Speak of the devil.
Kitty had short brown hair and green eyes. She looked like their mother’s side of the family and had inherited the nose. Unlike her mother and her mother before her, Kitty refused to get plastic surgery to make it more “photogenic,” as their mother put it. Bastien thought Kitty was beautiful just the way she was. He only hoped Jace felt the same way.
“I was just thinking about you,” he said.
“Is that why you were scowling at the computer?” Kitty flopped into the chair across from his desk. “I didn’t do it. I swear it wasn’t me. I wasn’t even in the factory when it happened.”
Bastien opened his mouth to ask, and then shook his head. “I don’t want to know.”
Kitty was a buyer for the company and had an eye for textiles and design. Their mother wanted her to be a model, but...the nose.
“I was hoping we could go out to lunch,” she said.
Bastien checked his watch. It was barely 11:30 a.m., but he wasn’t doing anything productive anyway. “I suppose I’m buying?”
“How kind of you to offer.” She smirked.
They walked in companionable silence until they got to the elevator. “So, what’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it Jace?”
“What? No.” She shook her head. “I just wanted to spend some time with my favorite brother. Is that too much to ask?”
“I’m your only brother. How much?”
“How much time?”
“How much money do you want?”
“Well, if you’ve got your checkbook open, I wouldn’t refuse if you wanted to give me an advance on next month’s salary.”
“What do you want to buy?”
“I want to elope to Tahiti.”
Bastien grunted. “No way. You’re not leaving me alone to deal with Mom and Dad getting stood up at the altar.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Kitty said, “I can’t take it anymore. They’re driving me crazy.”
“Stop answering your phone. That’s what I do.”
“Then they come over unannounced. Last week, they caught me and Jace in the hot tub.”
Bastien held up his hand. “I don’t want to know what they caught you doing.”
“We weren’t playing pinochle.”
“You’ve got three weeks and then it’ll all be over,” he said. “The wedding, not the marriage. I hope. Unless you’re trying to beat my record.”
“No, thanks,” Kitty said as they walked out of the elevator and into the crowded lobby. “I’m all about the domestic bliss.”
“And Jace is the one? You’re sure, right? It’s not too late to call it off.”
“Yes, it is too late. Jace proposed. I accepted and I’m not letting him wiggle out of it.” She stared lovingly at her diamond ring. It was practically the size of a golf ball.
“Is he trying to wiggle out of it?” Bastien growled, scaring the valet into dropping his keys.
“No. Of course not. Although, he doesn’t answer his phone when he’s avoiding conflict either. You two are so much alike in that area.” She tugged on a knit hat and gloves that were in her coat pocket. At least it had stopped snowing. New York was getting snow early this year, and he wasn’t a fan.
“Well, I guess that’s something.” The valet brought Bastien’s car around and he and Kitty got inside. “Where do you want to go to lunch?”
“How about the Imperial Palace?” she asked.
Chinese sounded good. As they drove through the city, Bastien wanted to call Mikelina again. There was something about her that drew him in. He liked their email chats. She was bright and sexy, like he imagined South Beach would be.
“Reach into the glove compartment. I printed out the itinerary for the bachelor party.”
“Who writes up a schedule for fun? Oh wait, you.” Kitty unfolded the paper and read it. “You forgot to mark down the designated bathroom times. But I did see that you’ve allotted for eight hours of sleep each night.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“I had some help with the schedule. The vacation resort assigns a concierge. Mikelina and I have been putting this together for almost two months.”
“Mikelina, huh? Is she ready to throw you in the ocean?”
“No. She’s very professional. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“Is she pretty?”
“How would I know?”
“You’ve been chatting her up for two months and you haven’t seen her Facebook profile?”
“I don’t even know her last name,” he said.
“I worry about you sometimes.” Kitty shook her head. “Promise me that if you like this girl, you’ll ask her out.”
“She’s my employee.”
“No, she’s not. She’s an employee of the company who is renting you the house, and who you pretty much at least owe dinner to for putting up with this monster schedule. I hope you’re not going to be too disappointed if you don’t get to everything.”
“We’ll get to everything,” he said. “Why? Do you see something on there that Jace wouldn’t like?”
“No, it’s perfect. I wish I was going instead of being stuck here,” she grumbled.
“You’re going skiing next week,” he reminded her.
“I’m sick of winter. I want to lie on a beach, not toast marshmallows in front of a fire while I thaw out.” Flipping down the sun visor, Kitty glared at her reflection.
Bastien didn’t know why she was scowling. She looked the same to him, a pretty girl with wide green eyes who was too innocent for her own good.
“Do you want me to talk to your bridesmaids? Tell them to nix Vail and go for Tahiti instead?”
“If I go to Tahiti, I’m not coming back,” she muttered.
He gripped the steering wheel hard. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
“I wish I had your eyelashes. It’s not fair that you have those thick and long lashes and I have to use half a bottle of mascara.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” he said, giving a quick glance in the rearview mirror. Eyelashes? He blinked but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Everything’s booked.”
