The Missing Butterfly

by Megan Derr

  Joey smirked, and said nothing.

  Malcolm rolled his eyes, finished his coffee, and stood. "So how goes everything with Wally, speaking of business?"

  "We've only just begun, but I have high hopes," Joey said, a gleam coming to his eyes that only appeared when he was plotting someone's downfall. "I've been looking forward to this divorce for a long time. She's almost making it too easy for me, really."

  "I'm just happy the bitch is finally getting kicked to the curb," Malcolm replied.

  "Honestly, they say we bloodsuckers are the evil ones," Joey said, taking a sip of coffee. "That woman could give lessons. Anyway, go primp for dinner." He stood up and clapped Malcolm on the back. "Good luck. If your pretty boy ever needs a lawyer, give him my card."

  "Of course," Malcolm replied. "Take it easy. I'll see you Saturday." Leaving the office, he returned to his car, then abandoned downtown to do a bit of shopping before he had to run home to get ready.

  It was seven thirty when he finally pulled into Cassidy's driveway. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous. He and Cass were doing well—better than—and he'd gotten along with Lindsay and Denny on previous questions just fine. But nervous he was, and he could only roll his eyes at himself as he clambered out of the car with host gifts in tow.

  He rang the doorbell, and it opened almost immediately to reveal Cassidy in nice jeans and a short-sleeved button down that almost perfectly matched the blue of his eyes, and showed off the tattooed arms beautifully. He wore a hemp necklace around his throat, that made Malcom want to take a nibble of said throat. Best of all, though, the pretty curls were loose and unrestrained, just begging to be combed through and gripped

  "Hey," Cassidy said softly, smile warm as he stepped back to let Malcolm in.

  Malcolm stepped inside, then bent to steal a long kiss, and it was probably for the best that his hands were full. The sound of giggling drew his attention, and he laughed softly himself at Cassidy's red face before looking toward Lindsay, standing in the doorway between hallway and kitchen.

  He presented her with the rose he held. "For the lady of the house."

  Lindsay took them with obvious surprise and pleasure, beaming at him."Thank you. They're beautiful. Oh! I can use that vase from graduation!" She bolted upstairs, leaving them alone again.

  "Way to butter up my sister," Cassidy said, smiling

  "I brought wine, beer, and whiskey to butter up the rest of you, or at least liquor up," Malcolm replied, flourishing the bags he still held.

  Cassidy laughed. "I said drinks, not the entire liquor store."

  "Yes, well, I was indecisive," Malcolm replied. About which of Cassidy's favorites to get, and it was easier to get them all than actually bother to make a decision.

  "Come on," Cassidy said, and led him into the kitchen, straight to the delightful smells which had only teased him from the hallway.

  Denny stood at the stove, intent upon whatever he was stirring, and greeted Malcolm with a wave and a brief, "Yo."

  "Smells good," Malcolm told him.

  "You smell better," Cassidy murmured quietly before bustling over to the fridge to put away the beer and wine Malcolm had brought, leaving Malcolm staring in surprise.

  Then Malcolm grinned, and asked about glasses, going toward the cabinet Denny indicated. "What's your pleasure?" he asked them both, and Lindsay as she returned with the roses arranged in a square crystal vase.

  "Did you say there was wine?" she asked.

  "Yes," Malcolm said, and pulled down a wineglass for her, as Cassidy uncorked it. Cassidy and Denny and Malcolm all voted beer. He handed Lindsay her wine, and accepted his own beer from Cassidy. "Have a good day?"

  Cassidy looked at him in exasperation and reluctant amusement. "The women informed me they approved one hundred and ten percent of our relationship, and I am obviously good for you, and should let them know if you do anything to upset or hurt me."

  Malcolm made a face. "It's totally not fair they're taking your side, when they work for me and I've been around longer. Like I'd mistreat you, and I told them not to tell you they were on to us. Sorry. They pinned me in my office right before I vacated the premises."

