Deal Takers

by Laura Lee

  I won’t.

  She’s the one. In a flash, I can see my entire future laid out before me. Marriage, babies, hot makeup sex—because let’s be honest; the joy of pissing her off will never get old—whatever it may be, I can visualize every part of it with stunning clarity. Rainey’s eyes are burning with questions as she studies me...as I look at her with complete awe.

  She breaks the silence first. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I say and shake my head. “Everything’s perfect. You’re fucking perfect.”

  My dick is still inside of her, completely spent, but it really wants to go another round when she flashes her beautiful smile.

  Rainey reaches up and takes my bottom lip between her teeth. “You’re not so bad yourself.” She gives me a lascivious grin and her eyes widen when my cock begins to harden. “You wanna go again?”

  Thor jumps and reaches his full potential at the thought. Damn, I don’t think I’ve had a recovery this fast since I was a teenager. I grind into her and say, “Hell, yes, I want to go again.”

  Say it with me, folks: All hail the Magic Pussy.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  RAINEY

  It’s been just over a month since Brody and I started sleeping together. I can honestly say that I’ve never had better sex in my entire life. With Brody, no matter how many times we’ve done it—which is so many I’ve lost count—it keeps getting better and better. I never knew sex could be so fulfilling...so consuming. I want to kick myself daily for waiting so long to do this with him.

  “Whatcha thinking about, Lorraine?” Devyn asks.

  I peel my eyes away from Brody’s ass. “Nothing specific.”

  “Really? I could’ve sworn you were picturing Brody naked just now.”

  I blush. “It’s not my fault he’s so pretty.”

  She laughs. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?”

  Brody and I have still been able to maintain our secrecy—Devyn excluded—but it’s becoming increasingly difficult.

  “I feel out of control, Dev.”

  “How so?”

  “I want him all the time,” I say in a hushed tone. The boys are walking quite a few steps ahead of us, but you can never be too careful having this conversation in public, especially in a place packed with children. “Like, it’s all I seem to think about anymore. And he’s exactly the same way. When we’re apart, we’re constantly sexting and when we’re alone together, we shed our clothes within minutes. It’s like, we’re both crawling out of our skin to get to each other, and we can’t function until we squeeze an orgasm or two out of each other. That can’t possibly be normal. Right?”

  She quirks her head to the side. “Interesting.”

  “What do you mean, ‘interesting’?”

  “Are you sure you don’t have stronger feelings for him than you’re willing to admit?”

  I sigh. “I like him a lot. I always have, deep down, even when he was being a complete jackass and irritating the shit out of me. He’s fun. And we’re obviously compatible in bed, but that’s the extent of it.”

  She raises her eyebrows. “I don’t think that’s true, Lorraine.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m obviously not some sex expert since I’ve only been with two men, but I do know the difference between sleeping with someone and sleeping with the one. I loved Jackson, you know I did, but being intimate with Riley is and always has been on a whole other level. It’s sacred, almost, even when it’s really, really dirty.” I smile when her face turns beet red at that last set of words. “With Nathan around, we can’t exactly do it whenever we want, but the want is definitely there.”

  “Honey, I appreciate what you’re saying, but Brody is not the one.”

  She takes a bite of her elephant ear. Damn, I really should’ve bought one of those. “I know you don’t like bringing this up, but let me ask you this: you loved Adam, despite how it ended, and you always said sex with him was fantastic. Now, think about that, and then think about how you’ve been feeling over the last few weeks with Brody.”

  I gnaw on my thumb, not liking where she’s going with this. “Okay...and?”

  “The missing factor between the two is the connection—that ineffable bond that transcends reason. It just is.”

  I grin as Brody swings Nathan in a circle before planting him on his shoulders. I’m pretty sure he enjoys being at the zoo more than the kid does.

  “Devyn, even if I wanted to actually date him, it would be pointless. He’s not a long-term relationship kind of guy.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Have you ever seen him with a woman more than a few weeks?”

  “No,” she says with a shrug. “But I could’ve said the same thing about Riley.”

  Nathan squeals when he spots the carousel up ahead. Brody jogs over to us with Nathan bobbing on his shoulders.

  “Mommy, Aunt ‘Wainey! I’m gonna go on the horsies!”

  Brody gives me a goofy grin. “Yeah, Aunt Rainey, I’m gonna go on the horsies, too!”

  Nathan reaches for Devyn so Brody offloads him, handing him over.

  “Aren’t you a little big for the horsies?” I smirk.

  “I’ll show you big, baby,” he jokes, right before he palms the back of my neck and pulls me into a kiss.

  In front of everyone.

  I freeze. Brody must sense the tension in my body because he pulls back quickly and immediately looks behind him to see if Drew and Riley witnessed his slip up. Of course they did. I don’t think their jaws would be unhinged otherwise. His eyes return to mine, apologetic, but a little too late. I instantly go into damage control.

  “Whoa, there, buddy,” I say, holding my hands up to push him off. “Ever heard of something called personal space?”

