Real Deal

by Piper Rayne

  I pass through the archway into the kitchen and there's Ava with purple glitter in her dark hair and on her cheeks.

  “Smells amazing as usual,” I say, moving to the table by the back door where we keep our purses and keys.

  “You smell absolutely edible.” A knowing smile crosses her lips.

  “Not as edible as that cupcake.” I eye her tray of pink and purple cupcakes and lick my lips.

  “Maybe if you frost yourself, your night will be magical.” She winks and pumps the frosting on her second set of cupcakes. “They're unicorn cupcakes.” She pinches some glitter from a bowl and sprinkles it across the tray of frosted cupcakes.

  “You really need to sell these.” I grab my keys and my purse. “What did Landon say the other night?”

  She releases a long breath. “He said he wouldn't pay four dollars for a cupcake.” She rolls her eyes. “But he also added that he's a cheap ass. After that, I went and drowned my sorrows at Happy Daze.”

  I giggle. From the short conversation I had with Landon, it was clear he doesn't come from money and spending four dollars for a cupcake isn't on his list of necessities, but there are plenty of people that would.

  “In San Francisco, these cupcakes would probably go for five dollars each.” I hold one up, the colorful frosting and glitter making me so close to taking a bite.

  Charlie walks in and sits down at the breakfast bar in front of the cupcakes. “Okay, I'm on a break between season two and three. What do you have for me?” Ava grabs a plate of five different cupcakes from behind her and places them in front of Charlie. “Are these the ones you brought into Happy Daze last weekend?” Charlie asks.

  “Sort-of. I tweaked the recipe after all the feedback.”

  Charlie looks over to me and I check the microwave clock to see that I still have some time. The last thing I want is to get there early and seem like an eager beaver. Since I hardly ever get to spend time with both my roommates at once, I take a seat on the stool next to Charlie.

  “Did this little sugar dealer tell you that she passed around cupcakes the other night? The customers were going crazy,” Charlie says around a bite of cupcake.

  Ava cringes, continuing to frost and sprinkle. “I hope you didn't get in trouble?”

  Charlie rolls her eyes. “Hell no. Dane wants you to be a weekly thing. He said he almost came in his pants with the caramel cocoa one.” She shoots Ava a smile that says ‘you're in there like swimwear.’

  Ava blushes. “Oh good. Which night do you think is better, Sunday or Monday?”

  Charlie laughs. “Let me talk to Dane.” She chomps down on the vanilla cupcake with pink frosting.

  “Isn't Dane, Toby's father?” I ask, swiping the frosting from the bowl and sucking my finger.

  Charlie nods, her mouth full and Ava sighs. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “The one you told off the other day?” I ask, surprised.

  “Wait!” Ava freezes and narrows her eyes at Charlie. “Does he know it was me with the cupcakes?”

  “First of all,” Charlie mumbles and then swallows. “You told Dane off? Second of all, no, I just told him it was one of my friends.”

  Ava's shoulders lose all the tension. “Toby caused Lily to get hurt and I might have overreacted. Do me a favor, Charlie and don't tell Dane the cupcakes are coming from me?”

  Charlie's perfectly arched eyebrows furrow as does mine. “Why?”

  The buzzer on the oven goes off and Ava quickly turns around. “I like unbiased opinions and so many people know my dad. They'll just say they're good even if they suck.”

  Charlie holds the cupcake up in the air. “These things do not suck.” Charlie chomps down again.

  “Who cares if he knows?” I add in but Ava remains quiet.

  “That goes for you, too, Cat. I know Dane and Marcus are friends.” She starts positioning the cupcakes on a plate and wraps some foil over it. “Here.” She thrusts them at me. “Get Lily's opinion and don't tell Marcus where they came from.” Her warning voice is kinda scary.

  I nod. “Okay, but I don't see the big deal.”

  “Me either. What the hell Ava? You're acting like you're going to cut our fingers off if we snitch.” Charlie places the cupcake down.

