International Guy: Volume 4

by Carlan, Audrey

  Dennis pushes his glasses up his nose and starts to remove his sport coat. Underneath he’s wearing a mint-green polo tucked into a pair of chinos and a nice leather belt that goes with his very trendy loafers, sans socks. A very put-together look. All of that the exact opposite of my brother, who’s wearing cargo pants and a tight-fitting navy tee that looks like it’s seconds away from shredding at the seams of his bulging biceps. On his feet, a pair of lace-up boots. He and Dennis couldn’t be more different, but somehow, they work perfectly.

  “And the fact that you’re going to help me with my little problem, Parker, means the world to me and my family,” Dennis gushes.

  It’s not his gratitude that sets off all kinds of alarms in my head; it’s the mention of a problem that I haven’t been apprised of. “Problem?”

  “Yeah . . . uh, about that,” Paul says. “When I asked you and Skyler to come to Brazil, the request was twofold. The first was to get you the hell out of Dodge and somewhere safe while my guys work on the bomber and arsonist, and the other was that Dennis’s family has a corporate and financial issue at work I thought you could take a look at. You know, with your experience . . .”

  “If it’s a financial problem, you’ve asked the wrong guy . . .” I start to object; then in my periphery, I see another person boarding the plane. My one and only big, black, well-dressed, smiling brother.

  “Royce?”

  He holds out his arms, palms out, his wingspan almost touching both sides of the plane, the guy’s so huge. “In the flesh.”

  Skyler claps where she’s sitting next to me. “Yay! Cool surprise!”

  “Surprise?” I narrow my gaze at Paul.

  “Well, I had to ask for reinforcements regarding the money concerns, and Royce offered to help a brother in need. Especially since most of the work for IG is suspended right now until your problem is solved.”

  “’Sides . . . you think I’m going to miss a free trip to Rio de Janeiro, God’s country? And you know it’s God’s country since they have a giant Christ statue standing on a mountain looking over its people. You’re lucky I didn’t tell Momma Sterling, because Rio is on her bucket list . . . same as mine. Sho’nuff I’m gonna be sitting my ass in this swank jet on our way to paradise, seeing the sights and helping a brother out. Two birds, one stone, yeah?” Royce lifts his fist to Paulie, who knocks it.

  Tension builds in my temples, and I press my thumb and index finger into them. “All I know is I’m in no position to do a lot of work. My body and my mind are mush right now. I’m concerned about one thing and only one thing: keeping Skyler safe.”

  Skyler runs her hand down my forearm and interlaces her fingers with mine. “Honey, I’m fine. Look, I have four guys around me right now to keep me safe, and besides, it’s you the bad guy was after, so the more of your brothers here, the better.”

  “Bo and Wendy taking care of the office?” I ask Royce.

  He nods. “Yeah, and Kendra’s there.” His nose crinkles at the mention of her name. “They said they’re going to work on getting Annie back in the office. Once everything went down, she sent an email to Wendy, saying she quit. They’re going to try and reverse that.”

  I clench down on my molars, and Skyler grips my hand tighter. We both feel awful about what happened to her, but it was me who laid into her repeatedly and wouldn’t see reason. I’m going to have to do some groveling to make it up to her when this is all said and done. Just another to-do on the never-ending task chart of making things up to people that is currently my life.

  I take in a long, deep breath and ease back as much as I can in my seat. Skyler lets go of my hand and fiddles with our dogs. Once again, she’s decided they cannot be left with Wendy while we travel.

  Royce takes a seat across from Paul and Dennis on the left side of the plane while Sky and I are on the right. The dogs are situated on the love seat in the same spot they were when we flew to and from Spain. Once the captain announces we’re ready for takeoff, the crew gets into position, and I wait to pick up the conversation until we’re forty thousand feet in the air.

  “Now that we’re going to be here for a while, why don’t you tell us what’s going on back home that needs our attention, Dennis? Bring us up to date?”

  “Sim. You know we’re in the international import business and looking to expand to the States.”

