by Fields, MJ
* * *
“This is stupid. I know,” Kelsey whimpers as she wipes her eyes with a tissue, trying not to ruin her makeup. “I just can’t believe he would bring her here. He knows this is where I would be on New Year’s Eve. He hated that I made him come last year. He hates dancing, and he just wanted to stay in and watch the stupid ball thing drop on television.”
“He did it just to get a reaction out of you, Kelsey. He is a douche canoe. You want me to deck him?” Dawn is fighting mad.
Kelsey laughs. “No, I don’t want you to deck him.”
“What about her? Can I please break her nose?”
“No,” she breathes through more laughter.
All three of us are laughing now.
“Stop making me laugh, guys,” I protest. I can barely breathe in this dress as it is.
We all get it together, and I turn to Kelsey.
“Hey, you got this. You look like a sexy princess in that dress, and you have Nicco on your arm. Bradley is going to have a seizure when he sees you.”
“Nicco did not sign up for this. I can’t ask him to pretend to like me.”
“Are you kidding? I thought he was going to swallow his tongue when he first saw you tonight. I don’t think it will require him to do much pretending.”
“Right,” Dawn adds. “Plus, he is super hot, mysterious, and a tad scary. Just what you need by your side to face the couple from hell.”
She sniffles. “You think they are a couple now?”
“What I think is that, whether they are or are not, he brought her here just to mess with you. So, instead of letting him see tears or letting them run you out of here, you are going to let that Italian stallion out there twirl you around the dance floor. You are going to laugh, eat, and drink, and they can go to hell. Now, dry it up, and let’s get back to it.”
With that, I see the resolve stiffen Kelsey’s back, and she dries it up. We head back out to the boys. Crisis managed.
Nicco is standing at the buffet, waiting for us. The boys must have filled him in on the Kelsey, Bradley, Tonya situation because I can see it written all over his face. Game on.
Twenty-Eight
Gabby - Past
The next morning, Cross and I wake to banging on the loft door. I look over, and it’s five in the morning. I sit straight up and take stock of myself. I am naked and tangled up in the sheets. The banging gets louder and faster, and I look to Cross, who has hopped out of the bed and is pulling on his jeans.
“Go into the bathroom, Gabby. Take a shower or just wait. Stay in there until I come to get you.”
“Do you think it’s Tony?”
“Not sure. Maybe.”
I decide to do as I was told. I wrap the sheet from the bed around myself and scurry quickly into the bathroom. I place my ear to the door and hold my breath, waiting to see if I will have to jump out and in between Cross and one of my brothers to keep them from throwing punches.
“What the fuck?” I hear Angelica shriek. “I have been calling and texting you for the last three days, and all I get back is a something important came up; talk later text?”
“Calm down, Angie.”
“Calm down? Calm down? Cross, I have been going out of my mind. You missed our date last night. I waited for you for hours before I went on to the wedding … alone. I didn’t even have an answer when people asked where you were. Do you know how embarrassed I was?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging like that. The past few days have been”—he pauses, searching for the right words—“extremely complicated.”
“Complicated, huh? Well, explain that to me, please. What is going on?”
I feel like I should get in the shower and give them some privacy, but I also very much want to hear what is said. I don’t blame her for being upset.
“It’s a long story and one that I will tell you, but can we do it later?”
“Later. Why? We are both here right now. Wait. What the hell?” She pauses in her diatribe. “Whose are these?”
Shit, all of my clothes are scattered across the floor of the loft.
“Angie, I—”
“Whose are they?” she screams.
I decide to go out there and face the music instead of cowering in the bathroom, hiding and letting Cross face it alone. I wrap the sheet tighter around me, and I open the door and step out.
“They’re mine,” I say as confidently as I can.
She turns her angry glare toward me, and I can see the hurt and betrayal written all over her face. I feel sick.
She turns back to Cross. “Really? Her? This is about her?”
“I didn’t mean for you to find out this way,” he says, remorse evident in his voice.
“How long?”
“Just last night.”
“Last night? You stood me up and”—she sweeps her hand out toward me—“fucked this little girl instead?”
She looks back up at me, and then she does a double take. “What the hell happened to your face?”
I bring my hand up to my bandage and hide my eye with my forearm.
“I told you, it’s a long story, and you deserve to hear it all, so if you will go wait in the car, I’ll be out in a minute. We can go to breakfast and talk,” Cross offers.
At that, I snap my head up to him. What? He is going to take her to breakfast. No.
“Cross—” I start to voice my protest.
He cuts me off, “Gabby, why don’t you lie back down and get some more sleep? It’s early. I’ll be back shortly, I promise.”
“I—no,” I whine.
He walks toward me, and I start backing up. He stops.
“Are you serious?” I ask.
“Please, Tesoro. She deserves that much from me.”
I stop and let him reach me. He lifts my chin and places a quick kiss on my lips. I look past him at Angelica, who now has tears in her eyes. He is right. She deserves an explanation, and she deserves to hear it in private. As much as I hate to let him get into a car and drive away with her, I have to.
