This causes Angus and me to laugh, which causes pain to shoot throughout my body. In the end, it’s a cross between laughing and groaning for me with Angus laughing harder at me.
I turn to look at her, and she’s stone-cold serious, no trace of humor anywhere on her gorgeous face. It’s like throwing a bucket of ice water in my face.
I stop.
I sigh in frustration. “What if something happens to you? What if I get you killed, too?”
From the doorway, Sean says, “We won’t let that happen. We’ll keep her safe. She’s precious. No one is laying a finger on her.”
I glance up at Cherie, and her face has gone all soft at Sean’s words. Instinctively, I reach out and grab her hand. Cherie’s eyes find mine, and she smiles. I tug on her hand, and she sits beside me, draping an arm behind my head. I look back at Sean and smile at him, letting him know she’s mine. For a moment, he looks thunderous, and then he shakes himself and moves further into the room.
Smirking, Sean says, “We’ll wire her. I’ll do it personally so no one can find it.”
“Like fuck, you will.” I sit up straighter causing my body to protest with sharp pain, but I keep a lid on it and glare at him.
“Will you two stop it?” asks Cherie. “Honestly, this isn’t high school. Angus can wire me up in this room with you watching.”
Now it’s my turn to smirk at Sean, who is looking at my woman like she could walk on water. I’ve never seen him look so reverently at any woman, although I haven’t seen him in three years. I guess we’ve all changed.
“Sean, you give me your word Cherie will be safe, and I’ll agree.”
“On my life.”
With those three words, I nod.
Cherie grabs my head, pulling me closer to her and kisses the side of it.
“I don’t know if he still visits there, but Lamond used to frequent an exclusive gentleman’s club on Sixteenth Street. Hell, I don’t know if it even exists anymore,” I say as my brothers filter into the room.
“It’s still there. I can get her in,” states Lochlan. His eyes are red-rimmed, and he holds my gaze. “Being an international model gets me in almost anywhere. I’ll get my agent to contact the club. It should be easy.” Lochlan’s gaze moves to Cherie. “I’ll need to bring another woman with me, so it looks like I’m ignoring you. That way you can sit at the bar and try and catch Lamond’s eye.”
“I don’t know anyone here,” replies Cherie.
Lochlan smiles. “It’s okay, I have a few female friends I can count on.”
“I need to go shopping,” states Cherie.
“I’ll take you.” Sean steps forward, grinning.
“No, you won’t. It has to be Loch or someone not affiliated with the club. The minute Lamond finds out you’re not at the warehouse, he’ll be on alert,” says Kyle with authority. “Hell, he might not even come out to play.”
“Have you got people on the warehouse where I was being kept?”
“Yeah, no one’s gone in yet. It’s risky, but we were thinking we could get your friend, Rio, to phone him and set up a meet at the club.”
It’s a good plan if Lamond takes the bait. All we need to do is get Rio to go along with it. I’m thinking he wants out of the pit we’ve dropped him in, so he shouldn’t need too much persuasion.
I look at Lochlan. “Does he know you’re my brother?”
“Yes, but it’s not unusual for me to be in DC or for me to be in exclusive clubs. I’m friends with Colton Anders, quarterback for the New England Warriors. He’s in town tonight. I’ll ask him to join us.” Loch glances at Cherie. “He’s a player, he’s good-looking, cocky, and you’re so his type.”
“I know who Colt Anders is. Hell, every woman in the United States knows who he is.”
“Loch…” I begin to say.
“I’ll tell him I’m bringing some women with me, which means now I need three, and I’ll tell him Cherie is off-limits. You okay with getting your picture in the paper?” Loch asks Cherie.
“Why?”
“Honey, I’m one of the leading faces for romantic book covers, and that’s beside my contracts with Chanel and Armani. Colton is a bonafide football hero, and the press follows him around like flies.”
“So my picture might end up in a magazine?” asks Cherie, smiling.
“Yes, and the newspapers. Might even end up on television with ‘Who’s That Girl?’. Everyone will want to know who you are.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“I don’t,” I say flatly.
