Shamrocks and Secrets

Copyright
©
2014 Cayce Poponea

Published by Cayce's Creations

All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems-except in the case of brief excerpts or quotations embodied in review or critical writings without the expressed permission of the author.

The characters and events in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Cover Design by
Mayhem Cover Creations

Formatting by
Mayhem Cover Creations

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

E
very author takes a moment to thank everyone who was involved in the creation of their book. I will continue that tradition and thank everyone that had a large impact on this story coming together.
First and for most, my husband, you have been so understanding during the long road to make this a reality.
 
To my two editors, Ms
.
Dolly and Elizabeth Simonton.
I can
’
t thank you enough for your hand holding and
,
when needed, hand slapping.
 
To Nicole, you swore to me that if your hair looks good, the rest of you will follow. Midnight C, you were the first person I let read this story, you told me it was really good and you became my biggest cheerleader. To all my Mathisson fans, for without you, this story would still be running around in my head.
I can
’
t say a big enough thank you to Mayhem design for blowing me out of the water with the cover of this book.
 
But most of all, I thank you, the person who is reading my words.

DEDICATION

T
o every girl who has ever looked up just in time to see that guy come into the room, you know the one; hair just right, eyes so deep that they take your breath away
, c
hin chiseled so perfect
ly
it could cut glass. You may never know his name or how he takes his coffee. If you
’
re lucky enough to hear his voice, you mentally record it so you can play it back later. He's the guy you tell your friends about over a glass of Chardonnay. You describe in detail just what you would have done to him given the chance. He appears different to each of us. While we are at it, here
’
s to him as well.

I
n each and every one of our lives, we all come in contact with memorable people at some point. For some, it's a simple smile paired with brief but penetrating eye contact, while for others it's slightly longer and more intense,
like
with the handsome cashier at the corner grocery. A select few actually change who we are. This is my story and how one man changed everything about my life and those around me.

I guess you're wondering who the hell I am. That's actually the easiest part of my entire story. My name is Christina O
’
Rourke. My friends and family call me Christi. Well, that's not entirely true, but that'll come later. It all started one night while I was doing what most of us do every day, my job. I can still remember nearly every detail of what happened that night...

I had been working at
Penciled In
, one of the most successful catering companies in Chicago. The owner and my good friend, Charlotte, had entrusted me with this particular event. The guest list was long at over four hundred, and yet very distinguished, as the amount of security onsite proved. The Connor-Donnelly wedding was said to be the event of the year. Charlotte had hired additional servers a month ago and had spent that time training and grooming them to the bride's specifications. For this particular wedding, all of the staff had had to undergo an extensive background check. Like most things in my world, I didn't
ask
question
s
. If a client wanted to spend that kind of money to feel important, then who was I to question them. My job was only to make them happy.

I had just finished my preliminary meeting with the entire staff of one-hundred-twenty. Yes, that was correct. The bride's family wanted their guests to be served in a quick and flawless fashion. All of the bartenders had to be male and wear all black. All of the servers were to be female and had to wear black pencil skirts with peacock blue halter tops to match the bride's colors. I was at least able to wear a black blazer over mine.

The bride's family, the Connors, were from New York and I was told they were from 'old money'. The groom's family on the other hand, came from Ireland and were rumored to be just as well off. I wasn't certain how you came to a new country and suddenly have money, but, again, it wasn't my place to question.

I noticed my sister, Shannon, was talking with a very attractive man that had arrived with the bridal party. I motioned for her to get back to work and the handsome man kissed her cheek, and then squeezed her hand. I would have to ask her about him later. My sister didn't have the best track record with men.

Shannon and I were twins and also of Irish descent. Shannon had met her ex, Kevin Delaney, our senior year in college. He had been nice in the beginning
,
taking her to nice restaurants and buying her pretty things. All of that changed the day she gave birth to his daughter, Abigail. Abigail was four now and seriously the most beautiful little girl on the planet. Her sperm donor on the other hand, was a scumbag. Our other sister, Coleen, was two years older than us.

