Promiscuous (Book 2 in the Fixer Series) (14 page)

“I think we’re a little a past that stage Mandy, wouldn’t you say?”

“Brooke Elizabeth!  You girls are terrible.  You should not be talking like this.  Brooke, what do you think Dylan would say if he heard you talking like this?”

I tried to hold it in but I couldn’t, I cracked up and so did the others.  The only one that wasn’t laughing was, well…my mother.  Rebecca tried to get her to loosen up but she was set in her ways.  A lady didn’t talk about things like that and I
had wondered all those years why I was such a prude.  It all came full circle in that moment. 

***

I was exhausted when I entered the foyer of the penthouse.  I took my dress to the guest room where I had spent so many nights when I was trying to distance myself from Dylan.  Those days seemed so long ago, a mere blip in time.  I hung the dress on the hook that Dylan’s handy man had made especially for it.  Dylan had called and said that he and Tristan were going out for beers after their tux fittings and that he would be home later.

I took the time to lay in a warm bath, thinking about everything was happening so fast.  Then I wondered if anyone had bothered to tell Stephanie about Thomas and the mess surrounding our familial lineage.  She had to wonder why I had asked
Bobby to give me away and not the man that we grew up knowing as our father.  I felt that now was as good a time as any to have that conversation with her.  I quickly dried myself, throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt and dialed her number. 

“Hey Brooke,” she answered.

“Hey Steph.  What are you up to?”

“Not much. 
I’m just sitting here reading a book, waiting for Tristan to come by.”

“Oh, things are getting pretty serious between you two, eh?”

Stephanie laughed, “No Brooke, we’re just friends.  He’s a lot of fun to hang out with though.  He makes me laugh all the time.” 

“Really?  Tristan fun and funny, I’m sorry Steph, but I just don’t see it.”

“Probably because when you hang out with him it’s either because he’s protecting you or Dylan’s around.  I highly doubt he’s going to joke around with you with your fiancé hanging around.  You know how Dylan gets Brooke.  He is very protective of you.  I swear, sometimes I feel like he’s gonna kick my ass too if I look at you the wrong way,” she joked. 

“Ha ha bitch, but yeah, you’re right; he can be a little intense at times.  It’s one of the many things I love about him.  But Tristan; now that is one dude I would never fuck with.”

“Well I would, he’s actually very sweet.”

“Oh.my.god!  Stephanie you slept with him didn’t you?” I asked shocked.

“Well duh, Brooke!  Wouldn’t you?  I remember you telling me about him the first time you ran into him up at Dylan’s house in Telluride.  You were all twittered when you saw his hot body.”

“Shit!  Yeah, I guess I did say that.  I wasn’t wrong either, was I Steph?”

“Nope, you were right on little sister.  I’m glad you gave me the tip, no pun intended,” she laughed hysterically. 

“They’re both gorgeous, what can I say?  You should see some of the other guys on the security team.  Hot damn!  I don’t think those two hang out with any ugly guys.  Which is lucky for us, since we’re surrounded by nothing but eye candy,” I giggled.

“We are so bad Brooke, no wonder why mom hates it when we hang out together.”

“Yeah, no shit. 
Hey, I wanted to talk to you about dad.”

“Okay.  What about dad?”

“Are you upset that I asked Uncle Bobby to give me away?”

“No.  Why would I be?  Dad treated you like shit for years.  I’m surprised that you continued to help
him out all those years.”

“Well you know how we were raised.  Honor your father and your mother.  So I did just that until…”

“Until what Brooke?  Until my accident?”

“Yeah, a lot of shit went down when you were in the hospital.”

“I know.  Even though I wasn’t awake, I still remember bits and pieces as I was in out of consciousness.”

“Really?  What do you remember?”

“I remember hearing Bobby and dad outside of my room fighting, and dad being really mean to you.”

“He was a total asshole to me Steph.  I’m surprised both Dylan and Tristan didn’t strangle his ass.”