“Aww, honey, I’m thinking about all those small-minded people back home. Can you imagine the gossip that’s going to be floating around about me if I’m seen with Colton Anders?”
“You know I am famous,” states Loch with a hint of irritation.
Cherie smiles. “Okay, who’s taking me shopping?”
Loch holds up a hand. “I’m going to call Miranda Tuturo. She owes me. That way you’ll look like arm candy tonight and not a potential girlfriend. If Lamond is paying attention to us, you’ll look like the next ‘it’ girl. No one important.”
“Someone needs to be close to Cherie while she’s shopping. She needs to be safe,” I interject.
“I’ll get a prospect, someone new to the club to escort her,” says Kyle.
“Someone who looks pretty,” replies Lochlan with a grin.
“Fuck if I know who looks pretty. Go and look around the club. You know all the long-standing members, so pick someone you don’t know.”
Loch nods and moves out. Cherie stands, her hand firmly held in mine. I look at the people in the room—all eyes are on Cherie. Although I have my reservations about this plan, I know the men in this room will keep my woman safe.
Cherie
I’m sitting in an exclusive boutique with a young biker who was forced to wear a long-sleeve shirt and dress pants. His name is Moose as he’s as big as one, and he looks about as comfortable as a biker can look when he’s out of his element.
I smile at him, and he sort of grimaces at me. He didn’t want this detail, but Kyle insisted he come. Lochlan picked him as he could pass for a normal guy, but with the way he’s acting, he’s not fooling anyone.
“Madame, we selected some dresses for you. Your friend…” the man nods toward Miranda, “… Ms. Tuturo, suggested would be acceptable for tonight. Now, if you’d come this way?” replies the boutique owner gesturing toward the fitting rooms. He’s a middle-aged man with lots of flair, and he’s kept an eye on Moose the entire time he has been in the front of the boutique.
I glance up at Moose as he takes two steps toward me.
“Of course your bodyguard may come, too,” purrs the owner as he looks Moose up and down in a pleasing way.
Moose glares at him.
“I’m sure my associate could wait here. After all, I’m only behind the curtain.”
Moose walks past all of us and goes into the dressing rooms. He returns a short time later and nods at me. The owner looks like he could eat him alive. Moose takes my seat and faces the curtain to the dressing room, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
Miranda smirks at me, and we both go behind the curtain.
“I think you would look good in all of these, but…” she holds one up, “… this one will show off your curves to the best advantage.”
It’s a little black dress, emphasis on little. I frown slightly, take off my clothes, and slip on the dress. Miranda zips me up and then holds my hair up off my face.
“Hmm… no, you look better with your hair down. You have such gorgeous hair.”
“Thank you.”
Miranda waves a hand at me. “Go show Moose, let’s see what he thinks.”
I open the curtain and walk out. Moose’s eyes are on the floor, his gaze travels up my body, and he slowly rises to his feet, adjusting himself as he does. “Damn,” he whispers.
“So it looks okay?” I ask.
Miranda bursts out laughing. “That, darling, is a definit
e yes.”
I look at her sideways, then back at Moose who is nodding, all while the shop owner is looking at Moose, his expression one of exasperation at Moose’s obvious attraction to me.
I turn and go back behind the curtain. Miranda unzips me, and I try on all of the dresses one by one, but the first one is the winner.
Miranda helps me choose shoes and an evening bag, all the while the boutique owner looks longingly at Moose who’s doing his best to ignore him and scan for potential threats which, of course, there are none.
“Why are you smiling?” asks Miranda.
“I get to be a princess for a day. What’s not to be happy about?”
“Ahh, you’ve never had this type of experience before?”
I laugh. “No, Miranda. I normally buy my clothes at discount or department stores, not boutiques. This whole experience is amazing.”
Miranda nods and smiles the way you would at an indulgent child. “I see. Then let’s go for the full treatment… hair, tan, makeup. Let’s make a day of it.” She links her arm through mine, hands off the shopping bags to Moose, who looks up at the ceiling and groans.