“Not what I meant.”
Kitty sighed. “What do you have against Jace?”
“He’s not good enough for you,” Bastien said.
“I get to decide that.” She punched him in the arm. “Not you.”
“I hope you hurt your hand.”
Kitty stopped mid-shaking her hand out. “It was like hitting Jell-O.”
Bastien didn’t work out two hours a day for arms of Jell-O. He sniffed. “I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t trust anyone since Gina.”
That was true.
Kitty blew on her hands to keep them warm. Bastien put the heater on High.
“He’s not like her,” she said. “Sure, he can be a little immature and he avoids confrontation, but he loves me.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I am. I wouldn’t be putting myself through the wedding of the century planning if I didn’t want to marry him. It would mean the world to me if you two could get along.”
“I know. I’m trying. I organized the bachelor party, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did good,” she said. “You and Mikelina.” Kitty singsonged her name. “I want you to send me a picture of her.”
“Why?” Bastien said.
“I want to see if she’s as pretty as her name.”
“I’m not sure why that matters.”
“It matters because this is the first time you’ve shown an interest in someone since Gina, Queen of the Casinos.”
Bastien sighed. “I’m not looking for romance. I’m looking to show your fiancé a good time in South Beach. You don’t have to worry, though.
I’ll keep an eye on him. You saw the schedule. No strip clubs. No nonsense.”
“Careful, it’s not no fun.” Kitty laughed. “Go easy on the rules. I’m going to have a stripper at my party.”
“I do not need to know that.” Bastien shook his head to clear that image away about his baby sister.
“Do you know the difference between male and female strippers?”
“I am aware of the differences, yes. I did pass biology in high school.”
“That’s not what I meant. Guys aren’t allowed to touch the dancers, right?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Uh-huh, well, it’s expected and encouraged for the women to fondle the dancers.”
He was going to need brain bleach. “And Jace is all right with the fondling?”
“We didn’t discuss it. But what happens in Vail is going to stay off of social media, that’s for damned sure.”
“If you want to touch other guys, why are you getting married to Jace?” This wasn’t how the conversation to talk her out of getting married was supposed to go, but in for a penny...
“Bastien, it’s not like I’m going to blow the stripper.”
“Oh God.” Bastien closed his eyes and then opened them quickly before he cracked up the car. He parked a few blocks from the restaurant. He’d trudge through the snowbanks and slush to get out of this conversation.
Kitty had to hurry to keep up with him.
“I think you and Jace got off on the wrong foot,” she said. “It was wrong of me to come crying to you last year when he was being an asshole.”
“No, I’m your brother. If some dude is being a dick to you, I want to know about it.”
“He was a dick. And we broke up. But then we got back together, and he’s no longer being a dick.”
“Once an asshole, always an asshole,” Bastien said darkly.
“He’s not Gina,” she said, exasperated.
Bastien stopped short and Kitty almost plowed into him. “I know he’s not Gina. If he was like her, the wedding plans would have never gotten this far.”
“People can change. Just because Gina couldn’t—”
“She didn’t want to,” he corrected.
“But Jace did. We worked out our problems and our relationship is stronger than ever. Do I think that could have worked with you and Gina? No. But it worked for us.”
Bastien took in a deep breath.
“I need you to be happy for us,” she begged.
It was hard to look her in the eye. “I’m scared for you, Kit-Kat,” he said, using the nickname he gave her when she was born.
“I’m not a little girl anymore. I know what I want and I can take care of myself.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“I don’t want you to be hurt.”
“You can’t stop that from happening, if it even does.” She reached down and held his hand. “But you can be there for me. I’m always going to need my big brother.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I just know once you get to know Jace better, you’ll be all right with everything.”
That was the plan. Bastien couldn’t shake the feeling of doom that was hanging over his head, though.
They sat down in their usual booth and ordered without looking at the menu.
“You had the right idea going somewhere warm,” Kitty said. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. If I wanted to ski so bad, I could have gone water-skiing. I see that’s on the schedule. So, tell me more about this Mikelina. Is she smart, funny? Inquiring minds want to know.”
“Yeah, I guess. She’s easy to talk to. I liked her ideas.”
“But you didn’t get her last name?”
“I didn’t ask. Why would I?”
“She just signs her emails off with Mikelina? Who is she? Madonna? Cher? Beyoncé?”
“Maybe it’s a South Beach thing.”
“Is she married?”
“I didn’t ask,” he said again.
“Well, why not?”
“It wasn’t relevant.”
“What do you know about her?”
“She likes science fiction and fantasy movies. We were talking about the new superhero movie. She’s got a crush on Thor.”
“Well, who doesn’t really?”
Bastien shrugged. “He doesn’t do anything for me.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Insanely,” he deadpanned.