“Tristan told me a little about what went on.  I couldn’t believe dad acted like such a prick.”

“Has mom mentioned anything to you about what we all talked about that day?”

“No.  But Brooke, I know what you’re getting at.  Listen, I’ve known for a long time that dad isn’t really our dad and that Bobby is.”

“How did you know and why didn’t you say anything to me about it?”

“Look, I found out when you had your accident.  I overheard mom and dad having an argument because you needed a blood transfusion.  No one was a match except for me and Uncle Bobby.  I just kind of pieced it all together over the years.  The reason I didn’t tell you was because you had enough shit going on in your life with your recovery and then the crap with Stefan.  The timing was just never quite right.”

“I guess you’re right, but you still should have told me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t, I was afraid it would hurt you and that was the last thing I wanted to do.”

“So how do you feel about all of it Steph?  I mean, you and dad were always really close.”

“It may have looked like that from outside looking in Brooke, but no, we weren’t.  He tolerated me just as he tolerated you.  The only difference was I was the first born so he still had hope for having a son; that is until you came along.” 

“He’s such an asshole, I don’t care if I ever see or speak to him again.”

“I agree Brooke.  I kind of feel the same way.  Now that mom has left him, I think she too is finally finding some peace in her life.  She should have left him years ago, just as we should have.”

“I’m glad we had this chat, it’s been bugging me for a long time.  I’ll let you get back to your book and to daydreaming about Tristan,” I teased. 

“Okay, well you have fun with the
sex god
and I’ll talk to you later,” she fired back.

“Bye Steph.”

“Bye B.”

I felt better after my chat with Stephanie and it was oddly weird to me that I didn’t feel betrayed that she had known the family secret all along.  She was trying to protect me as much as I had been trying to protect her.  I loved her and was so very grateful that I had gotten a second chance to be a part of her life.  My father (Thomas) was the most evil man I knew, I was convinced of that more and more every day.  To have everyone in your family walk away from you spoke volumes about a person’s character.  I was happy now, I had a new family in my future, a better one, surrounded by people who cared and genuinely loved me.
  I lay down staring at the ceiling waiting for Dylan to return home as I happily dozed off into a deep sleep. 

CHAPTER 12

I was sound asleep when Dylan came to bed, waking me gently with a soft kiss on my forehead.  I rolled, turning to face him.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Shh, go back to sleep princess.”

“Did you and Tristan have fun?” I asked yawning.

“
More than you know baby.  We got the tuxes and then went and had a few beers.  I think he has a thing for your sister,” he chuckled.

“They slept together,” I responded.

“I kind of figured that princess,” he said giving a raspy laugh.

“You knew all along didn’t you cowboy?”

“I had a hunch but I didn’t know for sure.  Guys don’t really talk about those sorts of things princess.”

“I thought guys shared all of their conquests with each other Dylan.”

“Number one Brooke, not all guys talk about that kind of shit.  Number two, you and your sister are not conquests.  He cares about her Brooke.  Tristan would never say anything demeaning about her, not to me or anyone for that matter.”

“Okay,” I said, yawning again.

“Princess, you’re tired, get some rest.  You need it because we are leaving in the morning.  I’m taking you away somewhere special for a couple of days to get you away from here and let you relax before the wedding.  How does that sound?”

“Mmm
, that sounds wonderful Dylan,” I said as I drifted off to sleep once more.

***

I woke to Dylan’s sweet voice. 

“Brooke, it’s time to get up, our plane leaves in about two hours.”

“What?” I said sitting straight up in bed.  “What plane?”

“The one I told you about last night.  Do you remember any part of our conversation last night princess?”

“Bits and pieces but I don’t remember any talk of a plane.  Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise!”
he said excited.

“Ugh, no Dylan; I can’t leave now.  I have too much work to do on the charity ball and shit!   I forgot to pick up your ring.  Damn it!  I knew I was forgetting something yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about it.  We can swing by and you pick up my ring on the way.  We’re not going to be gone long princess, just a couple of days.  We’ll leave today and stay through the weekend and then come right home.”

