by Té Russ
"Yeah?" he asked, as he tossed the takeout boxes in the trash. He grabbed the wine and refilled their glasses. "What did she think about it?"
"She said it was mutiny..." Tessa laughed. "...And that we should go for it."
"Are you?" he asked. "Going for it?"
"We agreed to run the idea of giving out samples to my dad. But yeah, we're going for it."
He held up his wine glass and she toasted.
"To more success in both of our families' businesses," he said.
"I'll drink to that."
After they finished their wine, they went back to the living room. As they settled down on the couch, Tessa asked, "How's the filming for the documentary going?"
"It's going good," he said. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."
"What about it? Do you need to redo my part or something?"
"No, nothing like that. I talked to my siblings. Of course, we'll be in the film as well. We're going to all sit down and do some filming, but I also plan on shooting each one of us individually. My sisters are trying to figure out when they can come home for their individual part and the group filming, but I'm going to fly down to Vegas to shoot my brother's portion."
"That sounds like fun," Tessa said. "You'll be able to get some work done and also see your brother."
"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."
"To Vegas?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, giving her that irresistible grin. "Can't go to Sin City without my girl."
"Oh," she said, crawling over to him to straddle his lap. "I'm your girl now?"
His hand slid down her back, to cup her butt. "You didn't know?" he asked. "You've been my girl."
"Is that right?"
His other hand slid in to her hair and he pulled her head down to his face. "That's right," he said, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth.
She let out a moan as he continued kissing her.
"When?" she sighed.
"Next weekend."
She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands went underneath her shirt. "Let me talk to Dana, see if she's cool with covering for me."
He nodded, before deepening their kiss.

Tessa and Dana stood in the kitchen of the bakery watching as their father thoughtfully chewed on one of the new desserts they planned on selling in the bakery.
"Hmmm," he said with a nod, before picking up a glass of water to take a drink.
Then took a bite of a cupcake that Dana had created, a Cherry Bomb, which was what she'd named it.
Too impatient to wait any longer, Dana said, "Well, Daddy! What do you think?"
Not to be rushed, Emmett finished chewing and then took another drink of water. Nodding, he finally spoke. "These are good, girls."
"Good enough to sell in the bakery?" Dana asked.
"Your mother..."
"Here we go," Dana sighed.
"Watch it," Emmett warned, narrowing his eyes at his youngest daughter. "Your grandparents made both me and your mother owners of this bakery. If she isn't ready to make changes, I'm going to respect her wishes."
"But you made us managers," Dana argued. "Which means, we should be able to manage this place as we see fit."
"Daddy," Tessa said, trying to keep the peace. "There's gotta be some way we can compromise on this."
Emmett was quiet for a moment before asking, "What do you propose?"
"Let us give out samples to the customers."
He was quiet for so long that Tessa began to assume the worst.
"Samples?" he finally said. "I think we can work with that."
"Really?" Dana asked.
"Yeah," he said. "If you supply them with free samples and then they demand more, who are we to deny the customers what they want."
Catching their father's mischievous grin, they hurried around to the side of the island where Emmett was sitting and pulled him in to a group hug.
"Thank you, Daddy," Dana said.
Their father chuckled, "I'm sure this is hard for you girls to believe, but I am on your side too."
"You won't regret this," Tessa added. "What about Mom, though?"
Emmett patted both of their arms. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Once they released him, he stood. "I'm off. Got a two o'clock tee time."
After he left, they got to work on a fresh batch of desserts.
"How do you think Mom's going to react to Dad letting us do this?" Dana asked Tessa.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But like I said before, I think she'll get over it. Besides, it's like Dad said, we can't deny the customers what they want if they like the samples good enough. Even Mom won't be able to argue that."
Dana nodded, and they got back to work.
They were quiet for a while before Tessa spoke again. "Isaiah wants me to go with him to Vegas next weekend."
"Nice!" Dana said.
"Will it be a problem for you?" Tessa asked. "Me being out of town."
"Of course not," Dana replied. "You handled this place by yourself when I was sick. And we've got the new employees. We'll be fine. Go and enjoy your weekend with Isaiah."
"Thanks," she said, smiling at her sister. "You're the best."
Dana shrugged and grinned. "I know."
They spent the rest of the day working on their plan for the new desserts and what Tessa was going to pack for her trip.
Isaiah exhaled deeply as he jogged next to Tessa.
"You good?" he asked.
"Great," she breathed, looking at him with a smile.
"Can you handle another mile?"
"Let's do it."
They were jogging along the edge of the lake and had been at it for a few miles. They'd woken up early to get their workout in. A mile later, they finally took a break.
"This was great," Tessa said, stretching as she prepared for their run back. "Especially since someone has been preventing me from my normal daily workouts lately."
Tessa's weekend stay at Isaiah's place had extended into the next weekend and beyond. When they were too tired to drive to his house, they stayed at hers.
Isaiah grinned as he stretched as well. "I think our other physical activities have compensated very well."
