“Maybe I should cancel, then, if I’m going against type.”
“If you do, I’ll be sorry for you—and disappointed in you.”
Jacqui blinked. Her aunt’s response was unexpected. “You’d be disappointed in me?”
“I know I’m no expert, but I do know from firsthand experience that one of the greatest things I’ve ever indulged in is the man-woman-man tango. Dancing is a lot more fun for a woman if she can relax and let her partners lead the way.”
“It’s not surrendering during the dance itself so much I mind. It’s the idea of surrendering my life and my self-determination, 24-7.”
She could tell by the look on Holly’s face that her words shocked her aunt—but that shock was likely nothing compared the thunder reverberating through her.
“I never knew you felt that way,” Holly said. “I know there was a part of me who used to think that way, too. Growing up I used to wonder how Mother could appear to subjugate herself to Father all the time. But of course I realized, when I got older, that she’d done no such thing. She liked the role she’d chosen for herself.”
“Did she?” Since Jacqui wasn’t one hundred percent certain where that sentiment had come from, she was more than happy to let Holly think she’d been thinking about Grandma Bethune.
“Yes, she really did. She enjoyed hosting parties for Father, serving on committees that would reflect well on him. She told me it was her calling, helping her husband in the only ways she really could. And you have to know your Grandfather might be the head of the family but it’s your grandmother who rules the roost.”
Jacqui looked down at the carrots she’d been peeling and dicing. For as long as she could remember she’d felt a certain way when it came to men like her father and what she assumed they might expect from her in return. She’d never really thought about it, because it was all emotions—gut level reactions that she’d chalked up to some event she didn’t fully recall.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life just bouncing from one emotional reaction to the next, a prisoner of the moment? Or do you want to be the adult you claim to be and take the reins of your life in your own hands?
“Well, hell.”
Holly raised one eyebrow, a nonverbal request for an explanation.
“It looks like I’ll be going out with Will and Norm on Saturday, after all.”
Holly’s smile beamed wide. “That’s great! Let’s go to the mall tomorrow. It’s way past time you got yourself some new clothes.”
“I thought I’d just wear a skirt and sweater. I’d heard those community center dances weren’t dressy.” Jacqui put the carrots into the pot and then tidied her mess.
“They’re not. It was what you’ll have on under the skirt and sweater we need to shop for. After all, you only get once chance to make a first impression.”
“Aunt Holly!” Jacqui burst out laughing, with Holly chuckling right along with her. She wasn’t sure which of the two of them was blushing the reddest.
Holly shrugged, and Jacqui went over and threw her arms around her, giving her an impulsive and heartfelt hug.
“We’ll see if Nancy wants to go with us. I’m not the only one who could do with a few new bits of gift wrap.”
“Gift wrap. That’s a good way of looking at it.” Holly held her at arm’s length and met her gaze. Her aunt—her best friend—was smiling at her. The approval Jacqui read on her face made her feel good.
“Mmhmm, and speaking of gift wrap, maybe after we visit Victoria’s Secret, we’ll go to that large pharmacy so I can get some of the specialized variety of gift wrap.” The idea of shopping for condoms at a large mall in Waco beat the thought of stepping into the Lusty pharmacy and getting some.
She might be guilty of making a few assumptions in her life, but expecting her date to come prepared had never been one she’d made.
* * * *
The bitch knows more than she told me and I’m gonna find out what it is.
As Rick Wilde shadowed the red-haired woman through the mall, he replayed the events of the day before in his mind.
Riding up in the elevator to the thirtieth floor, Rick Wilde had kept his gaze straight ahead, deliberately sending out “don’t fuck with me” vibes. It had worked, too, because people got on and off the car, and respected his personal space.
That was fortunate for them, because he wasn’t kidding about it, either.
