Bronc locked gazes with Angus. No words needed to be said. His brother was feeling that same attraction, and at times like this when she compared them to her brothers, instead of men she could accept as lovers, he felt like tossing her over his knee and spanking that sexy little ass of hers. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.
“Don’t even think about it,” Angus said and then he walked back onto the patio. Bronc seemed surprised, and then he chuckled. So his brother was on the same wavelength as him. If Ivy was their woman, she would be over their knees more often than not. That sweet little angel had a tongue of fire that made his hand itch.
Chapter 1
It was a long week, never mind an event filled day at the local medical office for Doctor Johnny Shelton. He wasn’t even in the mood to grab a few beers with his brothers, Keller, Bronc, and Angus, but there was a cool band playing at Harper’s tonight and it was packed with loads of people. He liked that when he did go to hang out, people didn’t come up and ask him questions about their health, or appointments they had seen him for, but instead like he was just one of the other members of the community. Not that he minded helping anyone, but he did enjoy his downtime.
His brothers were gathered around him at a high top table to the right of the bar when Madison Lane started making her way toward them. She was a pretty woman, about thirty or so, who worked for an entertainment firm in Benter. She would coordinate events for local restaurants and bars, and also find gigs for bands. He dated her for a short period of time more than two years ago, but his brothers hadn’t liked her at all. Madison, however, still made a point of trying to get in their beds even if it were for a ménage encounter. Of course they didn’t bite. His brothers saw through her bullshit, cheating ways before Johnny could. When he thought about it, he never really took her seriously, but she did make for some un-lonely nights in bed. At her place only. None of them ever took a woman home to their place.
“Why, isn’t it my favorite men of Cherry Hill,” she said and immediately hugged him around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. He hardly even touched her as she pressed her small boobs against his chest, and quickly he pulled back.
“How are you, Madison? Haven’t seen you around here for a while. You representing the band?” he asked as she leaned over to kiss his brothers hello, but they turned their cheeks and didn’t accept a hug from her. They really disliked her. She cleared her throat and slid her hands along the tight black dress she wore that showed off her thin figure. She was attractive in looks, but lacked big time in personality. A bit stuck up, and high on herself and the money she made, made that personality even worse.
It was so crowded in the place that she moved closer and held on to his chair as she talked to them. “We should get together some time and catch up. I’m going to be around the area for the next few weeks before I head to Dallas for the weekend. Maybe we can meet up at Lancaster’s?” she suggested. “You know I’m really busy and Sundays are my only day off to catch up on rest, errands and if I can, relax a bit,” Johnny told her.
She ran her palm up his chest and over his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “You know I can help you relax, Johnny,” she said, flirting with him. He shook his head. He had a hard time trying to be mean and telling her to take a hike. He had been doing it for more than a year now but she still came sniffing around. The crowd cheered and she bumped into him again. “God, it’s insane around here tonight. You’ll protect me, won’t you, Johnny?” she asked and stroked his cheek.
Just then Ivy walked by them to set a tray of drinks onto a table nearby. He gazed over her body in the short shorts she wore as well as the tight T-shirt that accentuated her large breasts and exposed her firm abs, that belly ring and Jesus, the little blue floral tattoo. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a red, white and blue bandanna around her neck that tied and fell between the deep cleavage of her breasts. He gulped. When she turned their way, he locked on to her baby blues, and those lips glossed, full lips that were just as mesmerizing as the rest of her. Her gaze went to Madison.
“So, dinner and dessert next week, you and I?” Madison asked.
“Not happening, Madison, but good luck with Dallas,” he said to her and Madison eased back and eyed him over.
When Ivy came back their way his brother Angus called her over. “Hey, beautiful, another round,” Angus said to Ivy.
“Sure thing, Angus. Anything else?” Ivy asked and gazed up at Madison, who was definitely giving Ivy daggers. Ivy was the complete package and Madison was not and Madison knew that. She usually got her claws out around Ivy. It was like she was jealous that Ivy was close to them, and they paid attention to her.
“No. Madison is moving on now,” Keller stated firmly.
Madison rolled her eyes and then looked at Johnny. She caressed his chest with her hand. “Call me. You know I’m available whenever you’re ready to spend some time together. Again,” she said, loud enough for Ivy to hear. It pissed Johnny off, especially as Ivy’s eyes widened before they narrowed and then she walked away. Madison did, too.
“I can’t stand that bitch. Why do you let her touch you?” Angus asked him.
“I don’t want to be a dick. I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
“That shit will backfire on you with a trash slut like her, bro. Give her the boot and tell her to leave you alone for good,” Bronc said to him.
