Without Doubt (31 page)

Declan laughs at me and then kisses me
possessively, his hands wandering; trailing along the curves of my
body. “I love you, my wife,” he says sweetly as he gazes into my
eyes.

“
And I love you, my
husband,” I reply with bated breath, because this man has always
made my insides flutter and my breath catch.

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CJ Azevedo

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Can You Keep A
Secret?

Here’s a sneak peek at
Author Dee Avila’s new

Adult Contemporary
Series

The Pool Boy’s

Book One – Twin
Reasoning

Twin Reasoning

CHAPTER ONE

SLOAN

“Bash, come on; we’re going to be late.
You’re DD, tonight.” I reached over, grabbed my wallet and keys off
the dresser, and shoved them into his pocket.

Sebastian growled. “Shit, Dude, I’m
hurrying.”

“If you weren’t such a girl, having to primp
for thirty damn minutes.”

“Slo, this ‘just got out of bed look’
doesn’t just happen! It takes time and effort. Something you know
nothing about.”

Finally, Sebastian finished getting ready.
He locked up our apartment as I headed out to his black ’69 Camaro.
I slid onto the warm leather, buckling up as soon as my ass touched
the seat. Because he was a Race Car Driver, my brother felt he had
to drive fast everywhere he went.

I was not looking forward to tonight. We
were meeting Madame Elleanor and Kyle, an old high school buddy of
ours, at a small, local bar. My dipshit of a brother found us a
job
; well, two actually. Elleanor owned a pool cleaning
service that was more like a front for an escort service. Sebastian
begged me to go to this meeting and keep an open mind about joining
their businesses.

I needed the money. I had bodybuilding
competitions coming up and could use the money for registration. I
began getting involved in the bodybuilding scene during my junior
year of high school but, at twenty-three, this would be my first
year to compete. I had packed on close to twenty-five pounds of
muscle since graduating. It was hard work and took a lot of
discipline, but was well worth it. Someday, I will be on the stage
in Las Vegas competing for Mr. Olympia.

Sebastian squealed the tires as we rounded a
corner. Pulling into the parking lot, I saw Kyle’s beat up old
Dodge parked three spots in. Back at, Ashlane High, Kyle Ashton was
a senior when we were freshman. Sebastian ran into him, again, a
few months ago and they had been hanging out together ever since.
Kyle bartended at Eric’s, the bar we just pulled up to. Even though
the bar was in the heart of North Los Angeles, it was chill. I’d
been here my fair share of times. There were a lot of regulars and
TV’s to watch sports. The older jukebox still sounded good and
wasn’t insanely loud, like at a club. It was the perfect spot to
have this meeting and discuss our new adventure.
Yeah,
right!
Ok, maybe adventure isn’t the right word, more like
fornication.

Sebastian pulled me out of my mental
conversation by flinging my door open. “Dude, Slo, get out of the
damn car.”

Fuck!
I didn’t want to do this. My
brother better realize that he owes me. I stepped out of the car,
straightened my button-down shirt and messed with the sleeves that
I had rolled up to the elbow. “Fine. Let’s do this. But you,
asshole, you owe me big!”

I followed him inside the dark bar, rounding
a sharp corner and headed for the bar along the far wall. I quickly
scanned the area, it was nearly dead. Two older guys occupied one
booth and a young woman sat at the bar, alone, talking to the
bartender. The place always smelled of smoke, even though you
haven’t been able to smoke in restaurants or bars for years, and
mildew. Sebastian marched ahead of me to the farthest, darkest,
corner in the bar.

In the circular booth, Kyle sat next to a
woman who couldn’t have been that much older than us. I took
Elleanor in before we fully reached them. She was wearing a dark
business suit and had her straw colored hair pulled back, neatly.
She looked prim and proper, especially with the librarian glasses
that sat on the tip of her nose as she read over some
paperwork.