  Do you see that look on his face? That miniscule, but awful twist of his lips? The crinkle between his eyebrows? The hard set of his jaw? That’s one-hundred-percent, unfiltered hurt. It’s only there for a second or two, but it’s unmistakable.

  And it makes me feel like an absolute piece of shit for causing it.

  Brody clears his throat and laughs. “Sorry, babe. You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  I smack his arm with the back of my hand. “Keep your lips to yourself next time.” I move closer to Nate and ruffle his hair. “C’mon, big guy, let’s go find you the best-looking horse on the carousel.”

  Poor Devyn looks like she wants to run away. That girl has never been good with confrontation.

  She clears her throat. “Brody, you coming?”

  He rubs his neck and glances at his really confused-looking friends before returning his gaze to mine. “Uh...I need to hit the head first. I’ll meet you there in a few.” Before any of us can say another word, he ducks around us and disappears inside the nearby men’s room.

  Needless to say, the rest of our zoo excursion is tense.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  BRODY

  “Talk to me, Brody,” Charlee begs.

  I take a sip from my coffee mug. “I don’t want to talk about it, Charlotte.”

  “C’mon, dude. This is obviously about a woman. Maybe I can help.”

  I didn’t show up for dinner at Pistorio’s as planned, so Charlee knew something was up. Big sis decided to pop by my condo to check on me.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I repeat. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

  “It’s not hard to understand,” she replies. “But you’re moping, Brody. You don’t mope, especially not over a woman.”

  I set my mug down and cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not moping. I just didn’t feel like having Italian for dinner last night.”

  She throws her hands up in frustration. “Well, now I know something is wrong!”

  I glare at her. “Because I didn’t want you to cook for me?”

  “Yes!” she shouts. “You never turn down a free meal, especially if Mom or I are cooking! Not to mention
the fact that you wouldn’t answer my texts all week.” She digs in the back pocket of her jeans and produces her cell phone. “You’re forcing me to pull out the big guns. Just remember, you brought this on yourself.”

  “What are you doing?” I ask nervously, as she thumbs through her phone and taps a button.

  She switches the call to speaker and holds her hand out. I try grabbing it from her the second I see the contact name but the call connects after the first ring.

  “Mio caro,” my mother says, in her thickly-accented voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

  “Hi, Mamma,” Charlee replies. “I’m over at Brody’s. You’re on speakerphone.”

  Let’s pause for a minute to rewind. Do you remember when I told you that my mother is Sicilian? What I failed to mention, was that she’s really Sicilian...as in born and raised on that tiny island off the coast of Italy. She came to the U.S. for college which is where she met my dad and she never moved back. Anyway, did you ever see that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where the Barones went to Italy? There was this teeny little grey-haired woman that everyone was afraid of despite her small stature. Super pushy...always trying to feed everyone. You know who I’m talking about now? Well, that’s my mom. She always means well, and Charlee and I never wanted for affection, but she can be a little...overbearing at times.

  “Brody! You need to call your mother more,” my mom scolds. “Your sister call me every day like good girl. You need to take lessons from Carlotta.”

  I glare at Charlee. “Yes, Mamma.”

  She smirks in return. “Mamma, Brody is upset over a girl and he won’t talk to me about it.”

  “B.J.!” my mom shrieks. “Why you no tell me you have a lady in your life?”

  Yep, she called me B.J. It’s her affectionate little nickname for me that makes me cringe every time I hear it. Do I really need to explain why? All the future parents out there, hear me out. If your kid’s first name starts with a B and their middle name starts with a J, please never, ever, cut it down to initials. Trust me when I tell you that it will save your child years of embarrassment.

  “Mom, there’s nothing to tell.”

  “He’s lying, Mom,” Charlee says. “He didn’t show up for dinner last night.”

  She laughs when I flip her off.

  “Tell your Mamma what’s wrong, amore. Carlotta, you make sure he eats before you go home.”

  I groan. “I’m twenty-seven-years-old, Mom. I don’t need my mother or my annoying sister to feed me all the time or interfere with my love life.”

  “Ha!” Charlee shouts. “So you admit that this is about a girl!”

  I grab the phone out of her hand. “Mom, I love you, but I’m not discussing this with you right now. I will call you later, okay?”

  “B.J., if you no call me by tomorrow, I will drive to city to make you talk to me in person,” she threatens.

  “Bye, Mom.” I press the END button and throw the phone back to Charlee with a little more force than necessary. “You’re an asshole. I can’t believe you did that.”

  She shrugs. “You asked for it.”

  I sit on my recliner and pop the foot rest open. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. Just drop it, Charlotte.”

  She takes a seat on the couch cushion closest to me. “B, I don’t like seeing you like this. Talk to me. Who has you all wound up and why? I didn’t even know you were dating someone.”

  “I’m not technically dating anyone.”

  “But there is someone you’re fucking?”

  I sigh. “Rainey.”

  She raises her brows in surprise. “The nurse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When did this start? I thought you said she was involved with someone.”

  “That’s been over for a long time,” I tell her. “It’s only been five weeks or so since we started hooking up.”

  “Five weeks is pretty serious for you, Brody. So what’s the problem?”

