Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

V alerio

"Marriage?" Braxton managed to choke out.

"That sounds like something Pops would require," Gage said as he sipped his beer.

Meanwhile, I was half fuming from our father's demands and half hungering for the girl who'd sparked more than my libido.

Her sudden change in attitude was understandable but that didn't mean I wasn't a bit miffed that she'd fled up the stairs to her apartment.

"Yeah, he was adamant I do so or all three of us lose our inheritance and he'll sell the company."

Braxton choked on the beer he was drinking, spewing liquid all over the table. "What?"

"Yep." I took a long pull on my brewksi as I studied the crowded restaurant. It was one we used occasionally for business meetings with our clients who hated the more formal setting of our office. I couldn't keep Cupcake off my mind and it was killing me. Enough so I pulled out my phone. She'd read the text I'd sent her but had yet to respond. What the fuck?

Both my brothers noticed but they were still grousing about our father's demands.

"So, what are you going to do?" Gage finally managed to ask.

"I can't invent a wife, bubba."

"Sure you can. One eight hundred arranged marriage. Find a hot girl, make her a deal, and voila. Have a wedding at the state capital."

I studied Braxton and laughed. "No can do. Pops wants a huge wedding complete with all the trimmings."

Gage laughed. "He wants the notoriety. My guess is he'd hire every decent reporter in town to cover the lavish event."

"You bet," I answered.

"Why? That's what I want to know," Braxton huffed.

I shook my head, hearing a burst of female laughter louder than the other conversations and it was a loud place given the glass and high ceilings. "If I had to guess, I'd say he was worried about Task Force United. Even worse, he had the nerve to suggest I marry Caldwell Michaels' daughter."

Gage choked. "Wow. Now, that is really going out there. Arranged marriages are so yesterday."

"They're barbaric. Has Dad been acting strange lately?" I asked.

"More so than usual?" Braxton asked, laughing. So did Gage. Once they'd accepted only the firstborn son meant anything to my father, they were no longer hurt by his lack of attention.

They were lucky enough to live their lives away from his scrutiny, spending very little time other than family holidays with the man.

"There's something else going on." I was becoming more and more certain of it without any proof.

Braxton finally stopped laughing, narrowing his eyes. "What are you getting at?"

Wanting Cupcake was like having a dirty little secret and one I planned to thoroughly enjoy.

"Has Mom mentioned any recent threats?" They both did spend time with our mother at her insistence.

Gage exhaled. "No but I'm not sure Pops would confide in her. You know how she was when he had the heart attack."

"True that," Braxton tossed in. "You look worried. Do you want me to try and sniff around? Maybe dear ole Daddy won't pay attention."

"Why don't you do that? I don't like this feeling." I also chastised myself for not keeping abreast of everything going on within the company. At the end of the day, I still had a significant responsibility in my role as first VP. Maybe Pops' push to get married was his attempt to ask for help. The article was disgusting but honestly, I couldn't believe he'd base his demand solely on that.

If someone was going after our regime, they would have hell to pay. I took another long pull of my beer and studied the girl's picture with my cock aching and my balls tightening.

"Who is Caldwell Michaels?" Gage asked. He wouldn't know much about our enemies since he'd spent the least amount of time paying any attention to our father's corporation.

"Our father's biggest enemy, and one whose power has only grown in recent years."

Braxton slammed his back against his hardback chair. "I didn't know he had a daughter."

"Yeah, neither did I. I learned his firm is making significant headway in the world of media production, gaining two of Dad's clients over the last couple of months." What I'd found out had helped me understand why Pops was nervous, but enough to force me into marriage? Something was off that I had yet to be able to place my finger on.

"Ouch," Gage hissed. "An arranged marriage could stop that shit in its tracks."

"Very true and stop the rumors about my skanky ways. I'd also say the appearance of me taking over, a young man with a dazzling wife is supposed to garner more loyalty. It still is an old boy's territory where looks mean everything."

Snarling, Braxton finally wiped spittle from his mouth. "So, he wants you at the firm as well?"

"Minimum of one day a week."

"Do you need to stay married to this woman?" Gage was genuinely curious.

I took another sip of my beer, ready to order another one before I answered, "A year. Minimum. Then the firm is turned over and he retires."

