The Secret Arrangement

by Vanessa Waltz

  The girls I invited over had other priorities. "You’d think the giant dumpster at the side of my house would be a dead giveaway for where to put things."

  She gestures toward the miles of garbage. "Why do you do this? Is it a weird cry for help, or are you that desperate to relive your college days?"

  "Neither. I throw ridiculous parties because it drives your brother insane."

  She snorts.

  It’s juvenile as fuck but still better than venting my feelings with a punch to his mouth. "Swear to God; I was going to take care of it."

  Saffie gives me a look. "Yeah, well, maybe next time you’ll think of the wildlife before you trash the place. Birds were attacking the food when I drove here."

  "So I gave them free breakfast."

  She plants her hands on her hips. "No, you’re giving them things like diabetes and high blood pressure. Crows aren’t supposed to gorge on sweets."

  "I’ll never do it again." I grab the napkin at her feet and stuff it in the bag. "Cross my heart, hope to die."

  "I thought by now you guys would’ve grown out of the frat-house mentality."

  "That’s where you’re wrong," I say as we walk to the villa. "Every week there’s debauchery."

  "Topless Thursdays? I’ve heard." Saffie pushes a strand of hair clinging to her mouth, giving me another tentative look.

  "What?"

  She presses her lips together, shrugging. "Nothing."

  "Come on. If we'll be outside forever, you might as well speak what's on your mind."

  "Fine," she says in a curt voice. "It’s just—I feel sorry for you."

  My laughter booms across the yard. "Never heard that one before."

  "You have the emotional maturity of a teaspoon." Her eyes stab me. "You’re way too old to be acting out, so I wonder what the hell you went through to make you like this."

  "The real reason I invite people is to heal my tortured soul from the solitude." She frowns. "Look, Sigmund Freud. I might be immature, but there’s a purpose behind these stupid parties."

  "You have a problem with my brother, so you enrage with Topless Thursday or Twat Tuesday or whatever colorful event you can think of."

  My chest shakes with laughter. "You’re wrong, sweetheart. Go ahead and keep guessing, we have all day for you to figure me out."

  "Waste of time," she says with a glare.

  We’ve barely cleared a quarter of the lawn, and the sun beats on my head. Saffie works at a frenzied, frankly alarming pace. I expected her to call it quits a while ago, but she’s still going like the goddamn Energizer Bunny.

  I glance at her red, steaming face. "How come you need a place to stay?"

  She gives me a curious look. "I told you. I was evicted."

  Henry’s family has it made—how can she be destitute if the Pardinis are loaded? "Huh. Thought you guys were rich."

  "He is. I’m not. Dad cut me off when I was eighteen." She ends the sentence in a finality that warns me to stop probing.

  So, of course, I pry. "Wow. What did you do?"

  "Nothing," she says, all bitterness. "Mom died, and Dad blames me for it."

  The air, thick with heat, suddenly turns cold. Goosebumps prick my skin as I watch her work, my head exploding with questions for answers I shouldn’t care about.

  My insides twist with guilt. "I’m sorry. I didn’t want to open a can of worms."

  She sighs. "It’s okay. I’m kind of over it."

  Doesn’t sound that way. "I thought it’d be something crazy. Like you rolled ecstasy and racked up tens of thousands on a credit card."

  A smile curves her lips. "Nope. Dad would’ve kicked us out if we did drugs, and anyway, I’m too chicken-shit."

  I test the garbage bag. "It’s full. Let’s call it a day."

  "What? No! Look at how much more we have to do."

  I glance at her gleaming, red skin. "Spend any more time in the sun, and you’ll fry."

  Saffie looks at her legs, wincing. "All right. I’ll go inside, but just for a little bit."

  "We're done. I’m not picking up trash outside. This isn’t a chain gang."

  "You have no choice!" she snaps. "You’re the one who did this."

  "The perks of being rich mean I don’t have to clean up after myself. I’ll hire a team to do it for us, and it’ll only take three hours."

  "I promised Henry I’d do it."

