Holding her hand up, Dana shook her head. “Don’t even go there. I’m not going to get into this fantasy world where Ash has a crush on me and we’re soulmates. You’re all hearts and flowers, but I’m not. I’m tequila and sweaty sex. Not champagne and white weddings. I’m not going to ride off into the sunset with Mr. Wrong, nor am I trying to change him. If we decide to do the deed, then it’ll be a one-time thing that we both want. Afterwards it’ll be business as usual.”
“I don’t know . . .” Zoe said doubtfully. “I believe I thought something equally insane where Dylan was concerned. Admittedly I was in love with him. But still I was willing to take whatever he was capable of giving me as long as I had some part of him. It wasn’t long before I figured out that I wanted the whole package. I’m just lucky that he did too. But I can’t see the same happening with Ash. And I don’t want my best friend getting hurt.”
Throwing an arm around Zoe’s shoulders, Dana said, with more confidence than she felt, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Right now we just need to focus on this business dinner where I’ll be playing the girlfriend role again. You’ll be there, right?”
“Yep, I will. Dylan said that Rhett was supposed to be visiting soon. Too bad he won’t be here for the party. I don’t think you’ve met him before.”
Licking her lips to make Zoe laugh, Dana asked, “What’s up with all these hot Jackson brothers? I mean, talk about a blessed gene pool. Are there any ugly ones?”
Zoe gave her a dreamy smile in return. “Nope, there’s not. I swear, it isn’t fair to the rest of the men out there. Who would stand a chance against them? I’ve made the mistake of joking about it to Dylan and he gets kind of jealous. I’m afraid he’s going to catch me checking them out. I love the man, but come on, it’s hard not to look at that kind of eye candy.”
“Honey, believe me, I get it. Last night, Ash almost caught me looking at his crotch. I swear, I saw the outline going down his leg. That sucker must be huge. No wonder the Brittanys of the world keep coming back for more. I’m surprised the poor girl wasn’t bowlegged. Or at least walking around holding her back.”
“Really?” Zoe grinned. “No—wait, I didn’t need to know that. Now my eyes will automatically go there the next time I see him and I’ll really be in trouble.” Lowering her voice, she whispered, “Like how far down are we talking here?”
When Dana placed her hand down her thigh, Zoe’s eyes widened. “No way. Dylan’s a big boy, but if what you’re saying is true, Ash is a freak of nature. Was he hard?”
Dana gaped at her normally shy friend. Marrying Dylan had certainly brought her out of her shell. Their conversations had never been this graphic before and Dana loved the change. “I said I looked, not that I touched. We’d just finished dinner, so I’m kind of doubting he was. Unless he really got off on the lasagna. Plus, after Rosa and I spent so much time insulting his past dates, I’d think his pecker would have retreated inwards if anything.”
Pursing her lips, Zoe admitted, “That’s pretty impressive then. Good grief, imagine how big that sucker must be in all its full glory. You’re a brave woman for even considering it. I’d put my hand over my crotch and run like hell.” Then slapping her hand over her mouth, she added, “Oh shit, you know he’s probably into anal. There’s no way things would go back to normal after something like that. I swear, if you decide to sleep with him, you better make it known beforehand that you consider that strictly an exit. I don’t want to see you sitting on one of those plastic donut cushions at the shop because my brother-in-law messed you up for life. Workers comp doesn’t cover stuff like that.”
By the time Zoe finished her tirade, Dana was leaning against a potted plant holding her sides. She was laughing so hard that tears coursed down her cheeks. “You—nut,” she managed to gasp out. “He’s not . . . putting that . . . monster there. And when did you become the expert on that, my friend? Have you and Dylan been taking a walk on the backside?”
“Of course not!” Zoe huffed.
Her friend’s pink cheeks had Dana laughing harder. “Thou dost protest a bit too much. Come on, this is me you’re talking to. If you and big D have been getting freaky, you can tell me. This is a judgment-free zone.” Truthfully Dana was kind of impressed that her formerly repressed friend and longtime virgin was apparently experimenting with something that a lot of women weren’t comfortable doing. To Dana, it was all about trust. If you had a partner who you knew would make it good for you, then why not?