  "I'm still employed, for now," Cassidy said. "I just hope…" He shrugged, and took a swallow of beer. Then the exasperated look returned, with a hint of glare. "I also got a call from an old coworker this afternoon, telling me how the Bluebird had been bought out."

  "Uh-oh," Malcolm said.

  Lindsay stared wide-eyed, then started giggling, hastily muffling them when Cassidy's glare turned her way.

  Cassidy turned back to Malcolm and said, "He said three guys showed up, talking about remodeling it. They apparently fired the Ogre on the spot. A man with bright red hair, a latino, and one who was apparently extremely pretty. One drove an Aston Martin, and the other a Maserati."

  "I need to remember not to drive the Maserati, and to make myself ugly," Malcolm replied. "By the way, I bought the Bluebird Diner where you used to work, and fired the Ogre. Carlos is my partner in the venture; the one that will be doing all the work. He's going to give it a hell of a makeover."

  "Why?" Cassidy asked.

  "Because I wanted to, and was able? It's a business investment, too, though. Plus, it was fun firing someone who actually deserved it, and made your life miserable for so long."

  Cassidy sighed, but after another long pull of his beer, relented. "I wish I could have seen her face. You're lucky she didn't trash your car."

  "She wasn't going to after Carlos docked her pay for the shit she did break, and with my lawyer sitting right there. He was the redhead, by the way. Joseph Waterstone, friends call him Joey."

  "You'd better not make a habit of shit like this," Cassidy said. "I'm not dating you because you're a millionaire who can actually do crap like that. Knock it off from now on."

  "Not a habit, I promise," Malcolm assured. "If it makes you feel any better, I've done it before for my mother. There was this clothing store she loved when we were growing up, but it was filled with the sorts of snobs who only cater to higher snobs who can actually afford the clothes. After I came into my money, I took her there for her birthday. They were total bitches. So we left, I bought the store a few days later, fired the whole staff, and my mom still gets free clothes there. It's one of my more lucrative stores."

  "But you work in an office?" Lindsay asked. "Why?"

  Malcolm shrugged. "Working at Amberton-Lord helped improve my business skills, and it put some sort of normalcy to my life. It's no fun being me, when you have to do it alone I learned that lesson." He dredged up a smile. "Anyway, a lot of my stuff takes care of itself, and Joey is equal parts lawyer and business manager. He loves it. Anyway, my point is—"

  "You do kind of make a habit of it."

  "Only a little one, I swear."

  Cassidy shook his head. "So what are you going to do with the Bluebird?"

  "No clue. I'm the silent partner with all the cash. Carlos is the schemer; he's probably driving them all crazy right now. He loves it, even if tries to convince you otherwise. Give him a ring sometime, he'll be happy to tell you his evil plan. Just ignored everything he says about me."

  "I dunno," Cassidy replied with a grin. "I still haven't heard those stories about you in drag."

  Lindsay and Denny burst out laughing, as Malcolm buried his face in his hands with a groan. "You realize," he said after a moment, "that I can probably cozen embarrassing stories about you out of your siblings."

  "Not if all parties want to continue breathing, and one particular party wants to continue getting laid," Cassidy said.

  "Damn," Malcolm said. "Defeated."

  "Later," Lindsay stage whispered at him, winking when Cassidy glared at her.

  "Dinner's ready," Denny announced, and began to arrange pasta, sauce, garlic bread, and salad on the table. Cassidy fetched them all more beer and wine.

  "This is delicious," Malcolm said after he'd eaten at least half of what was on his plate.
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  "Denny's not too bad a cook when he can be bothered to do it," Cassidy said, and beamed at his brother. "Which is good, because Lindsay and I both are barely passable."

  "As you've no doubt figured out, Carlos does all the cooking in my family, though he learned it from our mom."

  "So, how did you and your brother wind up working in entertainment?"