“Okay,” I whisper, “but hurry back.”
“I will. Promise.”
* * *
I don’t go back to sleep. I can’t. I grab my purse that the boys retrieved from Dante, and I plug in my phone, which has no charge. Then, I go rifle through the refrigerator. After making some toast, I start to pace, and I let my insecurity run wild.
What if he changes his mind? What if she cries and he decides that he really loves her and she is the one he wants, not me? What if she seduces him? Was I crazy for letting him go with her?
I hear my phone power up, and then there’s a symphony of notifications.
Dozens of missed calls and frantic texts start to come in, mostly from my mother and Adriana. I take a deep breath. I’m not ready to face the questions yet. I haven’t even thought of what to say. I know that I can’t tell my mother the truth. If she tells Papa, then Dante is a dead man. If he isn’t already. Plus, I don’t want them to force me to come home, and that is exactly what would happen. Adi, I will tell everything. I just don’t want to do it now, not when I am so preoccupied with Cross and Angelica.
I shoot off a quick text to Adi and tell her I’m okay, more than okay, and that I’ll call her later today to explain.
I get back a, Fine. I might answer if I’m not too angry to speak to you by then. Glad you are not dead, and a middle finger emoji.
I decide a bath is what I need, and I run some warm water and add a handful of Epsom salts into Cross’s large sunken, jetted tub. It is honestly the best part of this place. It sits in a nook between the bathroom and the bed platform. Open to the entire loft. He had it added as an afterthought and wanted it, so he could soak and watch the television in front of the fireplace at the same time. I step down into the water, and I realize how very achy I am. Between Dante tossing me around, my night with Cross, and the lack of sleep, my body is screaming. I immerse myself and turn on the jets. Ah, heaven. I lean against t
he cool tiles and close my eyes.
I hear him come in and cross the room about thirty minutes later. I don’t move. I don’t open my eyes. I don’t say a word. I just stay there and wait, afraid to know what transpired between them. Afraid that he will ask me to get my things and go. He was gone a couple of hours. If they weren’t making up, what could have taken so long? It doesn’t take hours to tell someone you want to break up. It’s five little words.
After a long silence, I feel the water sway. Then, Cross’s arms pick me up, and he slides in underneath me. He pulls me between his legs and settles me on top of him. We lie there in the water for a while, not saying a thing.
“Are you going to tell me how it went? Because I’m not going to lie; I have been here, letting my imagination run wild.”
He grabs a bar of soap and a washcloth from the edge of the tub and starts to lather up my arms.
“We went to the diner down the street. She wanted to go to her place, but I knew that somewhere public would be better. We ordered food, and I told her about what had happened this weekend.”
“You told her about Dante?” There is a hitch in my voice. I didn’t want anyone else to know.
“I had to, Tesoro. She saw your injuries, and I really could not tell her the whole story and leave that part out.”
“Everyone is going to know.”
“She will not tell anyone.”
“You don’t know that.”
“She is not the villain, Gabby. I know you have never liked her, but she is really a good person.”
“A good person who hates me.”
He sighs. “You are not her favorite person, but she is hurt. I should have talked to her before I let anything happen between us.”
“Yes, you should have. We are horrible people.”
“That’s on me, not you.”
“Continue, please,” I push.
“She was livid with Dante. She hated that it happened to you. Then, I explained about us. How we feel about each other. How we have always felt about each other. It was … difficult … for her to hear. But she knew. She said, before she even showed up this morning, in her gut, she knew.”
“How did she know?”
“Baby, everyone knows. Do you think your brothers are going to be surprised?”
Actually, I do think they are going to be surprised. I was surprised.
“I do.”
He laughs in my ear as he moves to wash my neck and chest.
“No, you and I are apparently not very good at hiding our feelings. We never have been.”
And here I thought, I had everyone, including myself, convinced I was over my crush.
“Is she going to be a problem?”
“I don’t think so. She said she always knew that, one day, you and I would find our way to each other. She hoped she was wrong. When you came home from Paris in a relationship with Antoine,” he bites his name out, “she thought maybe she and I had a real chance, but after the summer and the weekend at the Hamptons, she knew it was only a matter of time. I guess I wasn’t very good at keeping my jealousy close to the vest after all.”
“Your jealousy? In the Hamptons?”
“Yes, when Jeremy started rubbing lotion on you. His hands on your skin. I swear, if Lo hadn’t stopped me, I would have ripped his arms right off his body.”
“I thought you said Jeremy was a good guy.”
“He is. I still didn’t fucking like it.”
I turn in his arms so that my chest rests on his, and we are face-to-face.
“So, Lo knows, too?”
“Yeah. I tried to play it off like I didn’t like a guy touching you for the same reasons he didn’t like it, but he knew.”
“Oh.”
“How did you leave things with Angelica?”
“I gave back the key to her place, and we finished eating, and then she drove me back here. It is over.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
It dawns on me that I’m naked in a bath with Cross. I am naked in a bath with him. This is surreal. I lean in and kiss him. I can do that now. I can be naked in a bath with Cross and kiss him.
