Bruce is the one to roll his eyes this time as he points down farther in the article. I scan it and see that her sister is getting married to some wealthy heir with a castle.
“Is that the same place-” Bruce cuts me off with his loud sigh and I look up to see him shaking his head.
“For a bright man you are as thick as oatmeal sometimes.” He jerks the paper out of my hands and goes back to his position on the couch. “The night of the party when you ran out with her.” He tilts his head and I nod for him to go on. “She told me she was watching her sister. That’s why we were on the dance floor.”
“That, and you were trying to cop a feel,” I accuse, and he doesn't deny it.
“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents.” He shrugs and tosses the paper on the coffee table. “Her sister is getting married and the wedding is being held at the castle. I know you’re a smart guy so I’ll let you figure out the rest.”
“She’ll be there,” I say, more to myself than to Bruce.
“Look at him, ladies and gentlemen. He’s not just a mogul with a strong jawline.”
“Fuck off.” I snatch up the paper again and look at the date. “It’s tomorrow.”
“It’s also invitation only with security tighter than a nun’s asshole.”
My mind is at work and I know that I can’t let this opportunity pass me by. I’ve searched high and low and there hasn’t been a scrap of evidence to lead me to her. This is my one chance and I have to get on that property. I’ve got plenty of connections and I can call in some favors. Someone somewhere has got to know someone dirty enough to do what it takes.
There’s another thud and I look down on the coffee table to see a cream envelope. Before I can make out the foil lettering on it, Bruce puts the heel of his shoe down over it and looks up at me.
“That’s your golden ticket, Willy Wonka. But there are strings attached.”
I clench my fists at my side as he raises his chin in challenge. We’re pretty evenly matched in size but I have anger and need on my side. Although Bruce would fight dirty, so I’m not one hundred percent on the outcome.
“Of course there is.” I try and stay calm but meanwhile my insides are on fire. “Just tell me what you want and it’s yours.”
He gives me a cocky smile as he leans back and puts his arms out on the sofa. “I want Myra.”
“No.” I take a step toward him but the asshole doesn’t even flinch. “Why the fuck are you saying that? You don’t want her. You brought this here because you know she’s mine.”
He sits forward and steeples his fingers in front of him. “But is she yours, Kace? I look around and I don’t see her. And the last time I checked, she quit to get away from you.”
That’s enough to snap my temper and I lunge for him. The motherfucker laughs as he pushes me just as I fall on him and I end up on the couch beside him.
“Take it or leave it, cousin. But those are my terms.”
“You told me where the wedding is. I can find my own way,” I say, but even as I try to think of how, Bruce would be the one person on earth that could somehow make it happen. Fuck. “Why? Why the fuck are you after her? Is it because you know I want her?”
He shrugs as he grabs the invitation and puts it in his jacket. “There are so many other ways to get under your skin, but I’d like to present this to you as a challenge.”
I sit up on the couch and he stands and walks over to my desk to put some distance between us. “Talk,” I say through gritted teeth and I wonder if I’ve got a weapon in here I could use on him.
“Be my plus one to the wedding. Let Myra decide who she’s happy to see and who she’s willing to—shall we say—entertain.”
“I’ll end you,” I say, standing up from the couch.
“I’ll take that as a yes? Good,” he answers before I have a chance to. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six.”
He goes to walk out and I take a step toward him. He turns around and smiles at me like he hasn’t come in and dropped a grenade.
“Oh, and it’s black tie.” He winks before he walks out the door and closes it behind him.
“FUCK!” I roar, shoving the contents of my desk to the floor in one swipe.
I can hear his laughter down the hall as he walks away.
Chapter 2
Myra
I fight to keep from wiggling around like my sister, but I think I’m more anxious than her right now. These last six weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve done well at hiding it but I’ve always been good at that.
“You got ants in your pants?” I tease Pippa.
She’s so freaking happy right now I think she might burst if she finds out she’s knocked up. I have a feeling she is because she and her soon-to-be husband can’t keep their hands off each other. It’s adorable and I’d be a liar if I didn't admit that I was jealous of their love. They have something everyone longs for.
“No pants.” She points to the robe she has on. She wants to wait to take the pregnancy test before she puts on her wedding dress, and I don't blame her. The thing is a handful but it fits. If you’re going to get married in a castle, you have to do it in a dress fit for a princess. At least that’s what I told her when she was trying on dress after dress.
“She’s almost here.” I barely get the words out and there’s a knock at the door.
I rush over toward it, trying to keep my composure the best I can. I pull open the door and grab the bag from one of the housekeepers and give her a quick thanks before shutting the door. I turn to see my sister giving me a funny look and I hold the bag out, wanting her attention off me and back on to her own pregnancy. She rushes over to me and grabs the bag, then dumps it out onto the bed.
“How many did you get?” she giggles. “I only need one.”
I stare down at the test as I stand next to her. This is not how I thought my life was going to turn out when I decided to quit my job. Honestly, I didn't know how it would go, but this was not one of the ways I would have guessed. I reach down and pick one up and I have to fight to keep my hands from shaking.
“I’m going to take one too,” I tell her.
I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant after getting sick again this morning. That’s three mornings in a row, along with other small signs. I’ve been ignoring them and trying to stay focused on Pippa’s wedding, but when she brought up that she might be pregnant and wanted a test, I found that I needed to know myself.
“You little sneak. Who have you been giving it up to?” She playfully smacks my arm with her pregnancy test. “Wait.” I watch her try and think of who it might be because I’m sure she’s shocked. I never date, and how would I have had the time working as much as I do? If I wasn't working, I was with my sister. It’s how life has always been for me. I fell into a maternal role with her, but as we’ve grown older it’s shifted back to being sisters. She doesn’t need me to take care of her anymore and I find I can lean on her from time to time.
“Stop trying to guess.” I give her a playful smack on the arm, this time with my pregnancy test. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Besides, you've kept enough from me.” I point to the test, reminding her how in one day I learned she hadn't just moved out of our place, but she was getting married and madly in love.