“It was just a finger,” Zoe whispered. “I haven’t been brave enough to go beyond that, and Dylan would never pressure me. I’m not sure if it’ll ever happen, but I enjoyed what we did.”
“That’s all that counts,” Dana assured her. “If you both like it, then that’s all that matters. There’s no right or wrong in the bedroom between consenting adults. If you want to explore something new, then go for it. Dylan will always take care of you. If it’s something you don’t want, then all you need to do is talk to him about it. You two were friends long before you were lovers, so communication shouldn’t be an issue.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing.” Zoe shrugged. “At first I had a hard time communicating with him about stuff like that, but it’s gotten easier. And he always asks me first about it when we try new things.”
“You’ve got yourself a good man.” Dana smiled, wondering why she felt a pang in her heart at her friend’s good fortune. She’d never wanted a relationship like that. She didn’t need a guy to take care of her. Or to worry about her needs. She was far from the virgin that Zoe had been until she’d slept with Dylan. Naturally he would be concerned about his wife seeing as he was her first and only. But Dana was a more experienced woman. Sure, there’d been a real lack of good sex in her life, especially recently. But the possibility was out there. She just had to find it.
She knew that Ash would give her more than she could handle, but despite her assurances to the contrary, she wasn’t sure how she’d deal with the possible aftermath. Would she be able to bear seeing Ash with another woman soon after sleeping with him? She’d always made certain not to have sex with a guy at work. And even though they didn’t technically have the same employer, she would still see him every day. When Zoe nudged her in the shoulder and pointed toward a nearby store, Dana pushed her thoughts of Ash aside. She didn’t have to make a decision today. Besides, he probably wasn’t even interested in her like that.
Ash felt like a schoolboy about to be scolded by his father. It was apparent from the glare that Dylan was leveling upon him that a lecture was imminent, and he didn’t have to wait long. “You absolutely can’t fuck Dana,” Dylan snapped. “You know she’s Zoe’s best friend. Do you realize that anything you do to her will come back to bite me in the ass? My wife will be pissed if it ends badly, and we both know that it will. You’ve had a woman piss on your towels, for God’s sake. What could you possibly have done for that to happen?”
Ash shrugged before he answered. “I believe I called her by the wrong name. Or maybe I told her to leave without asking her name . . . or her number. Hell, I don’t really remember. The mornings after sometimes start to blur together.”
Dylan shot him an incredulous look before he asked, “You’ve had more than one woman pee on your stuff? Fuck, tell me they didn’t do anything else.”
Ash couldn’t help laughing at his brother’s disgusted expression. “To my knowledge, they never wiped their ass. I’m smart enough to throw my toothbrush away every time. I’ve seen enough chick flicks to know they always stick those in the toilet and put them back.”
Dylan slumped back in the chair in front of Ash’s desk, shaking his head. “I can honestly say I’ve never given that any thought. And I’ve certainly had my share of one-night stands.” His brother looked a little green around the gills when he added, “Damn, that would explain some questions I’ve had before. I actually caught one girl with my toothbrush in her hand, but she put it back quickly saying she’d accidentally picked it up.”
“Dude,” Ash scoffed. “Tell me you didn’t use it after that. She’d just put that sucker somewhere, count on it.” Ash was afraid his brother was going to barf at any moment.
“I didn’t have any reason to think she was lying. Who does that?”
“A woman you fuck and then blow off,” Ash replied. “They don’t call them ‘women scorned’ for nothing. See, men think very straightforward, but women are diabolical. They’ll do evil shit to you that you’d never think about. They don’t want to be straight up about it. They’d rather be at a bar that night laughing to their girlfriends about the wreck they left behind in your apartment. That’s why I don’t drink after I’ve had someone over or eat a meal they’ve prepared. Basically don’t put anything in your mouth that they’ve had in their hands. If I get a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and the seal’s been broken, then that sucker is going in the trash. I’d never have thought of checking the linen closet, but after pee girl, I’ve since learned to put the expensive stuff away and leave only the cheap hand towels out. Those can just be thrown away.”
