by Lan LLP
Midway through dinner, Lil spoke up. “Kat, Carson shared that you used to dress the family in matching outfits. Do you have any pictures I can see?” she asked with a deviant smile on her face. No. She didn’t. I can’t believe she just volunteered that information to my mother.
“Of course I do. I’ll get them for you after dinner,” Mom offered with enthusiasm. My mother embraces those opportunities with open arms.
“I especially love the Christmas outfits. The ones when Carson and Uncle Mike wore shirts with Christmas tree prints and a red tie,” Nik cackled. “I hope Aunt Kat will bring those classic ones out.”
“Nik, I have some really attractive pictures of you in braces that I can share with your electrician friend,” I warned her with one brow arched high.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Nik hissed.
“I didn’t become a powerful CEO by being a pansy,” I joshed. Lil looked at me in disbelief, probably thinking who is this guy? It’s not often that she gets the opportunity to see me behave so casually with other people.
As soon as Ms. June removed all the plates, Mom dragged out at least four old photo albums and placed them between Lil and Nik. The three of them continued on for minutes, ignored the fact that I was wedged between them. They giggled and laughed hysterically as Mom and Nik filled Lil in on the stories behind each humiliating picture. Dad and I left them to enjoy their time together. We escaped to the den for after dinner drinks.
“Son, Lillian is an amazing young lady. She couldn’t have appeared at a better time.”
“Thank God she did,” I added.
“I know she’ll make you as happy as your mother makes me. Cherish her,” my father advised me.
“Thanks, Dad. I plan on it.”
“Any new development on your missing guys? If you need more reinforcement, let me know. I still have some pull,” Dad offered.
“Those assholes are after a drug they have no business getting their hands on. It’s only effective on cancer patients. If given to people with just osteoporosis, it can be detrimental, especially for the elderly.”
“Some assholes only see dollar signs and nothing else.”
“Isn’t that the truth? I deal with all types,” I confirmed. “Owen’s team and a few of Marcus Ly’s men are working diligently together. I have no doubt they’ll locate my men fairly soon. Thanks for the offer.”
“Are you concerned they’ll come after Lillian if you don’t give them what they want?”
“Yes. It’s been one of my biggest fears. This guilt has been gnawing at my conscience daily. She’s possibly endangered because of me.”
“I know you won’t let anything happen to her. Don’t beat yourself too hard, son.”
“Thanks, Dad. But you know me, I can’t help it. We better get back to the women to settle them down or they’ll get way out of control.”
Dad and I left the den to find all three women sitting on the sofa in the living room still chuckling over the photo albums.
“I’m glad that I can be the center of your entertainment for this evening,” I announced with a deadpan expression that didn’t seem to faze any of them.
“Carson, your mother is lending me some of your family photos so I can make copies for us,” Lil told me with a satisfying grin.
“That’s…very kind of my mom,” I replied less enthusiastically as I gave my mother the wicked eyes. “Are you ready to go, Lil? We have a big day ahead of us.” It will be the last day of our celibacy. Lil nodded her head in response, knowing full well what I had implied.
We bid Mom, Dad and Nik farewell and headed out. Lil mentioned on the drive home that Mom and Nik pressured her for a wedding date so they could check on venues and get the planning started. She told them she needed to check with me first and then get back with them.
“Our mutual birthday, May 31, will be on a Saturday this year,” she hinted.
“Are you trying to tell me something, Lil? Are you finally giving me a date?” I replied with a growing smile.
“Maybe. I’ll have to clear it with my mom first. She’s very superstitious about dates.”
“About six and a half months from now, I’ll be calling you Mrs. Bradley,” I wallowed.
“And I will be calling you hubby,” she replied softly.
Chapter 15
Carson Bradley
To mark our last day of celibacy, I ordered a bouquet of exotic flowers, one stem of every kind to be sent to the penthouse. Waiting isn’t something I’m accustomed to, but Lil is worth any length of my time. Arrangements have been made for me to spend the entire day and evening with her. She has my word to make her moan and scream in pleasure for hours. I’m a man of my word so this is exactly what I intend to do.