“Hey, guys!” Kyle announced. Miss Prim and
Proper popped her head up. Elleanor took in every inch of Bash
before shifting her eyes to me. Her thin lips twitched, but
remained tightly sealed. Her left eyebrow quirked, drawing my
attention to her ice blue eyes. If she didn’t look like such a
bitch, she could be pretty.

“Ky, you didn’t mention they were twins.”
Her high-pitched voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to me. I
couldn’t do this. This chick was irritating the shit out of me,
already.

Kyle shrugged. “Didn’t think it
mattered.”

Elleanor huffed before extending her hand
out to us. “I’m Madame Elleanor.” I watched my brother transform,
flashing a grin my way before taking
Madame
Elleanor’s hand
and pressing a kiss to it. “I’m Sebastian.”

“Sloan.” I wasn’t going to pretend I liked
her.

“Alright, have a seat boys and we can
discuss your future with Devine Services.”

As we sat down, the waitress brought over a
margarita, two beers and a coke. Lifting one of the beers to my
lips, I took a long pull from the bottle. Elleanor sipped her drink
and then started talking, again. “I operate two businesses under
one name. If I hire you, you will be required to work for both
entities. Devine Pool Services and Devine Male Escorts. I don’t
know how much Ky has told you about me, or my businesses, so I will
explain how this works. That way there is no miscommunication.”

I didn’t know what she wanted from us at
that moment, but continued to wait, looking at us expectantly. I
finally nodded. “Got it.”

Clearing her throat, she handed us each a
packet. “The pool business is legit and you will be cleaning pools.
However, each house on your route has a female in need of a
companion. Most of the time they are just looking for someone to
talk to—lonely housewives, widowed younger woman, and occasionally
they will request your presence at some function or another.”

“So, we have sex with the Desperate
Housewives of Granada Hills? Awesome!” Bash belted out next me,
relaxing into the back of the booth and taking in what he wanted to
hear from our boss.

“No. Sex is up to you. As far as what you
are required from me, you will find a list on the second page of
your packet. But, what I just stated pretty much sums it up.
Companionship. These women are looking for a companion. With that
being said, I do suggest you figure out pricing for your
extracurricular activities, as they do ask for them. The price for
that is up to you, with me getting a portion. All of this is
covered in your handbooks.

“We will meet once a month to go over any
complaints from you or your customers. We will also discuss new
customers and payments. I have an account set up for the ladies to
pay online and then I pay you out of those deposits.
Extracurricular activities are set up differently. You receive cash
payment at the time of service and deliver me the percentage at the
following month’s meeting. Are there any questions?”

“Yeah, will I be fired for not participating
in the
extra stuff
?” I didn’t want to be rude, but these
ladies probably were dirtier than street hookers. I don’t need my
junk falling off; besides, I didn’t think I could do this. If its
just talking and hanging out with them after cleaning their pool,
okay, maybe. Nope. I can’t, I’m going to have to bail on Sebastian.
When we get home, I’m telling him I can’t do it.

“Not at all, as long as you clean their pool
once a week and chat with them a little, you’re golden. Now at the
back of the handout is a form for you to be tested, just in case. I
need proof you’re clean.”

“Is that all? I need to go.” I started to
slip out of the booth.

Bash grabbed my arm. “Hold on. Madame
Elleanor, when can we start? I’ll get my clean pass and be ready to
work tomorrow. So will Sloan.”

“First, call me Elleanor. Second, my number
is on everything in there; call me once you’re done with your tests
and we can set up your routes.”

I was out of the booth and standing a foot
away with my hands in my pockets. Bash jumped out of the booth,
clapping his hands together. “Alright, we’ll talk tomorrow. It was
nice meeting you, Elleanor.” He grabbed her hand again and placed a
lingering kiss. Releasing her hand, he reached over and fist bumped
Kyle. “See ya later, Ky.”

Sebastian’s laugh echoed throughout the
nearly empty bar as he spun around and sauntered toward the
door.

