My Best Friend's Brother

by Candy Gray

  “I don’t think it will be so bad. Ella would love the party, and it’s good for her to meet people.” Halle glanced toward her sister, and I could only guess what kind of sly look the two of them were exchanging. “Thank you, daddy, for the suggestion.” She pulled her wine to her lips and then met me with a slow spreading smile that ended with a flash of teeth.

  I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I turned and gave him a warm smile. “Yes, thank you. It does sound like fun.” I glanced down the table at Millie who stared at the twins as if she could read their minds and as she met my stare, her look was apologetic.

  I was going to the gala whether I liked it or not.

  Chapter 4

  Aiden

  Zep and I had gotten our hands on the official gala invite and had duplicates made by the original artist so that we could pass them out at our whim. As we strolled through our favorite night club, Zep had already dwindled his stack to nothing, and I only had a few. I was saving those for the girls down at the country club, but my plan was well under way.

  I sat at our private table in the VIP section eye fucking one of the hot waitresses who had flashed me enough cleavage to get my attention as Zep elbowed me.

  “Look who's here.” His smile widened, and he turned to face the girls who were approaching, a matched set of legs and tits and enough venom to kill a man. The Blue Twins were hot, no arguing that, but their sour attitudes had turned me off from the moment I’d met them two years ago. Halle was the edgier of the two, with her star-kissed cheek— a tiny tattoo she’d had done during the first season of her reality show—and her blue-tipped black hair that seemed to be her trademark, stopped in front of Zep and trailed her eyes across my body. Sadie did the same and then sat beside me as Halle leaned into Zep’s side, practically in his lap.

  “We got your invitation,” said Halle as a third girl, a tall and plain blonde, glanced around nervously with a doe in headlights look. She looked like she had bedhead and was totally out of her element. She didn’t manage to hold my attention as Halle spoke. “I can’t wait until the gala. I hope the both of you save me a dance.”

  Sadie leaned in closer as if she could devour me in one bite. “I’d like you to save me a bit more than a dance.” Her words were an offer as she leaned in so close I could see down the front of her dress. Her perfect tits were tight, and it was apparent that she didn’t have anything on under the thin, silk dress.

  She snaked her hand onto my thigh and rubbed dangerously close to my crotch. I had blood flowing already from the eye fucking I’d been preoccupied with before they strolled up, sending the gorgeous girl scurrying away.

  Her sister wasn’t being outdone, and though she leaned across Zep’s lap, she offered herself to me. “I’m sure there’s enough of you for two.”

  “So all those rumors are true?” asked Zep, still holding onto Halle’s waist as she leaned across him.

  She snaked her hand down to Zep’s cock and rubbed him through his pants. “We’d let you join in as well, Zep.” She and Sadie giggled as Sadie’s hand moved to my cock, and she leaned in closer to my ear. She had the same black hair as her sister’s only hers hadn’t been chemically altered in blue, but she also lacked the star beauty tattoo. Even though she was the more natural of the two, her own hard expressions made her exotic enough in a predatory way, as if she could kill you with one icy glare.

  “We’d make you feel so good.” Her brow lifted and she turned to her sister, throwing her arm around her twin’s neck. “Maybe they want to watch us play, sister?” She licked Halle’s cheek in a nice, long, slow stroke, and then the two turned to face one another as they shared a quick kiss on the lips.

  About that time the klutzy blonde choked on her drink, and as she placed it on the table, she spilled it. It happened so fast the trail of liquid spilled down to my pants and ran across the table to Halle’s top.

  “You stupid idiot!” Sadie snapped as her sister sat up and flashed narrowed eyes at the girl. She was still coughing, and I turned my head away from her and then got up to go clean myself up. Zep was behind me a moment later.

  “Are you going to take them up on that offer?” At first, I thought he would be upset they’d wanted to include me, but that wasn’t it at all, he’d take them any way he could get them. “Dude, you’ve got to hit that.”

  “I thought you wanted them, get back there and make a deal for yourself, I’m not interested. They can take their babysitter and go home.” I ducked into the bathroom and past the freaks who were there to share hits.

  Zep practically growled. “Man, you’re no fun. It’s not like we’ve never shared before. You keep this up, and you’ll end up with someone like that clumsy chick. What a train wreck.” As I wiped up my pants, I had to agree.

  “Those two are not my speed. Besides, they are a bit young for me.” They’d only turned twenty-one a few months ago and the only reason I knew that is because they’d have a huge party and that’s where Zep had fucked Halle.

  “You won’t find bigger freaks in the sheets, my friend. I don’t care how old they are, they’re legal and not in their teens, so I’m down. Give this to me, and I’ll never ask you for anything ever again.”

  “No. You have at it, but not even my mother would want me with one of them, much less the two of them. They’re bad news, and their whole lives are documented for that fucking reality show. I’m surprised that shit’s still airing.”

  “They aren’t that bad.” Zep was letting the promise of pussy cloud his judgment, but I wasn’t falling for it. It wasn’t like either of us were hurting in that department.