Colleen wasn't any luckier in love. Her long-time boyfriend, Jimmy
—
well, he got her mixed up in some pretty heavy shit
, a
nd then he got her killed.

Shannon and I lived together in a tiny three bedroom house. It took the two of us to take care of Abigail, she sure as hell couldn't count on Kevin to help her out. Shannon had taken him to court and proven paternity
,
yet he still refused to pay his child support. Like I said, he was a scumbag.

Dinner had been served and the cake had been cut. Now it was time to stand around and watch people get drunk and happy.

Looking back, I should have questioned the people in that room. I should have listened to just a few conversations. Instead, I watched my staff and made certain people were having a good time.

It was just after ten o'clock that night when one of my bartenders alerted me to a situation. Apparently, a couple was in a heated argument outside of the restrooms. This was one of the many things I was good at, breaking up fights and diffusing situations.

I smiled at the many people that were still present on my way to deal with the problem. Once I got there, I nearly turned around and left. Standing with his back to me was none other than Kevin Delaney. He was currently in a heated conversation with a very pretty girl. As I stood there and watched briefly, the girl slapped him across the face. For a tenth of a second, I thought about getting her a drink for that. I smiled to myself as I crossed the room toward the couple.

"Excuse me,
”
I said, putting forth my most professional tone, complete with toothy grin and calm stance.

Kevin turned his entire body in my direction. The look on his face was one of pure rage. I decided to direct my attention to the girl as she appeared to have complete control at the moment. The look on her face was rage at first, or so I thought. A closer look showed a large amount of white powder caked
on
the outer septum of her nose.

My dad had always told me to expect the unexpected when it came to people who were under the influence. He told me of a guy who had once actually broke
n
out of the handcuffs because he was high on LSD. Yes, my dad was a cop, a detective, actually.

"Yes, hello, nice dress by the way, I absolutely love that shade of blue.
”

Make the situation about her, check.

"Oh, um..."

Distracted, check.

"Listen, I can't agree with you more that this piece of shit deserves to be hit a hell of a lot harder than what you just did. However..."

"Fucking butt out, Christi!" Kevin spat from my left.

I turned my attention to him. "Really, fuck-nut, you want me to get her a set of boxing gloves or save you a trip to the ER?"

"Fuck you, bitch."

"No, fuck you, you son of a bitch!" the blonde interrupted, yelling at Kevin.
Gotta get control, Christi...

"Hey, thank you..." I motioned for her to tell me her name.

"Mandy, Mandy Owens."

I held my hand out to shake hers. "Hello, Mandy, pleasure to meet you, Christi O
’
Rourke." I made a move to wedge my body between theirs. "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted by pencil dick here," I motioned behind me. Mandy began to giggle; ladies and gentlemen, situation defused. "I think you can do so much better, I also think you might want to go back into the restroom and remove some of your face powder you must have missed when you freshened up your makeup," I motioned to her nose.

Without a second thought, she turned on her heel and walked right back into the restroom. Now I had to deal with Kevin...then take a bleach bath.

I turned around, ready to lay into him, when I noticed a group of men behind him making their way down the hall in our direction. The five men walked with authority in a 'V' formation, like mallard ducks heading south for the winter. Without saying a single word, people were moving out of their way, clearing a path for them to pass through with ease.

Kevin hadn't realized that my eyes had left his and were fixed on the man in the lead position. He was tall, well over six feet. His black tux looked like it was made just for him and I was
n
’
t
surprised by this, as most of the men in attendance tonight had that same appearance. This man, however, was different; the fit was due to more than just a great tailor. He had a certain air about him. His face was absolute perfection, like a model straight off the runway. I couldn't decide if his hair was brown or dark red, but that was not what had me nearly speechless. It was his eyes. They were a shade of green that I couldn’t remember ever
seeing.

"Goddamn it, Christi..."

Great, dick face just had to interrupt my eye fucking...

"I can't fucking believe you're still fucking up my life. That girl you just pissed off was my pussy for the night!"

