The Naughty Collection

by Ruby City Books

  “We’re doing neither. We’re asking her to come and have home-made stuffed French toast, bacon, and good coffee with us, here,” Xander replied. “I’ll talk to her. As far as she knows, I’m neutral, and she’ll be coming to my home for brunch.”

  Chad handed over his phone, but Xander used his own to make the call. The phone went to voice message, and as he had it on speaker, Chad heard her message. “This is Leona Wilding. I can’t take your call just now, but please leave me a message and a number where I may reach you when I can. Thank you.” Xander began to speak, introducing himself, but before he had got much beyond who he was, she picked up.

  “Good morning, Mr. de Graaf. I apologize I was…” she paused, then went on “out of the room just now.”

  Xander smiled, and said, “That’s okay, Ms. Wilding. Chad told me you called, but he didn’t receive the message till just now. I’m in the middle of making brunch for us. Would you care to join us here, in my home? I’m making stuffed French toast, with bacon. And there’ll be coffee, or tea, or whatever else you wish to drink. I can even have some fruit ready for you. What do you say, Ms. Wilding? I’m sure we’ll be more comfortable sitting at my kitchen table than we will be in a restaurant, even a friendly one like Manley’s.”

  Chad had to admire the smooth coolness of Xander’s voice, and the persuasive yet professional tone he used. He crossed his fingers and waited for Lee’s response.

  “I...it’s a rather unusual venue for a first business meeting, isn’t it, Mr. de Graaf? I don’t want to put you out…” Her voice trailed off, and Chad knew enough about her to know she was wavering, most likely because she didn’t want to be rude and refuse such a reasonable and polite invitation.

  “Not at all, Ms. Wilding. I’d be delighted to share a home-cooked meal with you in my home. It will give you a different view of me, of who I am in a non-business forum. You can better determine what sort of person I am in an informal setting, and whether or not you would be comfortable doing business with me.” He paused again, as if to give her time to think about it, and then ended, “As you already know that you can trust Chad, I remain the only obstacle to your making a decision in our favor.”

  Chad could have kissed him just then. He himself knew that Lee didn’t necessarily trust him, but Xander knew he loved Lee, so Chad understood Xander’s motive, and appreciated his lover’s concern. Lee’s voice brought his wandering mind back to the conversation.

  “Well, if you’re sure it won’t be an inconvenience, I’d be delighted to have brunch with you. I’m assuming that Chad will be there?

  “Yes, he will,” Xander replied. “Let me give you the address.”

  Chad waited till the call ended, then wrapped his arms around the man standing before him. Xander hugged him tightly to his warm body, and they stayed like that for a minute, before Chad broke the embrace and said,

  “I guess I’d better put something better on, then, eh?”

  “Why?” Xander asked, looking him over. “You look fine.”

  Chad hesitated, and Xander said,

  “What’s the real concern, here, Chad? Don’t you want her to know about us? Are you ashamed of what we have?” His voice was hard, and Chad hastened to reassure him.

  “No, no...but she’s the only member of the family who doesn’t know about you, and...well, I’d sooner she didn’t think I was trying to trap her into doing anything by using my lover to get to her.” He looked into Xander’s eyes. “You know what I mean, don’t you?”

  Xander sighed. “I understand, Chad, but she’ll have to know, especially if we become an item. I know how much you want that, and I’ll do whatever will make you happy.”

  Chad backed up, suddenly very serious. He didn’t want Xander to make any sacrifices for him. “Look, Xan, if you don’t fall in love with her, this won’t work, and I don’t want you to feel obliged to let a third person into our relationship just to make me happy.” When Xander reached for him, he backed away. “I’m serious. I love Lee, and I guess I always will. But I love you, too, and I have you at last. I won’t lose you because of her.”

  “And I don’t want you to have to choose, Chad,” Xander said earnestly. “If this will become a problem, we need to cut her loose now, before things get more entangled.”

