BODYGUARD BROTHERS: A TWIN STEPBROTHER MENAGE ROMANCE
Page 14
“Nope. I can get coffee on my own. I’m a big boy.” I’m a little annoyed with her tone.
“Mmmhmm, I heard exactly how big a boy you are...and that you even share with your brother like a good boy.” She’s grinning broadly now.
I sigh. “Okay, Kendra, I know what you’re getting it. Just ask me what you want.”
“Well, what I want to know is really pretty personal. So I’ll save it for Victoria. But I just have to know, is she happy? Is she okay with this? If you guys are just using my friend for some twisted twinsie fun, I’ll cut your balls off.”
I hold up my hands in surrender and laugh. “It’s not like that. I care about Victoria...it's just complicated. You're not freaked out by it? That your friend is having a relationship with two guys at the same time? And that we’re brothers?”
“Does everybody move to the right when you’re boom chicka booming?”
“I…what?” I feel my face redden as I realize what she’s talking about. “No, it’s not like that…it’s all about Victoria when we’re…intimate. There’s no…ahhh…” I sputter off.
“Then, hell no! I think it’s sexy as fuck, and you’re all adults, right, and consenting. No one is coercing anyone into anything? I don’t care what adults get up to in their private lives as long as everyone is agreeable.” She blows the top of her coffee and takes another drink. “Besides, have you seen you two?” She eyes me up and down and her expression looks way too hungry for my comfort. “I’d be on that in a skinny minute if it wasn’t for Victoria.” She gives me a cat and canary grin.
“Does, uh, does Liddie feel the same way?” I ask.
“Does Liddie want to sleep with you, too?” she asks, alarmed.
“No, no! Does Liddie care about Victoria and me and Antony being together.”
“Oh, no,” she laughs “Liddie just wants her to be happy. Although she is pretty worried about what will happen if it gets out. Anyhow, I should get going.” She stands and swings her bag stuffed with a yoga mat over her shoulder. “But damn, twins!” She shakes her head, giving a laughing sigh before she sashays away, her yoga-round ass swinging across the café and attracting the stares of every male, and some female, patrons as she makes her way to the door. She wiggles her fingers and blows me a kiss before pushing open the door with her hip and disappearing into the California morning.
Sitting back, I think over Kendra’s words and her live-and-let-live attitude. It makes me wonder if more people would be, if not as accepting as Victoria’s friends, then at least a little more willing to consider that we’re all adults and can do as we please. Is it possible we’ve built this up into more of an issue that it actually is? Maybe we should just take it public and see what happens. I’m not ashamed of my relationship with Victoria. Hell, I’d be proud to escort her down a red carpet with Antony on one side and me on the other. That’s it, I’m not giving her up. And dammit, I’m not hiding anymore either. We’ll live our lives the way we want and the world be damned.
I push away from the table, my chest lighter than it’s been in days, and hurry out of the coffee shop, jumping into Victoria’s car and speeding back towards the house. We need to talk about this, the three of us, and I need to make Antony see that this is for the best. I’ll change his mind, whatever I have to do. I’ll make him see that we can deal with whatever is coming as long as it’s the three of us together.
I’m grinning as I steer Victoria’s jaunty little car towards home, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel and humming along to the radio. When I pull up to the gate, I give the guard a grin and salute as he calls up to the house and opens the gate for me. I whip her little car around the driveway and bound out, calling out Antony’s name as I pull open the door. When no one answers, I head down the hallway and find them both in the living room.
Victoria is on the sofa, her head buried in her knees, hands tugging at her hair. Antony is beside her, remote in hand, and a look of shock on his face.
“What’s going on?” I look around confused. There’s nothing on TV except some morning news entertainment show. Right now, the perky blonde host and her hunky male co-host are talking about someone adopting another kid.
“What?” I ask again.
Antony hits the rewind button on the remote and the picture on the screen skitters backward until Antony punches the button again and it starts to play, the host mid-sentence.