“Holy hell,” Dylan marveled. “There’s no telling what I’ve ingested through the years. I knew some of my dates were disgruntled when I didn’t ask them out a second time, but I didn’t give it a lot of thought. Hell, no wonder that woman Erica and her friends looked so amused when I ran into them a few months back. She was so fucking pissed when I failed to ask for her number that she tossed her shoes at my head. Then I see her in a restaurant while I’m at a business dinner and she’s laughing her head off.”
“Man, you totally got screwed.” Ash nodded. “She got your ass back somehow and you’ll never know what she did. I swear, women should be in charge of planning and fighting all wars because they’d never need guns. If the enemy was male, they could outthink him in the blink of an eye. The dude would be begging for mercy.”
“No kidding.” Dylan shivered. “I’d have been happy never knowing what they’re capable of. Now back to our previous conversation about Dana. Tell me you aren’t thinking about going there. There’s no shortage of females in Florida. So why would you consider looking this close to your home base? You know better than to muddy the waters. Didn’t you learn anything from Fiona?”
Ash froze in shock. It was an unspoken rule that no one mentioned that name to him, especially his own brothers. Dylan’s apologetic look let him know that it hadn’t been planned. Keeping his voice steady, he said, “That was different and you know it. To begin with, I was a lot younger and considerably dumber. I still believed in the whole soulmate bullshit. I’ve since learned better. When and if I sleep with Dana, it will be a mutual decision about nothing but sex. I think you’re concerned for nothing. She’s a lot more like me than you all seem to realize. She doesn’t do serious relationships either.”
Dylan shook his head. “She dated that asshole Paul for quite a while. I remember her being pretty giddy when they got back together. It didn’t look like just a physical thing. I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but possibly you should check your source.”
“You do realize that you can actually date someone and not fall in love or have any desire to get married, right?” Ash pointed out. “I’ve actually gone out with the same woman more than once before. If there’s a good physical connection and no expectations, then there’s no reason that things can’t continue for a while. You did the same thing back in your dating days. Hell, if not for Zoe, you’d still be doing it.”
“True,” Dylan conceded. “I know you’re both adults and I can’t tell you what to do. But be careful. She’s a pain in my ass, but I don’t want to see Dana get hurt. Nor do I want some big awkward scene around here. I won’t even mention the fact that she could probably kick both our asses if she was pissed off.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Ash laughed. “Oh, yeah, I wanted to let you know I’m going to talk to Bart and his demon seed tonight. I’m not letting Claudia get away with that shit she pulled in Zoe’s shop. She spit her coffee out all over Dana like she was ten years old.”
“Yeah, I heard all about it,” Dylan snapped. “It’s fucking ridiculous. I was planning to have a word with her myself even though, from the sound of it, my wife more than handled things.”
“Can you imagine Claudia getting kicked out by security?” Ash chuckled. “I don’t know about you, but that’s one piece of footage that I can’t wait to watch. I think I’ll fix some popcorn tonight and make an event out of it.”
“Already beat you to it,” Dylan smirked. “It was even better than you could imagine. She was flailing around like she was having some type of attack. I could practically hear her shrieking at the poor guys. Needless to say, I’ve already given them a raise. They never hesitated when Zoe called them. Anyone else might have panicked at escorting a family member out. I’ll forward the video to you. That is—if you can fit it in around those chick flicks you mentioned watching. Don’t think I missed that. Since when are you into those? I guess you read those Nicholas Sparks books that Zoe loves so much. I mean, I can see a little Fifty Shades because a lot of men are intrigued by those movies, but seriously, bro, aren’t there enough violent action flicks out there to keep you entertained? Only married guys are excused for doing stuff like that.”
Sheepishly, Ash admitted, “Rosa has those on a lot for what she calls ‘background noise.’ She gets kind of pissed when I turn them off. So I might have seen a few minutes here and there.”