He’d been to the fancy Manhattan office tower before, of course. Last time, he’d seen a couple of his fellow celebs in the building. The tony address held a wealth of agents, lawyers and, on the thirtieth floor, a pair of image consultants. Sort of like souped-up salesmen, that’s all those two are. It’s kinda like slapping a fancy label on a bag of horse shit and calling it organic growth material.
Rick snickered as he continued to follow the redhead, the hit he’d taken fifteen minutes before still swimming in his bloodstream, making him happy. The happy didn’t seem to last very long anymore, but it was a fucking fantastic ride while it did.
While it lasted, he knew he was happy and handsome and smart as a whip.
He put his thoughts back to the day before. He’d made his way to the fancy door with the sharp, edgy lettering—Kendall Consultants. The ginger at the reception desk looked up when he entered, her smile wide.
He considered at the time whether he would do her or not—then rejected the idea. He liked his women stick thin, and this one had a bit too much meat on her.
“Good afternoon. May I help you, sir?”
“Yeah, I need to see Will Kendall.” Will was the brains of the outfit, no doubt about it. He was the one in charge and the way Rick saw things, it was Will who needed to set things right for him.
“I’m very sorry, sir. Mr. William Kendall isn’t here.”
“Then give me the other one—Norm.” He could deal with the cousin if he had to. The guy wasn’t much of an alpha dog, but he was better than nothing.
“He’s not here, either, sir.”
“What do you mean they’re both not here?” He’d kept his hat pulled low and his shades on. As a disguise, it might not be much, but it was all he had. Though he didn’t really worry about the bimbo behind the counter knowing that he really shouldn’t be there.
After all, the bench warrant that had been issued for his arrest was out on the west coast, and this was New York City.
New York, where he’d grown up, and where he’d shot his first big hit, Razor’s Edge, was his town. He loved New York. I never should have left here. Everything started to go to hell for me when I moved out to California.
California was just fucking strange, that’s all there was to it. Here in New York, folks weren’t dripping in coconut oil and lies. Here in New York, if a body didn’t like him, he didn’t have to guess about it. New Yorkers could freeze you in place with a stare, or look past you like you weren’t even there.
Who knew what the hell they really thought out there in lotus land?
He pulled his thoughts back, and kept the woman in sight. Those two Kendall assholes owed him. If it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t have gotten so fucking rich and famous. Look at that office they’d moved to! When he’d met them, they were operating out of a little place in Queens. Now here they were in this Manhattan office tower! Talk about moving up in the world.
Like everyone else in his life, Rick Wilde knew those two fast talkers only got to where they were by putting boot prints on his back. It was long past time he got what was owed him.
But the bitch behind the reception desk, with her plastic smile, didn’t even blink as she’d lied to him. “Both Will and Norm Kendall are out of town for the next several weeks, on vacation.”
Fuck! Those two bozos are off on vacation when my life is going for a crap?
“Where the hell are they?”
“I’m sorry, sir, I’m really not at liberty to say. I can leave them a message so that when they call into the service, they’ll know you want to speak with them. Who
shall I say was asking for them?”
The broad hadn’t recognized him. “I don’t want to leave them a fucking message, bitch. I want to see them! Where are they? Where are they?” Bastards were probably up in the Hamptons, with the rest of the sharks. Belly full of other people’s flesh, now they were kicking back and living the high life.
“Sir, I’ll ask you to leave now, or I’ll have to call security.”
Rick had had the presence of mind enough to know that he couldn’t win that round there—not there in the enemy’s turf. He needed to take this war to his turf. Just like Tony Razor, in Razor’s Edge. What would Tony do?
Any fucking thing he wanted to—but he’d be smart about it.
That’s what Rick had to do. He had to be smart. So he’d left the office and the office building, but he hadn’t given up.
It had been a snap to find out the name of the bimbo—Cheryl Brown. From just that, and knowing where she worked, he was able to learn where she lived—the one thing about social media was that people tended to give away far too much personal info, even without realizing it.
He’d had his buddy Marco do the search on the woman, because he was smarter than to try and do that himself.