  "College, mostly. Antoine always had corporate ambitions, and the friends he made there settled in that particular industry. I followed him because I wasn't picky, I just wanted a good number-juggling job and it was handy to mooch off Antoine's insane connections. He knows everyone. The college he went to was full of the business elite and future business elite. Wally and him were friends from the start, he's got buddies in the same firm Joey works for, he was suitemates with a Lord, and the list just goes on. It's sort of sickening, really."

  "Wow," Lindsay said. She reached out and tousled Cassidy's hair. "You sure can pick them, big brother."

  "Shush," Cassidy said, flushing.

  Conversation then turned to more general things, peppered with family anecdotes, until it all began finally to wind down around dessert, which proved to be a chocolate cherry cake.

  Lindsay was the first to finish, Denny almost right behind her. "All right. You are approved for the position of Cassidy's boyfriend on a trial basis. At the end of the six month trial period, you will be re-evaluated for a permanent position."

  "Lindsay!" Cassidy hissed.

  Malcolm laughed. "Yes, ma'am. I shall work very hard to prove myself."

  Standing up, Denny alongside her, Lindsay cheerfully said, "And now we will leave so you can have sex."

  "Lindsay!" Cassidy bellowed, while Denny laughed and Malcolm grinned and bid them goodnight.

  "I'm going to kill them," Cassidy muttered when they had gone, glaring at the door through which they'd fled.

  Malcolm only smirked. "So do I get a proper tour of the house?"

  Cassidy rolled his eyes. "If you want, but we also offer the bedroom only tour, if that's of interest to you, sir."

  "Oh, that does sound rather perfect," Malcolm replied. He stood up as Cassidy did, and quickly closed the space between them, taking a long, very thorough kiss. "I guess I'd better work extra hard over the next six months. I'd hate to lose this position."

  "Shut up," Cassidy said, then dragged him through the house to his bedroom.

  Chapter Twelve

  Malcolm wanted nothing more than to take Cassidy in his arms and kiss him until he calmed down—until he was distracted by kisses and lust he forgot to be nervous and miserable. "Babe, calm down before you die of a heart-attack."

  Cassidy shrugged, and tried to smile, but he still look like he wanted to throw up or run for his life. Since their arrival, he had very pointedly not looked toward the stage, but Malcolm could tell he wanted to, badly.

  They had just wrapped up awards and announcements, and it had taken Malcolm well over an hour before he'd finally managed to extricate himself and Cassidy from their coworkers. He had no doubt that after they'd had a few, they would return to harass him again about resigning, and how dare he.

  Moving to one of the many drink stalls, Malcolm requested two beers and handed one to Cassidy. He tugged at the long-sleeved tee Cassidy was wearing. "You could have worn a t-shirt. No one would have minded. Hell, most would have loved them."

  Cassidy shrugged. "Habit, I guess. Anyway, this is still technically work."

  Malcolm stifled a sigh, and did not even attempt to point out that at least half the attendees had chosen to show up wearing clothes that only barely met the legal definition of 'clothing'. It was summer, everyone was wearing as little as possible. He really hoped his scheming paid off. "No one will hold that kind of thing against you. Not here, when your money is made on guys like you, babe. Hell, the girls would positively die." He laughed. "They think you're a perfect, good little boy. They were afraid my life would be too much for you, the way I grew up and all."

  At that, Cassidy gave a genuine laugh. "I don't think I'm the one who wore out first, last night. Who's too much for whom?"

  "You're too much for any man," Malcolm said, a hint of growl to his voice, "but I sure as hell enjoy trying. Oh, there's your sister and brother." He waved, calling them over.

  "Oh. My. God," Lindsay said, practically vibrating in place. "Do you know who I saw? I had no idea this thing would be packed with famous people. Denny almost molested that baseball player guy he has a man-crush on."

  Denny poked her. "Shut up. At least the security guards weren't eying me suspiciously after I squealed like a stuck pig."