Raising a brow, Dylan stated, “You’re scared of her.” Holding up a hand, he added, “Not that I blame you. She intimidates me too. The last time I was at your apartment, I used the bathroom. When I opened the door, she was standing right there almost nose to nose with me. She demanded to know if I made a mess of the floor.”
Ash couldn’t help it; he started laughing. “She’s rather obsessed with urine. I think she was more traumatized than she’d care to admit over the whole pee on the towels thing. She claims she has trained her husband to wipe his dick instead of shaking it off. She said she wasn’t put on this earth to have piss standing around the toilet. I can’t bring myself to go sissy for her, but I make damn sure to clean up after myself. It’s not worth the grief I catch if I don’t.”
“I ran like hell that day.” Dylan shuddered. “I was afraid she’d find something and stick my face in it.”
“I can tell you, it wouldn’t be pretty.” Ash shook his head. “But if you and Zoe ever need any help around the house, you should think about hiring her to clean your place. She’d have you potty trained in no time at all. I’ll have a lot of free time on my hands after all since you’re telling me I have to stay away from Dana. I can just do my own cleaning so my dear brother can benefit from it.”
Dylan got quickly to his feet. “You’re a grown man, do whatever the hell you want. Just keep Rosa away from me. I don’t need to stress over the situation with Dana anyway because if you screw up, my wife will hand your ass to you.” With those words, Dylan walked back out of his office. Ash took a quick look at his watch and decided there was no time like the present to have a talk with the family. Might as well get that ass chapping out of the way so that he could focus on more pleasant matters—like Dana. He might be making a huge mistake, but it never hurt to test the waters. She might not even be interested. After all, he’d gone out of his way to make sure she hated his guts. It didn’t really matter to him either way. He could find someone else, no big deal. The fact that he’d resorted to lying to himself should have been a red flag, but instead, he swept it aside and tried to convince himself that he was still firmly in control.
Eight
Ash fought the urge to roll his eyes when Bart answered the door wearing a pink polo shirt and bright green shorts. No doubt he’d spent the day on a golf course somewhere. Working never seemed to be a priority for him. Even when he was asking for money to finance his next get-rich-quick scheme, he never actually put much effort into it. Ash and his brothers could probably have retired years ago if not for supporting their mother and her second family. “Just the person I want to see,” Ash said tightly.
He generally tried to avoid the other man, so even Bart appeared surprised by his statement. “You do?” the other man asked warily. “What can I do for you, Asher?”
Ignoring his question, Ash walked around him and into the foyer. “Let’s talk in the living room. Is Claudia home? I’d like for her to join us as well since this concerns her.” Ash took a seat in one of the wingback chairs and Bart perched on the nearby couch.
“No, she’s not here,” Bart huffed. “She’s still upset over what happened at your damned hotel. I sent her shopping with her friends to relax. Do you have any idea how much she’s been through lately? There was the fall at dinner, then she was mauled by your security guards. I’ve a good mind to sue the resort for that,” he blustered.
Ash counted to ten, trying to rein in his temper. Finally when he was somewhat in control, he said, “Isn’t that a bit like biting the hand that feeds you? I’m sure you realize that we own the Oceanix. So you’d actually be filing legal papers against your stepsons. The same ones who provide you with this house that you’re living in and the money in your pocket. Should I go on?”
Bart’s face paled as he picked up on the steely inflection in Ash’s voice. The man might be many things, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew well that he was on a train heading for derailment if he didn’t backtrack fast. “Um—I meant no offense to you personally, Ash. I’m just saying that the whole thing was unnecessary. Claudia was simply asking for another coffee when the first one was prepared incorrectly. I have no idea why Dylan’s wife took such offense to that. Hasn’t she heard that the customer is always right? I’m surprised she has any business at all. I realize that your girlfriend works there as well and you’re trying to defend her, but don’t you think that they took things a little too far? Since when do you toss family out for a thing like that?”