He tossed the magazine on the table. “I just keep this place to impress business clients. When Ash and I have to put somebody up when they come into town on business, we put them in the guest room. Once they see we’re legit, they usually cave to our demands.” He jumped up. “Come on. I want to show you my room. Maybe then you’ll understand.”
She hesitated, but he hurried away into the trees. She had no choice but to follow. She found him standing outside another door. A mischievous glint sparkled in his eye. “Are you ready for the ultimate surprise?”
What could she say? He was full of surprises. He opened the door, and they stepped into a very plain living room. In fact, it looked remarkably similar to Marlee’s parents’ living room back home. Wooden beams angled up the ceiling from the white plaster walls. A low wooden coffee table separated two brown leather couches from TV. A normal-sized Christmas tree stood in one corner. Ornaments and bead strings hung from its branches, and a stuffed angel sat on top.
Through another door, Marlee spotted a queen-sized bed with a brown comforter tossed to one side. Clothes scattered on the floor and the exposed mattress. It was the private residence of a single man for sure.
Marlee grinned at her brother. “Colton!”
He chuckled. “Don’t tell anybody, okay? You can stay in here if you want to. The bathroom’s right over there. Just leave the toilet seat up.”
She followed the jerk of his head. A simple bathroom with toilet and shower stall came off the living room. In all the years he worked in New York, he never outgrew his middle-class upbringing. All the money and success had not changed him one bit. He didn’t want all that luxury and glass. He wanted to live somewhere comfortable and familiar.
Marlee tackled her brother so hard she knocked him off his feet. She threw her arms around him and crushed her head against his chest. “You’re the best.”
He pushed her back. “If you get lonely, you can come back here, but you might like to explore the rest of the place, just for giggles. I better go now. I’ll be back around five, and we’ll go out for dinner.”
Marlee spent the rest of the day exploring Colton’s apartment. Whenever she overloaded her senses on the towering ceilings, the magnificent indoor gardens, and the lavish furnishings, she high-tailed it back to the sanctity his secret den.
So that’s the way her brother lived. On the outside, he was a lion of the business world. On the inside, he was still her brother. He still walked around in his socks and threw his dirty laundry on the floor. His bathroom needed cleaning, and he kept a glass of water on the table next to his spot on the couch where he watched TV.
He returned at five o’clock on the dot and found her in the main living room watching the boats again. He stripped off his jacket and fell full length on the couch opposite. “Phew! I’m glad that’s over. Now we can relax until after New Years.”
She smiled at him. “Were you really worried about it?”
“Not really. I just want to do a good job. I don’t like doing anything by halves. If I’m going to bother with it, I’m going all the way. You know what I mean? That’s why Ash and I are such a great team. He’s the same way. Nothing is good enough unless it is top quality.”
“How did you meet him, anyway?”
“We met in the gym at Syracuse. We got talking, and it was love at first sight, you could say.” He joked.
Marlee laughed, and he grinned. She recognized her good old brother in that smile. His business tycoon persona started to wear thin.
He cocked his head to one side. “I’ve got something to say to you, Miss Marlee.”
Marlee raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Only one thing?”
He propped himself up on his elbow. “It’s about Ash. I just want to warn you about him. He’s taking us out to dinner tonight, and that’s fine. But I wasn’t joking when I told him to stay away from you before...”
“Oh, lighten up Colton.” She interrupted.
Listen. He’s a hopeless womanizer. I’ve seen it, over and over. It’s the one thing I strongly dislike about him. He can’t keep his hands to himself, and he goes through women faster than he changes his underwear.”
Marlee burst out laughing all over again. “Are you worried about him hitting on me?”
“I know he’ll hit on you. You’re exactly the kind of woman he does hit on.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What kind of woman is that?”
He waved his hand up and down in front of her. “Drop dead gorgeous. Curvy. Smart. Sexy. Put together. Sharp dressing. That’s what I mean. He’ll be all over you.”