“It was nice meeting you. See ya, Kyle.” I
wasn’t promising her I’d call. If I had it my way, I wouldn’t be
joining the Divine Services team. I was going to kill Sebastian. I
knew he wouldn’t let me get out of this, because I owed him. But,
after this, we weren’t going to be even; he was going to owe me,
times ten.

Instead of taking us back to the apartment,
Bash drove us over to Brix’s Nightclub. I could handle this,
especially since he was the DD. He had the radio blaring on some
up-beat pop shit. I hit the power button, effectively silencing the
car. “Bash, I can’t work for her. I can’t do that. I bet those
women are all married. I sure as hell am not going to charge them
for sex while their Senator or lawyer husband is off working his
ass off to keep her in a half million dollar home. Shit, I can’t
even imagine sitting there and talking to them. You know what Brit
did to me. I can’t willingly do that to someone else.”

“What Brit did is not the same. Slo, you
don’t have to sleep with them. Keep it friendly. Visit for a while,
make some money, and before you know it, you’ll be traveling all
over doing your shows. You need this chance at making some serious
cash as much I do. I will never make it out east without the income
this will allow me. Don’t make me beg, or remind you that you owe
me.” He smirked in my direction.

Damn him. Damn him for using my one fuck up
against me at a time like this. And damn him for bringing up Brit.
Wait. I did that. Shit. I can’t blame him for that one! “One month.
That’s it, Bash.”

Smiling, the dickhead got out of the car and
headed toward the bouncer at the door, completely ignoring the mile
long line of barely twenty-ones waiting to get in. Slamming the car
door I quickly joined my brother. Finding our way to the bar, we
saddled up on two stools that had just become vacant. Some dude
bitched about waiting for the stools forever, but we ignored him.
Katelynn, Kyle’s sister, was bartending this evening and had on the
mandatory Saturday night uniform. Yes, we frequented Brix’s a lot.
The uniform for tonight was a pair of tiny black shorts, a black
tank top with the bar name in hot pink across her chest, the top of
her breasts popping out over the top, just above the lettering.
Even though I couldn’t see her feet, I knew she had on her zebra
striped boots with hot pink crosses and black tips.

“Hey there Slo, darlin’, what can I get you?
The usual?” Katelynn and Kyle where from Texas and moved here his
freshman year of high school. Katelynn’s southern twang never left.
Or she faked it real well.

“Yeah, KT. How are you?”

She flicked her long dark hair back over her
shoulder as she spun around to grab a Bud Light out of the cooler.
Those shorts should be illegal. The bottom of her perfect, round
ass was peeking out and my pants were becoming uncomfortably tight.
She quickly spun back toward me, handing me the beer. She flashed
me a half grin before answering.

“I’m good. You see my brother, tonight?”

Shit, did she know what he did?
Ask Kyle
about Katelynn and make him promise to keep his trap shut.
Speaking of brothers, mine decided to join our conversation.

“Yeah we did, just for a minute, though.
Busy night. There’s a line a mile long out there.”

“Better tips.” She adjusted her top bringing
it down a tad bit lower.
Ah, hell!

I smiled as I watched her and Sebastian
banter back and forth. I tried to keep my chuckles to myself. Then,
my brother, the ass, said the one thing I wish I had the courage to
say. “Katelynn, go out with me. I’ll take you to dinner and a
movie. A walk around the Rose Gardens; wherever you want to go.
Just go with me.”

Thank God, I hadn’t just taken a drink or
Katelynn would have been wearing it. “What?” I spun on my brother,
lowering my brows and giving him my death glare.

Katelynn ignored me and snapped a dishrag at
him. “Give it up already, Bash. Every time you’re in here, you ask
the same stupid question. Every time you do, I give you the same
answer. Not a chance in hell, buddy.” She smirked before looking
over at me and winking as she walked down to the other end of the
bar to grab a dish of lemons.