“What are you doing here, Dean?”
He ignores my question. The man is a class-A dick. The part in his hair is ruler straight and his suit is so starched it would probably stand up on its own. We’ve had several run-ins with Dean and his company before. ABS are one of the biggest security firms in town but they’re not the most scrupulous. They think nothing of poaching clients and running smaller firms into bankruptcy. I give him a questioning look.
“So, I hear Victoria had a little problem at her premiere. Some guy got handsy with her.” He pops a piece of gum into his mouth and gives me serpentine grin. I can smell the spearmint as he chomps down.
“Yeah.” I don’t need to hear this asshole repeat Victoria gossip.
“So, she needs bodyguards? But she’s not going to hire her own brothers’ firm?” His voice is dripping with fake concern. I can tell he’s trying to bait me but I bite down on my tongue and try to channel some of Antony’s stoic calmness.
“Defender just can’t catch a break these days.” Dean pops his grin and sits back, his arms across his chest, his cocked eyebrow daring me to defend my own company.
I school my face into a blank expression and stare across at Dean. He shifts slightly when I don’t answer and his eyebrow goes from cocky to irked. He’s trying so hard to get a rise out of me.
“You know,” Dean pops his gum again, “you boys should just come to work for ABS. We’d have no problem absorbing your little company into ours and you’d be guaranteed steady work. We wouldn’t mind doing you that favor.”
Our little company. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? Antony and I have worked hard to build up Defender, Inc. and we’re not about to hand it over to some predatory company like ABS so they can build up a security monopoly in L.A. The market’s big enough for all of us. They’re just greedy. And I’m not going to let him rile me up so much that I blow this meeting.
“You know, Dean,” I say politely, an amicable smile on my face. “You can go fuck yourself.”
Anger creases his forehead and he starts to sputter. I stand up and reach over him, shaking the hand of the well-dressed gentleman standing behind him. “Hi, Monty, how are you doing today?”
Deans face is a thundercloud as we move to table in the corner to have our meeting.
I didn’t even need to show up for this damn meeting. Monty could have told me over the phone that he was going to pull his contract with Defender, Inc. Dean sat across the table and smirked. The bastard knew the entire time. ABS stole our contract. I nod politely at Monty as he runs down a list of reasons he’s decided to go with ABS but under the table my hands are fisted tightly and I’m tensing my legs, trying not to get up and slam that smirking bastard Dean right in his bulbous nose. Fuck. Antony knew this was coming but he’s still not going to be happy.
I realize Monty has stopped talking and is watching me expectantly. I stand up and clear my throat. “Well, thanks for meeting me Monty. We’re sorry to hear you’ve decided to go in another direction but Defender, Inc is glad we’ve had the chance to provide services for you. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need us again.”
I resist the urge to roundhouse kick Dean in the back of the head when he snorts.
Monty thanks me and reaches across to shake my hand and that’s it. Our biggest contract is gone.
I head across the lobby and out the front door. I’m pulling out my phone and waiting for the valet to bring my SUV around, as put in a call to Antony. The car is just pulling around and I jump behind the wheel as the phone rings. Antony finally picks up and huge sigh escapes me before I can stop.
“Listen,” I say, as I maneuver the SUV out of the parking lot, “I’ve got some news that you’re going to want to hear…”
4
VICTORIA
My hair is sticking to my face and I’m covered in sweat after an intense session of hot yoga. I pull a pair of big shades over my eyes and walk quickly to my car, collapsing behind the dark tinted windows as I scan the parking lot for paps and stalkers. All clear.
Today has been such an insane day. I’d almost forgotten about the schedule that comes along with being a working actor. There was a reason Dad wasn’t around much when I was younger; publicist meetings, trainer sessions, promo interviews, photo shoots, production meetings, meetings with his, and now my, manager, Samson. I’m getting a taste of what his life was like. He loved it. I stayed out of the limelight as much as I could when I was a kid. All I’d ever wanted was normal but now here I am, throwing myself into the Hollywood life.
I need a drink.