“Did you guys check out Ivy tonight? What’s with the short shorts?” Angus asked.
“Spring is in the air. We’ll be seeing more and more leg as the weeks pass,” Keller said and they chuckled.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her legs,” Angus said and his brothers got quiet.
“Angus, she’s like a sister,” Johnny said.
“Yeah, right, and you all look at her sexy body like she’s your sister? Bullshit. You find her attractive, and she isn’t going to stay single long,” Angus said.
The crowd cheered and some guys nearly collided into their table.
“Yo!” Bronc called out and the guys turned and apologized.
“It’s a freaking madhouse in here,” Angus said.
Ivy returned with their drink order and as she placed down the bottles of Bud Light Johnny absorbed the scent of her shampoo and the sight of her sexy body. The deep cleavage of her breasts was barely covered by the bandanna, and she was showing off a lot of skin, too. She wore hardly any makeup though and she didn’t need to. She smiled and locked gazes with him, then moved to place his brother’s beers down. She was in front of Keller, who basically just barked at Angus for looking at Ivy, when the crowd got a little rowdy again and a small group of people dancing knocked into Ivy, who pushed up against Keller’s chest. They all moved, concerned the table could get knocked over, but then his eyes went to Keller, who had his hand on Ivy’s ass and back with Angus and Bronc immediately surrounding her because they were right there making a protective shield around her. As the crowd dispersed he was shocked to see Keller staring down into Ivy’s eyes. The sight of their locked gazes, his brother’s huge hand covering her sexy round ass in the short shorts, and her breasts pushed up against his chest shocked him. Keller slowly eased back. “You okay, sweetie?” Keller asked, his voice firm.
She smoothed her hand along her hip and shorts and then looked away from Keller, grabbed her tray, glanced at Johnny, Bronc, and Angus and took off through the crowd. Keller stood there. Angus whistled.
“You were saying earlier about our sister,” he said very seriously.
Keller licked his lips and eased back onto the stool. “Jesus,” he said and took a long slug of his beer.
Bronc chuckled. “How did she feel in your arms?” Bronc asked him, but Keller gave a very angry, serious look before he exhaled and then looked around the bar. From there on out they were quiet and all four of them, Johnny included, kept their eyes on Ivy.
“Are you okay? You seem flushed and pretty flustered,” Cherise asked Ivy.
“No, I’m good, it’s just so damn crowded in here. I keep getting bumped.”
“These are for the Shelton men,” Ade said and placed the four bottles of Bud Light onto her tray.
“Cherise, can you do me a favor and deliver these?”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it, please.”
“Not until you tell me why? Wait, are they giving you shit like your brothers were the other day?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Something happened.”
“What happened?” Cherise asked.
“Forget it. Nothing,” Ivy said and headed back over to the Shelton men’s tables but not before she dropped off two mixed drinks to the table of men and women nearby them. She didn’t know what the hell happened earlier, but Keller, who was the fiercest of the brothers, squeezed her ass, and looked like he wanted her when he held her before. She had feelings she had put aside years ago, knowing them since she was a kid. They were always like additional brothers to her, and even when she was in her teens and felt an attraction she figured it was because they were so much older, and she trusted them. She never let on to anything, and of course they were active duty like her brothers were. So what changed anyway? Maybe the sparring they did in the MMA room? They did roll around a bit and do moves on her for her to get out of. She felt an attraction during the sparring matches but figured any woman would. The four men were hot and then some. Jesus. She placed the two drinks down and those two guys from Benter, Jake and Crespy, stopped her on her way over to drop the beers to the Shelton men.
“Hey, Ivy, you look amazing. How are you?” Jake asked.
“I’m doing well, how are you guys doing?” she asked.
“Better now that we got a chance to see you. It’s so damn crowded in here,” Crespy said to her. She was bumped again and this time Jake placed his arm around her waist and had his hand on her lower back. It felt nothing like when Keller held her. What the hell was she thinking? They weren’t interested and they were like brothers. These guys weren’t.
She smiled. “Well, I need to keep moving.”
“Can you be our waitress over here? Our friends are grabbing a table,” Jake asked and pointed to a table nearby.
“Sure thing. I’ll be over in a minute, okay?” she said and smiled.
They both looked her over, smiling. “Thanks.”
She brought the bottles of Bud Light to the Shelton brothers, who were all staring at her and also at Jake and Crespy. It was definitely like having her brothers here. She sighed. A disappointed feeling filled her and she didn’t even know why. “Here ya go.” She placed them down.