  “I don't mean to be demanding, it's just…trust me. It’s better if Dane Murray doesn’t know I'm responsible for the cupcakes.” She focuses on the plate as she transfers the cupcakes from the hot pan.

  “Well, I'm sure Lily is going to love this. What kid doesn't love unicorns?” I change the subject because Ava's reasons aren’t my business and I don’t want to push.

  She looks up and smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

  “Everyone loves unicorns.” Charlie grabs one of the unicorn cupcakes now. “I might as well go shop for bigger sized shorts. Seriously, Ava, the freshman fifteen I gained in college and finally lost will be nothing compared to this summer.” She dips her finger into the glitter and frosting on top of the cupcake. “Here’s a tip. An early Christmas present for me would be a muumuu.”

  I chuckle remembering my sister and her friends. The Unicorn Cock vibrator Tahlia’s friend Lennon invented a few years ago comes to mind…the swirling colors and the small glitter beads that twirl around. By the time I'm back to the present, both Charlie and Ava are staring at me.

  “Sorry, we’re talking about unicorns and it got me thinking about how my sister and her friends had this whole thing about finding your unicorn cock.” I wave off my statement and stand to get going.

  “Unicorn cock?” Charlie asks, her gaze moving between Ava and me. She pats the seat I just got up from. “Do tell.”

  My gaze veers to the glowing numbers on the microwave and Ava follows my vision. “You have five minutes.”

  Reluctantly, I sit down. “They have this theory that there's a perfect cock out there for everyone. One that’ll give you orgasms you never dreamed were possible. They all refer to their husbands as their unicorn cocks. One of my sister's best friends invents sex toys and she created a Unicorn Cock vibrator a few years back. That’s what I was thinking about.” My cheeks heat because it sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud.

  Charlie laughs, almost falling off the stool and pounds her hand on the counter. Ava shakes her head and continues to frost the cupcakes in front of her.

  “That's the best thing ever! I need to find my unicorn cock fast because I've had a bunch of dull screwdrivers lately.” Charlie pulls her phone from her back pocket and thrusts it at me. “Pull up the vibrator on here and I'll buy it right now.”

  I do just that, finding Lennon's site and even putting it in the cart for Charlie.

  “Perfect. In one week I won't need to find my perfect man because I'll have my very own Unicorn Cock,” she pauses and looks at me with a stern glare. “She didn't use her husband as like a model or anything like that, right?”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “No way. Lennon would never share Jasper's cock with anyone.”

  Charlie lets out a relieved breath.

  “Okay, now I really do have to go.” I stand, grabbing the plate of cupcakes.

  “Maybe Marcus Kent is your unicorn cock,” Charlie says.

  “Come on. I don’t believe in that crap.” But I cross my fingers as I say it just in case. A girl can never be too careful.

  20

  Marcus

  The meat is on the grill, the vegetables are on the stove and the bread is in the oven. Lily’s running around the backyard as I check on the meat. Caterina should be here any minute.

  “Miss Cat isn't here yet.” She runs back into the house to wait by the window again I assume. She might be even more excited than me.

  Of course, her excitement isn't like mine—I feel like I’m battling the nerves of a pitcher in a no-hitter game.

  What I feel when I'm in the presence of Cat could go down in a ball of flames tonight.

  I move the meat onto a plate, turn off the grill and then head inside to cover dinner until she arrive
s. I come through the doorway and my fingers loosen, the plate almost slipping out of my grip.

  She’s here. And she’s breathtaking.

  “Lily let me in,” she says, standing in the kitchen of my house.

  Her hair is out of its usual ponytail, falling to her shoulders with a slight wave. The natural make-up she wears only accentuates her already delicate features. A yellow sundress makes her sun-kissed skin look even more delicious and smooth. You'd think we're about have dinner beachside in Hawaii rather than on my deck.

  A grin I can’t contain lifts the corners of my lips. “Great. Dinner is about ready.” I head to the kitchen, with the meat, trying to convince my own meat to settle down.

  Jesus, she's hot in pajamas, she's hot in a swimsuit, she's hot in a pair of shorts, but in a dress? I might as well call her dad and confess all the dirty things I want to do to his daughter right this very minute.

