by Tl Reeve
“But you’re twins. Who will be throwing a bash for you?” She walked beside him, her gait quickening to keep up with his long strides.
“His is more important right now. Our father has old customs. Settling down and getting married ideals.”
She snorted. “Sounds like some people I know back home.”
The disdain in her words surprised him. “Then you’re perfect for this job. I don’t believe in forced arrangements or anyone marrying unless they are happy. My brother won’t get the opportunity to experience that. So, this party is a last hurrah for him.”
“Is he leaving?” She peered up at him, and a part of Christoph wished she was the one for him.
“No. We’re going to make sure he falls in love.”
Sandy laughed. “I don’t think it’s possible to fall in love the first time you meet someone.”
“You don’t believe in kismet?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I think love takes work. It takes trust and time. The minute you proclaim your love for someone, one of three things can happen. They leave you, they use it against you, or they love you back. Statistically speaking, being used and someone leaving happens more than the third.”
Damn. He stopped mid-stride. “Don’t ever think that.” He hauled her against him, hugging her tight. “Love is many things, but with the right person it will work.” He let her go and continued. “Anyway, since we’re pretty much the go to company for events—I’m not saying that because I’m conceited. It’s the truth. Anyway, I have several single clients who have had their eyes on my brother for a while.”
“You’re setting them up?” She looked up at him with an incredulous expression on her face. “Do you honestly think it’ll work?”
“I’m hoping so. My brother is dedicated to his work. He never takes a moment to play. When he does though, it’s nothing serious. He’s not… drawn to the person. It’s a fad for him.”
“Wow. So your brother is a player. And you are?”
“I guess I’m the same,” he answered, ducking his head slightly.
“Are you playing me? Hope I’ll be one of your conquests you can talk to Wilhem about while I’m out busting my ass to help you?” Directness. Christoph liked that in a woman. Sandy had it in spades and didn’t have a problem with being blunt. However, when it came to her personally, she shut down and deflected.
“No, never.”
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” She arched a brow.
“Yes?”
“You’re not going to try and change my mind?”
They were playing twenty questions. “Nope. I don’t have the time to do so. Are you with me?”
Sandy stopped. She stared at Christoph for a moment. “At least you won’t be lying to me.”
“Lying gets you nowhere.”
“Sure. So, find your brother a wife. We can do this.” She brushed past Christoph. “Where do we start?”
“Venders. I think I know of a place where we can hold the event. I also need to call up a few friends. We can go through eligible bachelorettes this afternoon, if you’re still enjoying the job.” He followed her. “We have three weeks to figure this out before our birthday.”
“Then we don’t have time to waste.”
“No, we don’t.” He stopped in front of his build. “This is us.” Christoph held the door for her.
She stopped. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled holding the door open for her. “We don’t work out of our parents’ garage.”
“While you’ve been working on eligible women, I’ve come up with a caterer and a list of beverage providers.” Sandy placed the list in front of him, covering the pictures of the women he’d chosen for his brother.
“Perfect. Which do you like?” He glanced at the list and noted Edmondo Stellari, vintner and family friend.
Sandy bit her lip. “Edmondo’s wine is some of the finest, I suppose. But, if you want more than wine, you’d have to choose from the others.”
Christoph nodded. “We could always have a bartender from the event site, and use Edmondo’s wine to supplement the alcohol.”
She grinned. “Perfect. Have you picked the women for your brother?”
He lifted the paper she placed in front of him. “These twenty beauties.”
“They’re pretty.”
“But?” he hedged.
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Do you think they’ll like him?”
“Do you?”
“Well, I don’t matter,” she mumbled. “I’d hate to know they wanted him just because of his money.”
Christoph laughed. “We’re always wanted for our money. However, we also can discern between those who are good diggers, and those who genuinely like us.”
“Huh, okay.” She pushed the pictures around. “I think you did good. Your brother isn’t going to know what hit him.”
He thought so too, but he still worried. What if it didn’t work? What if the women he chose were like Sandy believed? The questions swirled through his mind as he continued to go over the finer details of his brother’s party. It was a little weird to be doing this. They’d always celebrated together, yet they wouldn’t be now. He supposed he could give himself a few moments to have a pity party. Feel sorry for himself that his brother was settling down, then he brushed it off. No way in hell he wanted the responsibility Wilhem had.
Of course, his brother might not find anyone.
He wasn’t ready to step up. He didn’t want to be alpha. He couldn’t put his finger on the whys of his decisions. He just didn’t. It had nothing to do with loyalty. Nothing to do with not having ambition or a sense of justice either. He enjoyed his life. He liked being free.
So, he had to make sure this worked out for Wilhem. His brother needed a mate and his pride needed an alpha. No pressure, Christoph. If you screw up, you’ll be the default alpha.
I’m screwed.