  I nod as Paul reaches out an arm and extends it behind Dennis.

  Dennis continues. “I’ve been receiving the financial statements from our accountant back home, and there are things that concern me.” He frowns and runs his fingertips over his clean-shaven chin.

  “Okay, do you own the company?” I need to know a bit more about the legal specifics.

  “My brother, Fabian, and I each own half of the company. Our father left it to us when he retired. He’s still involved in the day-to-day operations on a very limited basis and mostly just as a resource for Fabian. I do most of the international contracts, traveling, and making deals, which takes me out of the office and plant. Fabian runs the warehouse back home and handles the distribution and fulfillment. Another person does the buying based on the contracts I secure. It’s been going great. Really well. And as I told you, we’ve been meaning to expand to the US and Asia for quite some time, but there have been discrepancies in the books that we can’t always nail down, which concern me.”

  Royce leans forward. “Can you give us an example?”

  Dennis pushes his thick black-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Financial discrepancies mostly. I’d set contracts for the client to purchase certain things at a certain price, and then I’d see it listed much lower from the supplier than the per-unit price I’d negotiated. When I checked with the team, they had no idea why it was like that. After it happened a few times, I contacted one of the suppliers and they didn’t know what I was talking about since they were being paid based on their contracted amount. But the funds from the price difference weren’t showing on the books.”

  Royce’s mouth goes tight, and he rubs his hands together slowly. “Anything else?”

  “Lost inventory. Shipping errors that would ultimately cost us tens of thousands in lost dollars on product or shipping alone. I understand that there are times when things get damaged, but we’re talking full shipments disappearing. Never arriving where they’re supposed to, forcing us to declare a loss.”

  “And the shipping company?”

  “Claims they never got the product in the first place.”

  “But the inventory is gone?” I confirm.

  Dennis nods.

  Royce licks his lips and sucks them inside his mouth until I can’t see them anymore before he shakes his head and runs a hand over his bald head. “Brother, sounds like you got an embezzler.”

  Dennis frowns, possibly because the word isn’t translating since English is his second language.

  “A thief. Someone on the inside may be stealing money. Noting in the books that the product costs less, then pocketing the difference,” I clarify, and Dennis’s eyes go wide.

  “On top of that, an individual could possibly be selling the supposedly lost product to someone outside, under the table, and making that money without anyone being the wiser while the company chalks it up as a loss. You getting what we’re sayin’?” Royce asks.

  Dennis’s expression is awash with what I can only interpret as sadness. “I don’t know how what you say could be possible. All the people I work with are family or distant relatives and friends. My brother would have to know, and he says he thinks it must be an error in reporting and that there is no problem at all.”

  And there go the alarm bells ringing in my ears. His brother says there isn’t a problem. Refutes the issue as an error in reporting? Hmm. “I guess we’ll have to take a deeper look, so I’d like to get Royce digging into those profit-and-loss statements.”

  “Damn straight. I’m ’bout to become best friends with your accountant and your financial team,” Royce promises.

  Dennis nods
and his shoulders slump. Paul curls his arm closer to Dennis and grips his shoulder. He leans into his guy. “Hey, me and my brother are gonna figure this out, yeah?” He tips Dennis’s chin and looks into the saddest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. And under Dennis’s gaze, my big, badass brother melts.

  “I’ve got you, Denny. You’re my guy, right?” He taps him under the chin until Dennis smiles dreamily at my brother.

  And then my brother does what I’ve never seen him do. He kisses Dennis. At first, I thought it would be weird, seeing my brother kissing a dude, but it’s not. Dennis raises his hand and holds Paul’s arm while Paul teases his lips in a series of nibbles and pecks.

  “Eu te amo, pistola,” he says softly against my brother’s lips.

  Paul grins, squeezes Dennis’s neck, and kisses him lightly once more. “I know. You better?” he asks in a low tone that shows my bro can actually be tender.

  “Olhando em seus olhos, sempre serei perfeito,” Dennis says.

  “Oh man, I wanna know what he said.” Sky sighs dreamily, her body hanging over my chair so she can get closer and hear better.