Coincidentally, our post-celibate day also falls on the Make It Magical party event. What choice do I have but to make it as magical as possible? Five custom suits and princess gowns were flown in from Italy and are currently stored in a guest closet for Lil to select from. I will wear the matching suit to her dress of choice. Nik has arranged for Remee, the same makeup artist who Lil was fond of, to fly in and transform her face into a princess character. After she’s done with Lil, no one, including me, should be able to recognize her—I hope because that is what I’m paying her top dollar for. The idea of exposing Lil to so many people weighs heavily on my mind, but this is one event I truly want for her to witness personally. I want to share the magic of peace with her.
Lil must’ve received my flowers. I hear a text alert coming from my side pocket.
Flowers are beautiful but they don’t smell nearly as heavenly as you. Hmm…one of every kind? What can that possibly mean;) XOX L
My text reply:
It means that’s how many times I’ll make you cum! X C
Her text reply:
Oh my, hazel eyes…That’s twelve times!!!! XOX L
My text reply:
12x’s sounds about right to me;) See you soon. X C
Tucking my phone away, it’s back to the lab I go. Alex, Sam and I have been dissecting the rare plant specimen that Marcus Ly generously donated to me. We’ve been trying to figure out what component of the pod David used in the drug. There are so many possibilities that it can take us another five years before we can narrow it down without David’s help. This isn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be. I’m praying Jean will offer us some insight when he gets here in a few days.
Physically, I’m here, but my focus is elsewhere. Every thought that surfaces is a thought of Lily. She’s all that my mind wants to wrap around as I sit here staring blankly at my computer screen. I have this urge that’s been pestering me all morning to call her so I can have her soft voice caressing my ears. With no effort, I convince myself to leave the lab to surprise her at the dance studio. Luke texted me their location about fifteen minutes ago.
“Alex, Sam, take the rest of the day off. Give your brains a break. You two can resume with a fresh start tomorrow morning,” I suggest.
“Are you sure we can afford to waste these hours?” Sam asks with uncertainty.
“I’m sure. Now go enjoy yourselves,” I demand, pointing my finger to the exit door. “And don’t show up until after 8:00 a.m. Yes, I’m talking to you Alex.” She smiles and nods her head.
Lillian Ly
Learning to dance is by far the toughest challenge I’ve taken on. I can’t believe I let Andrew convince me to change into our matching dance outfits. They’re over the top, loud and so not me. We look like two colorful flamingos with feathers and sequences sewn haphazardly throughout our ensembles. Vegas is missing two of their flamenco dancing costumes that I’d be more than happy to return to them. It’s impossible to avoid chuckling every time I see our reflections in the surrounding mirrors as we twirl and sway to the music.
After about twenty minutes, Andrew is forced to sit out. His feet can only handle so much abuse from my two club feet in pointy heels. Edison bravely offers to fill in since Belle is running late.
“Are you sure?” I ask with my brows furrowed. “There’s a good chance you can end up like Andrew over there,” I tease Edison as I point my thumb in Andrew’s direction.
“I’ll take my chances,” he trifles with a wink.
“Alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I’ll take it like a true dancer,” he replies with his shoulders squared.
Edison places his left palm on the small of my back which is bare, making me recoil slightly in response. Only Carson has ever touched me there. Andrew doesn’t count because for the obvious reason.
Relax. It’s just dancing. Feel the rhythm and let go.
My body slowly loosens up as I follow the tempo of his lead. He’s suave as he skillfully twirls me around the shiny dance floor. I’m dancing. I’m actually dancing. My hips gyrate on cue as my shoulders sway to the salsa beat. I sneak a glimpse in the mirror to check out my performance. A huge smile materializes.
Yeah, that’s me, looking like a real dancer.
Interrupting my brief second of gloating, Edison tugs me back into his hard chest. We’re intimately close. I can feel the dampness of his perspiration on my fingertips. His warm breath and eyes are on me and so are his clammy hands. Again, they’re on areas of my body that belongs only to Carson. A feeling of awkwardness emerges, making me shrink away.