  “No!” Chad quickly denied that request. “Let’s give it a chance first. You said you liked how she looked, that it made you think naughty thoughts. Let’s see if there’s even any chemistry between you. Then we can decide what to do. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Xander agreed. “Now, slice the ham and the cheese, while I make the pockets in the bread.”

  They worked quietly together, and while Xander set the slices in a shallow baking tray and put them in the preheated oven, Chad lay the table in the breakfast nook. They each had a cup of coffee while they waited, and once the oven timer dinged, Xander took the French toast out and put in a tray of bacon. She would be there in a few more minutes, and the house had that wonderful smell of bacon and maple syrup, because Xander was warming the syrup in the microwave. Chad brewed a second pot of coffee, and as the oven timer dinged again, the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll go,” Chad said, walking out of the kitchen as Xander took the bacon from the oven. He could see Lee though the decorated double-paned glass front door, and his heart skipped a beat. He knew this was probably going to be the most important meeting of his life, and he didn’t want to mess it up. He looked at himself quickly one last time, and hoped Xander was right about his attire. Faded jeans and a Queen t-shirt and bare feet might not impress the schoolmarm Lee had turned herself into. Because of him. Plastering a smile on his face, he opened the door.

  “Good morning, Lee,” he said, forcing cheerfulness into his voice. “Come in, come in!”

  He stepped aside to let her pass him, admiring the way her wide hips filled out her black jeans, and her full breasts stretched the button-down red top she wore. Wedge-heeled sandals matched her top, and the hoops in her ears completed a sexy-as-hell outfit that made his body stir. He caught himself just before she caught him staring, and looked away, towards the kitchen.

  “Come through, please. Xander is finishing up in the kitchen.”

  When they walked in together, Xander had just put the maple syrup on the table, and he turned to smile at them both. He extended his hand as Lee approached, and said,

  “Welcome to my home away from home!”

  Lee smiled back at him, and it was all he could do not to react to the buzz that shocked him at her touch. She looked absolutely beautiful, and he looked behind her to Chad, whose eyes showed the same appreciation that his did.

  “Please have a seat. Anywhere,” he added, when she hesitated. “Food’s ready, and it’ll be much nicer if we have it while it’s still warm.”

  Both men waited until she had chosen her spot, and noted that she chose the one with her back to the window, casting her face in shadow. They sat and Xander invited her to help herself to whatever she wanted.

  “Are you a chef, as well, Mr. de Graaf?” she wanted to know after taking her first bite of the food.

  Xander laughed and shook his head. “Not at all. I just love to cook. And please, call me Xander.”

  “Where did you learn to cook?” she wanted to know next.

  “My mother was an excellent cook,” he answered, “and always let me help her in the kitchen. Then in college, I realized I didn’t much care for the food I was being fed, so after Chad and I met, we became housemates, and I practiced all the skills I had learned at home.”

  Her eyes opened a bit wider, as she turned to look at her stepbrother, who had been a silent witness to the exchange.

  “Oh. So you’ve known each other for a while, then.” Her tone was neutral, carefully so.

  “Yes, nine years,” Chad said. “Since before you left home for London.”

  “So, tell me how you came up with this plan,” she said, looking at Chad, who recognized that she was putting the brakes on personal conversati
ons. She didn’t want to reveal anything personal herself. He followed her lead, and Xander chimed in, also playing her game.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lee did not want to be charmed by either of the men sitting with her at the table, but it was proving difficult to remain aloof. She had come there already tingling with anticipation, knowing she would be seeing Chad again, and recalling how his friend had made her shiver. She ought to have known that she would not be able to stay distant from Chad. And if she were honest, the idea of working with him was exciting to her, though she refused to examine the reasons for her excitement. And even as she refused to consider why she was so thrilled at the prospect of more time with Chad, she skirted around the attraction she was feeling for his hot Dutch friend, who was watching her like she imagined a hawk watches prey. She had been watching the dynamic between him and Chad since they sat down to eat, and they seemed really comfortable with each other, almost like a couple. If she hadn’t already discovered that Chad liked women, she might almost have thought they were a couple. But she discounted it out of hand, and when Xander suggested that they adjourn to his office for the meeting, she willingly agreed. An office seemed a more fitting venue for business discussions of any kind. It would help to keep things impersonal. She felt grateful to him, yet again, for seeming to understand what she needed.