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. He loved the way her jogging pants fit her trim waist and her thick hips and thighs like a second skin. He couldn't get enough of this woman.
She laughed and tried to push him away. "Isaiah! I'm all sweaty."
"I don't care," he said, gripping her a little tighter, before he bent down to kiss her. She returned his kiss with vigor before he let her successfully push him away.
"Let's get back to the house before you start that up. We still have to pack."
He chuckled as they began their trek back to the house. Isaiah had enjoyed Tessa's constant presence these days. After splitting ways with his siblings, he'd quickly grown accustomed to living a solitary life. While he was sociable, he appreciated time alone.
But having Tessa around, that felt amazing, something he could definitely get used to.
Isaiah had finished filming his parents' portion of the documentary and he and Tessa were flying to Vegas in the morning. While he was looking forward to seeing his brother and shooting Ian's part in the documentary; he was also looking forward to spending time with Tessa.
"Make sure you pack your bathing suit," Isaiah told her, as they made it back to the house.
"We're going to have time for that?" Tessa asked.
"We're going to have time for that and anything else you want to do," he said.
"So, if I want to see a show..."
"Just let me know what you want to see and I'll see if Ian can hook us up with some tickets."
He loved seeing the eager smile on her face and wanted to do whatever he could to keep it there.
Chapter 20
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in Las Vegas shortly. We hope you've enjoyed your fli
ght with our airlines and will choose us again soon."
Tessa stared out the window of the plane from her seat and a thrill shot through her. She'd been to a casino or two in Reno, but nothing compared to Vegas. She'd taken a trip out there with her girlfriends on her twenty-first birthday and had taken Dana for her milestone birthday, but she hadn't been back since.
She could see the strip in the distance and could already feel the electric pulse of the city. It was Friday morning and they were staying until Sunday evening. They had a lot of plans jam-packed in the few days they were visiting and Tessa couldn't wait.
"What time are you meeting your brother?" Tessa asked.
Isaiah looked at his watch. "I'm going to shoot him a text after we get our bags and a taxi," he said.
Tessa nodded and Isaiah leaned over, kissing her neck. "You sure you don't want to come with me while I shoot his part."
She waved off his offer. "No, you get your filming done and spend some time with your brother. I know you said he's super busy."
"What are you going to do while I'm gone?"
Tessa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe get some shopping in, go to the salon or get a massage."
"I can do that last one for you," he murmured, as he pulled her ear between his lips.
"I just may take you up on your offer," she sighed.
The plane coasted onto the tarmac and up to the terminal and soon they were making their way off the plane. After swinging by baggage claim, they left the airport to find a taxi.
They arrived at their hotel, got checked in and headed up to their room.
"My brother just responded," Isaiah said, tapping the screen of his phone. He'd sent Ian a text as soon as they got in the taxi. "I'm going to meet him at his place. You sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked again. He shoved his phone in his pocket and pulled Tessa into his arms.
"I told you," she said, rising on her toes to give him a kiss. "Enjoy your time with your brother. We'll meet up later for the show."
Isaiah nodded and kissed her again as the elevator dinged, alerting them that they'd arrived on their floor. They got to their room and Isaiah unlocked the door with his keycard.
"Oh my..." Tessa gasped as she entered their suite. She looked around and then headed over to the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Las Vegas. "Isaiah this is amazing."
The suite was bigger than her house in Sweet Rapids. After she was done admiring the view, she continued looking around. The bedroom was spacious with its king sized bed and the bathroom was immaculate with its oversized infinity tub, flush with a marble edge, as the main attraction of the room.
"I think I know what I'll be doing while you're gone," Tessa murmured as Isaiah came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Maybe I should reschedule my meeting with my brother," he groaned, squeezing her tightly.
"You'll do no such thing." Tessa turned and pushed him out of the bathroom. "You go and meet your brother. After you are done, come back and change so we can head out for the show."
Reluctantly, Isaiah released her, but not before giving her a kiss good-bye.
"I'll try not to take too long," he promised.
Tessa waved good-bye and after he left, she looked around the suite again. She pulled out her cellphone and hit the video chat button then tapped her sister's name.
A minute later, Dana's face popped up on the screen. Her brow was furrowed as she said, "Why in the world are you face calling me instead of letting the neighbor's know your man's name?"
Tessa shook her head at her sister. "Isaiah went to do his filming of his brother's interview for the documentary. This trip isn't all play, you know."
"How's the room?"
Tessa grinned. "That's why I called you. Check it out." She hit the button to reverse the camera on the phone and began the tour of the suite all over again, this time with Dana on video chat.
"Wow!" Dana exclaimed. "That place looks spectacular."
"It's even better in person," Tessa said, flipping her camera back around so she could see her sister again.
"So, since your man's off working, what are your plans?"
"I figured I'd head down and shop at some of the stores in the hotel, before coming back up here to soak in this gorgeous tub."
"Ugh! I'm so jealous," Dana pouted. "You're out there in Vegas with your man and I'm here."