  Paul chuckles, and Dennis blushes but says, “At first, I told him I loved him. Second, I told him, ‘Looking into your eyes, I’ll always be perfect.’”

  Skyler’s mouth drops open, and her eyes become glassy.

  “Don’t you start crying, Peaches. You know what that shit does to me,” I warn while tunneling my fingers through her hair and holding her at the nape until she looks at me. She clamps her lips flat, and her chin wobbles. “Don’t you do it,” I tease, before lifting her chin with my thumb and kissing her hard enough to make her forget her teary response.

  Once I pull back I see the same dazed look on her face that Dennis had on his.

  “Looking into your eyes is perfect too, honey,” Skyler whispers.

  “Baby, that was totally fuckin’ cheesy, you repeating that.” I chuckle, and she snort-laughs in response as the rest of the guys join in.

  The rest of the flight, we have easy conversation, play cards, watch a movie, eat, and snooze. We refuel in Miami, but overall, I get better rest on the plane with my chair tipped back, my girl’s hand in mine, my dogs sleeping across from us, and no threat to be had while up in the air.

  When we arrived last night, it was dark as shit. Nothing to see, not to mention the five of us were seriously jet-lagged. Dennis and Paul got Royce, Sky, and me settled into a Hilton right next to the Copacabana Beach. Of course, the moment we walked into the hotel with our two dogs, the hotel staff looked at us funny until we upgraded our normal room to the penthouse for the week. Then, suddenly, they were fine with our two pups. Once we were situated, Dennis and Paul left to stay at Dennis’s apartment in the city with the promise to come back late this morning to meet for breakfast.

  I sit on the side of the bed and watch my beautiful girl sleep. She’s absolutely gorgeous all the time, but when her eyelashes are fanning her cheeks, her hair is a wild lion’s mane all over the pillowcase, and her bottom lip puffs out with each breath she takes, I’m stunned stupid all over again by her beauty. I run my finger down her arm, bringing the sheet with it as I go. My girl stirs but doesn’t wake, even though her bare tits respond to the cool temperature of the room, tightening into hard little points before my eyes. My dick hardens in my briefs, and I move the sheet all the way down, exposing her entire naked body. We were too tired last night to do anything about the small dry spell we’ve had since our trip home from Spain a week ago and my recovery. My body isn’t 100 percent, but my dick doesn’t know that. He’s standing straight up, rip-roaring and ready to go.

  I use one finger to tease a pink nipple. Skyler turns her head to the side, moving her arm above her head, her back flat and her body open to my gaze. Easing over her form, making sure not to put any pressure on my sore ribs, I swirl my tongue around one succulent peak. Skyler sighs in her sleep, and her legs shift. I smile and suck her nipple into my mouth at the same time I lay my palm flat against her belly and slip my hand down until my fingers encounter her thin line of blonde curls that’s like a little landing strip, showing my fingers, mouth, and cock just where to go. When I get my hand between her thighs and cup her mound, her body tightens, and a moan slips from her lips. I suck her nipple harder and glance up to gaze into two shimmering, lust-filled caramel-brown eyes. Skyler licks her lips as I open my mouth and worry her nipple with my teeth just enough to cause her to bite down into her bottom lip.

  I release her nipple but grind the edge of my palm against her clit while I pierce her center with two fingers. She gasps.

  “Morning, Peaches. I got a taste for something this morning, woke ravenous. I’ll give you one guess what for, and it’s not pancakes.” I finger her harder, swirling my index and middle fingers, searching for that spot inside her that will curl her toes with pleasure.

  “Uh, um, mmm . . . honey.” I see I’ve got nonsensical Skyler this morning.

  I slowly remove my hand, and she pouts. I’m not talking a little lip; no, my girl’s entire face pouts. Getting off the bed, I gaze at her fuckhot body in utter appreciation while slipping off my boxer briefs and kicking them to the side.

  “Honey . . . why’d you stop?” She brings her fingers to her thighs and grips the flesh as if she’s trying to work that ache I started inside by rotating her hips.