  I glance at the kitchen table, finding a foil covered paper plate.

  “I told you not to bring anything,” I say, slicing the meat.

  “They aren't for you, they're for Lily.”

  “Me?” Lily screeches, plopping down in the chair, stripping the foil off the plate. “Wow!”

  Her amazement makes me turn and look. Cat joins Lily at the table.

  “Cupcakes, Daddy!”

  “I see.” Cat's eyes catch mine and we share a smile at Lily's shocked excitement.

  “They’re unicorn cupcakes.”

  I abandon the slicing in favor of watching the two of them interact with each other. Lily’s propped up on her knees, her face an inch away from the plate of cupcakes. Cat taps Lily's nose and Lily smiles. My heart warms and I quickly turn around to concentrate on anything other than how nice it is to see Lily interact this way with a woman.

  I serve the meat, grab the salad out of the fridge, and put the vegetables in a bowl. The two of them giggle and I don't say anything when I see Cat allow Lily a taste of the frosting off one of the cupcakes.

  “Ready for dinner?” I ask, holding the three dishes like I'm a waiter.

  Maybe my years of being a server at Denny’s in high school came in handy for something.

  Cat looks up and stands before heading for the patio door. She slides it open and I pause before stepping through to my deck.

  “Thank you.” Our eyes lock and maybe I should’ve had her over without Lily being home. But they already know each other and Lily is a part of my life. The biggest part of and most important part of my life and I'm serious about not using Cat as a nightly booty call. Who the hell knows what will happen at the end of the summer? I’m just going to take it one day at a time right now.

  “Hey Lil, grab the salad dressing,” I call out to her. I hear her bare feet scamper across the tile in the kitchen.

  I set the plates down on my large outdoor table under the pergola on my deck.

  “What can I do to help?” Cat asks, and the wind blows her hair across her face.

  She grabs a hold of it and I'm wondering if I made the wrong choice by eating outside.

  I step forward, unsticking the hairs that have shellacked themselves to her lip glossed lips. Lips that are begging for my attention.

  “Would you rather eat inside?” I ask.

  The scent of her flowery perfume is like an aphrodisiac. My cock is painfully aware of her proximity and it's not going to be happy to continue this evening without any attention. I look over her shoulder, seeing Lily placing every salad dressing we have on the counter.

  “No. This is beautiful.” Cat's looking at me, not at the glimpse of the Pacific Ocean behind us.

  I lean in and kiss her cheek. Her skin is just as soft as I remember.

  “You're beautiful. Thank you for coming.”

  I walk into my house and leave her and her red cheeks outside to admire the view.

  “Lil, we only need the one I made earlier. The cucumber ranch one.”

  She slams the fridge, ignoring me completely. Picking up the jar of salad dressing I prepared earlier today, she runs outside, not willing to miss a minute with Cat.

  The two sit on the loveseat outside, though Lily's excited voice is the only one I hear through the open patio door.

  With a bottle of red wine and a juice box, I head out to join my ladies for the evening, but my feet stop right outside the door. Lily is on Cat's lap as they look out over the trees to the clear view of Climax Cove. Lily's pointing out everything below as though Cat doesn't know what's down there. Each time, Cat makes sure to sound surprised as though she didn't pass each and every restaurant and shop on her way to our house.

  I clear my throat and Cat turns, while Lily continues talking about Toby and Dane.

  “Is red okay?” I ask, holding up the bottle.

  She nods. “Let's go eat,” Cat says to Lily.

  She jumps off Cat’s lap, skipping to the table. Lily's happier than I’ve seen her in a while. She jumps up into her seat, pushing her straw into the juice box and like always, squeezing too hard to make it happen so that some of the juice overflows onto the table.

  I open the wine bottle and pour two glasses then hold out Cat’s chair for her to sit. She accepts, tucking her dress underneath her with the grace of a socialite who’s done it a thousand times before.

  “Daddy.” Lily climbs out of her chair. “Do me?”

