by Ali Parker
My father’s glare was burned onto the inside of my eyelids. I couldn’t escape it. When I had gone to bed last night, I hadn’t been able to sleep. I tossed and turned and mulled everything over, wondering if I’d made the wrong choice by telling them. Maybe it would have been wiser to save it for the very end, when I already had the money in my pocket, and all was said and done and the restaurant and family home were secured and safe.
And ours.
Not the bank’s.
The saying, “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission” rolled through my mind over and over, and it was still there, like a song you couldn’t stop singing for hours on end.
Desperate for a distraction, I fished my phone out of my purse and called Janie.
“Miss me already?” she teased.
“Yes.”
“Don’t be like that. You’ll be fine. You’re a seasoned pro at this now.”
I sighed. “I don’t feel like a pro. I feel like a fraud.” A big fat stupid in-over-my-head fraud.
“You’re not a fraud, Piper. These men chose you. They voted. You got in fair and square.”
I appreciated her trying to make me feel better. If either of us were a pro at anything by this point, it was her. Janie had become my five-star Google review rated therapist over this past year. Without her, I wouldn’t have lasted this long. Without her, I wouldn’t have had the shot at this money to save my family in the first place.
Without her, I wouldn’t have fallen in love.
I sighed. “Sure, they voted me in, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here to take their time and then walk away with the money. This feels so wrong, Janie. I wasn’t thinking about the men in the beginning. But now, they’re all I can think about.”
“Even the shitty ones like Cooper?”
“Cooper wasn’t shitty.”
“Sure, he was.”
I smiled as I recalled my time with Cooper last month. “No, he really wasn’t. He changed.”
“Uh huh. Sure, he did. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you keep your eye on the prize. You don’t owe these dudes anything, okay?”
I pressed my lips together and gazed out the tinted windows of the limo as palm trees flew past outside. “Don’t I, though?”
“Piper, don’t do this to yourself. You’re so close to the end. So. Close.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
The closer I got to the end, the closer I got to turning down each and every man I’d grown close to over the past few months. And I knew for a fact that several of them knew in their bones that I was a woman in love. Admittedly, I was in love with more than one man, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was I was terrified the men would find out I’d been playing them all along.
I didn’t know what would hurt more. My parents finding out about my deceit or the bachelors.
I swallowed. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Janie was quiet for a moment. I waited. She took a breath. “Piper, I think we passed that point a long time ago.”
The back of the limo suddenly felt very small.
“Piper? You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, my throat aching. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Can I say something?”
“Please.”
“This doesn’t have to still end with you taking the money, you know? You can change things. You can choose how you want this to go.”
I shook my head, knowing she couldn’t see me. “No, I can’t do that. My parents—”
“Your parents have no sense of gratitude for the fact that you’re doing all of this for them.”
“And for me and Phillip.”
“Yes, but mostly for them. They have the most to lose. You and Phillip are still young. You can start over. You can rebuild. And you have people you can lean on if need be. Your folks are wonderful people, Piper. But if they can’t come around to this? Well, then, if I were you, I would take control, and I would choose the outcome that made me happy.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I asked. The limo took a righthand turn, and I gazed out the window at the bright blue ocean along the righthand side. We were making our way down the coast, following signs to Malibu.
“Pretend you don’t know what you want.”
“But I—”
“You don’t need to make excuses. And you don’t need to tell me. But deep down, you know what choice you want to make. And if you were to ask me what you should do, I would tell you to follow your gut. Not your obligations.”
It was easy for her to say. She didn’t have family counting on her. She wasn’t drowning in debt. And her heart wasn’t being pulled in several directions at once by different men who checked off all the boxes on every girls’ dream list.
“Now,” Janie said. “How are you feeling about seeing Levi?”
“Nauseated.”
“That’s fair. I think I’d be shitting myself.”
“That’s helpful, Janie. Thank you.”
Her soft laughter filled the line. “You’ll be fine. You handled Cooper like a pro. You can do anything at this stage. Right?”
“Right,” I said, wishing I believed it as fully as she did.
“You’ve got this. Just call me if you need anything. I’m always here. No matter the time. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Good. How close are you?”
The limo took another turn. On the right were houses lining the cliff’s edge. Down below, the ocean rolled and crashed against the rocks. The view from those homes must have been spectacular.
The limo pulled into the driveway of one of the houses.
“I think I’m here,” I said.
Janie wrapped up our pep talk. “Get out there and have fun. That’s the best you can do. And remember, worst-case scenario, you call Jackson Lee and he pulls you the hell out of there.”
“I will. Thank you, Janie. You’ve been an immense help as always.”
“I’ve got you. Now go relieve some stress by fucking the hell out of that insanely hot rock star bad boy.”
“Janie!”
“Bye!”
She hung up on me, leaving me smiling at the screen of my phone, shaking my head. I dropped it in my purse when the driver opened my door, and then I stood in the driveway while he unloaded my suitcases from the trunk.