“It’s just a dance, baby girl,” Edison assures as he draws me closer to him, making me feel even more uncomfortable.
Choosing my words wisely so I don’t offend Edison, I open my mouth to speak, but stop before I even start. I notice his eyes are traveling nervously over my shoulders. Curious, I look into the mirror, facing me, to see what or who is distracting him. I spot a powerfully dressed alpha male standing possessively behind me. His hazel eyes are dark and untrusting—of me or Edison? This, I’m not sure of. I can feel his hot breath glaze over my bare skin, singeing my nerves.
“I’m cutting in if you don’t mind,” Carson demands in a firm tone for my release from Edison’s arms.
“No problem,” Edison replies with a confused expression. He’s probably thinking who the heck is this possessive guy who came out of nowhere.
Without delay, he twirls me around to face an unsmiling Carson and walks away. My heart is now racing even faster than when I was dancing with Edison. I can only imagine what’s going through that impenetrable mind of his. He draws me into his chest and then scrutinizes me from head to toe, pressuring me to give him an explanation with his demanding eyes. I have none. Why do I have guilt smeared across my face? I’ve done nothing wrong, but dance with another man who happens to be good-looking.
Releasing me from his arms but still holding onto my hands, he asks, “Shall we dance?”
“Really?” I reply in shock.
“Yes. Really. I know a few moves.”
Carson gives Nikki a hand signal. She prances over to the deejay and offers him a big, red, flirty smile in exchange for Carson’s song choice, I presume. The music starts off soft and slow and then shifts to a sexy bachata rhythm. Letting go of my hands, Carson loosens the knot of his tie, slips off his jacket and tosses it over to the edge of the dance floor.
He turns to me with a sly grin and asks, “Ready?” with his arms stretched out.
I don’t understand why I’m so nervous. By far, Andrew has been the least intimidating of all my dance partners. Stepping in closer, I whisper, “Yes,” and grip his hands with my clammy ones.
With a quick snap of his wrists, I’m tugged into his chest. His eyes are locked on mine as his feet lead us to the sensual tempo. The first thing I do is step on his left foot.
“Oops. I’m sorry,” I apologize immediately, feeling like a clumsy idiot and drop my head in defeat with a heavy sigh.
“It’s fine,” he assures as he tips my chin up to face him. “Look into my eyes, not down at your feet,” he instructs in a calm and even tone. “Feel the beat and sway your body to the rhythm with mine.”
I release a deep breath and listen to his coaching. My body relaxes and follows his lead. Holy wow, Carson is so good at this. I didn’t even know he knew how to dance bachata. His rigid CEO facade is very misleading. Can I say his sexiness just increased a few shades hotter?
“See. You’re dancing, babe. And may I add I love the way your ass shakes,” he praises with admiring eyes.
I glance over to the mirror and see that Carson didn’t just pay me a phony compliment. We’re moving effortlessly together and as intimately close as possible. His hands are all over my body, but it feels perfectly right to me unlike when Edison touched me. Catching me off guard, he wedges his leg snugly between my thighs and arches my body backward to expose my neck close to his lips. His sweet breath is like an aphrodisiac for me. As I inhale it, the wetness between my legs pools.
“I’ll give you my heart, girl, but you got to promise. Promise you’ll hold me. Touch me. Love me way past forever,” he sings along with Usher’s dissolving voice, covering my body with a blanket of goosebumps. I swear I’m floating on cloud nine until his tone turns stern and controlling. “You’re mine. Never dance with anyone like that again,” he demands in a whisper. “No one’s hands should be on your body, but mine. Are we clear?” he confirms while gazing directly at me.
I knew he wasn’t going to overlook my salsa dancing with Edison. His possessive eyes were interrogating for answers the minute he caught me in Edison’s arms.
“He was just filling in for Andrew since Belle was running late,” I attempt to explain the situation. It does nothing to sway the hard expression on his face.