The sound of my phone buzzing almost made me excited. When I looked down, I must have had a clear look of disappointment on my face by the way Braxton punched me in the arm.

"What are you looking at?"

Gage swirled his beer bottle just as the waiter passed by. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say he's hoping for a text from the girl he seemed mighty interested in on Saturday."

I wanted to wring his neck. "Aren't you supposed to be in St. Martin?"

"Slight delay. A client called just after you waltzed out needing my help. At least he invested another million dollars. Worth the stay."

Sighing, I knew Braxton wasn't going to let it go.

"Who is this girl?" he asked as expected.

"I think she texted the wrong number, but I admit it, all to my benefit." I couldn't help but grin. I'd had a restless night, fighting the urge to text or call her.

And I didn't even know the girl's name.

However, I did know she was hot as Hades with killer legs, and the perfect size breasts to fit in my hand.

Talk about the taste of her mouth? Whew.

But there no comparison to the sweetness of her wet pussy. I hadn't wanted to take a shower since her perfume had lingered for hours.

"Meaning?" Gage pushed as he always liked to do.

"Meaning I met her yesterday and she is one hot chick."

We all laughed and the waiter appeared.

"Another round," Braxton told him. "And my brother is buying. He's the lucky man at the table."

I couldn't help myself, giving him the finger. "It was a pleasant experience."

"What does she do?" Gage was leaning in.

"She's a baker, although she doesn't have a place of her own yet. Her dream." I finished off the beer, eager to start on the next one. What the hell was I going to do about Pops' demand?

"A baker. How… sweet," Braxton teased, slapping his hand on the table.

"Yeah, yeah. But true."

"Her name?" Braxton pushed.

I had to laugh. "I have no clue. We decided to keep it anonymous for the hotness factor and let me tell you, it worked."

Gage was thoughtful for a moment. "So how would you go about getting a wife? I mean other than the daughter."

"I guess I'll have to find a girl who has special circumstances and is credible in every way. I can offer money. Whatever she wants. But she'll need to play her part of being lovey-dovey."

"Then how about this girl you're interested in? She sounds perfect."

"How so?" A couple of tables in front of us got up and left, giving a clear shot to the other side of the restaurant.

"Think about it. You two already hit it off. She wants a bakery and that is something I'm sure you can supply. It'll be a win-win."

I slowly turned my head toward Gage.

"He has a point, bro," Braxton threw in.

"Except she'll never go for it. She's far too independent."

"Even better," Gage quipped. "No real strings."

I mulled over his thought as I stared across the room. Suddenly, not only were my hackles raised but so was my cock. "Fuck me."

"What?" Braxton was still laughing.

"It's her."

"Her?" Gage turned his attention to where my pointed gaze was locked.

"That's Cupcake."

"Okay, from what I can tell, she is hot. If you don't make a move, I will," he retorted.

I smacked his arm. "Try and die. She just won't go for some scheme. She's a good girl."

"A good girl. So, let me get this straight," Braxton chortled as he drummed his fingers on the table. "You're going to kowtow to our father's needs and try and find a wife, even if it's not the one he's insisting on. You have at least some sultry history with a woman, the first time in years I might add, yet she's too good to play along for say, a couple million bucks."

There were times I wanted to wipe the smug look off my brother's face. "I assure you I do not want anything to do with a marriage of convenience or anything else, but do the two of you want to see your portion of the legacy going down the tubes, watching someone outside of the family controlling what should have been our money?"

Gage and Braxton looked at each other but said nothing.

"Exactly," I said, grabbing the new cold one as soon as the waiter placed it on the table. "The one thing I keep going back to is that this marriage must be a business transaction. Period. There can't be any emotions involved or it's not going to work."

"Not even sexual relations?" Gage teased.

I hissed in response. But I couldn't seem to take my eyes off her. At least she was with two girlfriends, or I might go over like some big Neanderthal and claim her. Yeah, that would go over well.

"I agree with you about a business transaction but if you are man enough to control yourself around that sinfully gorgeous woman, then it will make things easier."

Braxton was pointing at her.

Maybe he wouldn't notice when I broke his finger.

"How so?" I really wanted to hear this.