By the end of the day, he and Sandy had the party planned. She was putting the finishing touches on the invitations as he made sure they had the venue situated for what they’d need. He wanted it to be both indoors and outdoors. They’d need portable heaters to keep those who weren’t shifters like him and his brother warm, while also giving those like them a minute to catch their breath. He had an orchestra lined up along with a DJ. They were going to keep it classy while his father and mother were there, then by midnight, they’d open the area up and give the space a club-like feel.
He hoped by then his brother would have made his intentions known, and everything would be finished. Consummating the mating would be tricky in this setting, but he figured his brother might have some plans of his own. Sure, it would be a little testy, but they were out of time. If his brother had something better, he sure as hell hadn’t said anything.
“I’m done,” Sandy said, walking into his office. “I’ve got the invitations ready to go.”
“Perfect,” he replied, standing. “How about you take them down to the mailroom, and then we’ll order some dinner. Wilhem will be here shortly and we can go over the rest of the details with him.”
“Uh… I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not.” He grinned.
“Okay,” she answered. “I still don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me though.”
Christoph shrugged. “Sometimes you just know when you see someone who can use the help.”
Sandy glanced away. “Well, thank you.”
Whatever she hid, he couldn’t worry about it right now. Later, when his brother had everything he needed, Christoph would dig a little on the girl living in the expensive apartment, but working in a coffee shop. Until then, he’d keep an eye on her.
“You’re welcome.” He pointed to the invitations. “You did make one out for yourself, didn’t you?”
She stared at him.
“Yes, Sandy, you’re welcome to join us. It’ll be fun.”
“Oh no. I couldn’t. I mean, I shouldn’t. You kno
w, money stuff. Things. I would stick out.”
“I don’t take no very well,” he teased. “Come on, you’ll have a blast and meet some people.”
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
He laughed. “No, not at all.”
Sandy sighed while trying to hide a smile. “Okay. I’ll go.”
“Perfect.”
Wilhem entered the office seconds later. “What’s going on?”
“Sandy has agreed to attend your birthday bash, and she’s eating dinner with us.” He winked at their new assistant.
“Good to know,” Wilhem replied. “How about we go out for dinner instead? I know a great little tai place across town.”
Chapter Three
Samiyah Lisimba glanced at the invitation her assistant Bibi Naidu, placed on her desk after the mail run. As an advocate for abused and refugee children, she was always getting invitations for some project or charity auction. As the goddess Bastet, she’d been sought after more times than she could count. Someone always tried to summon her with a bountiful offering or with an overtly expensive trinket. However, she’d grown tired of a life of gaining respect through accepting gifts, or helping those who might not necessarily need it simply because they’d given her that offering.
In the last two-hundred years, she’d distanced herself from her goddess status and tried to find purpose. However, being immortal within the human world had its draw backs. In time, she’d have to leave the law firm where she practiced family law and move somewhere else. Europe sounded interesting. Maybe the English Isles or Belgium or even Spain.
She hated the idea of leaving Bibi behind. The hyena didn’t come from the best of villages, and with the water crisis along with food shortages, the desert terrain was becoming more of a hazard than a safe-haven for her cackle. Add in the asshole who was vying for the Alpha position and things were going to get downright nasty. However, Samiyah stayed out of it. She wouldn’t interfere with the fates on this one. Though shifters knew of her existence within Cape Town area, she didn’t do anything to draw their attention. She handled everything quietly if they requested her help.
Which brought her back to the invitation. She hadn’t enjoyed a Wag festival in a long time. It seemed over the years, most forgot about the tradition of honoring her. It was the one time no one asked for anything. They spent the time giving thanks for her many blessings. It refueled her soul and her belief in humanity. How nice it would be appreciated once more.
“Bibi,” she called. “Could you come here for a moment.”
Her assistant slipped into her office. Her head was bent, her posture curled in. Almost as though she tried to hide in plain sight. “Miss?”
“I need you to do me a favor, please.”
Her assistant opened her small memo pad. “What can I help you with.”
“The invitation you delivered to me? I need information on the men hosting the event.” She handed the gold parchment paper back to the girl.
Bibi nodded. “I will get that for you. Your eleven-thirty is here, ma’am. Would you like me to show them in?”
“Yes, please.” She nodded with a grin.
She glanced at the clock as the boy, no more than ten and his guardian, a Cape Town police officer, stood to walk out of her office. Six month ago, the boy showed up in the local hospital. He didn’t know his name, how he got there, or where his parents were. After a bit of investigation, they found out, the boy, John, came from a camp in the Sudanese refugee area near Chad. His parents had been killed along with his three brothers and two sisters. The doctors in the hospital believed he repressed the memories of what he witnessed, and one day, he’d have to face his past.
Meyer Ebrahim, the officer who’d found him wandering outside of the hospital, malnourished and suffering from Cholera had taken the boy in. The man had sat there day and night for the first week of the boy’s hospital stay. Now, almost six months later, Samiyah was helping Meyer become John’s father.