I turned to gaze up at the house.
Correction. Mansion.
It was two stories high. On my right was a connected structure that was one story. It was five separate garage doors housing beautiful cars, no doubt. The main part of the house was at the end of the driveway, which had a fountain right smack in the middle of it. Water poured out of the hands of a goddess, frozen in stone, as she reached up to the sky. The stream of water rushed from the tips of her fingers down to the pool at her feet, and some of it ran in snaking rivulets down her wrists and forearms. It was a beautiful work of art, and I suspected it might have cost more than the annual lease of Piper’s Paradise back in New York.
The house itself was of Spanish inspiration. It was terracotta, with a dark roof and grand arches along the patio out front. The front door was a massive beast set with gold-ring knockers. Most of the lights were on, and the sun was setting behind the house, painting the sky orange and purple.
The driver of the limo started forward with my luggage. I took up the smallest piece and hurried after him, my sandals slapping on the cobblestone drive.
The place was old, I realized. Quite old. It had been updated but hadn’t lost its character. I had to admit, this was the most beautiful home I’d seen thus far.
The front door opened. A young man stepped out. He approached with quick, long strides, and it took me a moment to register he was not Levi. He was younger. And preppier. He wore a plain blue T-shirt and khaki-colored chinos.
“Hey there,” he said, hurrying over to me and holding
out his hand.
I shook it. “Hi.”
“I’m Jake, Levi’s brother. And you must be…” He trailed off, and his tone grew higher at the end of his sentence, like he was asking a question.
He’d forgotten my name. Or had never been told it at all.
I smiled. “Piper James.”
“Piper, nice to meet you. Sorry it’s me and not Levi coming out to greet you. He’s just on a business call right now but should only be a couple more minutes. Let me see you inside. How was your flight?” He took the bags from the driver, tipped him in cash, and sent him on his way.
I followed Jake inside.
He moved like Levi did. At least, how I recalled he did. Like a cat on the prowl. His shoulders were square but not too broad, and his waist was narrow. His skin was tanned from life in LA and his hair was dark. He was good looking in a charming, frat boy sort of way.
“It was good,” I said. I was about to tell him about the crazy couple on my flight who’d each pounded back three tequilas before we took off, but the words died on my lips when we stepped into the house. Black marble floors stretched out beneath my feet, leading to a grand staircase that spiraled up to the second story. A chandelier the size of a small car hung from the ceiling two stories above, sending fractures of broken light dancing across the marble. “Holy crap.”
Jake turned and flashed a smile over his shoulder. “Levi has expensive taste. You’d better brace yourself, Piper James. Levi might give you a run for your money.”
“It’s been a wild year. I think I can handle anything at this point.”
That was true. I had just survived a month with a party animal Rockefeller, after all.
“If you say so. Follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”
CHAPTER 5
LEVI
“I hope you look more excited than you sound when you get on stage, Levi,” my agent said. Ashton had been working with me for the last six years after stepping up to replace the first agent I ever had—and the first person I’d ever fired.
“You know I can turn it on when I have to,” I said. We’d been on the phone for the last half-hour, going over details of my scheduled concerts over the next few months. He’d asked if I remembered the dates. I lied and told him yes, of course I did, and proceeded to ask what kind of rock star I’d be if I forgot my own fucking tour dates.
He told me I’d be just like all the others.
“You’re taking care of yourself, yes?” Ashton pressed.
Why was everyone so obsessed with my self-care lately? Jake wouldn’t get off my back about it, and now Ashton was checking in on me. I wondered if the two of them conspired to hit me from both sides. “I am. No need to worry about me, Ash. I’m a big boy.”
Ashton chuckled. “I don’t give a shit what your hobbies are, Levi. You know that. But I like my job. A lot. And I don’t want you to fuck up the best thing that ever happened to me by drinking yourself into an early grave.”
“I’ll write you into my will. How much do you want of the record sales that would happen after my untimely death?”
“Don’t say shit like that.”
“I’m serious. How much do you want? It’s important to protect your future income. I get it.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“Ten percent, it is.”
“Ten percent?” he asked incredulously.
“What? Not enough? You want fifteen?”
“Jesus, Levi,” Ashton breathed. “Look. I appreciate the generosity. And I know we’re friends. But don’t you even think of giving me that much of a cut. I don’t deserve it. That would be insane amounts of money.”
“Uh. Yeah.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
I grinned. “That’s the best part. You can do whatever the fuck you want.”
“Like you?”
“Damn straight. But you’ve got a better head on your shoulders. You wouldn’t blow it on shit you put up your nose or booze, would you, Ash?”
“No, I’ve got a family to look out for.”
“Exactly.” Family. What a nice thing that must be. Something to keep him grounded and on his own two feet, fighting the good fight, making the right decisions. “Look, I gotta go, Ash. We’ll talk soon.”
I ended the call and walked out of my at-home recording studio. As soon as I emerged in the foyer and started making my way from my studio, I heard the voices of my brother and Piper. They were in the kitchen.