"You need to sell this to the shareholders, the board, and to the press that will be hounding you for some time. If there is a real spark, then the entire situation will be easier to sell. You just need to ensure you stay in separate locations in your house."

Even though he was tormenting me on purpose, he did have a point. "I just don't know."

"Think of it this way," Gage threw in. "Maybe she isn't a good girl after all. Maybe she's a kinky freak. And there's only one way of finding out."

I gave him the death ray with my eyes. "I am not taking her to one of our kink clubs." Mmm… But I would love to.

"She couldn't get away. You two could have quality and very private time together making the deal." As Gage lifted both his dark eyebrows, I grimaced.

He had a good idea as well.

"I just don't want to do that to her. Call it having some decency left inside of me, but I can tell she wants the fairytale."

"The fairytale?" Braxton repeated.

"Yeah, you know what I mean. The knight on some big steed who rides in to save the day and the damsel in distress, professing his undying love and whisking her away to a happy ever after life."

They stared at each other again, Braxton being the one to poke his finger into my rib. "You've been reading too many romance novels. And here we thought you were a confirmed bachelor."

"Very funny but I just can't do it."

"Okay. Then let's list a few alternatives." Gage rubbed his jaw as he pulled out his phone. "Janie Parker."

"Have you heard her eat? She smacks her lips," I answered.

"Tanya Wallace."

"She won't do it. She's also a believer in love and the last time we were in the same room, she threw a drink in my face."

Braxton chuckled even more darkly than before. "A match made in heaven."

"Let's see. Oh, I have a good one. Emily Shepard. She's beautiful, comes from a very good family, and is trying to start her own clothing design firm so that means she knows how to dress. And I assure you, most pieces are sexy as fuck. Hubba. Hubba."

"The problem with Emily is that she's dumber than a box of nails."

"Yeah, but good in bed."

"Oh, my God." I pinched my forehead as I watched him scrolling through his phone. "You have a little black book?"

"Oh, come on," he snarked. "That is so retro."

"I give up."

"Then go talk to her. Ask cupcake girl to fly with you to one of the islands. Don't tell her about the deal yet. See how the two of you are together and just talk like friends. Then spring the deal on her before you return if you're ready."

Exhaling, I sat back in my seat all over again, swirling the bottle back and forth on the table. "I guess I could."

"That's the spirit," Gage said, slapping his hand on the table.

"Quiet. He needs the element of surprise. Go get ‘em, tiger," Braxton suggested. "We have utter faith in you."

Faith.

The entire scheme had disaster written all over it but there was one truth to it all. I would get to spend more time with the luscious woman if she agreed.

"What the hell." I pushed my beer away, getting up from the table. As I started to walk away, they were chanting under their breaths behind me. I resisted being a bigger asshole. I could not believe I was even considering this. I was not my father's lackey, but part of the reason I might consider going along with the scheme was because I wanted to find out what was really going on.

As I headed through the crowd of people, I became even more mesmerized by her beauty. Today, she was in another pair of jeans but this time, a red top that perfectly accented her voluptuous figure. Her hair was down, curled so it framed her stunning porcelain face, illuminated by her perfect makeup. I adored her voluptuous curves, the fact she was all woman.

Damn, my cock was aching.

When I was within two feet of their table, all three women finally glanced up from their drinks. I could see the shock in Cupcake's eyes but also a tiny flash of lust.

"Hiya, ladies. I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to ask Cupcake a question." My deep voice seemed to mesmerize the two other women, although one was giving me a hard glare.

"Lone Ranger. What is it?" Cupcake tried to act cool but as soon as she fought with a tiny piece of hair, taking three attempts to shove it behind her ear, I knew she was flustered.

"I'd like you to consider going away with me. My brothers and I own two islands, both with posh resorts on them. We could go away for say four days of sun, fun, and getting to know each other. What do you think?"

She opened her mouth then looked away. I had feeling one of the women was smacking her on the leg under the table. "I say I need to think about it. Can I text you later?"

The moment she finally locked eyes with mine, the connection was electric, a violent thunderstorm with neon flashes of lightning.

"You can do that. You know exactly how to get ahold of me. I look forward to it. Ladies. Enjoy your lunch."

With that, I walked off and a tiny part of my brain couldn't help but think maybe, just maybe my brothers had a good idea for once.