“…Chase, actually Carter, as in Michael Carter…”
“She’s his only child,” the co-host interrupts.
“She is,” the host continues, “which makes the allegations even more stunning. Multiple sources, including her own former agent, allege that Victoria Carter and her twin step-brothers are engaged in an intimate affair with one another. Sources say it’s been going on a for a few weeks but there has been speculation that it’s been going on for years, starting when Carter married model Amelia Chase and moved in with her teen-aged, twin sons.”
“That’s quite the scandal,” says the co-host.
“We’ll keep you up to date as the story develops,” chirps the host, “And don’t forget to tune in for the exclusive interview with her alleged stalker, Dennis Hunt.”
Antony clicks the television off.
My jaw is hanging open. What the hell just happened? How did the happen. I’ve been gone 45 minutes. I look over, see Antony with one arm around Victoria. She still hasn’t looked up, her hands still clutching at her hair.
“Antony…” I start.
He cuts me off with nod. I can see the look in his eye and I know what he’s going to say. He doesn’t have to tell me. We have to stop this, for Victoria. We need to make it look like vicious lies and rumors coming from a crazy stalker and an angry, fired manager. He’s going to tell me that we have to cut it off with Victoria.
I drop down on her other side and drape my arm over her, too. Stroking at her back, soothing her hair away from her neck. I nudge her upward and she falls into my arms, burying her face into my shoulder. She won’t look at me when I try to turn her face to mine. Instead, she curls up, not making any sound, and soaks my shirt with her tears.
As I rub her back, I look at Antony and he’s nodding his head.
NO. I shake my head roughly at him.
He sighs and looks down at his hands, twisting his fingers together.
I can’t do it. I can’t give her up.
22
VICTORIA
Antony and Kieren have left. I’m not sure where they’ve gone but this is the first time I’ve been without either one of them around in weeks. I feel lonely and abandoned. I want to call and ask Kendra or Liddie to come over but they’d never be able to get onto the property.
I make sure to keep the drapes pulled shut, pulling them back just slightly, peering out the window from between a small crack. The road in front of my house is covered in news vans and paparazzi, waiting for me to step out so they can peck at me like a vulture at a dead carcass. I’m pretty sure I even heard the buzz of a drone crossing my property earlier.
I drop the curtain and pace the living room. I consider texting Antony with the emergency code he gave me but he’ll just freak out. I don’t want to scare him, I just don’t want to be alone. I can’t believe what’s happened in the past twelve hours. My life has been upended and spilled for the entire world to see.
I flop onto the sofa and stare at the ceiling, anxiety making me chew at my lips. I’m so restless. I get up and peer out of the window again. I can just see the press of the media, gathered at my gate. No doubt the young security guard is shitting his pants trying to make sure no one gets in.
I really want to march down there and give an impromptu press conference and I’d start by telling them, “Yes! I’m fucking my stepbrothers. Both of them. At the same time! And more than that, I love them. Hell, I want to have their babies! Now fuck off and leave us alone.”
But I know that will never happen. I thought being Michael Carter’s daughter was bad when it came to publicity.
That was nothing compared to the circus this is turning into. They’ll never leave us alone. For the rest of my life, any interview I do or any news story written about me will always bring up the fact that I “allegedly” had an affair with my twin stepbrothers. It will never go away.
The text alert on my phone tings and I snatch it up, hoping it’s Antony or Kieren. It’s Kendra and text reads “Holy shit, turn on the TV, Celebrity TV, the twins are on!”
I snatch up the remote and turn the TV on, flipping through the channels until I find Celebrity TV, and there they are. They’re both in button up shirts and ties, Kieren’s a little more loosely tied than Antony’s. They’re sitting on stools on a brightly lit set, with a pretty brunette reporter I’ve interviewed with myself, sitting opposite. I turn up the television and sit on the edge of the coffee table, leaning forward, wondering what the hell they're doing. What are they going to tell her? Maybe, they’ll tell the truth and then we can go buy a ranch in Montana and be left alone. In my heart, that's what I'm hoping for.