We walk about two blocks, and Miranda takes me into the most expensive hair salon I’ve ever seen. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the chairs near the basins are the ones that massage. The owner is a woman who looks like she stepped out of a fashion magazine.
“Miranda! Darling! What on earth are you doing here?” gushes the owner as she hugs and kisses Miranda on both cheeks.
“Oh, I’m here with Lochlan, and this…” Miranda links an arm around this woman and waves a hand at me, “… is Cherie. I want you to… make her better.”
“Hmm?” The owner breaks away from Miranda and grips my face, twisting it from side to side. “There is potential here.” The owner looks over her shoulder at Miranda. “Can we do the works?”
“Yes.”
“The works?” I whisper.
The owner steps back in her red, six-inch shiny heels. “I’m Ursula. I am going to transform you.”
“We’re keeping her hair, but the rest is up to you,” states Miranda.
“Ahh, shouldn’t I get a say?”
Ursula and Miranda laugh. “Oh, darling, when I’m done with you, you won’t recognize yourself. Now, let’s take you into one of the back rooms so we can get you ready.”
With that, I am whisked away, and my transformation begins.
Oh my God!
I’m sitting in the back of a limousine with Colton Anders, and he’s smiling at me.
Lochlan is giving him the evil eye as I try and calm down my inner fangirl. Loch is nothing like his brothers. They look similar, but where Maddock is ruggedly handsome, Loch is more refined with slightly higher cheekbones, fuller lips, and his hair is trained into submission. There are three other women in the back with us, and to be fair, Colton is smiling at all of us. I’m wearing the little black dress with shoe-string straps and plunging back, my six-inch silver heels are killing my feet, but damn, I look good.
Even in his incapacitated state, Maddock looked like he could eat me alive. Miranda’s friend, Ursula, was true to her word. They waxed every inch of me, spray-tanned me, painted my nails, did my makeup, gave my hair a trim, and styled it. I almost didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I feel pretty and sexy as hell.
“Remember, look bored when we get in there, pouty even, while Colt and I ignore you. Go sit at the bar, smile at Lamond but let him come to you,” reminds Lochlan for the hundredth time.
“I know, we’ve been over thi—”
“Yes, we have. Mad would have my balls in a vice if anything happened to you, so play it safe.”
“Or she could stay with us, and I could… entertain her all night long,” teases Colt.
“You so much as look at her the wrong way, and my brothers will fuck you up, Colt. She’s spoken for.”
“Hello! In the car with you, you know?” I say sarcastically.
Miranda lets out a bored sigh. “I’ll second that. You had better entertain all of us.”
Colt’s eyes go to the gorgeous Miranda, who is exotic looking. She has dark, flawless skin, legs that go on forever, and long, straight dark hair. Miranda is wearing a gold shoe-string dress which shows off her curves and makes her stand out in any crowd. She’s a woman who knows how to make every man in the room want her, and she knows exactly how to use her sexuality to get what she wants. With the way Colton is now looking at her, I feel like the poor stepsister.
“Okay, here we are. You’re on Colt’s arm with the lovely Trinity. Miranda, you and Amity are with me.” There’s an edge to his voice as he glares at Miranda who simply shrugs, but when Lochlan gets out of the car, she smiles and winks at me. Clearly, she’s trying to make him jealous.
Colt steps out and helps Trinity exit the limousine first, then me. I’m unprepared for the flash of cameras as paparazzi begin yelling out questions to Colt and Loch.
Loch smiles at the camera, flanked by Miranda and Amity who pose like the supermodels they are. I hold my head up high and copy them as I take Colt’s arm.
“Colt! Colt! Over here.”
Our little trio turns around as Colt smiles for one of the hoard.
“Hello, Mickey. How’s tricks?” asks Colt.
“Good, good…” Mickey is clicking away as he answers. “So, who are the lovely ladies?”
Colt gestures toward Trinity. “I’m sure you know Trinity Hernadez from the Ford Modeling Agency, and this exceptional beauty is Cherie Lake, the next big thing.” Colt smiles and completely takes me by surprise by kissing me on the lips. He pulls back, growls at me, and winks at Mickey.