Luckily, there’s one part of the Hollywood lifestyle that’s easy to get accustomed to; the nightlife. I need a little R & R with my girls. I steer my little black Mini Cooper out of the parking lot and tap the Bluetooth on the dash console to connect my phone, then tell my oh-so-smart phone to call my friend, Liddie. Kieren and Antony absolutely hate my car but I love it. They think it’s dangerous to have such a small car on highways that are dominated by huge SUV’s, but I love my peppy little car and I have fun zipping around traffic and finding parking spaces that other people have to pass up. I listen to the phone ringing through the speakers and finally hear Liddie’s perky Southern California voice echoing through the speakers.
“Malone Prentiss Accounting, Lydia speaking.”
“Liddie, it’s Vick. I need drinks. And food. And more drinks.”
I hear a click that indicates Liddie has taken me off speakerphone. From the muffled sounds, I can tell she’s walking down the hallway of her father’s plush entertainment accounting company. “Hang on,” she whispers and I stifle my snickers when I hear an “oof”. Liddie has been my best friend since grade school and she’s always been just a little clumsy. It doesn’t help that she tries to make up for her 5 foot nothing height by wearing the highest heels imaginable.
“Okay,” I hear her huff, “what’s up?”
“You, me, tonight. Daisy’s. Mucho wine and one of those crazy delicious funnel cakes they have there. Maybe even two. What do you say?” I’m practically begging her.
“Well, I’ve got…”
“No. Say yes, Liddie.”
“Dad needs me to finish…”
“Lydiaaaa,” I’m wheedling her. “Please. Pretty please? I need to get out. So do you. I know you’ve been buried in contracts all day. Your twenties are passing you by in a haze of negotiations and audits. Let’s go be young!”
“Okay, okay.” She’s laughing. “I do need an escape. Daisy’s it is. I’ll meet you there. 9:30?”
“Perfect,” I say. “Oh, I’m going to invite Kendra, too.”
“The more the merrier!” Liddie says. “Okay, I have to go, one of the partners is on his way down. I’ll see you tonight.” The speakers go dead for a minute before pop music floods out. I bob my head as I drive home in the orange California light.
I’m almost late. It’s been three hours since I called Liddie and I’ve spent most of it soaking in the bath. I put on a short, bright red romper and black heels. My hair is down and curling across my shoulders. Today’s yoga has left me with a healthy glow that I take advantage of. The only make-up I bother with is a swipe of mascara and lipstick. Good enough for me. I strut my way into the living room and grab my little gold purse before heading out the door to the car waiting at the curb.
It's large, heavy, dark, and intimidating, like the two guys sitting inside it. My bodyguards for the night. I’d finally called and hired a company after Kieren and Antony pestered me relentlessly. These two big, silent, unfriendly looking gentlemen are looking after me for the evening. With their identical buzzed heads, they’re impossible to tell apart. Buzz One gets out and opens the rear door for me, answering my greeting with a grunt.
They may be bodyguards but I don’t really feel that safe with these guys. I don’t even know their names. And if the grunt was any indication, I’m not going to get an introduction. Maybe I should have taken up my stepbrothers’ offer to be my bodyguards. This nigh
t might be a little different if they were here. I’d feel safer, for one. Actually, if they were here, I probably wouldn’t bother meeting with my friends.
My eyes slip closed as the heavy car whooshes through the streets. Kieren’s and Antony’s faces rise in the darkness behind my closed eyes. Faces that are chiseled and square-jawed and dark-eyed. They’re not completely identical, Antony keeps his hair cut close to the scalp and Kieren’s is longer, waving across his forehead in a sexy flop. Antony is just the slightest bit taller and Kieren is broader across the shoulders. I wonder what other differences there might be between them? I’ve had glimpses of them over the years, living in the same house made it hard not to. I know their asses are toned and firm, their chests broad and tanned. But I’ve always wondered about their cocks. Are they the same length? The same girth? Are they circumcised or not? And I wonder…what it’s like…to be with them both. To have both of them in bed together, both their bodies naked against mine, two pairs of lips roaming over my skin, two pairs of hands to touch every inch of me. Two cocks. What would I do with both of them?
