Surprise, Surprise

by Anita Kidesu

  Matt pushed himself from the chair and cupped his hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Thanks, bro. I appreciate that.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “It’s time for more aspirin and ice, and the recliner is calling me.”

  Jon followed him from the room. “Want more soup?”

  “I wouldn’t say no. It does help clear my sinuses.”

  Matt settled in the chair, pulled the blanket up to his neck, and placed the floppy bag of peas across his nose. He was pleased, yet still somewhat surprised, that Jon hadn’t taken the chance to get Reenie for himself. Would he have done the same if Jon had been injured instead of him? He thought of that uncomfortable time when they weren’t talking to each other. Yes, he would have done the same. Other than his twin, nothing was more important to him than Reenie.

  “Here, Matt,” Jon said, handing him a cup of his famous soup. Jon headed for the office.

  Before he took a sip, he called to Jon, “Hey, can you do me a favor?’

  Jon turned from the hallway. “What?”

  “Take some pictures of my face. Maybe when Reenie sees them, she’ll feel so sorry for me, she’ll jump into bed with us.”

  “You’re pathetic, you know that?”

  “I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Dammit, Jon. You are going to this convention with me.” Matt tossed a pair of jeans in the suitcase opened on his bed. Other than a few shirts, he was ready for the convention in Houston, but frustration with his brother was at its limit.

  In the two weeks since the fight with Perry, his nose was almost healed. The coloring around his eyes was down to a pale yellow, the swelling was gone, and his voice no longer sounded like a sick duck. To make his irritation worse, he knew Reenie was back from Greece. They took turns calling her with no response.

  Matt tossed a shirt into his suitcase. “We agreed you’d do this convention with me. It’s damn hard sitting at these things by myself all day.”

  Jon sat on the edge of the bed, twiddling with his cell phone. “Won’t Eric be there?”

  “Yes, but he has his own booth and Mom has hers.” He grabbed Jon’s cell phone and tossed it on the dresser. “If Reenie hasn’t returned our phone calls by now, she never will.”

  His brother’s deep sigh echoed his own dissatisfaction with the situation. Why hadn’t she called them back? Had she decided being with two men disgusting? Or she didn’t care for fist-fighting guys, even if they’d been protecting her?

  “You know I don’t like to talk with people.” Jon picked up a pair of socks from the floor and lobbed them at Matt.

  “Well, suck it up, buttercup. I’m tired of doing these things alone. I need you to pitch in for this part of the business.” He zipped up his travel kit and set it inside the suitcase.

  Jon shrugged. “What if she calls while we’re gone?”

  Matt rolled his eyes and flicked the back of Jon’s head. “I believe they have cell phone service in Houston, you moron. Now get your ass off my bed and your suitcase packed. You. Are. Going. With. Me. Besides, it’ll give us a chance to see Mom, Dad, and Eric.”

  “I thought we wanted to keep our identical twin status a secret.” Jon picked up his phone and leaned against the doorframe.

  “I talked with Eric, and he thinks it’s time to let our readers know the two of us write the books. It’ll create more interest in us and what we do. It’ll be our signature.”

  Jon pushed away from the door. “Oh, all right. But I won’t like it,” he called back down the hallway.

  “Just get your ass in gear so we can hit the road. There’s a lot to get done once we arrive.”

  ****

  Jon swung the five bags containing their book banners from his shoulders and set them against the wall at their assigned booth in the cavernous Houston convention center. He probably had red grooves in his skin from their weight. People scurried up and down the aisles, some jostling boxes, others pulling or pushing carts loaded with merchandise.

  Jon said, “You mean to tell me you haul this stuff in and out every time you go to a conference or convention?”

  Voices echoed with people shouting greetings or yelling to each other to get out of the way. It was chaos, and Jon wasn’t sure he liked it much. Already, he longed for the quiet of their office at home.

  “What did you think, our fairy godmother waves her magic wand and poof, everything is set up? Of course, I do this myself.” Matt moved the banners to the floor, opened a suitcase, and pulled out a dark blue cloth. “Help me spread this thing. We have to be ready by five, so we have only about forty-five minutes. You can set up the banners next.”