“We’ll be back just in time for everything
,” he said cocking his head and smiling.  “Trust me Brooke.”

“That look scares me Dylan.  You’re up to something, I can feel it.  I guess I better start packing if we leave in less than two hours.”

“Don’t bother baby, it’s already been done for us.  I took care of it yesterday.”

“
Great, then I guess I’ll go take a shower, unless you’ve already taken care of that for me too?”

“No baby,” he said laughing
, winking at me.  “I knew something smelled in here and damn it was you.  You better hurry up and make yourself smell pretty again or I won’t be taking you anywhere.” 

“Ha
. Ha. Asshole!  Very funny,” I said as I threw a pillow at his face.

“Run along princess,”
he said laughing placing the pillow beneath his head.

I stood watching him from the corner as he
lay on the bed in his jeans and black t-shirt.  He was mouthwatering to look at up close and at a distance; Dylan made a woman crave what she knew he could give.  I could watch him all day, taking in his every move; the way he smirked, the way his eyes would shine when he looked into mine, the way his naked ass flexed when he walked.

“Is something wrong Brooke?” he asked looking over at me.

“No,” I said quietly, my mouth dry. 

“You better get ready or we won’t be able to stop and pick up the ring along the way,” he said flashing his panty wetting smile.

I had been caught, like so many times before.  He could look at me and know what I was thinking, my expressions always giving me away.  This was no exception.  He had that hunger look on his face, the one he always gave right before he was about to devour me in the bedroom.  My thoughts were plaguing my ability to move; I wanted to run to the bed and undress Dylan until I had every part of him consuming me. 

***

The limo had been waiting while I finished putting on my yellow sun dress and pulling my hair back, preparing for the long trip.  Dylan wouldn’t tell me where we going, just that we had a long flight ahead of us and he was excited to get better acquainted with me on our way there.  Excitement coursed through my body knowing what that meant.  I had not been a promiscuous girl growing up but I was beginning to understand how one could become that way.  Whenever Dylan was around, my body ached for him; thinking back, it always had, from the moment I first saw him. 

We pulled up outside the little jewelry shop that housed Dylan’s ring.  Not wanting him to see, I went in alone.  I waited five minutes before the little old man that owned the shop peeked around the corner with Dylan’s ring in his hand.  He opened the box revealing the one of a kind creation he had made; the engraving had been beautifully done.

“Now be sure to keep this in the box until your wedding day so you don’t lose it,” he instructed in a weak voice.

“I’ll keep it safe, I promise.  Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job on this.  He’s going to love it.”

I turned to exit the door and froze.  A young woman was walking to her car and I swore it was Amber.  I pushed the door open trying to get a closer look at the woman but she was already in the car and I couldn’t be sure it was her.  They say that everyone has a twin in the world; I thought maybe that was the case here too.  After all, Amber was dead.  Stefan was a free man, but that no doubt was because of his connection to the governor.  Anyone associated with him would never do time.  I had seen that coming a mile away, and wasn’t surprised when Dylan told me the case had been dismissed.  As long as Stefan kept his distance from me, we wouldn’t have any problems.  

“Everything okay Brooke?” Dylan asked as I got into the limo.

“Yeah, I just thought I saw someone I knew, but it wasn’t her.”

“Oh, good,” he sai
d grabbing my hand, pulling me closer to him.

The ride to the airport was quiet as Dylan and I sat holding each other, watching the traffic go by on the highway.  We pulled
into the private entrance of Denver International Airport and drove onto the tarmac where a jumbo jet with Prescott International splashed across the side awaited our arrival. 

The driver opened the door and we exited making our way up the stairs to the plane.  Captain
O’Connell was waiting and welcomed us aboard.  As I stepped into the cabin, tan leather couches and a big screen TV greeted me.  Dylan pointed to the seats on the left instructing me to sit and get comfortable for the long flight ahead. 