Before I could respond, a very husky voice interrupted. "Is there a problem here, Douce?"

What surprised me more than that voice was how quickly Kevin managed to turn around to face him. His entire body quaking as he stared at the tall handsome man.

"Oh, hey, Boss. N
o-no problem here."

Suddenly, Kevin was all smiles, and then he placed his arm around my shoulders. "That's not how I see it, Douce."

Douce?

"Oh...this is a friend of mine's sister. We were just catching up.
”
Kevin replied, trying to pull me into his side, like we had been friends since birth.

I noticed the men behind him were listening intently to everything he said. Disgusted, I managed to remove Kevin's arm and moved away from him a few steps, glaring at him. This didn't go unnoticed by Kevin
’
s boss. Boss?

Kevin hadn't paid Shannon any child support in all these years. If this was his boss, then maybe I could find out where he was working. I had no problem with helping Shannon file a garnishment on his paycheck.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but did I hear correctly that Kevin works for you, Sir?"

I looked directly into his staggering green eyes. His chiseled jaw was a little distracting, but getting Abigail some much needed financial help was very grounding.

Green eyes looked between me and Kevin, almost in confusion, with a slight hint of annoyance. I then turned to look at Kevin; he was white as a ghost. Something just wasn't right.

"Douce...perhaps you should talk to Legs about your position."

I turned back to Green eyes in time to catch his eyes scanning me from head to toe. I watched as his tongue came out and covered his top lip, sucking it behind his teeth. With a chuckle and an arch of his eyebrow, his eyes met mine.

"Boss..." one of the guys behind Green eyes spoke at his side. Green eyes turned to look at the man, who in turn leaned in close and began to whisper quickly to him.

"Douce, I'll see you first thing tomorrow," he said to Kevin without making eye contact. "Ms. O
’
Rourke, this was the best party I've attended this year. I'm told you're responsible."

I was shocked because I had no idea how he even knew my name. I decide to quit acting like a mute and answer the man like the professional woman that I am.

"I have a great staff, it was a team effort," I smiled and folded my hands in front of me, always remaining professional.

"Yes, well, you managed to save poor Mandy from Douce."

Everything I had ever been taught told me that I had to maintain a courteous and professional manner. I took pride in the fact that I had always done that when representing
Penciled In
. So the words that fell from my mouth next should have remained unsaid...

"Oh, well, Kevin told me he had plans for Mandy tonight. However, he still has his hand to help himself out later."

Green eyes began to chuckle and then all five men behind him joined in. A shiver ran down my spin at the situation. Green eyes was clearly an influential man, his men seemed to follow his lead at every turn. His presence even had Kevin about to piss his pants.

"Legs, I like how you work." With that he walked past me, taking his entourage with him. I watched as again people moved to get out of his way. Men giving him knowing glances and head nods.

I was so shocked at the scene that had just played out that I had forgotten the question that had popped in my head...who the fuck was Legs?

"Fuck!" Kevin spouted as he dragged his hand through his hair. His frustration evident in more than just his words. If it wasn't for all the guest surrounding us, I would be very nervous being this near to him.

I was so confused right now. I had no idea what the hell had just happened. The only person standing here with any possible answers was known for fucking people over.

“
Kevin, what the fuck just happened?"

Kevin looked pissed. He was mumbling under his breath and I couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"I could slit your fucking throat for what you just did!" Kevin hissed, his face less than an inch from my own. I opened my mouth to say something back when Brandon, one of my bartenders, interceded.

“
Ms. O
’
Rourke, you okay?"

Was I? I was confused as hell. Before I could even answer, Kevin was backpedaling. Talking a mile a minute, his fake assed smile back on his face.

"Hey, Man, I was just telling Christi here goodnight."

Brandon was a big guy, almost as big as Green eyes. He was one of the extra staff Charlotte had hired for this event. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn Kevin knew him, and more than that, he was scared shitless of him.

"Is that true, Ms
. O
’
Rourke?"

I took advantage of Brandon standing here. Kevin was clearly about to piss himself. I was going to get some answers.