  By the time Jon figured out how to wrangle the banners depicting their books in place, Matt had the table ready. Pens for signing, stacks of books, business cards, and swag to give away. He had to give his brother credit for the attractive display.

  “Not bad, bro,” Jon said.

  Matt laughed. “You think I came up with this myself? Hell, the first time I did one of these events, the table looked as if a four-year-old had set it up. Mom and Eric had nearly died when they’d seen it.” He pulled a sketchpad from his backpack. “They were the ones who showed me how to arrange things. I haven’t veered from their suggestions.”

  Jon gestured to his sketchpad. “Won’t we be too busy talking to people for you to draw?”

  “I’m not sure why or how this happens, but people will come in droves, and I’m so busy, I don’t know which end is up.” Matt set colored pencils on the table. “Then they all disappear, leaving a boring lull. I use the time to work on sketches for whatever book we’re working on.”

  Jon opened his backpack and took out his laptop. He might as well get some work done, too. “I always wondered how you managed to come back with so many sketches.”

  “Depends on the event. Thursday nights are fairly quiet. Fridays and Saturdays are like a zoo. Depending on how I feel by the end of the day, I may go to an evening party or head back to the room and crash. It’s amazing how tiring sitting around all day can be.”

  Jon powered up his laptop. Seems he had a lot to learn about this part of their business. It wasn’t just about writing the story but also promoting themselves. This wasn’t something that came easily to him. While Matt was more outgoing, he was reserved. Crowds drove him crazy. Noise drove him crazy. He had a strong feeling this convention was going to tax his patience. When a voice over the PA system announced the doors were opening to the public, his nerves jumped.

  “Ready, bro?” The twinkle in Matt’s eyes suggested he knew how uncomfortable this made him.

  Show time. Jon took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders, tipped his head from side to side, and nodded.

  ****

  Three hours later, Jon had to admit he was enjoying himself. Talking about their work and how he and Matt came up with story ideas together. Selling and signing books was better than he’d thought. Talking about writing was almost as much fun as the writing itself. And the looks on people’s faces when they realized identical twins wrote erotic graphic novels together were priceless.

  Jon picked up a stack of books. “I have to confess, that wasn’t so bad.”

  “You did great, Jon.” Matt stuffed the last of the books in a box and shoved it under the table. He put the cash box and drawing pad in his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

  Grabbing his bag, Jon followed his brother from the convention hall and across the street to the hotel. “I was surprised at how fast the time went. I’m rather looking forward to tomorrow.”

  “Just remember tonight was only three hours.” Matt hit the button for their floor. “Tomorrow and Saturday we have to work ten hours each day.”

  “Okay.”

  Matt’s phone chimed with a call coming in. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?” He hiked his backpack farther up his shoulder. “Sure. That sounds good.” He put his phone back in his front pocket. “Mom, Dad, and Eric
want to meet us for drinks and something to eat. As soon as Eric gets out of his disguise, they’ll meet us in the bar.”

  The elevator stopped at their floor, and Jon unlocked their door. He still had issues with his parents’ lifestyle with Eric, but since it was what he wanted with Matt and Reenie, he certainly couldn’t judge.

  “I’m surprised no one has figured out that Eric wears a disguise to protect his identity. I would think one of his crazy fans would follow him to his room and figure out he goes in as Jackson James and comes out as Eric Stenson. Especially if Mom goes into the room with Jackson and leaves with Eric.”

  Matt dropped his backpack on his bed and locked the cash box in the safe. “I think that’s why they get connecting rooms. That way he can go into his room, remove his disguise, and leave from Mom’s room with her. Anyone watching would think he was staying in his room for the night.”

  Once back on the elevator, Jon pressed the button for the lobby. “Seems like a lot to go through.”

  “I guess you do what is necessary to keep zany fans away from your personal life.”

