Wild Cards

by R. C. Stephens

My phone had been ringing off the hook when I finally checked it. “Hello,” I answered the phone hesitantly; I wasn’t sure who would be calling my office.

  “Vicky,” a young male voice said through the phone. “My name is Brad Andrews, Bryce asked me to call you, he said he is running late. I’m his nephew.” The young man chuckled into the phone, probably because this was typical Bryce behavior ditching his long lost daughter for lunch. “If you don’t mind, I am right around the corner from Tyson, I ordered some lunch up to your office and I would like to come join you, what do you say cuz?” he asked with the same light hearted tone.

  This guy, Brad, was my cousin, wow. Luc mentioned something briefly about him last night but I hadn’t given too much thought to the idea that I had extended family. Mama had a brother but they weren’t close and him and his wife had no children. My papa’s family was big but they lived back in Italy. With how expensive travel to Europe was we never really had an opportunity to engage our Italian roots.

  “Sure Brad, that would be great,” I answered quietly.

  “Okay, Vicky, be there in five,” he said and I could hear the phone disconnect. He hadn’t even said bye. I was beginning to understand that Bryce was really only dedicated to his job. He seemed regretful yesterday when he spoke of his other kids, but maybe he was too far gone to focus on anything else but his work and making Tyson successful, which it already was.

  About ten minutes later, Luc’s secretary came knocking on my office door with a cart covered in food similar to the one Bryce had ordered yesterday. The truth was that I was famished after skipping breakfast. “The young Mr. Andrews will arrive shortly,” she said politely before closing the office door behind her. Brad was an Andrews but Bryce had mentioned that none of his children were working at Tyson. I wondered if Brad worked here. A few minutes later there was a light knock on the door, I got up to answer it but a young man, maybe about five years older than me, peeked his head in, “May I come in?” he asked with the manners of a gentleman.

  “Yes, of course, you must be Brad,” I said, extending my hand.

  “Come here and give me a hug, Vicky, I understand you are a long lost cousin,” he chuckled taking me in for a warm hug. Then he pulled himself back and held on to my hand. “Damn woman, you are lucky you are my cousin,” he smiled with a devilish grin.

  Luc chose that exact moment to make his way into my office. “No harassing the interns,” Luc said, walking toward my desk. “I see you have a lunch date, Vicky, I just wanted to check in on your progress,” he stated matter of factly and I hoped I hid the blush that appeared on my cheeks by his mere presence. Luc turned his head and his eyes landed on the cart covered in food. “You haven’t eaten?” he said looking back at me and I shook my head. “Okay, go ahead and eat and stop by my office when you have a minute.” He turned around to leave and nodded his head saying, “Brad,” before he walked out the door. Geez, Luc is always so intense and serious.

  Brad made himself comfortable, taking his sport jacket off and placing it on the back of the chair, before taking a seat with a wide smile on his face. The Andrews men clearly had a distinctive look. He was tall like Bryce with the same wide shoulders and strong physique; only his eyes are a lighter blue where Bryce’s are an interesting shade of grey. Their skin looks almost naturally tanned and they both have the same shade of dark brown hair, only Bryce has strings of grey running through his.

  “So how are we cousins?” I asked, squinting my eyes and trying to make small talk with the complete stranger who had made himself feel at home in my office.

  “My mother was Bryce’s sister, but he adopted me when I was a boy,” he explained and I couldn’t help but notice that he said the word ‘was.’ His mother must no longer be alive. My heart ached for this stranger.

  “I’m sorry,” I replied.

  “My parents died in an accident when I was seven, that’s life, Vicky. I am twenty-seven years old. I barely have any memories of them,” he explained to me, making me wonder why he was revealing so much to a stranger. “Bryce told me about your mom and your dad, I’m sorry that must be tough because she raised you,” he trailed off and for the first time since I met him his unabashed surety wavered.

  “It’s been a hard time,” I admitted. “But that’s life, right, Brad.” I said, plastering on a fake smile. I really shouldn’t be putting up a front with this guy; he seemed genuinely nice.