So he’d figured, Saturday morning, little Miss Brown would have all sorts of errands to run, and sure as hell she had. There’d been a subway stop not far from her place. He’d followed her—different hat, different clothes, and the chick wouldn’t even recognize him if she caught him in her sights.
She headed out of the mall, and Rick followed, anxious for a chance to get this done so he could get his hands on those two image consultants.
They had to fix this mess he was in. But he’d play it cool, just like Tony Razor.
Minutes later, the redheaded bitch turned off the busy street, taking a short cut down a somewhat narrower and more deserted one. Rick shook his head at her stupidity. Good for him, but bad for her.
She never even heard him close in on her. As she stepped down from the sidewalk to cross an alley, he made his move.
She struggled but she was no match for him. He dragged her into the alley. “You’re going to tell me where those two Kendalls are, and you’re going to tell me now, bitch.”
The happy had worn off, and Wilde was glad for it. Tony Razor didn’t need no fucking happy. He was a man on a mission. They’d fucking killed his Pammy—his whole world, and the only thing Tony Razor cared about. The only thing he lived and breathed for was vengeance.
The scene exploded in his mind, just the way Tony Razor would have done it, and it was perfect on the first take. His scenes were always perfect on the first take.
“All right! All right, I’ll tell you! Oh, God, please don’t hurt me anymore! They’re visiting their uncles in Texas for the next month, in a town called Lusty. I swear it! That’s all I know! Please!”
Wilde blinked, his inner rage still simmering but easing. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and his vision. Bent over at the waist, he drew in a tortured breath, and then another. His head pounded and his hands stung. His knuckles were sore and bleeding. No, that’s not my blood. He looked down.
Curled into herself, crying, little Ginger Bitch looked a mess. The words she’d just sobbed out came back to him. They were in Texas? A place called Lusty? It was too ridiculous not to be the truth.
He straightened up, looked around, but saw no one. His glance skirted the woman on the ground. Tony Razor knew that sometimes, there was collateral damage.
Rick Wilde agreed. Now all he had to do was get his ass down to Texas. He had lots of buds in New York City, and some of them owed him. He intended to make sure they paid up.
One way or another, those two Kendalls were going to fix this mess he was in.
They had taken him on as a client and no fucking clause in any contract was going to change their duty to him.
Chapter 4
Jacqui resisted the urge all through the day Friday to call off her date with William and Norman tonight.
She didn’t know what it was she was afraid of, but the sudden certain knowledge, yesterday afternoon that it was a kind of fear behind the impulse to cancel actually sealed her fate.
Jacqui Bethune was no coward.
I might be totally screwed up in more ways than I can count, but I am not a coward. She suppressed a giggle. And no, those did not sound like famous last words to be etched on my gravestone, either.
It was easy enough to keep busy Saturday. Nancy had returned the day before, and with her she’d brought a couple of dozen more boxes of books to be inspected, catalogued, priced and shelved. Jacqui emptied the box she was working on, stacking the last six books beside her. She looked over at Nancy, who wore a look of total contentment as she reached for the next book in the pile she had.
Nancy caught her grinning look. “This is fun, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It really is.” Jacqui knew she was at work, but it sure didn’t feel like work. “Sometimes I want to pinch myself.” The truth was she’d never imagined she’d actually ever be able to work at what she loved to do most.
“My guys were so cool, Jacqui. It didn’t bother them that I kept buying books. Eli reminded me that was the reason we were taking the trip we were on. After we shipped those first few boxes, and the number of boxes I bought kept growing, Jeremiah was all like, ‘no problem, baby, we can rent one of those haul trailers to bring them home.’” Nancy grinned. “It’s good that they know me so well. Other men might have suggested that I should leave some of those books behind, that I didn’t need to buy them all.”
Jacqui shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think you ever would have married any man who didn’t respect your passion for books.”