  She found she couldn’t read Chad, though, and that bothered her. He was cool with her, though with his friend he was the opposite. She knew she had probably pushed him away for good, and a part of her regretted it, especially now that they might be working closely together. The other, admittedly smaller, part saw that it might be better all round if there were no feelings between them. So she felt like a skittish colt as she settled herself in the wide chair that Xander led her to in his opulent office. She wondered vaguely how much he was worth, and looked around the room for clues. Although it was clearly a man’s space, with its heavy furniture and dark colors, it was also a warm space, comfortable, welcoming. She could imagine sitting here after dinner, sipping wine and looking out the elegant French doors to the garden that she could see, complete with fountain and statuary. And the accessories on the walls and tables added to that feeling of home. Her eyes stopped on a picture of her host and Chad, and the way they looked at each other brought her eyes over to her stepbrother, who was watching her as keenly as his friend had been before.

  “That’s a great shot,” she said, and then was immediately horrified at herself for the impertinence. She had no business commenting on anything but the business she was there to discuss. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Chad forestalled her.

  “It is, isn’t it?” He looked at Xander as he spoke, and the smiles that lit their faces was the most intimate thing Lee had ever witnessed between two people other than her parents. “That was taken four years ago, in Barbados.”

  Lee remembered the time, because it had been one of the few holidays when Chad had not been at home. Now she knew where he had been, and whom he had been with, and the enormity of the knowledge he was sharing with her bowled her over completely, even as it broke her heart. Because if Chad was gay, then there was no chance in hell for her. Feeling like she had just been blindsided by an eighteen-wheeler, she closed her eyes for a moment, to steady herself, and breathed away the pain that bloomed in her chest. Something must have shown on her face, though, because Chad was immediately at her side, his voice full of concern.

  “Are you all right, Lee? You look a little pale.”

  Forcing herself to relax, she opened her eyes, and was surprised to find tears pooling in them. She lowered them immediately, and said,

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit of indigestion. Maybe I had one too many slices of that delicious French toast.”

  Knowing she needed more than a moment to recover, she asked to be shown to the powder room, and was relieved when Chad escorted her to it without any further questions. She dried her eyes, smoothed a bit of powder over her cheeks, re-applied lip gloss, and washed her hands. Time to focus on what she had come there for. Discovering Chad’s secret was all fine and dandy, but it had nothing to do with why she was there. Best she remembered that, she admonished herself. As she neared the door, she could hear the men speaking, and instinctively she slowed her steps.

  “She’s a very astute young woman, isn’t she?” was Xander’s question. “I’m just not sure how she feels about it, now she knows.”

  “If you mean is she bothered by it, the answer’s no. Lee’s not like that. I think it’s just a shock. Like I said, when I ran from you that time in college, I used Wendy to hide the truth from myself, but also to stop me from jumping her bones. Now she probably thinks I’m gay, so she’s still lost to me, until she hears the whole story.”

  Chad sounded frustrated, and she gasped at the new revelation. How many years had they both wasted, not talking to each other, believing things that weren’t true! She knew she would have to do something to change the situation, and resolved that once they had come to some agreement about the job, she would address it. She was tired of denying herself the love she had wanted all these years. She was ready to go as far as Chad wanted to go. It was past time. Decision made, she squared her shoulders and walked back onto the room to find them standing next to each other by the imposing desk, waiting for her.

  “All right now?” Chad asked, while Xander examined her features minutely with his piercing blue eyes.