“You know who Jace reminds me of?”
“Please don’t tell me.”
“Bucky.”
Bastien took a sip of her iced tea.
“Hey, get your own.”
“I was just wondering if they spiked this because you’re delusional.”
“You know which superhero you remind me of?”
“Buzz Lightyear?”
“More like Buzzkill. No, you remind me of Iron Man.”
“I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not.”
“Play it up.”
Bastien wished someone had spiked his drink. “Play what up?”
“If she likes superheroes, pretend that you’re a billionaire playboy. You’ll get laid in no time.”
“I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation. Kitty, I’m not going to the bachelor party to get laid. No one is going to get laid at this bachelor party.”
“It’s a good thing you ordered a lot of booze, then.”
“I need a drink right now.” Bastien shook his head.
“Have one for me, too, because Mom just walked in.”
Bastien craned his neck and sure enough his mother was heading right toward them. “Do you think it’s too late to leave out the back door?”
“Welcome to my life ever since I announced my engagement.”
“There you are! The office said you were out to lunch and I figured I’d find you here. Shove over, Bastien.” His mother hip checked him against the side of the booth. She thunked a large binder on the table. “I need you to make a decision on the napkin design.”
Kitty mouthed, “Kill me.”
CHAPTER THREE
WHEN THE SIDEWALK ended at the beach, Mikelina kicked off her shoes and tucked them into her purse. As soon as her toes hit the warm sand, she felt the tension leave her body. She missed this. The sun and the salty ocean air. She couldn’t remember the last time she sat her ass in the sand and watched the waves. There hadn’t been a lot of time for that this year.
She was tense and tired and wished she was kicking up her heels at a decadent party for the next two weeks. Bastien’s schedule was meticulous and planned down to the last minute, but it was going to be a fun vacation for the men—as long as they weren’t expecting a wild time.
Maybe she’d ask Kirk for a few days off after the bachelor party left. She could sleep in her own bedroom again and pretend that her world hadn’t fallen apart slowly after her father reported to prison last year.
The air perked her up some, taking her out of the funk that closed in every time she thought about her father. He still claimed to be innocent, even with the overwhelming proof against him. Breathing in deep, she centered herself. One day, she would enjoy all this from their wraparound porch. One day, they’d be a family again.
Her phone rang again.
“I swear to fucking god,” she muttered, digging it out. But it was her mother.
She stared at the phone and for a moment considered letting it go to voice mail. But guilt had her answering at the last minute. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, sweetheart. Any chance I could stay at the house this weekend?” Tawny Presley still liked to pretend that everything was normal and she could zip on down to the beach house for a quick getaway.
“No, I’m sorry. We’re booked up for the next few weeks.”
“Yo
ur aunt is driving me crazy.”
Mikelina sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to get a condo or an apartment in South Beach.”
Wincing, Mikelina rubbed her head. “It’s expensive out here.”
“I don’t care. I can’t take it anymore. All she wants to do is watch Fox News. It’s blaring on and on, 24/7. I can’t think.” Tawny’s voice rose up to an almost hysterical pitch.
“Okay, Mom,” Mikelina soothed. “Why don’t you shop around on Zillow or something and after the bachelor party leaves, we can see what you can afford.”
“Bachelor party?” Tawny shrieked.
Mikelina groaned. She had not meant to say that.
“I don’t want strippers and drugs in my house.”
My house, Mikelina mentally corrected, but knew better than to say that aloud. Her parents had given her the beach house for her twenty-fifth birthday. It had been a tax write-off for them. She had been the owner in name only and had she realized what her father had been up to, she never would have signed the papers. “It’s not that type of bachelor party. The best man has arranged for a tasteful getaway.” If a little staid and overscheduled, but that was preferable to strippers and drugs.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Tawny repeated. “Why did your father have to ruin our lives?”
“He ruined more than our lives,” Mikelina said sadly. People lost their retirement funds. One person had been dying in the hospital when he found out that Tanner Presley had bankrupted him, leaving his heirs next to nothing. One family had to sell their restaurant when their stocks he bought turned out to be junk.
“Why am I being punished?” Tawny lamented. “I did nothing wrong. I lost my home. My friends. My entire world turned upside down.”
Tawny lived for the dramatic and while what she was saying was true, she had also been saying it for the past year. Almost on a daily basis. Mikelina’s mother had never held down a job in her life.
Must be nice to live in that world. But back on earth, you had to hustle unless you had a husband or a daughter to hustle for you. Mikelina tried not to feel resentful, but when her mother complained about it, she wanted to scream.
“I’m doing the best that I can.”
“I know that, sweetheart. I don’t mean to keep bothering you with this, but you’re all I have.” Tawny sniffed and Mikelina could almost picture her eyes filling with tears. Her mother had been brought up to be a society wife, the perfect hostess. And now that she didn’t have a husband or a party to plan, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
Wild Wedding Hookup Page 2