  "What is he, your slaver?" I laugh, gazing at the acre of lawn and forest. "You’ll pass out from the heat before you finish half the yard. Don’t be stupid."

  "Fine, damn it." She throws the bag as though it’s a personal failure.

  Then she marches toward the side of the house with the garbage cans. I follow her as she walks across the field in her flip-flops. She holds the bin open while I lift the trash inside.

  Her eyes flutter when she lets the lid fall. "God, I’m tired. This has been the longest day."

  "There’s a sandwich with your name on it. Come on."

  "Hey!" a voice shouts from the front doors. "Grizzlies meeting!"

  Oh, Lord. Not again. "Tell him I’m not coming!"

  A nasal tone snaps, "It’s mandatory."

  Saffie grins at the exchange. "You have meetings?"

  "Your brother loves his fucking powwows. Cleaning. Team building exercises. They’re weekly and bore everyone to tears."

  She laughs, and it’s like chimes on the wind. "That’s cute. I didn’t know you guys were so organized."

  "Trust me; it won't be fun."

  His ginger beard trembles as we approach. "Hurry."

  I glower at him, but Saffie beams. "Is it all right if I sit in on the meeting?"

  "Yeah," he says, waving us inside. "There’s animal crackers and cheese wedges for everyone."

  What are we, five? "Oh, joy."

  We follow him into the house, the door making a hollow sound as it slams shut. The men group around Henry in the living room. A weathered, blue rug spreads underneath the rustic coffee table and the white L-shaped couch. The plate of food is picked clean. A flatscreen blares with someone’s video game that Henry promptly shuts off.

  He tosses the remote onto the couch and gestures toward a giant whiteboard with black scribbling. He loves to use it for writing plays, but lately, he’s been making bullet-pointed lists we all ignore. Great, more time-wasting bullshit.

  Upon my approach, he adds another thick line with the black marker underneath a phrase: INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.

  For the love of God.

  Saffie leaves my side to take a seat at the end of the L-shaped couch. I stand behind her, gripping the cushions.

  Henry smiles and nods. "Thanks for joining us. I wanted you all here today—"

  "I need twenty-four hours’ notice for a meeting." All the heads in the room turn to me. "Or I’ll be a no-show."

  A tic grows in his jaw. "Why?"

  "Because I’ve got shit I’d rather do."

  "Like what?" he says in that arrogant twang I hate. "Sitting on your ass and playing Battlefield? Are you planning another party? No, it’s a charity event—Save Our Tacos."

  "That’s clever. I’ll take it under advisement."

  Across the coffee table, Titus’ grin flashes at me.

  Henry steps into the circle, annoyed. "I called you here to tell announce that my sister will be staying with us for a while. Stand up, Saffie."

  She rises from the couch, pink in the face. "Hi, everyone!"

  Vince and Greg make faces as though the fun got sucked from the room. Henry steamrolls ahead, ignoring them. "We need to discuss inappropriate behavior that has to stop while Saffie is here, which brings me to my first point. No nudity." He scrawls the words in thick, black ink, giving me a pointed glare I ignore.

  "No girls on the couches—pools—anywhere that isn’t your bedroom."

  "So now you’re dictating where we can fuck?" My voice booms over his. "That’s overstepping."

  His fingers whiten around the marker. "I call it simple human decency.
"

  I burst into laughter at the irony of Henry Pardini lecturing me about manners. Yeah, I think I’ll take lessons from someone else.

  "Henry," Saffie interjects. "I don’t want—this is their vacation. They shouldn’t have to change because I’m here."

  "Yes, they do." He points at them with the marker. "No more lying out by the pool in the nude, leaving condoms on the toilet seat, or walking around shirtless."

  Voices erupt from the group, complaining. "Come on, man."

  He shakes his head in violent jerks. "It’s non-negotiable."

  "Okay," Saffie says, facing everyone. "Please ignore everything my brother just said. You can walk this ranch without shirts, in the nude, wearing assless chaps for all I care. This is your place. I’m a guest. End of story."

  "No," Henry snaps. "I’m lodging complaints with the league if anybody fucks around. This is serious, guys."