  Cat and I laugh at Lily's demand, but I do hold the chair out for her and tuck it back into the table. She hops up on her knees, her face crumpling up in disgust as she looks at the food.

  “Oh, I'll be right back.” I run into the house and grab Lily's chicken nuggets from the toaster oven.

  By the time I come back, Cat is cutting up a piece of the carrot for Lily.

  “Carrots make you so smart. I try to eat them every day,” Cat tells her.

  Lily's fork is piercing a slice of carrot, inching it toward her mouth. I wait, knowing that if I interrupt and agree with Cat, Lily will not get near that carrot.

  Lily places it in her mouth and exaggerates her chewing to the point that I want to tell her to close her mouth, but I stop myself.

  “It's good, right?” Cat places a piece of carrot in her mouth. “Your daddy makes good carrots.”

  Lily's head bobs back and forth not quite agreeing with Cat’s assessment.

  Cat laughs and then catches me watching. She straightens her back and places her hands in her lap. “Sorry, we started a little early,” she says.

  “No, please.” I place Lily's chicken nuggets in front of her.

  “Yay! Chicken nuggets,” she screams, and I shake my head while folding myself into my patio chair.

  “The meal looks delicious,” Cat says.

  I pick up the plate of flank steak and hand it over to her. As we pass the dishes back and forth, Lily continues to chomp down on her nuggets, her eyes flickering between the two of us.

  “Daddy's a good cook, right?” Lily asks Cat.

  “Shh,” I say to Lily. “Don't put her on the spot.”

  Cat wipes her mouth with the napkin and places it in her lap. “He is.”

  Lily smiles a proud grin that gives me a warm feeling in my chest because it’s her my-daddy-is-the-best grin.

  “Wanna watch Tangled?” Lily asks Cat.

  “Sure.” Cat answers.

  I wish I had her alone.

  “Flynn is so funny,” Lily carries on, talking about the movie.

  She’s just about done eating and I know she'll be bored soon.

  “Do you cook every night?” Cat asks me and then takes a bite of her steak.

  My knife and fork pause. “Usually. It’s healthier for Lily.” I glance down to her frozen chicken nuggets. “But some nights I'd rather have a nice dinner than an argument.” I wink at her.

  Cat laughs. “My nephew is the same. Tahlia always says that mealtime is the most stressful time of day in her house. I swear she chases him around the room with food on a fork.”

  I nod, chuckling because I've done my share of tha
t in the past.

  “Speaking of family, I talked to your dad earlier this week.” I wipe my mouth with the napkin and place it in my lap before grabbing my wine glass.

  “Oh, you did?” She sounds surprised and a little wary. She probably feels the same way I do about her dad knowing about us.

  “He's coming in next week to pick up the two boats.”

  She nods. “My mom called me a few days ago. I hear Lucas is going to take one back?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Daddy, can I go in and get my iPad?” Lily interrupts.

  Seeing her plate is now clear and not wanting to bother lecturing her about interrupting right now, I simply respond, “Sure.”

  She stands up and jumps off the chair onto the deck.

  “Lily!” I begin to scold her for almost hurting herself when I remember we aren't alone. The last thing I want is Cat to think I'm some quick-tempered father.

  “Sorry,” Lily says, running into the house.

  “She's so great,” Cat says and leans closer. “Don't tell anyone, but she's my favorite.”

  My lips spread open. “I’m glad she doesn't cause you too much trouble.”

  “I didn't say she wasn't trouble. The girl talks non-stop, she’s always running around and jumping, but she's such a sweet and loving little girl.”

  “She's nothing like me.”

  Cat studies me for a few seconds and then concentrates back on her meal. “Why do you say that? You're fun and you’re obviously sweet.”

  I place my fork and knife down, again, reaching for my wine glass. “I’m pretty sure fun and sweet have never been used to describe me before.” I chuckle.

  “You have responsibilities, so it's not like being fun can be bungee jumping or skydiving. You can't go out every night and get smashed and wake up with a hangover, but I bet you have pillow fights and go to parks. You and Lily probably make day trips to explore different places.”