Because Naughty Holidays Can Be Oh So Nice 2015

by Nicole Edwards

  “Sounds like it.”

  “We need to meet him at the club at seven.”

  Cole nodded in agreement. “What time is it now?”

  “Five twenty.”

  “You wanna keep an eye on them while I go shower? I’ll use the guest bathroom. Then we’ll trade?”

  Perfect. And Veronica would be there by six, which would leave Sierra plenty of time to get ready while her mother was there to watch the kids.

  Shit.

  Now Luke needed to…

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cole said, handing Liam over to him. “I’ve got your proposal ready and waiting in your office at the club. You have nothing to fret about. It’ll be fine.”

  Yeah. It would. Luke knew that. Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to fret about it, anyway, as Cole liked to put it.

  When Cole leaned down and kissed him, Luke relaxed immensely, giving in to the gentle brush of Cole’s lips against his own. The man always knew how to get him to relax.

  Didn’t matter that three minutes after Cole had left the room, Luke was pacing the living room.

  6:37 p.m.

  SIERRA EMERGED FROM her bedroom wearing her robe, not wanting to put her dress on just yet. She was surprised to find Luke and Cole standing in the living room, talking to her mother, both of them dressed to the nines.

  Lord. Have. Mercy.

  As she looked at those two men, her breath lodged in her chest momentarily. Luke, with his midnight-black hair and striking hazel eyes, looked intimidating in his tuxedo, while Cole, with his blond hair and devastating blue eyes, looked the picture of class and elegance. They were different but equally stunning.

  “There she is,” Veronica said when Sierra stepped into the room. “I thought your husband was going to lose his mind.”

  Sierra didn’t need for her mother to clarify which husband she was referring to. She could practically see Luke vibrating as he attempted to keep his feet rooted to the floor. If she had to guess, he’d probably worn a rut in the hardwood already.

  “Something wrong?” Sierra asked, looking up at Luke.

  “No. Trent called. Phoenix wants to meet before the party. We need to head over to the club now.”

  Sierra nodded. “I’m riding with Logan, Sam, and Eli. Y’all didn’t need to wait for me.”

  “But we wanted to,” Cole said, grinning from behind Luke.

  With a smile of her own, Sierra pulled Luke’s head down to hers and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “We’ll be waiting,” Luke assured her. “Love you.”

  “Love you,” she replied, moving over to Cole and kissing him quickly. “Keep him calm.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Cole said. “He’s cool when it comes to business. This is probably the best thing that could’ve happened.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  Both her men kissed the kids good-bye, then dashed out the door without looking back.

  When they were gone, Sierra turned to her mother. “Mom?”

  Veronica’s blue eyes met hers, her eyebrow lifting in question.

  “Can you help me with my hair?” Since her hair now hung down to her butt, it wasn’t easy to curl it herself.

  “Sure.”

  “And I’ll probably need your help with my dress.”

  “Is something wrong with it?”

  “Not at all,” Sierra told her. “But I fully intend to blow their minds when I see them next. I want to make sure the only thing they think about for the rest of the night is me.”

  “I’m sure you won’t have a problem pulling that off.”

  Sierra hoped not. It had been a long time—or it seemed that way, anyway—since she’d dressed up. Being pregnant with Liam, she hadn’t been able to wear heels, and now, tonight, she had the first opportunity to glam herself up.

  And she fully intended to go all out.

  After all, she wanted to make sure Luke and Cole spent the last hours of this year—and all of next year—thinking about her. And only her.

  Chapter Five

  6:59 p.m.

  COLE RISKED HIS life to get Luke to the club by seven o’clock, but they made it—only breaking a few traffic laws in the process—and that was all that mattered. When they pulled into the parking lot, he noticed that all of the valets were already set up out front, gearing up to move cars once guests started to arrive in an hour.

  Sixty more minutes before the night got underway and Cole was beginning to wonder if Luke was going to survive until then. Thank God for the meeting, that was all he knew. It would provide the perfect distraction for a man who was getting himself worked up for absolutely no reason.