  “Yes, thank you.” She looked both men in the eye and smiled, and then said, “Okay, let’s get down to brass tacks.” She resumed her seat, took her tablet out of her bag, and waited.

  The meeting went well after that. They discussed what had already been done for the school, what her role and theirs would be, and then Xander asked her what she was thinking.

  “I’ve thought a lot about it these last two weeks,” she said, “and my only concern, really, is when you would expect me to begin there. I’d have a lot of loose ends to tie up here, for starters, but there’d also be things I’d need to do there before I begin.”

  “Perhaps we can help,” Xander said. “Tell us what you’re thinking about.”

  She explained her concerns about having to give notice, about the lease on her house, about shipping her things back home. And then there was the question of where to live once she was home. She had not lived in her parents house since she was eighteen, she reminded Chad, and had no desire to return.

  “We can help with housing once you’re back home,” Chad said, but offered no further comment.

  “Just remember my budget,” she said. “I’m not independently wealthy, as it’s clear you now are.” She offered a small smile to take any sting out of her words. Chad didn’t answer, only smiled back at her.

  “As to the issues here, I think we can wait till the end of the school year,” Xander said, “so you’ll have ample time to give notice. And if you’ll allow us, we can help with the other major issues as well.”

  “Won’t there be a problem with my being hired if there’s no transparent process?”

  Xander lifted a brow. “Transparent how?” he asked.

  “Well, have you posted the job over there? Who is applying? Will I also have to apply? Isn’t there a board that directs these things?”

  “All reasonable questions,” he answered with a smile. “This is why we need someone like you in our corner. The board of trustees has given us complete oversight, but we did introduce them to the two candidates we thought would fit the position. We told them who we wanted, after they told us who they preferred. Turns out, you’re it, unanimously agreed upon.”

  Lee eyed him skepitcally, and Chad chuckled. “Scout’s honor, Lee, we didn’t twist any arms, I promise you.”

  She relaxed, and nibbled her lower lip in thought, unaware of how the gesture was affecting Xander. “Okay. That’s a huge relief to me. So, am I signing papers today, or do we need to meet again?”

  There was a pause, enough to make her look sharply at the two men again. T
hen Chad spoke.

  “You can sign the papers today, if that’s what you want, but the contract won’t go into effect until the Fall, which means…”

  “Which means I can change my mind at any time between now and then,” she concluded.

  “Yes.” Neither man offered any further response.

  “Why? Why give me so much latitude?” She was suddenly suspicious again. She watched them look at each other, and then Chad pulled up a chair next to the one she was sitting in.

  “There’s something else we need to talk about,” he said. “Xander and I have already discussed it, and we know what we would like to happen. But it won’t happen unless you agree to be a part of it.”

  He paused again, looking over at Xander, who came to him as though he’d been called, and squatted next to them both. Chad took a deep breath and continued.

  “I know you’ve thought me out of reach for all the years we’ve known each other, Lee, and particularly since your senior year in high school. That’s been my fault, but something momentous happened to me that year, and I was too much of a coward to deal with it then.”

  Lee stopped him, leaning forward to touch his hand, the first voluntary contact with him that she had made in nine years. “I think I know what you’re going to say, Chad. I overheard you talking to Xander earlier.”

  He turned his hand so that hers was now cradled in his. “That’s not the half of it,” he said, “but it’s a place to start. I fell in love with you almost from the first moment we met, but you were my step-sister, my kid sister, and I was still too young to know how to deal with those feelings. And that Christmas when I came home with Wendy, I had known Xander for a year and a half, and was also in love with him, but I couldn’t allow myself to believe that those feelings were real.”

  He turned to look at the man crouching next to them, and another of those intimate smiles lit up his face. “Xander has always been the braver man,” he said, “and I still have to blink twice, sometimes, to accept that he let me back in after I ran from him. And now,” he continued, “I’m asking you to do the same for me. I’ve accepted who I am, and I need you to accept me too.”