“Next big thing for you?” asks Mickey.
“You never know,” replies Colt as he shepherds us into the club.
Once inside, Loch gives Colt a hard smile. “What the fuck was that?”
“Come on, Loch. She’s gorgeous, and it was only a peck. The reporters are going to love it.”
“My brother isn’t,” Loch states flatly.
Colt shrugs and winks at me. “Okay, okay, let’s get a table, so I can start ignoring Cherie and give Trinity all my attention.
And just like that, Colt turns all his charms on Trinity, who looks like the cat who swallowed the canary. We make our way to a booth, and I’m positioned on the end nearest the aisle. After about fifteen minutes of sitting there as the guys and girls ignore me, Loch nods, and it’s my cue to leave. I stand, look down at them, shake my head, and walk toward the bar.
More than one man follows my path with his eyes as I sit on a barstool, trying not to flash the room as I do. Lamond is across the room, and as I sit down, I smile at him, then look to the bartender for a drink.
“What’ll be?”
Maddock told me what Lamond likes to drink. “Whiskey sour, please.”
The bartender nods, and as I’m about to pay for it, a hand closes over mine and says, “Allow me.”
It’s Lamond, and he leers at me as he hands over his credit card.
“Well, thank you,” I purr.
“Whiskey sour? Beautiful and tasteful. I’m Colin Lamond.” He holds out his hand.
“Cherie.” I grasp his hand in mine and smile.
He’s in his late fifties, trim, going gray at the temples but still a vigorous-looking man.
“You came in with Colton Anders?”
I scoff. “Yeah, I did.” Making it clear I’m no longer with him.
“Ahh, well, his loss is my gain.” I smile seductively at him. “So, Cherie, what brings you to DC?”
Thankfully, Miranda has prepped me. “I’m here for the Chanel photoshoot. There’s a group of us. I’m one of the many trying to stand out. My agent says they are interested in me for further campaigns, so I thought being seen with Colt might raise my profile, but he’s more interested in Trinity.”
Lamond looks over at the booth. They are all laughing and having a good time.
“He’s a fool, and if you need a
better agent, I know some people.”
“Really?” I ask eagerly.
“Oh yeah, someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t need to sully herself with a football player,” sneers Lamond.
I give him my best smile and take a sip of my drink. It is awful, and it takes all my effort not to cough and choke on it.
Lamond holds out his hand. I place mine in his, and he leads me to a booth away from Lochlan on the other side of the room
“Do you come here often?” I ask as I slide onto the seat, and he does the same, sitting right next to me. This is nothing like the date I had with Maddock. I know who this man is, and he makes my skin crawl.
“Sometimes. A business associate wanted to meet me here, but he hasn’t arrived.” Colin pauses and looks around the room. His gaze comes back to me, and he smiles. “How long are you in DC for?”
Lamond twists and faces me, one of his hands lightly touches my shoulder, stroking back and forth. “Only until the end of next week. If Chanel wants me to continue with them, next week we’ll be in New York, then Paris.”
“Have you modeled for long?”
“Since I was twelve.”
His eyes widen, and he leans in. “Is it true what they say about models?”
“Depends on what they say.” As I say this, I lean into him and place a hand on his knee.
Lamond smiles, and his hand is now on my shoulder with his thumb making lazy circles on my skin. “It’s supposed to be a very sexually active business, yes?”
“Depends on the photographer,” I reply candidly.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks.
“Where shall we go?”
Lamond licks his lips and moves in closer, his other hand goes up my leg and stops at my waist. “I don’t live far from here, and I have a jacuzzi. We could… get wet.”
His hand travels back down my body, and he moves in and kisses me. His tongue forces itself into my mouth.
I place my hands on his chest and push him back, then smile seductively at him.
“Lead the way, tiger.”
The trip to Lamond’s house takes about twenty minutes, and his hand keeps traveling up and down my leg. Try as I might, I can’t get him to keep both hands on the wheel.
Spark (MacKenny Brothers Series Book 1) Page 11