“You’re right.” Nancy nodded to back up her assertion. “For one so young, you possess astonishing wisdom—which only confuses me because until recently, you haven’t bothered to use any of that wisdom on yourself. About damn time you decided to realize those two new Kendalls were interested in you.”
Jacqui huffed out a breath, making her bangs flounce. “I should have expected you to say something about that, too. Holly got her licks in on Thursday night. I thought you might have commented last night, when we were shopping.”
“No, I was too busy steeping myself in estrogen and bargains. I love those two G-men, but it’s sure nice to be back with my sisters again.”
It warmed her, deep down, that Nancy considered her one of her sisters. “You certainly seemed to be having a good time last night flitting from rack to rack.”
“I did. One of these days, I’ll have to take you and Holly shopping over in Morehead. I’ve been buying a few things online from Discretion, but I want to go back there again in person.”
“I’d like to see that boutique myself, after everything I’ve heard about it.” Jacqui wondered if half of the women in Lusty didn’t shop there.
“Have Will and Norm told you where they’re taking you for dinner tonight? I believe it’s always good to have an idea where you’re going so you know what to expect.”
Jacqui grinned. “Well, since we’re heading to the community center for the dance after supper, and since I work next door to the only restaurant in town, they offered to cook for me, tonight, instead of eating out.”
“So you’re going to their place? Alone? On a first date?”
Jacqui laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes and nearly fell off her stool. “You and Holly are a pair. That was her reaction, too.” She wiped her eyes. “Honestly! First y’all get after me for ignoring William and Norman, then y’all celebrate when I finally say yes to a date, and now, you’re both acting like a couple of old broody hens, with a baby chick venturing out of the nest for the very first time when I tell you they’re cooking for me at their house.”
“Well…” Nancy squirmed in her chair, her facial expression acknowledging the legitimacy of Jacqui’s accusation.
“So I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Holly. Th
is will not be my first date…or my first dance…or, if things go a certain way at the end of the evening, my first anything else.”
Nancy harrumphed even as she smiled. “Yes, I know it’s not going to be your first time. Still, you were hesitant about saying yes to those two in the first place.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m a little worried that your instincts were trying to tell you something was off about those two even though the rest of us were busy urging you to say yes to them.”
Now what did she say to something like that? Jacqui hadn’t been very good at making friends—ever. She’d bonded with Holly early in her life and then, when she’d moved in with her grandparents, the friendship between the two of them had blossomed and become more. She understood that in some ways, Holly wasn’t just the sister she never had. She was the mother she never had, too—although that thought always felt like she was being disloyal to Monica.
But here, in Lusty, where for better or worse she’d decided to sink her roots, she had friends, and after Holly, none was closer to her than Nancy.
The only thing to do with that comment, therefore, was to tell her friend the truth.
“To be honest with you, it wasn’t my instincts that were warning me away from those men, at least not the way I think you mean. I guess you could say it was the chip on my shoulder getting in my way—the one that told me Will and Norm Kendall were cut from the same cloth as my father.”
“Oh, my.” Nancy sat back on her stool, and met Jacqui’s gaze. “You don’t talk about your father very much—I know more about Monica than I do James Robert. I haven’t wanted to be pushy. But that comment is screaming at me to start being pushy.”
Jacqui shrugged. She’d been honest with her friend but that didn’t mean she had to be comfortable with that fact. However, she was reading real concern in Nancy’s eyes. “It’s complicated. He’s never hurt me, like beat me or abused me or anything like that. It’s just…well, I guess a prime example is this. I’ve lived here a few months now, and he hasn’t even come to see me once. I’m the item at the very bottom of his priority list. I always have been, right from the time he left us. My early years are filled with the memory of me getting my hopes up that he’d come to see me, and then crying in my room when, of course, he didn’t show up.” It hadn’t always been like that. She had earlier memories of giggling while her daddy carried her to bed, of a happy feeling deep inside when he tucked her in, when he would read to her or sing to her. She mentally shook her head and refocused on Nancy.
Love Under Two Extroverts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4