  Jon recalled the story of a woman who’d accused Eric of getting her pregnant—a woman he’d never even slept with. Turned out, she and her boyfriend had tried the con on several famous people to scam money from them.

  The noise coming from the lobby when the doors opened nearly made Jon step back in and hide in their room. The bar wasn’t any less noisy, but since they didn’t get to visit with their parents often, seeing them made it worth it. Josie caught sight of them and waved. After kisses and handshakes, he and Matt sat across from them.

  Would he and Matt ever be in a position to have Reenie between them? Would they ever see her again was the most likely question. How did someone he’d only seen a few times ingrain herself into his being so quickly? And since it looked as if she wasn’t interested, how did one go about getting un-ingrained?

  ****

  Late the next afternoon, Jon bought supper for Matt and him, and dodged people dressed as various characters for some type of contest. The aroma of barbecued chicken sandwiches made his mouth water. Matt would be fortunate if Jon make it back to their booth without stopping and scarfing down both meals. This wouldn’t compare to their meal last night with their folks and Eric, but he was learning that eating on the run was part of the job.

  The three of them had looked healthy and content. And while there were times their lifestyle bothered him, he couldn’t deny their happiness.

  There was no getting around discussing who Reenie was while explaining Matt’s fading bruises. Before meeting them for dinner, he and Matt had agreed not to bring up their relationship, or lack thereof, with Reenie. But with the glances passed between the three older adults, he had a feeling they knew there was more going on than they’d said. It didn’t matter, anyway, as they’d never see her again.

  “Here, bro.” Jon put the carryout box in front of Matt, pulled bottles of water from his shorts’ side pockets, and sat in his ever-increasingly uncomfortable metal chair. Next time he did a conference, he’d make sure they brought along chair pads. He opened his mouth to take the first bite when a vision appeared across the room, a vision he’d been dreaming about ever since he’d met Reenie. Stunned, he nudged Matt.

  “Oh. My. God,” Matt said, his voice shaking.

  Jon stood at the same time as Matt, his hunger and food forgotten as another hunger surged through his body.

  “Reenie,” they said together.

  Chapter Twenty

  Reenie stood at the entrance to the Graphic Novel/Comic Book wing of the convention. According to the booklet given to her, this was where she’d find Matt and Jon. She bit her bottom lip. How had she made it this far without throwing up? Her legs shook, palms sweated, and for sure she needed another huge dose of deodorant. Her heart and stomach were doing battle to see which would explode first.

  What if they didn’t want to see her again? Damn her cell phone. Damn the jerk who’d broken it while in Greece. Trying to get it replaced while overseas had been impossible.

  Besides the broken cell phone, during the trip she was pursued by an overweight, over-bearing, older man who thought he knew what was best for her. It was too much like being stalked by Perry, having to look over her shoulder all the time to make sure the creep wasn’t around. The land excursions had been grueling. Since it had been obvious she was alone, she’d been assigned to babysit the older women who’d never been in a foreign country before. Heaven help her if she ever turned into a frightened, little old lady, fearful of every person, every shadow, every restaurant, and well, everything.

  All she had thought about was Jon and Matt. Matt and Jon. Matt and Jon with her. Before leaving for Greece, she’d researched the lifestyle on-line. She’d read some books, including romances. As her body had responded with excitement with each bit of information, she came to the conclusion that being with Jon and Matt was what she wanted. The question was whether they still wanted her.

  Had Jon and Matt tried calling her? Had they tried and given up when she didn’t answer? Would they turn their backs on her when she showed up at their booth? She swallowed around the lump in her throat. How far was it to the nearest bathroom in case they turned their backs on her and she needed a place to run and cry?

  She wiped her sweaty palms down her knee-length sundress as she surveyed the conference area. Had she overdressed? Did she look desperate? Scared? Lonely? Excited? All of the above? She certainly felt like all of them.