“Daisy’s.” The harsh bark from the front jerks me out of my reverie and my eyes fly open. I can feel the heat on my cheeks and hope that’s it dark enough in to cover my embarrassment. We’ve pulled up to the front of the restaurant and Buzz One jumps out again to open my door. Buzz Two drives off in search of parking, leaving me standing at the curb with Buzz One. It’s a weird feeling, having someone open doors and dog my steps, which is exactly what Buzz is doing as I make my way toward the oxblood leather doors at the restaurant entrance. I feel like he’s breathing down the back of my neck and try to shake it off. Before I can reach for the handle, Buzz One has moved his bulk around me, grasped the ornate copper doorknob and pulled open the door.
Daisy’s has a cool, speakeasy vibe, with dark woods, exposed brick, and a pressed-tin bar where all the liquor is stored in cut glass decanters. Electronic jazz pulses softly in the background as waitresses in swingy fringed skirts and feather boas serve up specialty drinks in vintage barware. High backed burgundy velvet banquettes offer privacy from other diners and I spot Liddie’s short, platinum hair peeking around the edge of one in the far corner. She gives me a huge grin and wiggles her fingers at me to hurry me up. I slide in beside her and give her a quick hug before turning to Kendra, who’s sitting on the other side of the heavy wood table, her waist-length locks a bright, peacock blue today. She’s not looking at me, though. Her arms are crossed and she’s staring up at the Buzzes, a slight sneer twisting at her lips.
“Hey, Victoria, they going to do this all night?” She jerks her thumb towards the bodyguards who are standing at the end of the table, twin walls of muscle blocking our view of the room. And the waitress.
“Sorry, sorry,” I give Kendra a sheepish smile. “Hey, Buz…uuuhh, boys. Excuse me, gentlemen, I’m fine here. Maybe you guys can go wait somewhere else? Just, stay available but don’t hover, okay.”
They shrug their massive shoulders and wander off to the other end of the room.
“Thank god,” Kendra mutters, “Now, let’s drink.” She waves over a waitress.
I flip open a menu and nudge Liddie with my elbow. “What looks good to you?”
“Hmmm?” Liddie drags her eyes away from the retreating backs of Buzz One and Two. “Uh, I don’t know, whatever you want.”
This isn’t my Liddie talking. Her warm brown eyes are clouded and her face is suddenly closed. She’s picking at the skin around her nails and studiously ignoring my questioning look.
“Lyd’s…what’s going on?” I ask.
Across the table, Kendra drops her menu and taps her fingers on the rim of her wine glass. “Yeah, what’s up with the lame face?”
Liddie sighs and shoves her hands into her lap. She’s trying to keep from destroying her nails. I know her, if she gets too anxious she’ll pick and chew them until they’re bloody. She turns to me and I can see she’s on the edge of tears.
“Liddie, honey! What is it?” I throw my arm around my friend and tug her toward me.
“I don’t…I mean, it’s just…” She breaks off and I see her hand migrating toward her mouth. I gently smack it back to her lap. “Okay. Are you going to get too big to hang out with your regular old friends, Vick?”
I can’t help it, I start to giggle. “Seriously, sweetie? That’s what’s got you all worked up?”
“I just thought…well, your movie is getting fantastic reviews and when you walked in at least half the people in here whipped out their phones for pictures. You’re getting recognized more and more. And now, you have those huge brutes following you around. It won’t be too long before I’ll have to call a barrage of assistants just to talk to you.” She looks so forlorn.
“That,” I say firmly, “will never happen. If…and that’s a huge if…it starts to get crazy then I’ll need steady people around. People who know me best and won’t be afraid to tell me if I’m becoming a typical starlet. You’re my oldest friend and I’m not about to let you go for all the ass-lickers in Hollywood.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I smile at her. “Now, shots! And two, no three, of those strawberry and cream covered funnel cakes. My trainer will kill me but who cares.” I wave over a waitress.
“Trainer? Ugh…starlet!” Kendra guffaws at me.
In a short time, we’ve got warm, golden funnel cakes piled high with fresh strawberries, hand-whipped cream and a generous dusting of powdered sugar in front of us. Shots of chilled vanilla vodka round out our calorie-laden feast and we’re quiet except for occasional moans of delight.