"You could always call that hot neighbor of yours, whom you've already–"
"I am not calling him. That was a one time...lapse in judgment."
"If you say so," Tessa said, deciding not to argue.
"What did Mama say when you told her you were going away for the weekend with Isaiah?"
Tessa rolled her eyes. "She was just too excited. Has she come in yet?"
Dana lowered her voice. "She's been out front all morning, 'keeping an eye' on the newbies."
Tessa's eyes grew wide. "You didn't put any of the samples out, did you?" she whispered.
Dana shook her head. "We agreed we wouldn't start until you got back. I'm not taking Mama's wrath on by myself."
"Okay, good," Tessa said.
"Well, you go on and have fun," Dana said. "I've got to get back to work."
"I'll see you Monday," Tessa said.
"Love you."
"Love you back. Call Aiden!"
"N–"
She hung up before Dana could finish her argument with an amused grin on her face. She looked down at her phone when she heard it ping.
Isaiah: I'm here. Ian says he can't wait to see you.
I know! It's been so long. Tell him I can't wait to see him either. Or try one of his burgers I've heard so much about.
Isaiah: Are you naked yet?
Tessa laughed out loud, before responding.
No, decided to hit the stores first, then come back and soak after I've shopped til I dropped.
Isaiah: Cool. Talk to you soon.
Okay...
Tessa grabbed her purse, made sure she had her room key and left the suite.

"Hey! How 'bout you get off that damn phone of yours so we can get this done."
Isaiah chuckled, looking up at his mirror image. He tucked his phone into his pocket and turned on his camera. "Excuse me, Mr. Soon-To-Be-TV-Star. You ready?"
Ian turned on his TV smile. "Always."
Isaiah spent the next hour interviewing his brother about their parents and Noble Naturals.
"That's it?" he asked when Isaiah was done.
"For now, we're going to do a lot more when Izzy and Ivy get back to the states."
Isaiah shut off the camera and sat down in the chair across from Ian. "How have you been?"
Ian shrugged. "Busy with the restaurant, in talks about this cooking show. Life is good. What about you? How is it being back in Sweet Rapids?"
"Not as bad as I thought it'd be," Isaiah admitted. "It's grown so much."
"What about working with Noble Naturals?"
"For the longest time, I thought it would feel like having a noose around my neck. But putting this revamp in motion and this documentary, I'm actually enjoying myself."
"Next thing you know, Dad's gonna be trying to get me to come home next."
"We could always use that chemistry degree of yours," Isaiah said. "Now that we're coming up with these new lines for bath, body and make-up products, we could use some of that creative magic of yours. I know you're busy, but I may need to call you and pick your brain for some ideas."
Ian nodded his head. "Whatever help you need, let me know. I've got an old journal full of ideas from back in the day. Lotions, soaps; all kinds of shit."
Isaiah's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you ever say anything? Especially to Mom and Dad?"
Ian shrugged. "They were all about hair care. I only came up with them because of a project in college. Plus, you know I was all about food. But I've got it boxed away somewhere here. I'll find it and yo
u can take it with you."
"Thanks man," he said. "With Giselle's ideas, this should be great."
"Who's Giselle?" Ian asked.
"Oh, Giselle Warren's one of the cosmetic chemists at Noble Naturals. She's been working in quality control, but she's got a bunch of great ideas too, so I think I'm going to have Pop transfer her to Formulation Development. She's eager to create some things. I can't wait to get my hands on your notes man, this is gonna be great." Isaiah was excited for the company's upcoming changes.
Laughing, Ian said, "And here I thought my days with Noble Naturals were over and done."
"I said the same thing. And look where I am now."
Ian's eyebrow rose. "You thinking of hanging up your headphones and camera for the family business?"
Isaiah sighed. "You know music and film are my true loves. But...I'm coming to the realization that we can't push Noble Naturals away forever. It's always gonna be a part of who we are."
"I can't disagree with you on that," Ian said. "So when are Izzy and Ivy coming home?"
"I spoke to them last week, they're making arrangements to fly home within the next few weeks."
"Great," Ian said, nodding as he stood from his chair and stretched. "It'll be good to see them."
"Yeah, I was looking forward to hanging with them in Europe, but–"
"Pop conned you into going home instead."
"Yeah..."
But it had been worth it, with Tessa in his life now.
As he'd done so many times growing up, Ian seemed to read his brother's mind. "So," he said, as he ambled to his kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers. "You and Tessa Everett."
He slid a bottle across the island and Isaiah caught it.
"Me and Tess," Isaiah confirmed with a nod. He twisted the top off.
"How'd that happen?"
"I went into the bakery one morning and she was there. I ran into her again a couple days later and I hadn't been able to get her off my mind, so I told her I wanted to see her again." Smiling, he added, "She told me I knew where to find her."
Ian smiled as well. "She always was a bit spunky. And Dana..." He whistled. "She was a spitfire."
"Still is," Isaiah said.