  After the trip, her nights were restless as she debated whether or not to approach Jon and Matt. If she had been a bolder person, she’d have called them, but growing up, her father had drummed into her that a lady never, ever called a man. One sleepless night, she’d brought up their website on her laptop. There was Matt—or was it Jon’s picture—their books, and a list of their appearances and book signings. Houston had been close enough to drive, so she didn’t have to spend her hard-earned money on an airline ticket. At this point, though, she would have spent anything to see them.

  Banners with the name “Bartholomew Sandberg” rose above the heads of people milling around—the only indication that Matt, Jon, or both were here. As if the cosmos knew what she wanted, the crowd parted, leaving an open aisle. They sat several tables down from where she stood. From this distance, she couldn’t tell them apart. One had a hamburger in his hand and was ready to take a bite when he noticed her. He nudged his brother in the side. As one, they rose.

  Music and voices around her faded. Lights dimmed, and she swore a beam of light focused on the two men. The one on the right broke eye contact with her when sauce dribbled onto his shirt. Without hearing him, she knew he swore. He grabbed a napkin, and in between glancing at her and his shirt, wiped off the red stain.

  Reenie drank in the sight of them. Their hair had grown since she’d seen them last. One set down his food and raked his fingers through his hair. Oh, to be those fingers. Her lower stomach clenched, and her pussy tingled. Hopefully, the padded cups in her dress hid her hardening nipples.

  When neither did anything more than stare, her heart sank. She’d been too bold. They didn’t want her. She was about to turn away when Matt, as she could tell by the fading bruise, grinned. Jon followed suit. Two identical smiles that lightened her heart and made it soar. Heat flamed to her face. If those weren’t welcoming smiles, she didn’t know what was.

  As she approached their table, two young women rushed in front of her, halting her progress. Matt and Jon’s smiles dropped and they slipped back into work mode as they drew their attention from her to the women. Reenie was impressed by their professionalism.

  “Ooh,” one of the women said, pressing her palms on the table, leaning partway across it. “We heard there were identical twins writing spicy stories. We just had to come over and see for ourselves if you’re as handsome as we’ve heard.”

  The other girl picked up one of their books and fanned her face with it. “I also heard your stories are h
ot, hot, hot.”

  Even though their backs were to her, Reenie imagined partially exposed boobs, roving eyes, and pouting lips. Jon glanced over the girls’ shoulders. He coughed into his hand when Reenie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him.

  “You guys want to meet us for drinks later?” the taller girl asked, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

  “Um, sorry, girls…” Jon said, keeping his eyes on Reenie. “We’re going to be occupied tonight.”

  Delicious shivers ran through Reenie at the seductive tone of his voice.

  “Maybe another time?” the brunette asked.

  “Sorry, probably not,” Jon said. “Would you like to purchase one of our books?”

  “Oh, we’ll buy one of each. I’m anxious to see what type of sex scenes twins can come up with.”

  Reenie bit back a laugh. That was exactly what she had been wondering ever since finding out Bart was an alias for Jon and Matt and both were interested in her. Separately, the sex had been great. Together? Nervous excitement niggled through her, and her breath caught. Would tonight be the night?

  Finally, the two women left in a fit of giggles. One pivoted back to the guys and wiggled her fingers. “Bye, boys. Hope we see you later.”

  Thank heavens. Reenie had thought they’d never leave. For a few seconds, she could only look at Matt and Jon, her body humming at their masculinity. They each rounded the end of the table and stood before her. Before she could comment on his eye, Matt drew her into a hug.

  “Hi, Reenie,” Matt whispered in her ear.

  She sighed into his neck. The world that had toppled off its axis when she found out she’d slept with brothers was now settled back in place. “Hi, Matt.”

  Matt leaned away from her. “You know which one I am?”

  “Besides your bruises, your scar gives you away.” She touched his face. “Your poor eyes. Was this from Perry?”

  Before he answered, Jon stood beside her. “Can I get a hug, too?

  Matt released her. Jon’s embrace was every bit as warm and comforting as his brother’s. She breathed deeply into his neck. Underlying the fragrance of the same cologne they wore, she detected a subtle difference in their scents, each equally intoxicating.