“Where are we going Dylan,” I asked.

“I told you princess, it’s a surprise and the fun is not in the destination but in the journey.”

“How many people will be joining us for this quote on quote journey?”

“Just the two of us and the two captains, I will be your steward for this trip,” he said flashing a smile.  “I’ll be here to satisfy your needs.”

I grinned sheepishly, “All of my needs?”

“All,” he replied in a seductive voice.   “Now please take a seat princess, we’ll be departing soon.  Can I get you anything to drink before we take off?”

“I’ll take a whiskey sour with Crown if you have it.”

“As you wish,” he said making his way to the on board kitchen.

He returned with my drink, sat next to me an
d instructed me to buckle up as we headed down the runway toward destination unknown.  After just a few short minutes we reached the cruising altitude of twenty-six thousand feet.  The captain announced over the intercom that we reached cruising altitude and we were free to move about the cabin. 

Dylan disappeared toward the kitchen to make me another drink.  “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked.  

“No, nothing else is required from the kitchen at this time,” I said giggling.

I sat back kicking my shoes off getting comfortable for the long trip ahead.  Dylan still hadn’t returned from the kitchen, so I went looking for him only to find him
in the bedroom waiting for me on the king size, four poster bed. 

“Come join me,” he said flashing his pearly whites. 

“Not so fast cowboy, I have a few games of my own that I’d like to play.”

Cocking his
head to the side, Dylan replied; “Oh you do, do you?  And what games might these be?”

“Well, I was thinking of playing a game of trust,” I said playfully.

“Trust?  Don’t you trust me?” he asked confused.

“Oh no
Dylan, I trust you, but do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, what kind of game is this?  How can I prove that I trust you?”

“Wait right here.  I’ll be right back,” I said walking back to the lounge area grabbing my purse, returning to the bedroom.  Standing at the edge of the bed I pulled out a blind fold and threw it at him and told him, “put this on.”

“And what would that prove?”

“Just do it for me Dylan, you said you trust me,” I said batting my eyelashes at him.

“Fine,”
he said putting the blind fold on.

I walked
over to the side of the bed where he was laying and leaned across giving him a kiss while one hand rubbed his chest and the other supported me. 

I slowly began to lift his shirt
tracing the tattoo on the left side of his body.

“
What does this mean?” I asked.

“It’s an ambigram tattoo
that says family in one direction and forever in the other,” he said sitting up removing the blind fold.  “Why are you asking me this now?  I’ve had the thing for months.”

“
This is my game remember?  Trust,” I said pulling the blind fold back down. “Now let’s take off your shirt.  Hands up.”

Dylan complied raising his a
rms as I removed his shirt then lay back down on the bed.  I was looking around the room and spied to two bathrobes hanging on the door to the adjoining bathroom.  I walked over removing the belts, returning to Dylan who was asking, “where are you?”

“Shh, trust.”

He grinned.  I grabbed his arm and then the other and began tying them together.  “What are you doing?” he exclaimed trying to fight me. 

“Trust,” I said teasing.

“Fine,” he said slightly annoyed as I continued to tie his hands to the bed post.

I joined Dylan on the bed, straddling him kissing his chest, licking his nipples.  I kissed my way up, whispering “trust” in his ear, then back down his neck to his lips.  He welcomed me in his mouth, my tongue leading, deepening the kiss.  He groaned as I pinched and twisted his nipple betw
een my fingers.  “Fuck,” he groaned into my mouth.  “Not yet baby,” I replied, but soon.  Kissing my way back down his rock hard abs, I unbuttoned his pants and with one quick tug, pulled his pants to his knees.  He instantly sprang free.  “Surprise princess!  You’re not the only one playing a game.”  I chuckled.  “But
I’m
in control this time, cowboy; looks like someone was happy to be freed.  Now Dylan, things may get a bit intense, you will need to choose a safe word.