Brethren
“
B
ourbon, neat,” I requested, sliding off my coat
and grabbing a stool at Morgan’s Bar. Only a block from the office, the place was
my regular haunt. When I looked up after placing my coat down beside me, I
found Caleb standing there, manning the bar.
“Coming right up,” he called back, tossing a dish towel over
his shoulder.
From the corner of my eye, I did a peripheral sweep down
the bar and focused on the redhead perched at the end, sipping from her
almost-drained cocktail and directing a smile my way. She was a new face, and a
pretty one.
“Since when do you escape the office before five?” Caleb
asked, pouring my drink and pushing it toward me.
“Since I scheduled my brother as my last meeting.” I
lifted the glass and took a swig, savoring the charge it gave my system while
not missing the redhead maneuvering on her stool, crossing her legs in my
direction.
“I’m guessing we’re talking about Jax.” He snickered. “Little
brothers can be a pain, but yours, he’s something else: crazy, bullheaded, but
talented as hell. Cut him some slack. He’s only a kid.”
“Talent will only get him so far. If he wants to open his
own place someday, then he needs to learn how to run it.”
“And when he does?”
“Then he’ll have my support,” I replied easily.
Caleb nodded, then moved down for another customer who’d
slammed his empty glass down on the bar, signaling for a refill.
I used the brief reprieve to scan subtly for any other
prospects hanging around. When he returned, I shot my gaze straight toward the
redhead, my head not swaying an inch. She was the top pick. He caught my drift
without further explanation.
“So how’s everything else going?” Caleb asked causally as
he turned his back to me, mixing up a fruity concoction.
“Nothing remarkable to note.”
He popped in a little umbrella—girls always seemed to
like those in their drinks—and walked it to her. Deliberately slowly, I cocked
my head her way, watching as she lifted the glass up to thank me before taking
a sip. I gave her the slightest hint of a smile. It was all she needed.
“So how’s the rest of the family? Any other sibling crap
going on?”
Caleb was in front of me again, overly relaxed. My gaze
shot to him. Since when did he ask about anyone other than Oliver?
As realization set in, I lowered my head, chuckling. “She
came to you?”
“Yeah, and I was just as surprised to see her on my
doorstep.”
My laugh cut off, eyes widening. Julia went to Caleb’s
apartment. My jaw ticked. I was surprised my sister would go to him, since
they’d rarely crossed paths after I crashed their first—and
last—date a
couple years earlier.
After a loud public scene and a punch thrown, I’d cut him
some slack since he wasn’t aware at the time that the girl he was seducing was
jailbait who’d sneaked out her bedroom window on a school night. But he was smart
enough to apologize, and we became fast friends.
“Save the look.” His expression was insulted. “You know
I’d never touch her. I have no interest there besides looking out for her as
your little sister.”
I took another drink. “What’d she have to say?”
“Oh, you should have seen her.” His eyes lit up. “There
was a whole speech, which I happily sat through.” He looked proud of himself. “She
even provided visuals.”
My brows knit together. “Visuals?”
He leaned over the bar, laughing. “She put together what
she called a ‘mood board’ of Harmony.”
I couldn’t restrain my own laughter as I loosened my tie.
“And your verdict?”
“Promised her I’d at least talk to you.”
I gave a slight nod, appreciating him appeasing her. “Good
man, but my mind is made up. She needs the city to help her grow…build the
right connections.”
He groaned. “Always about connections and business with
you. Thank God the little guy has Jax and me to show him how to live it up.”
I shot him an unimpressed glower and finished my drink. I
could’ve used a second, but I had a one-drink limit when I was on my way to pick
up Oliver.
“Look, I know it’s not my business, but it’s a good
school—a good town.”
“Then why’d you leave?” I challenged. I’d never asked him
before, and honestly I was that concerned.
“I had my reasons, but they didn’t involve Harmony itself.
I have plenty of good memories from there.”
“I’m sure.”
“Come on. You said you lived there when you were younger.”
“And I haven’t been back since,” I clarified.