“So, you’re the stepbrothers’ of Victoria Carter, who uses your last name, Chase, as her stage name.” The reporter smiles at them, encouraging and bright.
“Yes, she’s our stepsister.” Antony answers.
“But we’re not sleeping with her,” Kieren spits out.
My stomach bottoms out. I know where this is going. They couldn’t tell me themselves. They’re using fucking national TV to tell me we’re through. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes but I keep them trained on the television.
The interviewer smiles at Kieren and leans forward, reaching out her hand and resting it on his knee. Bitch. That's my man, I think. Then my heart sinks because it isn't true.
Antony clears his throat. “She uses our mother’s last name to distance herself, professionally, from her father, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to clear up the ridiculous rumors that have been circulating about Victoria.”
“The rumors that she’s having an intimate affair with you two,” host says.
“Yes, those rumors,” Antony answers in a clipped tone. “They’re lies, vicious lies told by a man who is clinically disturbed. And her stalker.”
Well, I can’t blame him for the blow at Samson.
“These men want to control Victoria and when she refused to be cowed by them, and bow to their demands, they decided to get back at her by starting rumors to destroy her career.” Antony is very convincing.
“And what is your relationship with her beyond the family ties?” the interviewer asks. She leans toward Kieren again.
“She’s our client. We took her on after she was attacked at a restaurant by Dennis Hunt. We’re a small firm and have been handling her security personally but we’ve arranged to have her detail taken over by Alpha Bravo Security.” The words make my stomach churn and my chest ache. Antony delivers this news straight-faced but I can see Kieren’s jaw tightening and his eyes narrowing.
“Why are you having yourselves replaced as her security team?”
I stand up, taking a step towards the television. I’d like to hear why they’re replacing themselves, too.
“We need to expand our client base and after taking on Victoria, we’ve had multiple offers. We need to outsource and ABS is the perfect company for us to team up with on that.” Antony is smooth and businesslike, nailing blow after blow at my chest.
Is that what’s really going on? Did they use me? For their company? I wouldn’t have cared, they could have used my name to garner interest by why did they sleep with me then? To keep me around?
I can see them shaking hands with the interviewer but I don’t hear their last words. My ears are ringing and my head is fuzzy. All I can feel is betrayal. That’s all anyone ever does in this fucking town. People who are supposed to care for you and look after your well-being use you for their own greedy self-interests and discard you when you’re no good to them anymore.
Did they have this planned all along? When we were together it felt real. The way they kissed me...touched me. I believed that it was real, but now. I just don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.
My knees buckle and I flop to the floor. Tears start to flow. They’re hot and vicious and sting my eyes, burning their way down my cheeks. Sobs wrack from my chest and I cry so hard I think I’m going to throw up. I roll over and curl up on my side, the rough nap of the rug scratching at my cheek. I push my fists into my stomach, willing it to stop roiling.
I can’t trust anyone. I’m done. With show business, with Antony and Kieren, with this goddamned town. Finished. All I want is out of here. I don’t have to act. I have money from my dad I’ve never even touched. My house and property are worth millions. I can disappear.
I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling, my breathing slowing as I steel my mind and decide that the best thing for me to do is leave it all.
The intercom squawks, “Miss Chase, your bodyguards are here. I’m going to let them in.” It’s the gate guard. I can hear the shouts and questions of the media hawks and the grind of the gate opening over the speaker.
My bodyguards. Are they kidding me with this? Antony and Kieren are showing up now? After their fiasco of a new conference?
I jump up and smooth down my dress, pawing at my hair and scrubbing my hands over my face. I’m not going down without a fight. I’m going to tell them both exactly what I think of them and then send them packing.
When the knock comes, I snatch the door open, prepared to launch my anger at the twins. But they’re not there. Instead, it’s two other guys, black suits flawlessly pressed, Ray-bans pulled down over their eyes. One of them pulls of his sunglasses.