  “Don’t be offended by Bryce, Vicky, he means well but considering who he is and how much he has on his plate, he is constantly being pulled in different directions. I don’t envy my uncle.”

  “So you are here to make excuses for him,” I said light heartedly, but a small part of me is hurt that he didn’t make our lunch date.

  “No, I’m not, I’ve had my share of issues with Bryce. I am not going to lie to you, he was my guardian growing up and having no parents meant I fucked up a lot, excuse my French,” he grinned. I couldn’t help but eye the food on the cart. I was starving. “I’m sorry you are hungry and I am talking away,” he said, standing up and moving the cart closer to us. I stood up around my desk and took a plate off the cart filling it up once again with numerous salads and pasta.

  “I am actually very interested in what you have to say Brad, I just haven’t eaten all day. Why don’t you take a plate and we can talk some more over food,” I suggested. Brad took a plate of food and we both sat munching away. He was easy to talk too, and I liked the idea of meeting another family member, although my curiosity about Bryce’s other children became heightened by the passing moments. Brad was funny, outgoing and extremely handsome I wondered if they were the same.

  “How are Bryce’s other kids?” I asked.

  “Honestly, Vicky, you aren’t missing out on anything. My other cousins are a bunch of spoiled rich kids,” he admitted through a large bite of lasagna.

  “Oh, what makes you different then Brad?” I giggled. He was fun to talk to.

  “Honestly, he may have adopted me, but I wasn’t his kid. I was left shit loads of money, but I have always felt the need to prove myself to him and at times our relationship was rocky, and I was very much on my own. I spent a good number of years feeling sorry for myself and rebelling,” he admitted while his cheeks flushed.

  “What changed Brad?” I asked, knowing I may be pushing my limits with him.

  “Honestly? One bad fuck up and the realization that I needed to grow up,” he admitted with all honesty. He definitely wasn’t a stuck up rich kid, despite his name.

  “I hear you, I’ve done my share of messing up since my mama died, this is me trying to get my shit together,” I admitted, lowering my head.

  Suddenly Brad leaned forward. “Does getting your shit together include shagging the boss?” he asked, throwing me completely off. My jaw dropped and my pasta practically came pouring out of my mouth. I dropped the plate on my desk and looked at Brad wide-eyed, but he had a playful grin on his face.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, still in shock. Luc and I couldn’t have been that obvious.

  “Ah, you are a real Andrews…” he grinned some more. “Come on, Vicky, I saw how Luc was watching you, and you were eyeing him,” he chuckled, leaving me speechless. “No worries, I won’t tell Uncle Bryce, besides Luc is valuable around here. As long as he doesn’t go breaking your heart…. anyway you seem like a nice kid, and the big French dude hasn’t gotten laid in far too long…” Brad went on leaving me in a continuous state of shock.

  “For the record I have not slept with him….” I answered vehemently. I don’t know why it was so important in that moment but it just was. Then my tone dropped “You know about that?” I asked, flinching my head back with surprise. I remembered Luc telling me that his ex-wife’s boyfriend was close with Brad, but he never mentioned being close with Brad. Brad was like a whirlwind.

  “I introduced him to my uncle, my best friend is engaged to his ex-wife, I’m sorry I don’t know how much you know. I should really stop talking,” he said,
rising from his chair and placing his plate of pasta on the bottom shelf of the cart.

  “I know about all that…” I admitted.

  “I figured you did, if you got, uh… through,” he coughed, “to him,” he continued to mutter.

  I shook my head but I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not like that Brad,” I tried convincing him.

  He waved me off. “Yeah right.” I figured there was no point in explaining.

  “Don’t let him convince you he’s a bad guy. He’s become an asset to Tyson over the past two years and he’s my friend. Although my friend Dylan isn’t too happy about that…oh, well.” He shrugged, then continued. It was hard to get two words in with Brad. “Dylan is back in Boston and it was Dylan that sent him here in the first place…” he continued to mumble on. “Well, Vicky, it’s been a real pleasure… we will have to do lunch again cuz,” he said coming around my desk and giving me a big hug.