  However, he had to give Luke props because he had managed to refrain from giving Cole hell on the way there, even now as the clock turned to seven and Cole pulled up in front of the club. But before he’d even managed to put the car in park, Luke was out the door, walking inside without looking back.

  Cole smiled to himself, climbing out of the car, shaking his head.

  After handing the keys to the attendant, Cole went inside, greeting Candace, the woman who manned the reception area. She had her work cut out for her tonight, but it appeared she was getting ready for the event, so he attempted to pass through with a wave, but she caught him before he could.

  “You ready for this?” she asked, turning to face him.

  “Aren’t I always?”

  “Is he?” Candace chuckled, nodding toward the door, where Luke had disappeared.

  “I’m sure he’ll relax.”

  “Maybe after a couple of drinks,” she said.

  “Drinks. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Candace smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.”

  Cole nodded. “Let me know if you need anything. Though I doubt we’ll need it, we’ve got extra security coming in.”

  “I saw that.”

  Security was one thing they took seriously. On any given night, there were two bouncers at the front doors, then more managing each of the exits and several standing guard on the floor. Due to the nature of their club, it was crucial that they didn’t let anything get out of hand. And since they’d have a few unknowns at the club tonight, he and Luke had agreed they needed to beef things up.

  “See you later,” Cole told Candace before pulling open the door. After a quick pass through the main floor, checking the bars to ensure they were being set up, Cole poured Luke a drink, then met up with him in his office, where Trent and three others were already waiting.

  “I’d like you to meet my husband, Cole,” Luke said to the others when Cole approached. “Cole, this is Phoenix Pierce, his wife, Mia, and his husband, Tarik.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” Cole responded, shaking the hand of each person, noticing that someone—hopefully Trent—had thought to get them drinks, which was a good thing. He didn’t mind being the gofer, but he had his hands full with Luke or he probably would’ve thought ahead.

  Handing Luke the tumbler of scotch, Cole discreetly studied Phoenix and his better … thirds… Is that how the saying goes when there are three? Mia was a pretty blonde with ice-blue eyes, the perfect counterpoint to the fierce-looking, dark-haired Tarik, a man who obviously was responsible for handling Phoenix’s protection. The guy looked like he was ex-military, but Cole honestly had no idea.

  Cole didn’t know much about Phoenix, other than recognizing the name due to the man’s public persona. He was a prominent Texas businessman, not to mention the owner of the Austin Arrows—Austin’s NHL team.

  “Please, sit.” Luke gestured toward the table and chairs set up in the corner of the office where they occasionally had meetings such as this. Rarely, though. In fact, this was the first time since they’d opened Devotion that they were actually having this particular conversation.

  Expansion.

  That in itself was a big deal, especially after Luke had abruptly closed down The Club @ Club Destiny a few years ago when there was a threat to their client li
st. The man definitely didn’t put up with a lot of shit, and he certainly didn’t trust many. So for him to consider branching out and putting trust in others once more said a lot about how far he’d come in the past couple of years.

  “If you’d like, I can provide you with my business proposal,” Luke offered.

  “If you don’t mind, we’d like to keep this casual,” Phoenix replied. “I really just wanted to introduce you to Mia and Tarik.”

  Casual. That was a good thing. If Luke got started discussing business, he likely wouldn’t stop, and Cole would be forced to rein him back in once people began to arrive. He glanced at his watch. They didn’t have long.

  And while he was interested in where this might lead, Cole knew that no decisions would be made at this meeting. He and Luke had discussed what Luke expected to get out of tonight, and basically, he was looking for reassurance that Phoenix was seriously interested. Whether or not that meant they went through with this was still to be seen.

  So, until then, Cole decided to sit back and listen. And next week, once the new year was under way, he’d worry about the logistics. Until then, this was basically to appease Luke.

  Something Cole had found himself doing quite frequently lately.

  And with great pleasure.

  7:47 p.m.