  “For the last time, no. The gala is a week away, and I’m going to concentrate on finding someone I like. If I’m caught hanging with the two serpent twins then no decent girl is going to come within two feet of me, billions or not.”

  “Everyone who knows who you are will know of your billions anyway. How will you know that’s not what anyone could be after?”

  “I’ll know it in my gut. She’ll be real, untainted by the glam and unfazed by the idea of money. She’ll want to know about me. You know, that’s one thing I’ve noticed. No one ever asks me a damned thing about myself. They are so wrapped up in my money all they can manage is to tell me what they like in hopes that I can give them something. Half the women I’ve dated don’t even know my middle name.”

  “Well, it’s a rather nerdy name, so you might just want to keep that under your hat, Bernard.” Zep snickered, and I met his eyes with a glare that reminded him I knew all too well where his own name came from.

  “That’s kind of hypocritical coming from someone named after a flying gas balloon.”

  “I was named after my father’s favorite band, one of the greatest of all time, fuck you very much.” He released a breath, and we both left the bathroom, heading back to find a new table as our last one had new occupants.

  I sat down at the first one that was available and the waitress I’d slept with a few months back came strolling by. She shot me a glare as she approached. “Can I get you anything?” She turned and smiled at Zep who slipped in his order.

  “Just get me a beer.” I eyed her up and down, remembering her long legs wrapped around my naked ass as I pounded her.

  “Sure thing, honey. I’ll get you your beer with the same effort you took to call me after the sex we had.” She sauntered away, and I had to respect the girl. Most would have been insulted but never called me on my shit.

  Zep belted a laugh that was loud enough to turn a few heads in our direction, the ones that weren’t already staring. “Ouch! I like that woman.”

  “She was good. Maybe you should try her.” He made a face that told me he just might.

  “You know, I gave her an invitation to the gala earlier. With the way you’ve disposed of a few of the locals, things could certainly get interesting.”

  About that time the plain Jane who’d spilled her drink rushed past us on her way to the bathroom, she’d apparently spilled again
, the front of her blouse was soaked, and tears trailed down her cheeks as she passed.

  Zep curled his lip and gave me a nudge. “Poor thing, I’m sure Halle and Sadie are going to eat her alive.”

  Without gawking at the poor creature, I stared across the room in the opposite direction. “Better her than me.”

  Chapter 5

  Ella

  Halle turned in front of the three-way mirror and checked the back view of the dress as I sat watching. I could have been in my own room, looking through my collection of my mother’s gowns and choosing just the right dress for the gala, but I was expected to be at the twin’s beck and call and, apparently, they needed all hands on deck to choose the proper dress. It wasn’t as if they valued my opinion at all, but anything to keep me busy and at their mercy made them happy.

  Luckily, I still had a week and already had one of the gowns in mind, and it would be there when I got a free moment. I didn’t want to suggest stepping away after what had happened the previous night. I hadn’t meant to spill my drink, but I’d choked on a piece of ice, and it had just happened.

  I hadn’t wanted to go out anyway, but the girls had insisted. Of course, that was only after they gave me ten minutes to get ready and hid my flat iron. I’d only had time to brush out the wavy strands, not control them, and by the time the humidity had hit it, it was one big mess. But that wasn’t the worst thing they’d done. They’d taken my contacts the night before, and I’d spent the entire day looking for them. I’d been a squinty, clumsy mess, just as they intended. I knew they’d done it simply because of their father’s suggestion and to show that if I was going to be their tag along, I was also going to be their comic relief.

  The worst part of the night was when Halle accidentally spilled her drink too— all down the front of my dress. I’d run to the bathroom crying, but hadn’t let either of them see my tears. They were mostly tears of anger, tears for wanting to get revenge and knowing that if I ever wanted to get away from them and out of the Blue mansion, I’d have to suck it up at least until I had earned some money. According to Nola, who’d always been like an aunt to me, the banks had come for the money my mother had borrowed to do her chemo. Apparently, she hadn’t had any insurance on herself. I was thankful for Nola for looking out but hoped that once things were settled, I could make a new life on my own and build my career. That was the only reason I’d wanted to go to the gala.

  I planned to wear some of my custom jewelry pieces and hopefully make a few future clients. Many people still wanted to get their hands on my mother’s designs, which had increased in value after her death, and I hoped there would be a bit of interest in my stuff from that.

  My mother had wanted that for me, she’d taught me everything and had promised to get me into the right circles, and though I had a few connections still up my sleeve. I wanted to be ready for them. Ready with my own studio.

  “I’m sick of wearing blue,” snapped Sadie, tossing the silk scrap of fabric to the floor. The designer, Perry Morgan, rolled his eyes and stepped away.

  “Then what color would you like?” He seemed to be losing patience, and I couldn’t blame him. He’d brought several swatches of fabrics and a few dresses for them to try.