“I’m sure he won’t do that. You’re his friend and his business partner, and I’m your sister visiting from the West Coast. I’m sure he’ll mind his manners.”
“You don’t know him as I do. Just take a warning from me. Don’t get into anything you can’t get out of, and don’t believe a word he says. He might promise you the moon. Just don’t think he’ll follow through on it. He’ll get what he wants and move on in a heartbeat. I’ve seen him do it a million times.”
Marlee just chuckled at him. “So you’re worried about him trying to get me into bed, and then me getting hurt when it turns out to be nothing more than a one-night stand. Is that it?”
“Something like that.”
“Thank you for the warning, Colton. You might be pleasantly surprised, though.”
“I won’t be pleasantly surprised by his behavior because he won’t behave. He’ll do what he’s always done.”
“Maybe he has more to worry about from me than I have to worry about from him.”
“I doubt that.” Colton’s phone twinkled. He pulled it out and studied the screen. “The limo is downstairs. Ash is waiting for us. Just remember what I said, okay?”
Chapter 3
Marlee slid into the limo, shuffling across to make room for Colton. She scuffled to adjust her seatbelt as the limo glided out onto the street. Lights and horns floated past outside, but Marlee snuggled into the pleasant warmth inside. A lamp in the ceiling illuminated the passenger compartment.
As she looked up, she met Ash’s eyes. He was sitting directly across from her. His steel-grey eyes hardened and hit hers with his penetrating gaze, as he shrugged his shoulders inside his jacket. So this was the most notorious bad boy on Broadway? Yum.
Instead of a T-shirt, Ash wore a pressed, tailored buttoned shirt with the top button unfastened. He gave her another once-over. “How did you like your brother’s apartment?”
“It’s very nice. Thank you. I suppose you have one like it, too.”
“Who me?” Ash’s hand flew to his heart. “No, I could never live in a place like that. I live in a brownstone in Queens.”
Marlee’s eyes flew open. “Do you? Do you take a limo from Queens to town every morning to get to work?”
“No, I drive my car.”
“A Ferrari, I suppose.”
“No, I have a BMW.”
Marlee pursed her lips and nodded. “Impressive.”
“Not as impressive as this brother of yours. He never does anything by halves.”
“That’s interesting. He said the same thing about you.”
Ash’s cheeks colored, but he never took his eyes off her. “I suppose he warned you all about what a shark I am.”
Her cheeks glowed. She was enjoying this. “Yes, he did. He told me not to let you get anywhere near me.”
He cast his eyes down to her feet and back up to her...yes; he was staring at her chest. “I’d like to get near you, all right.”
Colton growled under his breath. “What did I tell you?”
Marlee laid her hand on her brother’s arm. “Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re only encouraging him,” Colton shot back.
“We’re just talking,” Marlee told him. “Now, Ash, I want to know all about this negotiation you just had. Colton never tells me anything about what he does.”
“I told you all about it,” Colton prote
sted.
“There’s really nothing to tell,” Ash replied. “Your brother blew everybody out of the water and got exactly what he wanted. He won a bunch of concessions from the City, and he got the duties the City wanted from shippers. He also positioned our holding company to make a whopping profit from the new arrangements by purchasing advanced shares in some of the shippers involved. He’s a genius, this brother of yours.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Colton countered. “It was easily just as much your win as mine. You’re the one who dug up those figures.”
“And you’re the one who came up with the idea of buying before they signed the agreement. You watch. Tomorrow morning when the agreement gets published, the stocks will shoot through the roof. You’re the one who decided to buy while the price was low. I don’t even want to know what sort of deals you’ve got cooking behind the scenes that I don’t even know about.”
Marlee turned to her brother. “Is this true?”
“I told you not to believe a word he says,” Colton snapped. “He’s trying to butter you up by flattering me.”