“Never?” He looked stunned, as though I’d confessed to
some heinous crime.
“Why would I? My grandparents passed on, and my father
got a job here.”
“Wait.” He shook his head, bemused. “So you’ve never even
been there? I mean, where you can remember it?”
“No.” Why was that hard to believe? I traveled enough, but
not to a town that held nothing of interest.
“Well, shit, looks like we have a road trip this weekend.”
I sat back, narrowing my eyes. “No. She’s not going there,
and neither am I.”
“Come on, I’ll make sure it’s worthwhile. I know you’re
as tired of the same damn scene as I am. All the decent-looking women we have
yet to bang in this city are becoming fewer and more far between. I’m in need
of some new prospects.”
When he put it like that, sweet country girls sounded
like my type of weekend after all. I grinned, convinced.
“You’re on, but not this weekend. I’m taking Oliver to
the new exhibit on dinosaurs. Next weekend.”
His grin was triumphant. “How’s the little prince doing?”
Caleb was the only person outside my family whom I
discussed Oliver with or allowed around him. “He’s been frustrated lately,” I
answered honestly.
He laughed, pulling the rag from his shoulder and wiping
it over the bar. “Just like his old man, huh?”
I cracked another smile at the jab. “His cousin Charlie’s
already learning to play the piano.”
“Damn, that kid’s so little. What is he, two?”
“And a half, and already challenging Oliver. Katherine’s
teaching them both, but it’s not coming as easily for Oliver.”
“Katherine, mmm.” He closed his eyes, exaggerating his
crush. “I’ll never understand how that stiff brother of yours ended up with
such a
fine
specimen of woman.”
“Watch it,” I warned, which was unnecessary. Caleb had a
thing about teasing me when it came to her. He shot me a knowing smirk.
A guy a few stools down called him over for a drink. I
glanced back at the redhead still sitting, still waiting. She was in a short
black dress, which suited her well.
I pivoted on my stool and was appreciating the view she
gave of her matching black thong when she repositioned herself, spreading her
legs for the briefest moment before crossing them in the other direction. Caleb
stepped back over, moving my empty glass and replacing it with one filled with soda.
“Oliver has nothing to worry about. The little guy can
paint. That’s all he needs, as you can attest to, to appeal to the ladies.”
I held up my glass to salute him, finding just the hint
of Jack mixed in as I took a drink. He knew me too well.
“It seems it doesn’t take as much anymore,” I replied,
thinking out loud. Revealing to a woman that I was an artist was even more
effective than telling her I ran my own company, although it seemed most women
were receptive without any conversation at all.
I glanced down at my watch. Twenty until five—plenty of
time left. I grabbed my coat and stood. “Where is she?” I asked, sliding it
over my arm.
Caleb knew exactly what I was asking. He leaned forward
and spoke in a hushed voice. “Four seats down.”
With one stealthy move of my head, I saw his target: a
dark-haired beauty in a cheap grey dress. From her seated position, she was all
tits and ass. Just his type.
“Not bad. So I take it big-shot Parker’s in the hole
again?” I threw out, referring to the owner of the bar who was always owing
Caleb something. It gave Caleb a new game to play, though: using his
roleplaying exploits to pick up women. Why he had a thing for pretending to be
a struggling bartender, I didn’t know.
He grinned, shrugging a shoulder in mock innocence. “He
should be grateful. It’s free help for the bar. No better way to clear a debt.”
It was true—Parker was lucky Caleb let him pay it off by giving
him full rein of his place, and with his female patrons. Not everyone was that
lucky. Caleb had a padded bank account, but I knew he was still looking for
what he really wanted to do for a living. Because of that, he played games—both
respectable and questionable ones.
“Tell the little guy I said hi,” he said, turning away to
face his prey.
“Good luck,” I replied, though he didn’t need it. He’d
used the bartender act before on unsuspecting women who came in for a drink, hooking
them with his ‘woe is me’ bartender routine. It never led anywhere serious,
though, because he was as jaded as I was. I wasn’t sure what his story was,
which was actually the glue that bonded us. He never asked about Natasha, I
never questioned how he made his money outside the poker table, and neither of
us placed judgment. It worked well.