“Miss Chase, or do you prefer Carter?” he asks.
“Doesn’t matter,” I mumble, eyeing them carefully. I think the one that still has his glasses on is smirking at me. I can’t see his eyes but I feel like they’re prying under my dress, poking at my flesh. I cross my arms over my chest.
“Miss Chase,” he continues “I’m Bill, this is Chuck,” he jerks his finger at the other guy. “We’re your new bodyguards, sent over by ABS. I understand we’ve taken over your security detail from Defender, Inc.”
My heart stutters. They’re not even going to come back. I bet I don’t even have to bother checking the garage, I know that Antony’s SUV and Kieren’s Jag will both be gone. They’ve left and didn’t say goodbye. It really was a complete set-up. They used me and dropped me when it was convenient for them.
My head is buzzing and the world is going gray at the edges.
“Miss Chase?” The bodyguards voice sounds like it’s coming from far away.
Shaking my head to clear it, I look up. “Go away,” I say.
“We’re the new detail…” Bill says.
“No, you’re not. Get the fuck off my porch.” I slam the door so hard the glass rattles in the frame. I can see the outline of the men in the frosted window. They stand there for a second before turning and walking back down the steps.
I lock the door, set the alarm, and head for my bedroom. I slide into the bed that I’d been sharing with Kieren and Antony. It still smells of them and it’s another wound to my heart. Pulling the blankets over my head, I lay in the darkness tortured by my thoughts until I eventually drift away into a restless sleep.
23
ANTONY
The phone is ringing again.
I’m at the Defender, Inc. office, fielding emails and phone calls from potential clients. It’s all I’ve been doing over the past five days. The five days that have passed since the interview Kieren and I had with Celebrity TV. The interview where we blindsided Victoria with a bullshit story about only taking her on as a client only to garner interest in our own company. And it worked, at least to gather interest, because the phone is ringing again.
Sighing, I pick up the phone. “Good afternoon, Defender, Inc. How can I help you?”
The voice on the other end asks to speak with Antony or Kieren. “One moment,” I
say and pull the phone away from my ear. I count to twenty before answering again.
“Antony Chase, what can I do for you?”
It’s the manager for a cable channel reality TV star and they want us for security. The majority of the calls have been from people repping lower end events and b-list, even d-list, clients. Not that they don’t deserve good security, it’s just not the direction we saw ourselves going in.
“Uh huh, uh huh.” I’m barely listening to the conversation. I’ve already decided to say no.
I let the manager run on and on, explaining what they’re looking for before I finally say, “Look, we’d love to help you but we can’t take on any more new clients at the moment.”
More chatter I ignore.
“Uh huh. Sure, if something opens up we’ll give you a call. Thanks for calling. Uh huh. Thank you.” I hang up the phone.
The phone starts ringing again. I let it go to voice mail.
Leaning back in my chair, I roll my neck from side to side, trying to work out the tension building at the base. When the phone ring again I reach over and turn the ringer off.
I should probably be booking every single client that calls, no matter how small a contract it would be. Defender, Inc is starting to run on fumes. Soon, the money Victoria paid us will dry up and our seed money is dwindling fast. The cost to rent even our small office in L.A. is staggering, as well as the cash we have to lay out annually to keep our various certifications current. Money is leaking out in a slow and steady stream and here I am turning down work.
My cell is ringing now. I snatch it up. I don’t recognize the number but I’m hoping it’s Victoria. I haven’t talked to or heard from her in five days. She won’t answer calls or texts and she’s even instructed the new guard at her gate to not let us on her property. That hurts.
I know we broke her heart. I know she’s hurting but I wish she’d let us come and explain why we did what we did. The idea behind doing the interview, making it sound like we were just using her to give our business a boost, was to take some of the spotlight off her. Pull some of the sting out of the accusations Samson leveled against her. We couldn’t tell her because she would have tried to talk us out of it and she would have succeeded.