“You know those guys?” Angus asked.
“Sure, they come in often.”
“His hand was pretty close to your ass,” Keller snapped at her.
She widened her eyes and wanted to tell him that his hand was on her ass and he squeezed it but she didn’t dare. These men were a force singly and together, and she knew enough to choose her battles wisely. She shook her head and blew it off.
“Need anything else?” she asked.
“Soon,” Angus said and she didn’t know what he meant as she turned and walked away and felt their eyes on her. When she headed to Jake and Crespy’s table, Jake squinted over her shoulder and toward the Shelton men’s table but she didn’t look. Their friends were there, smiling and licking their lips at her. Total players, the bunch of them.
“So when are you going to come by one of the bars in Benter and listen to a band with us?” Jake asked.
“I’m going next week with some friends.”
“To see Rambli’n 7?” Crespy asked.
“That’s the one.”
“Then you’ll let us buy you a drink, honey, and have some fun together?” Crespy added.
“I’m going with friends. So what can I get ya?” she asked and they smiled smugly, and she didn’t like the way their other two friends looked at her body. It was sort of creepy. She took their orders and walked away, noticing the Shelton brothers watching the men, and as she turned Jake and his friends were staring at her body. She had such an odd sensation. She should be used to men being flirty, but this? This felt different. She shook her head and focused on work. Why she was worried about the Shelton men getting angry with her or commenting about the guys flirting with her she didn’t know, but she felt guilty, and that just downright pissed her off. It had to be a game they were playing. Surely the Shelton men weren’t jealous of other men hitting on her? Why would they be, when they were practically family? “No. No, it can’t be,” she said and shoved the thoughts from her mind and focused on making money.
Chapter 2
“Madison, stop laying on the bullshit, will ya. I need someone new. Something that gets the crowds going in between the main bands playing. That chick we had last night was terrible, and she seemed drunk,” Jacoby Black told Madison Lane. They were in his office at his bar and dance hall called Black Jack. He inhaled on his cigar and then let the smoke release into the air.
“Now, Jacoby, you know I’m always working on finding someone new to spice things up around here. Lisa wasn’t that bad.”
“She was pretty bad. Hardly anyone clapped for her.”
“Well, it’s hard to find anyone good these days who isn’t looking to go right to Hollywood,” Mike Black, his brother, added.
“Come on, Mike, a lot of other places have regulars who could easily be making record deals but they choose to stick around and have other professions and do their singing on the side. We don’t need to make someone famous then lose them to some music producers. I want local, and I think we need to figure out a way to draw some talent in. What about that idea you had of an open mic?” he asked his brother, but before he could answer, Madison interrupted.
“You don’t want to do that. It would be a waste of a night, money lost as people wouldn’t want to be around that.”
“Madison, for someone in this business you sure aren’t open-minded. You need to think out of the box. We’re friends. Have been for years, but you’ve gotten caught up in the best of the best instead of the idea of nurturing nothing into something. You know what? Mike, that idea you had about bringing the mic around and letting some random people sing is a good idea. It can be fun, too. As people suck, everyone laughs, but if they’re good, we could uncover some potential prospects.”
“Oh, give me a break. That isn’t how you find talent.”
“Madison, I’ve about had enough of your negativity. Thursday night, Rambli’n 7 is going to be here performing. We’ll give this idea a try and see what happens.”
Madison crossed her arms in front of her chest and shook her head. “You are out of your mind, but I’ll be here, so you don’t wind up picking some woman based on her breast size instead of her vocal talent.”
“Ha, like we’d do that. We’re in this to make money and pack them in, not get laid. We can get laid whenever we want to,” Mike said and eyed her over.
“Uh, really? That was so years ago,” she said to Mike.
“Months, darling, and tequila makes you one wild thing in bed,” Mike replied and gave her a stern expression.
Jack chuckled. “It’s a wonder we’ve been friends all these years. Not many would put up with your bullshit, Madison,” Jack said.
She exhaled in annoyance. “I’ll have some of my people come in and see if they can spot some potential. We’ll give it a try, and in the interim, I’ll see what I can come up with from some surrounding places and any performers around.”
“We don’t want other places’ stars. We want our own. Right here, discovered in Benter, Texas, at Black Jack, where it will be the only place to see and hear that star,” Jacoby said firmly as he leaned back with the cigar in his mouth and a smirk on his face. If he hadn’t known Madison for so long, he would have given her the boot years ago. But she did find them good bands to play on a regular basis. He just wanted something more. Something that made Black Jack even more sp
ecial.
What Love Sounds Like Page 2