“So,” Kendra says, licking a spot of powdered sugar off her lower lip. “What’s the deal with those bodyguards anyhow?”
“After that little incident at the premiere, I decided I needed some extra muscle around. I don’t want that Dennis guy coming at me again.” I shudder at the memory of him trying to lead me away from the theater.
“I know that. What I mean is why didn’t you hire Antony and Kieren? Isn’t that what they do? Guard bodies?”
“Yes, it’s what they do.” I fiddle with my fork, poking at strawberries on my plate.
“Don’t you want them to guard yours?” Kendra wiggles her well-groomed eyebrows at me. I can feel the heat creeping up the back of my neck.
“I just thought, better not mix family and business, you know.”
“What you should do is learn to defend yourself,” Kendra says around a mouthful of cake.
Liddie looks alarmed and I strangle around a mouthful of sweet, syrupy vodka. “Kendra, I can’t even kill a bug. I’m supposed to go ape on some dude trying to hurt me?”
“Yeah. Learn Krav Maga, you know, like that Jennifer Lopez movie. Get some mace, a taser. Hell, get a concealed-carry-permit and start packing heat. You gotta be able to protect yourself, honey.”
“I don’t think…”
“Hey, guys like your stalker, Dennis...or guys who think they can manhandle you just because you’re a public figure...they only understand one language and you gotta learn to speak it louder than them. Watch out for number one, babe.”
Liddie’s eyes are getting bigger and bigger as she listens to Kendra lay out a self-protection plan for me. “I think maybe you should just stick with the bodyguards,” she says.
“I’m not getting a gun,” I sigh. “For now, the Buzzes will have to do.”
“I’d at least dump them and get those tasty stepbrothers’ of yours on board. They can guard my body anytime.”
“Yeah,” I laugh nervously as I feel the heat start to creep again. I can tell Liddie is clocking me out of the corner of her eye.
“So,” Kendra nudges at me leg under the table, “do they share? I mean twins. Hot, hot twins. Not like they haven’t been in the same vagina before.” She sighs long and low. “I’d definitely volunteer to be the meat in that sandwich.”
My giggles are getting higher in pitch as I get more agitated by Kendra’s chatter. I know she’s
just trying to make silly conversation about hot guys but her line of thinking is far too close my own lately.
“Can’t say. I don’t keep up with their romantic pursuits,” I say breezily. “Are we getting more shots or what?” I tip over my empty glass over my mouth and shake it like I’m desperate for the drops lingering in the bottom.
“Sure, I’ve got this one.” Kendra gathers up our glasses and heads over to the bar for more drinks. I slip out of the booth and smooth down my romper. “I need to hit the ladies, I’ll be right back,” I tell Liddie.
“Hey,” she stops me with a gentle hand on my arm, “don’t let Kendra bother you. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
I smile down at my sweet friend. “I know. It doesn’t. Not really.” I feel a small surge of guilt for lying to her but I push it down and keep smiling. “Save me some funnel cake.”
I wind my way through tables and dancing couples to the restrooms at the far end of the restaurant. Pushing open the swinging door, I collapse onto the tufted sofa in the anteroom. The restroom is a lush oasis, quiet, low-lit, and attended by a discreet assistant who offers me a cool towel lightly scented with mint. I thank her and dab at the nape of my neck. If I stay in here too long the girls will come looking for me. I just need a minute to collect myself, to cool off the heated thoughts of Antony and Kieren. I rub the towel over my temples and inhale the crisp smell.
It’s time for me to get back out there. I wanted this girls’ night with my friends and I decide it’s time to enjoy it. No more thinking about the twins or Dennis or paparazzi or Hollywood or bodyguards. Time to dance and drink and laugh. I smile at the attendant, hand her the towel, and drop a twenty in her tip jar before heading to the door.
A rough hand grabs my wrist and pulls me through into the small corridor outside the restrooms.
“What…?” I sputter.
Someone is pushing me back towards the corner, someone who is tall and who’s breath is harsh and fast. Not Liddie or Kendra.
BODYGUARD BROTHERS: A TWIN STEPBROTHER MENAGE ROMANCE Page 3