Unless you count Magnus.
And part of me wants to count Magnus.
But the larger part of me doesn’t because I’m not sure what is there to count.
I groan under my breath as I wiggle the key into the lock of room 112 and take in the stale scent of the brown carpet, damp-stained velvet accented wallpaper, and a general feeling of dread.
I perch on the end of the bed and stare at the square box of a TV, complete with foil wrapped antenna, certain that the faded floral comforter on the bed would never pass the body fluids black-light test.
So this is it. Home sweet home.
Chapter Five
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MAGNUS
“Westwood Gallery called.” Cindy greets me with a smile as I step into the lobby of Renault Wines. She’s taking messages from the after hours’ voicemail at the front lobby reception desk. “Angela or Anita or something.” Cindy’s off-hand manner irritates me this morning.
It’s not even seven a.m. but we’re both the first ones here every day. This may not be my life’s work, but I’m happy to be helping my sister achieve her dream. She has a passion for wine, and since her second husband died two years ago from a brain tumor, she’s been slowly but surely rebuilding her life.
I’ve always had a deep paternal streak, a need to help and care for people. Animals too, for that matter. My sister has a good heart and hasn’t had the best of luck in life through no fault of her own. Her first marriage ended in a divorce from a cheating asshole who I made sure understood the error of his ways before he disappeared at my direction. So using my business skills and anything else I’ve got to help her get this little venture up and running has come at the perfect time for us both.
The hairs on my arms tingle when she says the gallery called. My dick also thickens and my balls jerk tight. The mere mention of the gallery name has me needing a cold shower, and it wasn’t even her that called.
I correct my sister. “Her name’s Andrea. What was the message?” I try to play it cool, but my sister’s got a line on me.
She smirks, picking up the piece of paper where she’s written down the message and regards it for a long moment before she speaks. “They called to say ‘why the hell don’t you just go and ask her out already?’ Or, I don’t know, marry her or whatever the hell the men in this family do on a first date. Dad had Mom roped in and at the church two weeks after he met her. What’s taking you so long? This has been going on for months. We don’t have any more wall space for all these posters you’re getting framed, Magnus. Don’t pretend. That day I went in there with you? You practically drooled all over yourself when she came out to wait on us. You’re gone for her, brother. Be a man and go get what you want.” She holds the paper out in my direction and raises an eyebrow. “What you deserve.”
I ignore her editorial. “What did they actually say?” I try to hide my annoyance.
She lets out a long breath and pinches her lips to the side before answering. “They said they have a question about your order. That’s all.”
“Fine.” My voice lowers, the simple thought of my Cassie sends me into a different state of mind. My dark desires for such a sweet young girl must be wrong, but on the other hand, I want everything good for her in this world. I want her every dream to come true and I want to be the one with her every step of the way.
“Magnum.” My sister’s voice pokes me out of my daydream with the nickname she knows I despise.
I tighten my lips and fill my chest with a deep breath, meeting her eyes without a word.
“You deserve to be happy. You can’t blame yourself forever. You dedicated your life to the business. What happened was an accident Magnus. A tragic accident. You think you have to suffer, that somehow it’s your duty. You haven’t been interested in a woman for so long I can’t even remember. And the last year...” She steps over to brush something off my shoulder then reaches up to swat my face with a playful smack. I raise my brow looking down. My little sister has attitude, that’s for certain. “Over the last year you’ve been the walking dead. Snap out of it. I see it in your eyes. The Leonard men don’t play around when it comes to their women; they see what they want and they go after it. I remember Dad even said he knew the first second he’d laid eyes on Mom. Said he never even been interested in dating before her. He knew the right one would come along and he waited. You’ve waited long enough. You’ve suffered. Go be happy. Please.”
When she looks up at me I pull her in for a quick side hug. Why I needed her words to push me I’m not sure. Her reminding me of mom and dad tipped the scales.
Suddenly, it’s like a switch goes off. The court case is settled, I’m done waiting. I make my way out the front door on my way to claim what I know is already mine.
My sweet Angel.
It’s almost eight when I get there –they open at nine– and just the thought of her has my ears buzzing and blood flowing. After yesterday, after touching her for the first time, I’ve had a near constant erection.
When the door opens at the gallery at nine a.m., I’m waiting. When Andrea tells me Cassie is gone, I nearly stop breathing until she tells me where she is. She’s been transerred. By 9:03, I’m back in my car, heading her way.
Chapter Six
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CHASTITY
After a fitful night of near zero sleep, I came out to turn the key in the ignition of the Corolla. But any luck I had left offically ran out this morning, because the ole girl clicked and that was it. Swallowing my pride, I found the same clerk in the office and asked if there was anyone that could jump my car battery. Without looking up from his dog-eared issue of Barely Legal, he pointed to a corkboard on which there was a local bus schedule posted.