“Remember, we have court next week. Then everything will be official.” She escorted the officer and his soon to be son out of her office.
“Thank you, Miss Lisimba. I appreciate everything you have done for John and me.” Meyer shook her hand.
“I haven’t done a thing. You’re the real hero here, Officer Ebrahim.” She squeezed his hand. “If you have any questions between now and court, please don’t hesitate to call.” She gave them a final wave as they headed for the door.
The case had been simple because they hadn’t needed to find the boy’s relatives. The genocide, though no one wanted to call it such, had succeeded in killing off generations of families and wiping out others completely. The hard part would come when the boy remembered his past. Remembered what happened to his parents. And his sisters and brothers. It would come when he remembered why he’d been wandering outside the hospital and the physical trauma he’d experienced. Samiyah had read his medical reports, knew the physical damage inflicted on him. When the day came, she only hoped there would be enough resources at the boy’s disposal.
She pivoted, ready to ask Bibi what she’d found over the last hour. Her fingers were twisted together, and she swore she heard a soft sob pass the girl’s lips. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Had the issues her assistant confided in her been worse than she suspected?
“My sister called,” her soft accented voice, reminding Samiyah of a melody. “She is in trouble.”
“The alpha?” They’d talked. The man ruled with a heavy hand and decreed all females would provide pups for him. Her sister hated the idea. Samiyah didn’t blame either of the girls for their disliking of the idea.
Bibi nodded. “She married him today. Without our family. It was a closed ceremony for them.”
Samiyah sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“We have been trained since birth to accept the marriage of an Alpha, but this man is not good. I have fears.” She wrung her hands together as she glanced around, then pitched her voice low. “Many, many fears.”
Perhaps Samiyah needed to quell them if only for a moment. “Gather your things and meet me in my office. I might not be able to interfere with this arrangement, but I can do something else.”
The shy, fright-filled girl turned her dark-brown gaze on Samiyah. “Where are we going?”
She grinned. “Shopping. I have been invited to a Wag festival. You shall be my plus one.”
Bibi began to stammer out a response, but Samiyah held her hand up, cutting off the girl’s protests. It might not be enough to help in this devastating situation, but it would take the girl’s mind off her sister—if only for a few hours.
“It will be fun. Perhaps we’ll even figure out a solution to your circumstances.” There, a small smile floated across Bibi’s face. A sense of right along with a current of power coursed through her. For the first time in hundreds of years, Samiyah felt called upon. Useful. Instead of being asked, she gave of her own free will.
“Thank you. It will only take a moment.” Bibi began to shut down her computer.
Samiyah returned to her office and sat down her desk. The R.S.V.P. portion of the invitation only had an email address, so she sent a quick reply making sure to add Bibi’s name as her plus-one.
How … extraordinary.
Sometimes, at her age, she marveled at the ingenuity of man. To transform time and space to allow digital transferences of data to and from computers. When she’d been born, things were much more rudimentary. She thanked Ra every day for the lifetimes she’d been granted to experience, even when times were less than desirable.
“I’m ready.”
“Excellent,” she answered grabbing her bag. “Let’s start at the new boutique then we’ll grab some lunch.”
“Thank you.”
She patted Bibi’s arm as she passed. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. It’s my pleasure.” Again, another bolt of rejuvenating pleasure surged through her veins. Maybe the goddess was getting her groo
ve back after all.
On the drive, she thought about the men and the upcoming party. She knew both Wilhem and Christoph. Maybe not in the biblical sense, but they were revered throughout Cape Town. Mostly by women. Sometimes by men. They were exquisite specimens of the male gender, and were both alpha lions. The kitty within her purred at the idea of getting to rub all over them. “Bibi, did you figure out why Wilhem and Christoph are holding a festival?”
“There is a rumor, Wilhem is trying to find a wife,” she answered with a shy smile. “His brother is trying to help him find a bride before the end of his birthday. Others say it’s to find a mate.”
Interesting. “Well, we won’t disappoint them.” She winked at the girl as the car came to a stop. “We’ll knock them dead.”
Already, she began form a little plan. A game of cat and mouse. What could it hurt? Both men were handsome, and she doubted Wilhem would find a mate during this festival even if he sought out a wife. She opened her door and stepped out. Bibi joined her moments later, and they strolled towards the shop.
She’d admired the clothing in the boutique windows on her way to work several times, but without a reason to stop, she’d continued on her way. Today, she would enjoy the experience with her assistant. “Remember, whatever you want, it’s yours. You only have to ask.”
Her assistant opened her mouth, but then thought better of it, and nodded. “Thank you.”
Samiyah strode over to the dress she’d been staring at for weeks. The black deep V-dress would be perfect for her. However, the cream-colored flowing frock would move with her. It reminded her of her dresses when she’d been a young woman in the palace. She’d caught many an eye. She ran her fingertips along the soft, silky material. Oh yes, she had to have this dress.