  “Yeah, Brad… sounds great,” I said, really meaning it. He was like an active volcano of information on my long lost family and on Luc, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

  “Take care, Vicky,” he said, throwing his coat over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door. I fell back in my seat and let out a long breath. Wow, cousin Brad was a handful and he seemed to know everything about everyone. I forgot to ask him if he worked at Tyson. I couldn’t help but wonder why Bryce had to cancel our lunch without even a message or a phone call.

  Deep down I was disappointed, even though I knew I didn’t have a right to be. I didn’t know what I was expecting from him but after giving me a place to stay and a job, I thought he would also give me his time. Thinking about it made me realize that it was easy for him to provide a place to stay or a job, it was his time that seemed to be the much wanted commodity around here, or maybe his other families are used to this from him. I wondered if Mama realized that staying in New York would have left her a lonely woman. Bryce would have been working all the time and she would have been alone to care for me. Back home growing up, my papa worked for a delivery company from nine to five, so he was always home in the evenings and we always sat for family dinners, we always did things together. Thinking of all the family time we spent together put a smile on my face.

  “Well, that’s a nice sight to see,” Luc said, walking back into my office with a light grin.

  “Do you always check up on your interns this way?” I crossed my arms over my chest and asked him with a chiding tone.

  His grin widened. “Of course not, I came to see if your loud mouth cousin left…” he laughed.

  Brad was talkative I’d give him that.

  “What was causing that nice smile when I walked in here?” Luc asked, taking a seat in the chair Brad had just vacated.

  “I was thinking of my family,” I admitted, feeling the pain of loss mingled with happy memories.

  “It’s nice that you have good memories, Vicky, you should hold on to them,” he smiled softly.

  “I know, Bryce stood me up for lunch and sent Brad instead. It was good to meet Brad, but I felt a little disappointed and somehow my mind drifted to my mother. She came to New York to tell Bryce she was pregnant, but after learning about his social status she never contacted him. I wonder if she knew so young that life with him would have been lonely?” I sighed thinking of my beautiful mother.

  “Vicky… Bryce is a good man, he really is, but he’s a billionaire. He was born to one of the richest families in North America and he’s on the board of probably one too many Fortune 500 companies. But he also does a lot of philanthropic work, he supports a lot of organizations that distribute aid to those in need all over the world after natural disasters and the list goes on,” Luc explained, sounding like he was trying to sell me on Bryce. The thing was whether I understood it or not he was my biological father.

  “What are you saying Luc?”

  “That the man is one of the good ones, but he’s human and he has his faults. He is married to his job, which leaves little room for other things,” he continued to explain, and I could tell he really looked up to Bryce, like a father almost. His own father sounded evil, so I could understand why Bryce’s qualities appealed to him.

  “I understand, I was just thinking that my mama may have understood that which is why she took me away from here….” I sighed as my mind drifted to my mother again. I thought of how much I missed her. “How about you, Luc? Are you married to the job like Bryce?”

  Luc shook his head. “No, Vicky, I don’t even have half the responsibilities that Bryce has and I am happy with that. I don’t need to be a business mogul. I am passionate about my work and that is what is important to me, and right now I am passionate about you,” his voice dropped to a low husky tone sending delicious ripples of lust through my body.

  My phone beeped but my eyes were glued on Luc.

  “Are you going to check your message?” he asked, pointing his head toward my phone.

  “What? Huh…ya…” I stuttered dreamily. I picked it up from my desk to see a text from Nessa. She had arrived.

  Me: I left the key for the apartment with the doorman.

  Nessa: Thanks babe.

  I was excited to have her here. As I pulled my gaze from the phone, I noticed how Luc was watching me closely. He looked turned on.

  “You’re beautiful.” He smiled.

  “So are you.” I smiled back.

  “Can I take you out later?” he asked and his eyes look heated, like he had only one thing on his mind.

  “Is that a good idea?” I asked, knowing that he intended to rip my clothes off. Then chided myself for questioning such a delicious idea.

  “I’m only offering dinner, Vicky,” he feigned innocence.

  “Really?” I cocked my head to the side.

  “No….you could be on the menu.” He grinned then he blinked his eyes and his tone became serious. “Let’s go to dinner. Your friend can come, and then you are mine for the rest of the night.”