  “Green. Purple. Red.” Sadie ticked off the colors on her fingers and then walked over to the sofa where she plopped her ass and glared up at the man. “Anything but fucking blue.”

  Halle tilted her head and cupped her breasts, turning and checking out her bought rack. “Fine, I’m wearing blue anyway, and I don’t want to match like a couple of losers.”

  “I thought you chose the black gown.” Sadie put her hands on her hips and turned to face Perry. “I want to wear black, then.”

  “Brilliant. I know the fabric.” He flipped through his swatches, and he and Sadie were hugging a moment later, her face barely registering a smile, but his lit with pure joy.

  “You better make sure whatever scrap you wear is waterproof.” I turned to see that Halle was talking to me. “And I’ll warn you now not to embarrass us.”

  “Or things will get real ugly when we get home. Worse than last night,” Sadie added.

  Millie stalked into the room, and Halle stood down, returning to her mirror as if the two hadn’t been bullying me the moment before. She hadn’t cared if Perry overheard her bitter comments, but she didn’t want her grandmother to.

  The man gave me a sympathetic glance. “You are going to the gala? Shall I make a gown for you?” His accent was as thick as syrup like he had something hung in the back of his throat, and he lifted a brow and his nose and peered down at me.

  “No, thank you. I have something in mind already.” There was a pretty, bright blue silk dress, which matched my eyes perfectly in my mother’s things that I was hoping to wear with my favorite set from my personal collection. It was a much prettier shade than the blue that Halle was wearing which clashed with her hair.

  Halle rolled her eyes and Sadie shook her head, but Millie, she smiled brightly. “I’ll bet whatever you choose will be beautiful. Your mother was always a beauty at the gala. She had a lovely sense of style and was simply elegant and an example of true classic beauty—just like yourself.”

  “My mother went to the gala?” I hadn’t ever known she’d been.

  “We both did,” said Nola as she sauntered into the room. I hadn’t heard her make her entrance, but she stood behind Halle in the mirror and fingered the hem of the dress as if checking it for quality. “You were only a little girl, then, but we went almost every year for a while. Your mother’s designs opened many doors for her, as did being my friend.” She turned her head to slide her sideward gaze in my direction. “It was a different generation then, and now the gala belongs to our children.” Her children, she meant.

  Sadie stepped up next to her mother in the sample dress of the one Perry would make for her in black and passed her mother the scrap of fabric that was to be its color.

  “These dresses will look lovely, but they’ll need the proper icing.” Her eyes met mine through the mirror’s reflection. “Ella, darling, I’m sure you have something in your mother’s collection that would finish these dresses off right.”

  My face paled as I was put on the spot. “I’m sorry, Nola, I don’t think I could bear to loan out my mother’s collection.” I’d vowed not to part with it, and it was my most cherished possessions. Everything else had been taken away from me, my home, my mother’s money that was to be my inheritance, and the very thought of loaning them, where anything could happen to them, much less the thought of them draped across the vile twins—my stomach turned.

  “Excuse me? I hardly think it’s too much to ask, considering.” Nola’s eyes hardened with her expression. Here was a woman who’d been like family, who’d done everything to help me. How could I tell her no?

  I fumbled through my thoughts, unsure of how to refuse—if to refuse. “It’s just they are all I have, my security. It’s—

  “We’ve done an awful lot for you, Ella. Invited you into our home and trusted you with our security, surely you can’t mean you don’t trust us with a few pieces that would surely be returned unharmed.” Her tone was clipped, but before I could respond, Millie stepped in.

  She gave Nola a harsh glare. “It’s highly inappropriate to suggest that Ella owes you anything, much less her most cherished possessions. If you’re so trusting of your daughter’s, then perhaps you should trust them with your own valuable pieces. I’m certain you have something just as lovely that Layla designed.”

  Nola’s face paled, and I could have sworn a muscle in her jaw feathered as if she’d clenched. But then her expression softened into a smile. “Of course, forgive me, Ella.”

  Halle snorted. “Like we’d want to wear her cast-offs anyway. Not when we can be loaned anything we want from any designer in town.”

  Sadie’s eyes met mine in the reflection, but instead of a smile, a sly cunning glare sent her head sideways. That was the look of a viper ready to strike
, and I knew once she sank her fangs, the death would be just as slow.

  Nola kept her expression blank, but I could tell she was sick of Millie sticking up for me, especially since after that no one spoke for a long while, and when they finally did, Millie had stepped out, and I was back to being invisible.

  Chapter 6

  Aiden

  Getting dressed up for events had never been something I appreciated when I was younger, but now that I could choose my own styles it wasn’t as terrible. Zep and I had decided that instead of going out to find something, we’d use my wealth and have the designers come to us. Doing so also meant that Zep could sleep in as long as possible and by the way he was curled up next to the sexy brunette when I peeked in on him he needed it.

  I stood in the mirror while Frenchie, my mother’s recommended designer made a few adjustments on the tux. The man had done one suit for me in the past, and the thing had fit so perfectly that I hoped to have the same luck.