Ash hooted. “Flatter you! That’ll be the day. How do you think he can afford that apartment of his? He makes ten times as much money as I do, and it’s all behind closed doors. He’s a monster.”
“He’s your best friend,” Marlee pointed out.
“So what do you think that makes me?” Ash replied.
“You say you’re a shark.”
Ash snorted. “I’m a patsy. He only keeps me around to make himself look good.”
Colton glared at him. “You better cut that out before you get yourself in trouble.”
Ash softened. “I’m just joshing you, man. You know I love you more than my upholstery.”
Colton scowled out the window. Ash turned his attention back to Marlee. “So tell me. What do you do out there in sunny California?”
“I’m a horse trainer.”
His eyes flew open. “A horse trainer!”
“Yes. I work for a racing stud outside Santa Cruz.”
“That’s so interesting. That must be such a nice, relaxing job—nowhere near as stressful as corporate contract negotiation.”
“No, it’s not stressful at all. In fact, it’s boring. I’ve been jealous of you and Colton since I got here and saw what you’re up to. It must be so exciting to face down a challenge like that and win. I wish I had that kind of challenge in my life.”
“Don’t wish that,” Ash replied. “I sometimes wish I had a nice, relaxing job like training horses. Now that’s a job I could enjoy.”
Marlee laughed out loud. “Maybe we could switch for a few weeks. We could try out each other’s jobs and see how we like them.”
He brightened up. “Okay. You’ll have to give me a starter course, though. I don’t know anything about training horses.”
“And I don’t know anything about negotiating contracts.”
“I’m sure it’s not that much different. I’m sure you have to negotiate with your horses to get them to do what you want. These people coming to us with their contracts aren’t all that smart. It’s more about knowing how to handle them the right way—tempting them with the right bait—that sort of thing.”
Marlee nodded. “That sounds about right. You’d be a natural.”
The limo stopped, and Colton peered out. “We’re there.”
The trio got out in front of a restaurant packed with people. The crowd poured out the front doors. No one could get near the entrance. Colton humphed. “This is great.”
“We have a reservation,” Ash replied. “I’ll go inside and find the manager.”
He shouldered his way in, and the crowd parted to let him through. The instant he left, Colton rounded on Marlee. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told you not to get anywhere near that guy. You’ve done nothing but flirt with him since you got into the limo. Are you trying to make me mad? He’s dangerous, I told you.”
Marlee flashed him a grin. “Ooo, goody! I love dangerous men.”
Colton smacked his lips. “Don’t let me see that you are talking to him again. Just stay away from him.”
“Come on, Colton,” she chided. “I’m just playing around. I can’t exactly ignore him for the rest of the evening. He’s paying to take us out to dinner.”
“I don’t care if he gives you a million dollars. Don’t talk to him. Don’t even look at him.”
Marlee crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t order me around like that. I’ll talk to anyone I please, and he happens to be a very good conversationalist.”
“Conversationalist! Do you think I don’t see you two checking each other out?”
Marlee blushed. She hadn’t realized it was so obvious to him that she was checking out Ash. But she couldn’t help it. He looked so damn good with his broad shoulders and his narrow hips. She couldn’t stop herself imagining what he looked like under that suit. A man like that gave her butterflies in her stomach.
“Look, Colton,” she told him. “I’m just having a good time. I’m not marrying him. Isn’t that what I came out to New York to do? You can’t keep me under lock and key the whole time I’m here. He’s your friend, not mine. He invited us out to dinner. Let’s just enjoy it while we can.”
He threw up his hands. “I wouldn’t object to you having a little witty repartee with just about anybody else, but not him.”
“How can you say that? He’s your closest friend and your business partner.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to approve of his dating habits.”
Marlee chuckled. “We’re hardly dating.”
“You don’t know him as I do. I’ve seen him chew up women and spit them out. I couldn’t let him do that to my sister. Just stay away from him.”