Curious, I wandered toward their conversation and laughter.
I found them sitting across from each other at the massive kitchen island. Piper had her back to me, while Jake faced me. He was a bit red in the face, a common thing to happen to him when he was around a pretty girl, and they were sipping glasses of water.
“Levi,” Jake said when he saw me coming.
Piper turned on her stool to face me and slid off of it when I crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
She was even hotter than I remembered.
Sexier than sin, actually.
What I recalled of Piper James from December was a striking red lip, skin-tight black leather pants, and a smile that promised several things I wanted in a woman: mystery, wit, confidence, and kindness.
I gave Piper a cocky smile of my own. “It’s good to see you again. Sorry for the delay. I got caught up talking business.”
“That’s all right,” Piper said, appearing perfectly at ease as she smoothed the skirt of her pretty red sundress. It had thin straps that criss-crossed over her back and was form-fitting up top before it fell loosely to just above her knees. “It gave me a chance to meet your brother.”
My gaze flicked to Jake. “I hope he didn’t bore you to death.”
Piper shook her head, and her effortless smile remained perfectly intact. “Not at all. He gave me a brief tour and showed me to my room and helped me with my bags.” She clasped her hands in front of herself and twisted to look at my brother. “A perfect gentleman.”
I frowned at Jake, who was grinning stupidly at the beautiful girl in the red dress.
“It’s a shame he has to leave,” I said.
Jake hesitated a beat. “What?”
“Remember? You have that dinner reservation tonight. Come on, man. You’re the one always on me to get my act together. You saw the pretty girl. Time to go.”
“Now hold on just a second,” Jake said, holding up a finger as he began to protest. I moved toward him and pressed my hands against his shoulder blades so I could steer him around the kitchen island and across the marble to my front door. “I was going to have a drink.”
“You can have a drink when you get where you’re going.”
“Levi, you bastard,” he muttered under his breath when we were out of Piper’s earshot.
I leaned in close. “She’s mine. Not yours. Now butt out, and make yourself scarce.”
Jake rolled his eyes, and I pushed him toward the door. He shot a glare over his shoulder at me as he wrenched it open. His sour look immediately evaporated when Piper came around the corner and said goodbye to him.
“It was nice to meet you, Jake. I hope we get to see each other again before the month is through.”
Jake flashed her a white, preppy smile. “We will. Have a good night. Beware my brother’s wandering hands.”
She giggled, and he ducked outside and closed the door behind him before I had a chance to tell him off.
I turned toward Piper and gave her a sheepish grin. “He’s just playing around.”
She shrugged one slender shoulder. “I figured.”
“Shall we have a drink and get to know one another?”
“That sounds lovely.”
I led Piper to my formal sitting room, where I also kept my bar and my top liquor selections. I rummaged through them and set bottles down on the bar. Piper slid onto a stool and rested her forearms on the counter as she peered at the labels. She reached for a bottle of rye and studied the label. �
��I’ve never heard of this one before.”
“It’s good. Are you a rye and ginger kind of girl?”
She glanced up at me, and I was struck by how dramatic her features were in the sharp lighting of the sitting room. Her jaw was defined but not too square, her lips full and nearly heart-shaped with her pointed cupid's bow. Her eyebrows were very arched, to the point where she almost looked surprised, but in the best way. It was like she was always full of wonder. Always amazed.
And her eyes.
Damn those eyes were the stuff that melted men’s souls.
They were such a dark shade of brown, they almost looked black. Like two obsidian orbs that reflected every light and everything in the room around us. Her long, dark lashes framed them and cast shadows on her cheeks when she looked down at the bottle in her hand.
“I’m not picky about my drinks,” Piper said. “I’ll try anything once.”
Definitely my kind of woman.
I fixed her a rye and ginger with some ice and slid the single glass toward her. She picked it up, took a sip, and reeled. “Holy hell,” she said, her voice raspy. Her eyes were squinted when she dragged the back of her hand across her lips. “Is there any ginger in this?”
I grimaced. Oops. “Sorry. Let me remake it. Sometimes, I can get a bit heavy-handed.”
She gave me an appeasing smile as I took away the first drink and began fixing a second one. This time, I made sure not to pour more than an ounce of gin over the ice. It was a strange concept. Every drink I’d made myself over the last four or so years had always been triples, if not more.
When she sipped the second drink, she nodded gratefully. “So much better. Thank you.”
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
We drank. Then Piper slid off her stool and walked languidly to the window, where she stopped with her back to me and her glass pinched in both hands. I watched as she drew a deep breath and her head moved as she soaked up the sight of the sky, wild and alive with the color of fire as the sun sank below the horizon. Then she turned her gaze down to the ocean below.
“What an incredible view,” she said softly. She looked over her shoulder at me. “I’m used to looking out my living room window and looking into the bedrooms of the apartments across the street from me. You see some pretty entertaining stuff to be sure, but this? This is… wow.”