  I watch as they exchange annoyed glances and peer at Saffie through narrowed eyes. He’ll make her the target of their resentment.

  Saffie looks on, horrified. "Why are you doing this?"

  "This is the best way to avoid tension in this house."

  What an asshole.

  "I’m not planning to cause drama."

  "Look, it’ll be awkward enough having you here, because some people feel the need to create an uncomfortable environment."

  "Like you are right now," I say as everyone laughs.

  A flush burns his cheeks. "You're making everyone’s summer hell with the strip-poker tournaments and the beer-pong games."

  "I don’t mind any of that," Saffie says, louder than ever.

  Henry glares at her. "I do."

  "Sounds like you are the only one with a problem." I fold my arms. "Maybe that’s because you’re married and we’re not."

  "Yeah, I am worried about our public image. We all should be."

  Titus stands up. "We make every guest sign NDAs. I don’t see what the issue—"

  "No more Topless Fucking Thursdays," Henry growls. "It only takes one leak to the press to destroy someone’s reputation. Think with your brain instead of your dicks for two seconds and decide whether that’s worth it to you."

  It’s not a big deal. Planning the parties was becoming a pain, anyway.

  Henry stabs the page again. "Last rule—don’t touch my sister."

  Silence fills the living room, broken only by her shocked gasp. "You are ridiculous."

  "You want to stay here? These are my rules."

  "This is humiliating." Saffie blinks rapidly as she marches across the room, Titus frowning at her.

  I don’t like it either. Thought I couldn’t hate the bastard enough, but the way he treats his sister makes me sick. Her hurried footsteps echo down the hall.

  I walk to Henry’s stupid whiteboard and wrestle the pen from his hands, and then I draw a giant cock. The guys shriek with laughter as I finish, handing the marker to a fuming Henry.

  "There’s my amendment to your rules. Suck my dick."

  "Nice," he says, cheeks flaming. "Real mature."

  I let the raucous voices fade to an echo as I follow Saffie’s path. She’s upset, and I don’t like the thought of her stewing somewhere alone. I peek my head into rooms until I find a balled-up figure in the library.

  It’s covered wall to wall with brand-new books that have never been cracked open. When we bought the place, Henry wanted to use a room as a goddamn library. He spent thousands packing the shelves with hardbacks he won't read. Since college, I’ve never seen him hold a novel.

  Saffie sits on the shag rug, a hardback in front of her. She flips through the pages. A frown knits her eyebrows together, and her lips sag down. The air in my lungs catches as she smooths her shining hair, which cascades over her bare back. I picture myself sliding behind her, untying that white knot, and palming her tits as they fall out of that string bikini. I’ll break every stupid fucking rule, starting with her.

  She glances at me, her dark pools windows into her sadness. Makes me feel things I don’t want to experience. I’m supposed to get what I want and ditch her like a bad habit, but something tells me one night wouldn’t satisfy me. Saffie’s the opposite of her brother in every way—selfless and kind, with enough grit to stand up for herself.

  I join her on the carpet. My gaze follows the thin strip of white gliding down her tanned shoulder to her crossed legs. Her skin is glossy with a lotion that smells vaguely of pineapple. "Book any good?"

  She snaps it shut. Framed with her midnight hair, she's like a fucking goddess, and her eyes keep lingering on my mouth. I feel the warmth of her body inches from mine.

  "No idea," she says. "I’m trying to forget what happened."

  "Don’t bother with reading. I’m a better distraction." I take it from her and set it aside. "Our team meetings aren’t usually like that."

  "Good to know." She smiles wryly.

  "Last week was about chores. Henry brought in a spinning wheel to dole out responsibilities."

  "Really?"

  "No. He gave pieces of paper in a hat, though. The guys made a solid effort for a few days."

  Saffie snorts. "Typical."

  "They won’t behave like total slobs with you around."

  She picks another book at random, flipping open the cover. "Sorry, did you need something? I’m not in the mood for a chat."

  "You looked upset. That’s why I followed you in here."

  "Well, thanks, but I’m fine." She looks as though she almost believes that. "And I’d appreciate it if you left me alone from now on."