She sized him up. “I understand you’re trying to protect me, and I love you for that. I’m just talking to him. I would be rude not to. Let’s just get through this dinner. Then we’ll see where we’re at.”
He stood back and set his hands on his hips. “All right. I guess there’s no harm in that.”
Ash came back. “I’ve got our table. Come on.”
He split the crowd with his massive presence. People fell away before him. If someone didn’t happen to notice him come up behind them, he only had to lay his hand on that person’s shoulder. Then they scampered out of the way with many heartfelt apologies. In an instant, Ash pulled out Marlee’s chair, and the two men arranged themselves on either side of her.
Marlee checked out the menu and closed it again. She couldn’t believe someone would pay these prices, just for food.
“What are you having?” Colton asked.
“I don’t know,” Marlee breezed. “You can decide for me.”
“How about the ratatouille?”
Marlee burst out laughing. “All right. Whatever you say.”
Ash set his menu aside. “I’m having a steak. A crisp negotiation in the bank like we had today puts me in the mood for a nice bloody steak. I need blood.” He lowered his voice to a vampiric chortle.
Marlee beamed at him. “You probably drag your maiden conquests back to your lair in Queens and tie them to the bedpost before you suck them dry. Come on. Admit it, Ash. You have a coffin in the basement instead of a bed.”
He shot her a wicked smirk. “You’d like me to tie you to my bedpost, wouldn’t you?”
“You couldn’t handle my sexual appetite, sonny,” she shot back.
“Really? Try me.”
Colton slammed his hand down on the table. “Do we have to talk about this at the dinner table?”
“Yes, we do,” Marlee countered. “Tell me what you like, Ash. Are you a bondage man, or do you have more of the cannibalism-type fetish? Colton says you chew up girls and spit them out. Maybe you just suck their blood and stack the bones in your basement.”
Ash cackled with glee. Colton gritted his teeth and turned on Marlee. “Wha
t are you trying to do? You’re baiting him right in front of me.”
“Fine. I won’t talk to Ash anymore. I’ll just sit here and eat my ratatouille.” She wadded up her napkin and stuck it in her lap. She laced her fingers together, propped them under her chin and her elbows on the table, and blinked into the distance.
Colton glared at no one in particular. Nobody said anything until the food came. Ash took up his knife and fork and bent over his steak. “Mmm. Nice, medium rare, charbroiled maiden conquest. Just what I like.”
Marlee exploded in laughter again, but when she saw the look on Colton’s face, she buttoned her lip for good. Neither she nor Colton said anything for the rest of the meal. Ash prattled on as though to himself. “What do you guys have planned for Christmas? I’m going down to Times Square to hear the carolers on Saturday. Maybe you’d like to come along. I wouldn’t be able to suck your blood there. Oh, wait. Colton wouldn’t let you come. Anyways, I still haven’t set up my tree yet. I got all my decorations out of the basement, and I....oh, sorry. I forgot. There’s no room in the basement for decorations with all the bones lying around. Well, it’s kind of hard to enjoy Christmas by yourself, isn’t it? It’s nice you two will be spending Christmas together. Do you have your presents wrapped under the tree yet?”
Marlee cast a sidelong glance at Colton. She just now realized she forgot to get him a Christmas present. Her parents sent theirs through the mail. The box would arrive in a few days, and she would put them under the tree in Colton’s room for Christmas morning. She forgot to get him one from herself, though.
Her mind raced. She would have to get away from him for a few hours sometime before the 25th. “Are you guys working for the rest of the week, or are you done for the holidays?”
Colton’s head whipped around, and he bared his teeth. Ash froze with a piece of steak perched on the end of his fork halfway between the plate and his open mouth. He stared back and forth between Marlee and Colton.
Marlee turned on Colton. “Well, are you? It’s a simple question.”
Colton wilted. “No, we’re not working. I was hoping you and I could spend some time together.” He glared at Ash. “Just you and me—no one else.”
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