputation in this house is getting better by the day…
In the doorway, Calvin Stone gives his son a cold stare. “I want to speak to you.”
“Sure,” Devon says. He pulls the zipper of my purse closed and gives me a knowing stare before following his father out.
I’m officially an accomplice.
* * *
Out in the ballroom, Maddie is pouring a variety of colorful drinks for Celia, showing off her skills. I join them at the bar where they both eye me with anticipation.
“He said sorry.”
Maddie’s face brightens and Celia’s eyes widen. Great, I’ve got two of them to answer to now.
“Don’t overthink it,” I say. “Either of you.” I climb onto a white barstool, clutching my purse in my lap.
I’m watching the bartending action when Maddie freezes mid-pour and almost overfills a shaker. She stares behind me, so I assume it must be Devon again. Instead of turning around, I get Maddie’s attention instead. “A little heavy on the tequila, don’t you think?”
She pulls the bottle upright as Celia reminds her the entire house will be filled with celebrities on Saturday.
Maddie reassures us both. “I’ll have it together by then. I promise.”
It thrills me that I have more restraint than her right now, but then a firm hand grazes my shoulder and trails down my arm, and I can’t even hide the chill it sends through me. Devon leans in close, and I feel his breath on my ear. “Thank you,” he says. His hand continues down my wrist, over my fingers, and to my purse, where he opens it and retrieves the envelope. He straightens up and crosses his arms, hiding the envelope between his forearm and abs. Lucky envelope. “So, this afternoon. You in?”
Me? On? I’m turned on, if that’s what he means. Oh wait, the yacht. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Good. I’ll be back later.”
I watch him leave and turn back to see both Maddie and Celia staring at me, an incredulous look plastered on their faces. “What?”
Maddie raises an eyebrow and looks down at my purse. “Want to tell me what that was about?”
“I’d love to.” I smile. “But it’s a Devon Stone secret.”
By the time my workday is coming to an end, I’m ready to think up any excuse to not go out with Devon tonight. This morning’s euphoric high has worn off, and now I keep picturing myself acting stupid on a boat in front of Devon and his friends.
I could tell him I’m not feeling well. Or I can tell him I have too much to do to get ready for his party. Or…
Maddie and Devon come at me in opposite directions. “Ready to go?” they ask in unison.
“Um…” I look at Maddie who’s looking at Devon who’s looking at me. “Devon, I—”
“Where’re you two heading?” Maddie asks.
“He…uh…invited me on his yacht for the evening.” I pull my keys from my purse, clutching them tight. Quick. Think of a getaway.
“Oh. Fun!” she says while I plead with her through my desperate glare to help me think up an excuse to get out of it. “I’ll need those.” She plucks my keys from my hand, knowing damn well she’s going to leave me stranded so I have no other choice. “You guys enjoy yourselves.”
“Maybe you can come with us?” I say. I’m sure Devon won’t mind one more friend. “There will be a group of us, and—”
“Next time. I have to work tonight.” She gives me a wicked smile and disappears out the front door, leaving me alone with Devon.
He holds his hand out to me. “Let’s go.”
Whatever attempt I was going to make to convince myself to stay away from him… All that reasoning vanishes as I reach out my own hand, and our fingers interlock.
After a short drive to a secured marina, we’re walking up to a dock. A massive boat awaits and my heart quickens. We could sink. I could fall overboard and drown. I could get seasick and throw up in front of Number Three. I think that covers the worst that can happen.
“It’s about time, Stone,” says a guy with shaggy blond hair and an eyebrow ring. A girl in the tiniest bikini possible is dangling from one of his arms. They match our pace as we walk by and head toward the water.
“Shut it, Mac,” Devon says. “I was waiting for my girl to get off work.”
His girl? Since when? Oh well, I’m not correcting him.
Devon steps onto the back of the boat and turns to face me. I hesitate. Running away right this moment would make me an even bigger ass, so there’s definitely no way out of it.
; “What are you waiting for?” he says, holding his hand out for me to grab. Our fingers intertwine as his hand encases my own, and the next thing I know, I’m standing on the deck of the colossal structure Devon so casually calls the boat. It towers over me and every inch is pristine. Solid, dark wood, polished silver, and Stone Label logos inlayed into nearly everything.
And the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on is staring at me with the same level of wonder and interest.
“You know how to drive this thing?” I ask Devon.
He laughs and tilts his head forward to motion behind me. “We’ve got a private crew for that.”
I turn around to see two men in sunglasses briskly approaching the yacht. “You’ve got drivers for everything…”
“I think they prefer to go by Captain and First Mate, but…yeah, it’s nice to let others take the wheel so I can…enjoy the scenery.” His eyes are locked on the sheer, black halter dress I’m wearing. His gaze travels up to the straps and across my collarbone. This evening heat is feeling extra hot.
“Come on. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
And my god, he’s right. We go into a room he refers to as the ‘lower lobby’. It’s bigger than my entire apartment. It’s more like a luxury hotel than a boat. I could curl up on one of the couches—they look so plush—and just sleep here until tomorrow. But Devon keeps ahold of my hand and leads me up a set of stairs. I watch him from behind, feeling dazed that this is even happening. I catch a glimpse of another lobby—this one twice the size of my home. He keeps going up to a third level, and the space up here is breathtaking. Couches and a bar and windows lining every wall. I can see the setting sun through the panoramic glass surrounding us.
“How many people can hide in this thing?”
He smiles and answers. “I’m not sure. You’d probably never find them all.”
I laugh as Devon’s friends take their places around the bar and start setting out glasses and bottles and random other ingredients to start mixing drinks. It’s like they own the place, and as overwhelming as this thing is…I can’t help but feel myself relax as we pull further away from land. It’s like I’m traveling to a new world, living somebody else’s life—and that somebody is damn fortunate.
