“This is Ava, a friend from work.” The girl gives a big warm smile that goes with a little wave of her hand.
“This is Mel and Kiara,” Ilkay introduces us.
“Welcome, girl,” Kiara greets. My throat is a little dry so I just nod.
Damion leans against the Jeep, looking way too sexy in his black swim trunks and white shirt. Oh, lord have mercy.
“Guys,” Logan hoists himself from the pool onto the rocks, “You’re just in time to help us make a fire.” Ilkay leaves Ava with us and walks away, laughing at something Logan says. Damion doesn’t move, his eyes burning me with their heated intensity. It’s like a blowtorch is lighting up low in my tummy.
“Grimm!” Logan shouts over his shoulder, “Are you coming?” Damion slowly pushes himself away from the Jeep and I hold my breath. As he walks past he tilts his head slightly and whispers in a gloomy voice that offers up only impure, wicked things.
“We need to talk.”
My jaw drops and with my mouth hanging open, possibly dripping some drool, I stare at his back, admiring his perfect hard butt. He walks with an effortless swagger conveying total confidence.
“So,” Kiara starts, “Are you just a friend of the doctor, or something more?” Ava chuckles and sits down next to me.
“Just a friend,” she says straightforwardly. “He’s not my type.”
“So you don’t do pretty and intelligent?” Kiara rips. My best friend has a slight problem – she comes across as a bigger bitch than she actually is. Not many people get that.
Ava laughs from her belly. “Oh, I’m not blind. But I’m also not stupid. His heart is already taken. I don’t do secondhands.” I like this girl. “Or rebounds, or badboys. I’m more into … let’s say silent nerdy types.”
I grab some sand and let it run through my fingers. Oh, I wish I had her restraint.
“This is a beautiful place,” Ava chimes looking at the aqua pool where the water bubbles over the gravelly bed, forming a slipway through the sand – svelte and slinky – to get sucked up by the waves of the ocean.
“Hi, sis, I need your help.” Enrique drops his trunks and slips on his jeans over the wet branded underwear. Ava almost swallows her tongue from shock. But that’s my brothers – they have not a single shy hair on their heads.
He throws a sweater over his top and abruptly falls next to me, looking rather unsure of himself. And an unsure Enrique is something that happens maybe once or twice in a lifetime. “And you owe me for the purple balls!”
“I’ll take it. Shoot!” I see Kiara has a big frown between her perfect brows. This must be some serious stuff for him to just write off a kick in the nuts.
“You see,” Enrique starts and then he grabs his hair and then his neck. “… my agent … eh … Dean said that I needed to better my reputation or else my sponsors are going to dump me.” He snorts. “I don’t care much about the sponsors … but I do want the lead role for that new blockbuster movie. It’s a spy one …” Okay. Action spy hero movies are his ultimate role to play. He’s always been a big Bond fan.
“But apparently, the producer has high family values, and is upset with my PR troubles.”
“Huh?” He lost me.
“I need to settle down, you know, get a girlfriend or wife or something. They’re tired of my … and I quote ‘irresponsible party-player man-whore’ reputation.”
“O-okay,” I drag out the word, still not sure where I fit into the picture.
“Mel, I’ve never had a serious girlfriend, and I’m not in love. So what do I do?” He’s asking me? Someone with absolutely no knowledge of relationships.
“You’re a girl … and the opposite of a party-player man-whore … so help me out here.” I’m stunned. Firstly because he thinks I can actually help him. But mostly because Enrique settling down is almost as unthinkable as Jackson hitting feelings. If I have to opinionate in which order my brothers would settle down and get married – it would be Ilkay, then Logan … maybe Enrique … never Jackson.
“Well, how about you just get a girlfriend then? I’m sure you won’t have a problem since almost every girl out there would give up a kidney to hook up with you.” He looks at me as if I just dropped out of space.
“Girls just want money, fame, or babies – and not in that particular order. It’s not as if the right girl is going to just fall onto my lap all of a sudden.”
In full pursuit of the ball they are playing with, Noah runs backward, not looking where he is going, stumbles over Enrique, and lands on his lap.
“Sorry, dude,” he says as they stare into each other’s eyes for a bit before he jumps up with the ball in hand.
“And you were just saying,” I laugh and tease my brother about the coincidence. He snorts and pulls a fuck-you face. So I screw with him some more. “Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something … like you’re gay …. or go date his sister.”
“Gmf,” he grunts with a sigh, “Not helping here. And if you don’t help I still owe you for my crushed balls.” My mind goes into overdrive. I look at Kiara to help a girl out, but she turns her back on me. A clear sign that I made my own bed and now have to sleep in it -alone.
“Well, it’s not as if I can choose your girlfriend for you. But … if you’re really worried about the money aspect why not just sign a contract,” I’m trying to be helpful. And contracts are Enrique’s specialty. “You know, the give-and-take concept.” I really hope it helps cause I’m running out of ideas. “You give her something she needs to act as your fake girlfriend.”
Enrique stares into the sand for a while as if expecting something to rise from beneath. Then his face lights up like New York City on the 4th of July. I hope it’s a good sign.
“Noah … his sister … universe … contract … fake girlfriend … you know, little shithead, you’re a fucking genius!” Only Enrique would know what’s going on in that screwed-up head of his. I have no idea what that means … or how I helped … but sure thing, I’ll take it.
“Eh … thanks I guess.” He looks happy enough. And as long as it gets me even for kicking him in the balls, I’m all there with him – happy as a bee. My phone pings with a message and I give my brother a lazy thumbs up.
“So we’re good?” He nods with a sinister smile that can mean anything.
Haley: Hi pumpkin, are you still coming with Damion for dinner 2morrow?
Mel: Yep, C U then. Can’t wait. (thumbs-up-sign emoji)
I smile and put my phone away. But then there’s another message and thinking Haley replied I just pull out my phone again. But it’s not her, it’s from D.
D Stalker: I hope you ditched that cheating fucker.
So many emotions gather in my gut that I want to puke. I’m trying not to show it, but secretly this D guy scares the shit out of me. At the same time, I’m furious that the sick bastard is interfering with my life, trying to ruin things between Damion and me. I’m also angry that I nearly fell for his tricks. But at the same instance, I feel warm and fussy inside, happy that it blew up in his face – Damion didn’t cheat.
“You okay?” Kiara asks softly and I hand her the phone without saying a word. Her eyes get as big as saucers.
“That’s just fudged up,” she murmurs giving back my phone, but Enrique grabs it.
“Well, at least this proves that Damion is right about his D theory. It’s time we find that fucking crazy family circus.” I’m with him on that one.
“His stupid plan had one big flaw – he doesn’t know about Damion’s rules. Even if the girl is his usual type, he never fucks in his own home.” I can’t help the little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I’m the only one who knows his secret.
She’s not his type.