  My cheeks flushed from the promise in his words.

  “Luc,” I breathed out as moisture pooled in my panties.

  “I promised you professional, I should keep to it,” he said, standing from his chair and adjusting the front of his pants. Was he hard? I am drooling…

  “I can give you a ride home,” he offered and he noticed my hesitation. “Why do you have to be a difficult girl still? I thought we had everything worked out. I thought we understood each other.”

  “Why are you calling me a girl again?” I squinted my eyes at him playfully. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m the new girl on the block. I don’t want people to think I am screwing the boss. As it is, Bryce gave me a nice office and this job,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

  “I understand, Vicky, although technically you aren’t screwing the boss, yet, but that’s about to change,” Luc responded, leaning forward across my desk and placed a soft kiss on my lips. A part of me wanted to crawl up on the desk, grab him by the tie and seduce him, but I urged my libido to calm the fuck down. He seemed light and happy and it warmed my heart to see it. He deserved happiness and it made me happy to think that I had something to do with it. He walked around the desk and touched my chin with his finger before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. His movement was soft and tender, and my eyes closed reveling in how close he was to me. That he even wanted me or trusted me enough to do this with me. Then he pulled away.

  With my eyes still half-mast and my lips tender from his kiss I said, “I will see you later.”

  Luc nodded his head in agreement and walked out of the office. My eyes followed his long built body in his suit and my chest tingled with excitement. So this is a crush…

  After tidying up my desk, I grabbed my purse and walked over to the elevators. It had been a pretty good second day and I was hoping to visit the plant soon to see the construction of the cars first hand. I sent Nessa a quick text that I was on the way home.

  I quickly caught a cab and as I sta
red out the window at the setting sun and the evening traffic jam, I realized that New York was doing something to me. Once again, I blamed Mama’s letter. Is this why she wanted me to come here? Did she see this place as filled with opportunity for me? She never told Bryce about me but something inside told me that she was sure he would accept me or else she would have never sent me here. Even from heaven she was looking out for me.

  Ten minutes later the cab pulled up to my new home. As the elevator rose up the levels my excitement to see Nessa grew. At the twenty-third floor, I exited the elevator and quickly unlocked the front door as Nessa turned the handle opening the door and throwing her arms around my neck.

  “Nessa, uh….your hair,” I muttered, pointing to her head like an imbecilic idiot. Her hair had been jet black since the day I met her. I figured she was a brunette and dyed it black to emphasize her bad girl persona. “You’re….you’re…. blonde. Not just blonde, almost white blonde,” I stated, still dumbfounded. It was such a drastic difference.

  “Ah, yeah, I’m actually a natural blonde Vick,” she said, twirling a tendril of hair. I slowly made my way into the apartment and Nessa bounced on her heels following me. It felt good to have her there. She had become like my family and now this place was feeling more like home.

  “No way… I would have never guessed…” I admitted feeling foolish. I felt like I knew her better than anyone else, how did I miss this about her? Seeing her as a blonde had softened her features and made her look like a different person. I fell back on the couch and let out a long breath, it’d been a long day.

  “Why did you dye your hair so black then? It’s a pretty drastic move, don’t you think?” I tilted my head assessing her. She seemed antsy, I always knew that there was more to her story than being left alone at a young age when cancer took her mother.

  “Come on, Vick, you know I’m a drastic person and now you’re here in New York and I felt alone back in Canada…” she explained with a frown. “Everything was good before I met you.” She squinted her eyes at me but her tone was laced with humor. I came barreling into her lonely life and she may not have realized that she needed a friend before she met me but she took the job of being my friend seriously and has always had my back. “I was used to being alone and then you went and changed that on me.” Her head tilted down and her plump lower lip darted out. “I suddenly didn’t like Thunder Bay without you,” she admitted with brutal honesty. That’s one thing I’d always admired about her; she was a straight shooter. Only now sitting here and looking at her I felt like she was a complete stranger and not the person who saved me from drowning when my mama got sick. This girl didn’t look dark and haunted, she looked like Malibu Barbie all bright and sparkly.