  "I would if you meant that."

  "Henry’s my brother." She abandons her pretense at reading. "Like it or not, I have to do what he says."

  I laugh at her. "How old are you, seven?"

  "I’m twenty-nine, and I don’t want to get into whatever drama there is between you, so I'm not sure what else there is to say."

  I love how people use that word to apply to every ill in the world, no matter how big or small. "What happened between your brother and me wasn’t drama."

  Saffie gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me. "I get it. Henry’s difficult to deal with. I understand that completely. It took years of persistence just to make him to pick up the phone."

  "I don’t want to talk about Henry." I hook my finger under her chin, drawing those dark pools to mine.

  She parts her lips, cheeks flushed. "I told you to go."

  This is the part where I’m supposed to act the gentleman. "Too bad. I’m not going anywhere."

  I graze her jaw. She doesn’t pull away. "Has anyone ever mentioned how arrogant you are?"

  "You’re into me, Saff. There’s no point in pretending."

  The distant echo of someone opening a door startles her. She jerks from my touch, reopening the book. "And I know what you’re trying to do. You want to get under Henry’s skin through me. I don’t appreciate it."

  "You’ve got it backward," I say, grinning. "I couldn't care less what he thinks. This is about fun. You’re familiar with the concept, right? I had a nice time losing to you in a yoga challenge, and I’d like to take it one step further."

  "I shouldn’t have instigated that." Her eyes drop. "When you’re around, it’s harder for me to say no."

  Good. "Let’s go to my room. We can practice all kinds of scenarios."

  "Does all this flirting mean something, or do you get off on being a tease?"

  I brush the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I’ve been clear about what I want since day one, and I think you want the same. Why not give it a shot?"

  The pink staining her cheeks darkens to crimson. "Because I don’t trust you. Sometimes you act wickedly funny and sweet, and other times downright nasty. You’re hiding something."

  "It has nothing to do with you. I promise."

  Saffie lets out a sigh.

  "Face it; we'll be stuck together for a long time. If we keep our hands off each other the entire summer, it’ll be a miracl
e. I can’t ignore a hot girl strutting the ranch in a tiny bikini."

  "I don’t strut."

  "Whatever. We might as well take advantage while it lasts, right? What if it's a secret?"

  She shakes her head. "How would we do that?"

  "We sneak around." A grin tiptoes across my face as I imagine the possibilities. "It’ll be fun."

  I thought I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell after Henry put the fear of God in her, but Saffie’s got a stronger backbone than I gave her credit for.

  Her voice lowers. "A friends-with-benefits arrangement?"

  I take her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Yes."

  "I don’t even know if I’ll like fucking you."

  "You need a taste of what’s to come."

  A smile plays on her taunting mouth. I stroke her bottom lip, and the look disappears, replaced by longing. I lean closer, the air burning between our mouths.

  She pulls back. "Wait—"

  I mold my lips against hers, wrapping my arms around her to caress the miles of bare skin. She gasps. Her hands dive in my hair. Sharp nails rake my neck. She makes noises as though I’m balls-deep inside her and she’s about to come. Saffie kisses me, and it’s like a naked tongue on steel, flesh on fire. I take her waist and squeeze.

  She turns her head. "Shit," she pants. "We’re not supposed to do this."

  Her flushed lips beg for another kiss, so I crush my mouth against hers. I run my hands over her smooth, tight body. My fingers trail a path to her tits, and my thumb rolls on her nipple, the bump poking into the bikini. I should yank it down, but I promised her a taste. And why spoil the fun? Fucking her will be sweeter when she’s begging for it.

  I sweep my tongue over her bottom lip and pull away. Saffie blinks her confusion, her face bright red. I offer her a smile filled with all the filthy promises running through my head. Then I turn and walk out of the room. Henry couldn’t have given me a better opportunity to screw him. Saffie is my ticket out of here, a revenge package wrapped up in a pretty bow, and she’s hot for me.

  It’s only fair I give her what she wants. She’ll hate me after this is all over.

  5

  Saffie