  “Told you I was hungry, baby.” I get to the bottom of the bed and kneel at the edge. “Scoot your ass down here and open wide. If I don’t get my mouth on you in the next minute, my dick might possibly explode.”

  She laughs and pushes her ass to the edge of the bed, lifts her knees shyly, but I can still see the V at the top of her luscious little cheeks. With my thumbs, I trace the crease of where her ass meets thighs, and gooseflesh breaks out against her skin.

  “You cold, Peaches?” I taunt, petting what I can of her lower lips near her behind.

  “No.”

  “Open your legs, Sky. Give your man what he wants. Offer it up to me on a silver platter, baby.”

  Her entire body trembles at my demand. The caveman talk works for my girl. Turns her way the fuck on.

  “I won’t ask you twice. I want to see that pretty pink pussy opened up and wet for me.”

  “Parker . . . ,” Skyler says, but opens her legs about a foot.

  “Knees to the mattress, baby, I’m ready to eat,” I growl, seeing nowhere near enough of her pink flesh, until she does what I ask and spreads her legs wide, her knees resting against the white sheets.

  “Fuck!” I dip my head close and inhale the scent of her honey until my mouth waters with the need to get in on the action. With as much restraint as I can, I run my hands from her knees up the inside of her thighs.

  Her body is electric, her breath coming in heavy pants. “Look at you. So fuckin’ pretty. My dream girl. Open for the taking, and only for me. Such a gift. The best present I’ve ever gotten was the day you became mine.”

  Skyler undulates, her body arching, tits pointing up like two sharp arrows ready to strike. “Touch me. Kiss me. Honey . . . I need you.”

  I use both of my thumbs and ease the lips of her sex apart, opening right to the soft heart of her before I delve my tongue as deep as it will go. I don’t stop. Her body jolts and jerks, but I keep moving.

  Drinking.

  Licking.

  Sucking.

  Taking.

  Until she’s digging her nails into my scalp and screaming out her orgasm. And still, I don’t stop. I keep at her, but this time, I use two fingers hooked deep as I lay my mouth over her clit and alternate between sucking and swirling my tongue in circles until my girl is going off like a rocket again.

  When she’s out of breath, panting like she’s just run a marathon, I get up, go around to the side of the bed, and lie down. Before I can even tell her what to do next, she’s straddling my hips, centering my cock, and slamming down.

  “Fuck!” I roar, gripping her hips.

  “Oh shit! Did I hurt you, baby
?” she asks, pushing her hair out of her face.

  I shake my head. “No, it just feels so fucking good I almost shot off in one go. Taking you there twice made me a hair trigger, baby. I suggest you take a slow ride this round.”

  She grins, eases her hips up, and slides them down. Then she lays her body over mine and works my neck, ear, nipples, and back up to my mouth, all while her hips are moving at a leisurely rate.

  I run my hands up into her hair and bring her lips down to mine for a long, wet kiss. She takes it deeper, slanting her head left, then right, before sucking my tongue and nibbling first my top then bottom lip.

  “You feel like heaven raining down on my skin, Sky. I want to drown in you, taste your soul when you make slow love to me.”

  She smiles wide and lifts up using her legs, making sure to avoid putting pressure on my chest and ribs as she moves up and down a little faster.

  “Play with yourself. I wanna watch you worship your beautiful body.”

  “Honey. . . ,” she whimpers, still riding slow, but now one hand covers her breast, and she uses her thumb and two fingers to pluck and pinch her nipple.

  “That’s it. Put your other hand where we connect. Feel where you’re making love to me.”

  She slides her hand seductively down her body until her fingers separate around my aching length as I slip in and out of her wet heat.

  Watching the combination of her playing with herself and touching the two of us between her thighs has my balls drawing up. My gaze is locked on the carnal display of her teasing her tit and clit. Electric tingles start at the base of my spine and work their way down my legs, up my chest, and out my arms. I can feel the pleasure she’s giving me in my fucking fingertips.