  "You be quiet and drink your soda."

  Grimacing, poking her again for good measure, Denny obeyed. "Man, I want a beer."

  Cassidy laughed. "Sorry, no law-breaking in public."

  Denny gave a long, aggrieved sigh. "So when does the music start? Have you seen your old friends yet, bro?"

  "No," Cassidy said flatly. He looked away, making a point of crowd watching. Malcolm suspected he wasn't seeing a damned thing.

  Denny and Lindsay rolled their eyes at Malcolm while Cassidy wasn't looking, but there was affection and understanding there, too.

  "Mal!" The group turned as one toward the voice calling for Malcolm, to see Joey walk toward them in jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops, red hair jewel-bright in the afternoon sunlight. Antoine was next to him, sleek, executive casual, holding a bottle of beer. "So you must be Cassidy," Joey said by way of greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Joey, Mal's lawyer and partner in crime."

  "You're being redundant," Antoine said. "Anyone seen Carlos or Wally?"

  Malcolm shook his head. "You'd know better than us where Wally might be, and Carlos is probably pestering the food stalls or being made to look at pretty things by his wife. Speaking of wives, is Wally bringing the bitch with him?"

  "Nah, she'd melt in all this heat." Antoine made a face, and drank his beer. "Band is starting soon," he said, glancing at his watch. "Suppose I should go check on that. You kids have fun."

  "So," Joey said into the silence that fell after Antoine's departure "Do you think after the divorce, Antoine will finally say something to Wally? I have a feeling he's next on the domestic chopping block you lot keep jumping up on."

  Cassidy left off his brooding abruptly. "I thought they seemed close. I half thought they had something going already. The entire company certainly thinks so."

  "Not that we've ever heard," Malcolm replied, eyes following his brother until Antoine finally vanished from sight. "Antoine would have told Carlos and me, if no one else, and he's never said a word." He smirked at Joey. "So when are you going up on the chopping block?"

  "Never. Settled life is boring life. So any superstars going to get into fights this year?"

  "I hope not," Malcolm said. "Stop looking for new clients, you bloodsucker, and have a little fun."

  "Bloodsucking is fun," Joey replied, then his smile turned razor as he looked at Malcolm. "I'm just waiting for the big concert, like everyone else. Free kick-ass music, isn't that the real reason everyone comes to this thing? Missing Butterfly, that's the name, right? I've heard mostly good things about them. Rumor has it Antoine is closer to VP than ever; if all this comes off without a hitch, he'll be even closer."

  Malcolm gave him a warning look, and said only, "Antoine won't be happy until he owns the whole company. He always had the most ambition."

  Joey sniggered, and went to fetch another drink, flirting with the woman who served him.

  Rolling his eyes, Malcolm said, "Let's go find Carlos, and maybe play some games. Want me to win you a teddy bear?" He asked, winking at Cassidy.

  "Bet you can't," Cassidy retorted.

  Malcolm narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to insult me?"

  Cassidy fluttered his lashes in a way that made everyone howl around them. "I'm just saying, it's okay if you can't win the teddy bear."

  Malcolm shot him a disgusted look. "You are not a nice boyfriend."
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  Cassidy laughed and drank his beer.

  Heaving a sigh, Malcolm finished his own beer, then said to the snickering group, "If you'll pardon us, I have to regain my manhood."

  "Have fun," Lindsay said. "I’m going to go find pretty boys of my own to flirt with. Denny?"

  "No pretty boys for me, thanks," Denny replied.

  "Not unless it's your baseball crush," Lindsay said with an evil grin. "You were totally making eyes at him." She laughed and bolted off when Denny roared in protest and lunged for, and they vanished back into the crowd.

  Cassidy smiled after them, looking for a moment so happy and content, Malcolm wanted to kiss him. He didn't realize until he felt a soft gasp against his mouth that he'd given in to the temptation.