  I scrub my hand over my face. “I feel like such a pussy right now.”

  “Oh, shut it. Men are allowed to express their feelings. You know I’m a vault, B. Tell me what’s going on.”

  I take a deep breath. “I’m in love with her. I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with her for years.”

  Charlotte gasps. “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, holy shit.”

  “So, why is that a bad thing?”

  “Because she refuses to take me seriously. Says we’re just scratching an itch, or some shit like that. She won’t even let me tell our closest friends—she’s really big on keeping the whole thing a secret. The five of us took Drew’s nephew to the zoo last weekend and she freaked out when I accidentally kissed her in front of everyone.”

  She slams her hand over her mouth. “How the hell did you explain that?”

  “Rainey made it seem like I was just being a handsy asshole, and I went with it. It was purely out of habit, but she’s acting like I did it on purpose.”

  “Did she specifically say that to you?”

  I shrug. “No, but we haven’t been doing much talking since then. Every time I bring it up, she practically jumps on my dick to shut me up then kicks me out immediately afterward.”

  Charlee tucks her feet beneath her and smiles. “Well, well, well...I never thought I’d see the day.”

  I roll my eyes. “Now what the hell are you yammering about?”

  “Not only are you in loooooooove, but you’re being used for sex.”

  I scowl.

  “I’m not saying she doesn’t return your feelings,” she amends. “But she obviously has no shame in using you as a human dildo to avoid talking about it. I think I like this girl.”

  “Thanks a lot, Charlotte. I’m really feeling the love here.”

  She laughs. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Brody. There’s an easy way to fix this, you know.”

  I gesture for her to continue. “Oh, please impart your wisdom upon me.”

  “You need to tell her how you feel,” she says matter-of-factly. “You need to keep your dick in your pants until you’ve hashed it out with her verbally.”

  I’m sure I look as incredulous as I feel. “Are you seriously telling me that I should withhold sex from the hottest fucking woman I’ve ever met?”

  “Yep.” She adds a pop to the end of the word.

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” I mutter.

  “No, it’s not. You’re never going to get anywhere if she keeps distracting you with pussy. She knows it’s your weakness. If you prove her wrong, she’ll be forced to take you seriously.”

  Damn it, she may have a point.

  “I don’t know...”

  Charlee sighs. “Look, Brody. If you can manage to hold out long enough to have a serious conversation with her, telling her exactly how you feel, at least then you’ll know where you stand. One way or the other, you’ll know, and you can move forward.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I guess it’s worth a try.”

  She stands up and heads for the front door. “It’s definitely worth a try, little bro. I need to go run a few errands before heading to work. Let me know how it works out.”

  I give her a half-assed wave. “Yeah...sure.”

  “Well, hel-lo,” Charlee purrs.

  My eyes snap up to find Drew towering over her in the doorway.

  “Hello to you, too,” he says. “And you are?”

  Oh, hell no.

  Do you see that sparkle in their eyes? The way they’re subconsciously leaning into each other? That, right there, is the reason I’ve kept Charlee away from him all these years.

  I jump up and give her a little shove out the door. “Just leaving. I’ll talk to you later, Charlee.”

  She stares at Drew appreciatively as she walks backwards down the hall. “Yeah...sure. See you later.” She winks before turning around and ducking down the stairwell.

  I push Drew inside and shut the door. “What are you doing here, asshole?”
<
br />   “That was Charlee? As in your sister, Charlee?”

  “Yep. Now answer my question.”

  He widens his stance and crosses his arms over his ridiculously wide chest. “Sure. After you answer mine. Is she single? And why in the hell have I not met her before?”

  “Nope.” I shake my head furiously. “Don’t even fucking think about it. I’m still scarred from her little tryst with Riley.”

  “What the fuck? As in my sister’s Riley?”

  I roll my eyes. “It was years ago, dude. In Boston. And according to them, they never slept together. Supposedly one awkward kiss when he was dropping her off but I never pressed any further because I didn’t feel like puking.”

  My stomach rolls. The thought of my sister doing the nasty with any one of my friends makes me queasy.

  Drew’s still staring at my closed door contemplating something. “Interesting.”

  I throw my hands up. “Why is everything so fucking interesting today?”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” I wave him off. “Now, tell me what you want.”

  “Dude. I’m here to help you plan an epic bachelor party. Devyn just told me that you’re the appointed best man, so I’m making sure you don’t screw up the most important part of this whole wedding planning process.”

  And people say I’m an idiot.

  “I haven’t had time to think about it.”

  “Which is exactly why you need me,” he insists. “I’m thinking Vegas. Picture it—topless pools and liquor by day, poker and strippers by night.”

  “I’m pretty sure your sister wouldn’t appreciate all the naked women in this plan.”

  “Pssh, she wouldn’t care. She knows Riley is fucking blind to other women. He’s just along for the ride.”

  I laugh. “You do realize it’s not your bachelor party, right?”

  “Yeah...sure. So what do you say?”

  I grab a beer out of the fridge and throw it to him. What’s that saying? It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?

  “Sure, buddy. Let’s talk about Vegas.”