  BASED ON THE brief conversation they’d just had, Luke decided that he liked Phoenix. He was a good guy. Professional. Intelligent. All the qualities Luke was looking for in a business partner.

  And as far as Luke was concerned, Phoenix was definitely the smarter choice in investors when it came down to Phoenix or Max, though he was still kicking around the idea of working directly with Max Adorite. He’d given considerable thought to Trent’s suggestion about opening a club in Vegas, and he was fairly certain Max would be the perfect partner in that venture. His only concern regarding that was the fact that Max was a known mobster. His money wasn’t exactly clean—most of it, anyway—and getting in bed with the guy, so to speak, meant taking a risk that Luke had to be sure he was willing to take.

  Needless to say, Phoenix’s interest was a good thing.

  It was clear that Phoenix was a keen businessman, too. Since the Austin Arrows were kicking ass again this season, a seemingly new trend since Phoenix had taken over the team when his father had passed away roughly two years ago. But what impressed Luke the most was Mia and Tarik. Those two knew what they wanted, and if Luke wasn’t mistaken, Phoenix wasn’t the one looking to invest in a club; they were.

  And he was good with that. Which even surprised him.

  Leaning back in his chair, Luke watched the three of them as they talked to Trent, noticing the way both men doted on Mia, probably without realizing it. Luke knew the feeling. There was something about a woman—your woman—that automatically brought out protective instincts in a man. Luke and Cole felt the same about Sierra and a lot of the time probably looked much like the threesome sitting across from him now.

  “Have you been to a club like this before?” Luke asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular.

  Mia shook her head, then glanced over at the men on each side of her.

  Phoenix didn’t answer, nor did Tarik, which made Luke laugh at the same time Mia asked, “When?”

  Phoenix’s arm slid around Mia. “Not since we’ve been together.”

  “That’s good to know,” she teased. “Except I’m wondering why you didn’t bring me.”

  Tarik’s dark eyebrows lifted and Phoenix grinned.

  “I think we’ve ruined her,” Phoenix said, his emerald-green eyes landing on Luke’s face.

  Luke’s phone rang on his desk and Cole moved to answer it. When he hung up, he watched as Cole returned to the table.

  “We’ve got early arrivals,” Cole informed them, coming to stand behind Luke.

  “Are you guys ready to see how crazy things can get?” Trent asked, getting to his feet. “Why don’t I take you downstairs and get you set up with some fresh drinks. Then I’ll show you around.”

  “It was great to meet you,” Luke told Mia and Tarik directly, realizing that was exactly what Phoenix wanted. “Hopefully you’ll enjoy yourselves tonight, and we’ll reconvene next week to see where we go from here.” If Phoenix was interested in investing in the club, Luke got the sense everything would be handled during the week and mostly over the phone.

  So tonight’s impromptu meeting had been about Mia and Tarik.

  And Luke was going to keep that in mind because it said a lot about the man he’d hopefully be doing business with in the future.

  7:55 p.m.

  “HOLY SHIT,” SAMANTHA said when Sierra opened the front door and greeted her friend. “Where did you get that dress? You look incredible.”

  Sierra hugged Sam, then took a step back.

  “You’ll never believe that I found it on clearance.”

  “It’s fabulous, but probably more so because it’s on you,” Sam said, still looking her over. “Your men are going to go nuts when they see you.”

  Sierra grinned. “That’s the plan.”

  “Are you ready?” Sam asked. “I’m not trying to rush, but Logan and Eli are waiting in the car. I think they’re ready to get this night under way.”

  “I’m ready,” Sierra confirmed. “Let me grab my clutch.”

  Sierra strolled into the living room to find her mother sitting on the couch with Hannah in her lap. They were watching some holiday cartoon and getting ready to wind down for the night.

  “I’m heading out,” Sierra told them, moving close and kissing Hannah on the head.

  “Be careful,” Veronica told her.

  “Always. And if you need anything at all, call. If you can’t reach us on our cell phones, you can always call the club.”