He slides his soapy hands down my body and palms my ass. I feel him beneath me and glide up and down his hard length.
“Are you sore, baby?”
“Sore?”
“Yes, here?” He slides his hand between my legs and whispers his fingers over me.
“A little,” I tell him the truth.
“We will be gentle with you today,” he says as he starts kissing down my neck and across my chest.
“Mmm.”
“Let’s get you out of this tub.” He stands with me in his arms and steps out. He lays me out wet on the rug in front of the fireplace and then goes to grab us both a towel. He takes his time, drying me off. He flips me over and starts to run the towel gently over by back. He places a trail of hot kisses down my spine to the dip of my lower back.
“I love your back. It’s beautiful.”
He peppers kisses on my ass as he continues prowling down my body. My head is in my arms folded under me, and I just feel. When he spreads my legs apart and runs his hands up the inside of my thighs, I moan into the rug, and he chuckles against my skin.
“Is this where it hurts, baby?” He lightly spreads me open and caresses me.
“Yes,” I breathe.
“I’m going to kiss it and make it all better.”
And he does. He laps at me from behind, and it makes it feel all kinds of better.
Twenty-Nine
Brie - Present
Nicco hands Kelsey her plate and kisses her on the top of her head. Then, he leads her to the buffet with his hand resting on the small of her back. I glance over at Bradley and Tonya’s table, and I see that the message has hit its mark. Bradley is watching the entire exchange with a red face and an intense stare. Kelsey doesn’t even look in his direction. She is fully engrossed in my brother’s attention. Good for her.
We all head back to our table, and Nicco pulls her chair out for her. She smiles back at him, and I pray that this doesn’t backfire. Just as we settle in to eat, preparing our stomachs for all the champagne consumption we plan for the night, Bradley approaches the table and clears his throat. Kelsey looks up to him just as Nicco moves in closer and lays his arm across the back of her chair.
“Hey, Brad,” she says as nonchalantly as she can pull off at the moment.
“Hey, baby. Can we talk for a minute?”
She winces at his term of endearment but doesn’t let the smile fall from her face. “Sure, go ahead.”
He looks nervously around the table and then adds, “Privately?”
Dawn starts to stand up, but Daniel places his hand on her shoulder to hold her in place.
He gives her a look that says, Kelsey needs to handle this herself.
She relents and stays seated. Then, she starts to eat her salad while shooting daggers at Brad with her eyes.
“I don’t think so. We just sat to start eating, and I don’t want to be rude to my friends or my date.”
At that, Brad looks at Nicco and his hand that is now playing in Kelsey’s hair.
“And who is your date?”
Nicco extends his free hand and introduces himself. “Nicco Masters. And you are?”
Bradley looks affronted that Nicco doesn’t already know who he is.
“Bradley Moore. Kelsey’s boyfriend.”
Nicco starts laughing and then says through his laughter, “Funny, she hasn’t mentioned a boyfriend during the past few weeks we’ve been getting to know each other.”
Kelsey looks over at him and beams. “Ex-boyfriend, and I didn’t because it wasn’t worth mentioning.” She shrugs.
“Okay, Kels, you have had your fun. You’ve brought this Neanderthal to my club and have thoroughly embarrassed me. You have gotten your payback. Now, can we please go somewhere a little more private and work this shit out already?”
�
�Did he just insult me?” Nicco raises one eyebrow at me.
“I think he was trying to insult Kelsey.”
He looks up at Brad. “You aren’t very smart, are you?”
“I wasn’t fucking talking to you,” he whisper-shouts at Nicco. “Kelsey, let’s go.”
At that, Nicco slowly slides his chair back and stands up. He towers over Bradley, and Brad just stands there, looking up at Nicco’s now-angry face.
“Back down, little man. You do not want this to play out in front of these people. The lady politely told you no. If I have to tell you again, I will not be so polite.”
Bradley obviously isn’t very smart. “Go ahead. This is my club, and if you so much as lay a finger on me, security will have your ass out of here so fast.”
“Hiding behind security, huh, Brad? Tell you what; you go sit back down with your sleazy date and let me and my lovely date enjoy our evening, and I’ll forget this ever happened.” He moves in closer. “You don’t, and I’ll have your ass screaming like a little bitch before your security team has a chance to put their forks down.”
We all see the fear cross Bradley’s face, but his stupid pride won’t let him back down.
“Really, Kelsey? This is what you want? This lowlife? I cannot believe you. Don’t expect me to still want you after you have been slumming, baby.”
Kelsey bursts out laughing at his statement.
“Him?” She points at Nicco. “He’s part-owner of a super-successful multimedia advertising company in New York City, and he has come to spearhead their West Coast expansion himself. He is gorgeous and funny and great in bed. If that’s slumming, then I’m more than willing.”
At that moment, Tonya walks up and wraps her arms around Bradley. “Honey, your food is getting cold, and I am getting lonely.”
Dawn chimes in, “Speaking of slumming, looks like the trash is getting desperate for some attention. You’d better run along, Brad.”
He shrugs off Tonya’s touch. “We aren’t together like that, Kels.”