Releasing me from his hold, he tells me, “Under no circumstances, can that happen again. You know my limits when it comes to you.”
“I don’t like it when you’re jealous like this. You need to trust me,” I fume.
“I do trust you. It’s the horny men that I don’t trust.”
Nik sprints toward us and grabs both our wrists. “Hey you two don’t make a scene,” she mumbles under her breath with a loud, fake laugh to follow. Nik is razor-sharp. She reacts quickly to mend Carson’s eruption. “Carson, are you forgetting Lil is your cousin when we’re in public places?”
“Fuck! I totally lost my mind after seeing Lil in that jerk’s arms. Don’t worry. I can turn this around,” he assures with a heavy sigh.
“It was just a dance, Carson. Andrew can only handle so many punctures to his feet from Lil’s heels,” Nik explains with a wink directed at me. God, I love this woman.
“We better get going. Andrew is waiting over there for us,” I suggest without looking at Carson and then pace away. I wonder if all relationships are like ours—so volatile. One minute we’re inseparable and the next we’re ready to swallow each other whole.
“Where’s Edison?” I ask Andrew. I feel bad that he was stuck in the middle of Carson’s irrational jealousy.
“He went to his car for something and will be back in a sec.”
“Andrew. How are your feet?” Carson teases in a docile tone with his hand splayed on my lower naked back. Damn it. Why does my body falter so easily to his touches? It just wants to melt into his arms even though my brain is upset at him for being impossible.
“They’re fine.” Andrew chuckles. “What a nice surprise to have you here. How did you learn to dance so well?” he queries with widened eyes. I noticed earlier that Andrew was admiring us from the edge of the dance floor.
“To make a long story short, I owed Nik a favor, and she actually cashed in.” Carson rolls his eyes at Nik. “Her dance partner bailed out a month before a competition they both entered. I was her fill-in.”
“Believe it or not, we actually won first place,” Nik interjects in an excited tone as she squeeze her arms around Carson. It’s endearing to see how close they are.
“That’s fabulous, guys,” Andrew tells them in a high-pitched voice.
“What’s going on here?” Belle playfully interrogates while slipping in from behind. “Look who I found in the parking ga
rage?”
It’s Edison. He approaches the group timidly with a guarded expression. I can only imagine how awkward he must be feeling right now, because I know I would be if I was in his shoes.
“Belle, it’s about time you showed up. We’re all done,” I inform.
“Hayden stopped by for lunch today,” she explains with a guilty ‘I just had sex’ grin on her face. How odd that our men paid us both surprise visits on the same day.
Carson turns his attention to Edison. “I’m Carson.” He offers Edison his hand. “I’m Lucy’s overprotective cousin. She’s been hurt more than once by several assholes so I hope I didn’t offend you earlier.” Carson pulls a whopping story out of thin air—just like that. How does he do that with such ease and confidence? It bothers me he can fib so well.
Edison looks at me with a smile and tells Carson, “No harm done. I understand. If Lucy was my cousin, I’d be watching her like a hawk, too. She’s sweet and such a beautiful young lady.”
“I’m glad you understand,” Carson replies in a pissy tone as he watches Edison’s eyes dart back and forth from me to him.
Belle’s eyes widen with concern, but she doesn’t pry. We’ve all been playing this charade for several weeks so everyone pretty much knows their roles and how to react to uncomfortable situations.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to go. I have dinner to prepare for my man,” Andrew pipes up to break the tension between Carson and Edison.
“I’m ready, too,” I second Andrew’s suggestion and walk over to the bench where I placed my bag and street clothes. Shuffling through my tote for my maroon Indiana University sweatshirt, I can’t seem to find it. Oh no, I can’t lose it. “Andrew, do you have my sweatshirt in your bag?” I holler to him.
Andrew digs into his bag and comes up empty-handed. “I don’t have it,” he breaks the bad news to me. “I swear I saw you dump it and your jeans into that bag.”
Where can it be? I begin to panic. I clearly remember changing into this ridiculous dance outfit and then dropped all my belongings into this bag. I don’t get it.