  Veronica smiled, one of those grins that told Sierra she was used to doing this and knew how it went.

  “Love you,” Sierra told them both, grabbing her clutch and heading back to meet Sam in the foyer. “I’m ready when you are.”

  A minute later, Sierra was in the backseat with Sam, with Logan at the wheel and Elijah riding shotgun. They said their brief hellos, but then Elijah and Logan continued with a conversation they’d been having when Sierra climbed in.

  “How’s Luke?” Sam asked, keeping her voice low.

  “He’s doing much better than I expected,” Sierra answered with a chuckle. “Doesn’t mean it’ll last all night, but I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised.”

  “Don’t be,” Sam said sweetly. “I think the man knows that he has you and Cole there to keep things in order so he doesn’t have to stress quite so much.”

  True. He didn’t. Only Sierra and Cole knew that he did anyway.

  And sometimes, as they’d learned, he did it on purpose.

  Which was why Sierra and Cole had something special in store for the man tonight.

  Something they were all going to enjoy.

  Chapter Six

  8:25 p.m.

  COLE REMAINED CLOSE to Luke as guests began arriving. He greeted the people he knew and was introduced to some he didn’t. One thing he noticed right off was that the guest list was diverse. Everyone from political powerhouses, A-list actors, small business owners, right down to the average, everyday rancher.

  And of course, the Walkers. Some of them, anyway.

  “Good to see you again,” Travis Walker greeted with a firm handshake.

  “Same to you,” Cole returned, smiling at Kylie and Gage—Travis’s wife and husband. “How’s the family?”

  “Never better.” Travis pulled Kylie up next to him.

  “And Kate?” Luke asked, shaking Travis’s hand in greeting, then hugging Kylie and shaking Gage’s hand.

  Travis’s grin grew bigger than Cole had ever seen it. “She’s perfect. And it looks like she’s going to be a big sister in the near future.” Travis placed his hand protectively over Kylie’s belly.

  “That’s fantastic,” Luke inserted. “Congratulations.”

/>   “I hear congrats are in order for y’all as well. How’re the kids?”

  “Doing well,” Cole told him. “And how’s AI?”

  “Good,” Travis told him. “Filled to capacity.”

  “That’s expected,” Cole told him. “It’s quite impressive.”

  “Thanks.” Travis looked around. “The same can be said for this place. So tell me, is it true? You’re looking to branch out some?”

  “That’s the rumor,” Cole confirmed, glancing over at Luke.

  Kylie placed her hand on Travis’s chest. “You promised we weren’t talking business tonight.”

  Travis smiled. “She’s right. I did promise, so we won’t keep you,” Travis said. “But hit me up next week, would you? I’ve got an idea of my own if y’all are interested.”

  Cole nodded at the same time Luke said, “Will do. Glad you could make it. Let us know if you need anything.”

  Travis, Kylie, and Gage moved on toward the bar, and Luke moved to stand closer to Cole’s side.

  “You doing all right?” Luke asked.

  “That’s my question for you,” Cole teased, looking at him. He was cool and calm, and handsome as hell.

  “So far, so good.” Luke’s eyes widened suddenly. “Holy fucking shit.”

  Cole turned to see what or who Luke was looking at, and his gaze landed on the absolute most stunning woman in the world.

  “Sierra,” Cole muttered. “Where the hell did she buy that dress?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m buying stock in that fucking company,” Luke said, his arm around Cole’s shoulder as they moved toward her.

  “Hi,” Sierra greeted with a grin.

  “Hi,” Cole said, suddenly tongue-tied.

  His wife was wearing a very short, nearly indecent silver dress that molded to her body as though it had been designed for her. Perhaps it had; he didn’t know. It’d been a while since she’d dressed up, mainly because of the pregnancy and all that was going on in a household with children. They didn’t get the opportunity to go out much, and when they did, it was generally for a quick bite to eat. Nothing that would warrant her to dress up.

  She looked phenomenal.