"Someone please fucking explain what's going on," I groan, taking a seat next to Kade.
"Vivica showed up last night at Dad's house. She was filling us in on her career and stuff," Raya finally says. "She said she was in Sterling Shore on a job. Dad's like her idol or something, and he's the reason she's changed her path from a slippery slope to a gray area."
"Nice," I say sarcastically, trying to follow her delusional line of explanation.
"She was hired for three jobs, but she's only taking two. She didn't tell him the names of the ones she was taking, but she did tell him the name of the one job she wasn't taking. You."
"Me?" I repeat.
"Yes, you."
"This is like a bad eighties song right now," Kade says, still amused.
I glare at him this time.
"What did I do to someone to make them want to hire her?" I ask Raya, returning my attention to her.
"Well, that's the thing. She didn't say. But she said it wasn't enough to involve her particular expertise. She's a little too hardcore for petty drama. But she mentioned the name of the girl who wanted to hire her, and said she was worried her client was going to come after you on her own."
"Come after me," I repeat.
"Yes, you," Raya says, and Kade chuckles.
Both of us glare this time.
Raya and I lock eyes again, and she continues. "She wanted you seduced and heartbroken publicly at the annual Sterling Gala in two months."
I snort derisively, then stand to go get my own drink.
"Seduced and heartbroken," I repeat, a smirk on my lips. "Good luck with that. Pretty sure there's a reason I'm single, and part of it is because I don't deal well with seduction or forward women."
"Fiona seduced you," Kade decides to remind me.
"Fiona was the exception, and it wasn't seduction that won me over. It was her ability to not give a damn about some things."
"Your leg?" Kade asks, curious.
I clear my throat before taking a sip of the bourbon. I decide not to answer that.
"Anyway, she's worried Harley is going to go through with it," Raya goes on, and I sputter my drink, choking on it as I cough over and over.
Both of them raise their eyebrows at me as I try to recover, wiping my mouth with a napkin.
"Harley?" I croak. "Harley Hayden?"
They both nod, and Kade leans up. "You know her? I've never heard of her."
"You're younger than us," I remind him as I go to sit back down, drink in hand. "I saw Harley last night, and it didn't seem like she wanted to seduce me. I had to chase her down."
"You just admitted to not liking forward women, which would insinuate you want women you can chase … " Kade lets the words trail off, and my wheels slowly start to turn.
She was dressed to seduce. She knows I prefer her body type, given our past, even though Fiona was much smaller framed. I've always preferred women to be a little thicker.
Fiona was simply a means to an end when I got bored with the same cycle on a loop.
Not that I'll just toss out all my insecurities to them. Or anyone for that matter.
"Fucking great," I grumble. "I'm supposed to be having dinner with her."
"Obviously you'll cancel that now, right?" Raya asks.
The mature, responsible reaction would to be to cut all communication with Harley. But I'm pretty sick of always being the mature one. Always letting people railroad me while I walk away like the better person.
Always making the right decision.
Always thinking things through so thoroughly.
Always, always being the good guy everyone seems to look over.
Standing, I grab my phone and my keys. "Lock up behind you," I call over my shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Raya asks as I head out of the den, moving briskly toward the front door.
"To find the most immature people I know."
Chapter 10
DALE
"So she wants revenge for prom night or something?" Maverick asks, leaning against his car, his arms crossed over his chest.
"And she tried to hire someone to take you down?" Corbin adds, whistling low.
"Yep," is all I get out as we stand in the middle of a parking garage near the center of town.
"I tried calling Rye and Brin, but they didn't answer," I go on.
"Really. Rye and Brin? Why?" Corbin asks, a small smile curving his lips.
"For the same reason I called you two. You're the most immature people I know."
"Gee. Thanks," Maverick says dryly, but his eyes are dancing with humor.
"Well? What do I do?" I prompt.
They exchange a look of pure shock, then dart their gazes back to me.
"You're asking for our advice?" they say at the same time.
"It would appear so."
I narrow my eyes as they both start laughing.
"I should video this moment. Dale Sterling asking for advice from us," Corbin says through laughter.
"Fuck you both. I'll just go find Rye and Brin," I say before walking back to my car.
"Hell no!" Maverick yells, running to catch up with me. "Sorry. It's just … you gotta admit, this is fucking awesome. Give us a moment to revel in this, oh wise one."
I roll my eyes as he laughs, and I pocket my hands, feeling uncomfortable.
"Are you going to help me or not?" I growl as the two dicks continue to soak up this moment with a little too much enthusiasm.
"Oh, I have the perfect plan," Maverick says, then looks to Corbin. "Want to be trendy?"
"Definitely trendy," Corbin says with a nod.
"Jade's?" Maverick asks.
Corbin's eyes widen as a huge grin spreads.
"Who's Jade?" I ask.
"It's not who; it's what is Jade's," Maverick corrects.
"What is Jade's?" I ask, but they ignore me.
"They just got in a new shipment today," Corbin says, grinning bigger. "I've been waiting on something to arrive for Ruby. A triple dare, of course."
"Of course," Maverick says, still smiling. "Then the hardware store?"
"Definitely," Corbin agrees with a quick nod.
"Would one of you care to fill me in?" I ask, already regretting this decision.
"Just follow us," Maverick says, rubbing his hands together like it's the Devil's family special.
Why do I feel like this is a terrible idea already?
****
"You're joking, right?" I say, swallowing against the instant knot in my throat as a pair of fuzzy handcuffs and a strap-on dildo hang in front of my face.
"Nope. It's all the rage. Billionaire Doms. Kink. All that stuff. But they just like the fantasy of it. Tie a girl up and slap her ass, and you're going to get slammed with a lawsuit," Maverick says, picking up some really weird leather thing.
"How does this benefit me?" I ask, tugging at my collar as Corbin pulls down a very weird looking swing thing from the top rack. "What if she tells people about this shit?"
"That's where the NDA comes in," Maverick says, pulling down another leather thing.
What are those? They look like riding crops.
"NDA?" I ask, undoing the first two buttons on my collar that seem to be strangling me.
"Yeah," Maverick says as though it's common knowledge.
"Definitely make sure she signs that first," Corbin says, grabbing some other things, putting them all in the basket they have me holding.
"Sure. I'll just pull an NDA out of my ass before dinner tonight," I tell them while rolling my eyes.
They toss what looks to be a ball-gag into the basket, and I squirm uncomfortably.
"We'll have to get the bigger stuff delivered," Maverick tells Corbin.
"I don't have any idea how to use all this stuff," I hiss, and they both turn to look at me like I've sprouted a second head.
My cousins are loading down baskets full of somewhat complicated, kinky shit, yet I'm the one who is an idiot for not knowing how to use it.
Unbelievable.
I should have gone to Rye and Brin.
"You don't actually use it," Maverick says, his smile turning mocking.
"You kinky bastard," Corbin adds, goading me with his own taunting smile.
I'm going to kill them both.
"Then why are we buying it?" I growl.
They exchange a horrified look mixed with fascination before doubling over, laughing harder and drawing too much attention our way.
"You really are a kinky little shit, aren't you?" Maverick asks through his guffaws. "You wanted to use this stuff?"
Dead. They're both dead.
"It's always the quiet ones," Corbin says, too damn amused for his own good.
"I hate you both," I snap. "What's the point of this ruse if I'm not using any of this on her?"
"You were going to tie her up and fuck her? Damn. You're not who we thought you were," Corbin chides, laughing too hard now to continue speaking
I toss the basket down and turn to leave, but Maverick darts out, blocking my path.
"Sorry," Maverick says, not sounding sorry at all as he shoves me back toward the basket. "Couldn't resist."