I took one more drink from my glass to finish it off, then
strode straight to the pert redhead.
Her expression confirmed a conversation wasn’t needed. She
dragged her gaze down my chest, stopping below my belt, and then gazed back up
at me, darting her tongue out to moisten her lips. She was eager to skip to the
main event, which worked perfectly with my time crunch.
I held out my hand and watched her broad smile lift her
features. She put her hand in mine, stood up, and followed me to the back, no
questions asked. Some women made it too easy.
When I opened the door to the small break room, I found
it empty as usual. She entered the room, looking around while I shut the door
behind us.
The soft creaminess of her breasts overflowed from the
low-cut dress that hit just under her ass. She was only looking for one thing
dressed like that, and I was more than happy to indulge her.
She moved toward me, her hands skimming over my tie. “Thanks
for the drink. It was…delicious.” Her soft voice was as fake as her breasts,
but I went with it. I turned the lock on the door and then twirled my finger,
directing her to turn around.
She did so immediately with an excited giggle. I stepped
behind her, placed my hands on her hips, and walked her forward until her front
was pressed against the wall. She was damn near giddy when I took hold of the
zipper at the base of her neck and slid it down her back in one swift movement,
watching the thin material fall to her feet. No bra—only a black satin thong.
I leaned into the back of her ear and murmured, “Put your
hands on the wall.”
Goosebumps flared over her shoulders and down her spine.
I set my coat on the table behind us and pulled a condom from the inside
pocket. Wasting no time on foreplay—which it was obvious she didn’t need—I
undid my belt, popped my fly, and slid the zipper down.
“I have somewhere to be, so this is going to be fast,” I
told her, sliding the condom onto my growing erection. My eyes focused on the
slight jiggle of her ass as she shivered with anticipation. It was all I needed
to harden fully.
She peered back over her shoulder, her head bobbing in
approval, lust clouding her dark eyes. “I want it rough,” she demanded. There
was her real voice, strong and clear. She knew what she liked, and I’d make
this enjoyable for us both.
My lip curled up. “Good.”
I stood behind her and tugged her panties to the side.
She was ready, all right: soaked.
Gripping her shoulder, I kicked open her legs, widening
her stance. I slid my hand across her front under the suppleness of her breasts,
cupping the left in my right palm, my thumb caressing her hardening nipple.
“You ready?” My voice was a hoarse whisper, spurring her
arousal.
Before she could answer, I grabbed her slim waist with my
other hand and thrust my hips forward, slamming into her with one hard stab.
I groaned, the temporary gratification enough in that
moment. She was dripping wet and looser than most, but the contact still felt
good enough to enjoy. Plunging harder, I moved my hand from her hip to her
tramp stamp and pressed down, angling her ass higher to allow me more depth.
With her body held up between me and the wall, I let my
head fall back, focusing on the feeling, the heat, and the sensation of her
skin buzzing under my grip.
“Yes…harder…” she whimpered.
I slid the hand that covered her breasts up to her neck, my
fingers rough in her short hair. She reached her arm out behind her, snaking it
around my neck to bring me closer, her sweat-glistened back about to collide
with my chest. I jerked my torso back, feet rooted in place to keep her from
doing so while still buried deep inside her. I didn’t need any closer contact,
and I wanted to avoid her scent lingering too heavily on my suit.
She gave up without a battle, dropping her arm to happily
take what I allowed. With each thrust, I pounded harder than the last, the
lurid slap of our bodies echoing around us until the brewing of my seed began
working its way to the head of my cock.
I slid my hand down the front of her panties, working her
pressure point to ensure her the same release. Her knees buckled, her face
plastered against the wall as she cried out.
My breath was harsh, heart racing from the exertion as
she climaxed over my hand, panting out incoherent slurs of pleasure. I gritted
my teeth, inhaling sharply, and slammed into her twice more before backing away
and pumping myself in my firm grasp. Even with a condom on, I never got off inside
a woman.