Chapter 6
“I’ve actually never been to a cat’s birthday party. Are you sure I look the part?” I tug on the hem of my hot-pink micro dress, shimmying it over my nearly exposed ass.
I might have been a little too ambitious with the micro dress, but, hey, how many chances will I get to attend a billionaire cat’s twenty-first birthday party? And I am nothing if not committed to a theme.
His eyes flash over me for the briefest moment before darting back to the road. “They didn’t have anything a little more decent? You look like a stripper.” He tightens his grip on the steering wheel, and his jaw tenses like he’s biting his tongue from saying anything else.
He’s not wrong. I was pressed for time, and when I came across Adult Store, conveniently located among the conventional shops downtown, I knew that I couldn’t get more Vegas-themed than that. I was hoping it’d make him squirm, and by the way he keeps adjusting himself, I’d say my evil plan is working.
Besides, if I’m doing this for the plot, I might as well have all the fun I can, right?
Ignoring his rude comment, I pull down the visor mirror and fluff my wavy, teased hair before applying my new bright pink lip gloss I also picked up today. “You know, it’s funny; I’m almost the same age as your family cat. I never went out for my twenty-first birthday, so this is sort of my first big hurrah too.”
“For Christ’s sake, Ivy, please do not repeat that sentence to anyone here tonight.” He scrubs his hand over his face before massaging his temple. “I already feel enough like a creep; let’s not point out the numbers and have everyone doing the math.”
“Oh, come on. Lots of girls my age find older guys hot. There’s no need to feel insecure about it?—”
“I said, drop it, okay?” His words come out clipped and commanding, eliciting the strangest tingle of excitement deep in my belly.
What the hell was that?
I sit up a little straighter, pressing my thighs together, where the evidence of my confusion pools in my panties.
Rolling my eyes, I snap the visor shut. “Fine. I won’t go out of my way to point out our thirteen-year age gap. Anything else, Daddy?”
My body jolts forward for only a moment before the hard barrier of my seat belt snaps me back against my seat when Leo slams on the brakes. My chest heaves for air from the shock, but when I turn to look at Leo, I find him glaring at me. His green eyes are laced with darkness as his jaw clenches so hard that his muscles spasm.
“What was that about? Did you almost hit something?” I ask through panicked heaves as I try to calm my wheezing before it gets any worse.
A moment of silence passes as his fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “Do not call me that again. Ever,” he says with a growl.
My eyes scan his guarded frame as I try to understand his reaction. He’s so rigid and tight, like every muscle in his body is tense and wound in a hard knot. But then I notice the tips of his ears tinted pink and his own heavy breathing.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Leo Kingsley has a sneaky little secret kink, and I just hit the nail on the head.
Oh shit, this is going to be even more fun than I thought.
A small smirk pulls at my lips, but I quickly cover it with my hand before he notices. “Sure thing. Freudian slip, I guess. It won’t happen again.”
I dart my eyes away from him and busy myself with another layer of body glitter, and this time, he doesn’t chastise me, even when I accidentally spill some on the seat.
We finally pull through the iron gates of his family home, if you can even call it that. An ornate Victorian-style home is lit up with cozy twinkling lights as the soft rumble of music vibrates around us. There’s a huge wraparound porch with a basketball hoop just off the side and a large circle driveway, where I suspect the family parks. I can imagine his parents sitting on the front porch, drinking coffee as they watch their gaggle of teenage boys out in the yard, throwing a football or playing a game of basketball together. I don’t have to know Leo’s brothers to know they have to be competitive.
If I were to ever settle down and start a family, I don’t think I could dream of a more perfect picture than this. It’s beautiful, and it feels like home the moment we pull into the drive.
A knot forms in my throat, and I cough to clear it away. What is with these weird bodily reactions today? First, I got aroused by Leo scolding me for dressing too sexy, and now, I’m getting emotional over a house.
Go home, hormones. You’re drunk.
Leo clears his throat, breaking the silence, and I’m thankful to be pulled from my thought spiral.
“You remember the script, right?”
I nod.
“Okay, because there will be a lot of important people here tonight, and if we blow this, then I’m afraid I might be worse off than I was to begin with.” He clears his throat again. “I’m sorry about … back there. I … I just don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. You’re a beautiful young woman with your whole life ahead of you, but I could see how people could think …” His voice trails off, and I place my hand on his arm to stop him.
“It’s no one’s business anyway.”
My eyes meet his, and I catch a flash of something that looks like hope, but then he looks away.
“Relax. People love me.” I grab his bow tie and straighten it, daring him to look back at me, but he doesn’t.
“I mean it, Ivy. This is important to me. I don’t know what I’d do if all this blew up in my face. Promise me you won’t go rogue, that you’ll stick to the plan.”
I roll my eyes. “I promise to be a very good girl tonight.”
He grumbles something under his breath and walks around to open my door. But I don’t miss the way his heated neck burns brightly under his black collared shirt or the fire burning behind his jade-green eyes when I step out of the car. Leo Kingsley might be the strictest of rule followers, but I think I just made it my newfound mission to push him until he breaks.
You know, for health reasons. All that pent-up stress needs to come out somehow, doesn’t it?
I tuck my hand in the crook of his elbow as he leads me up the cobblestone path to the entrance.
“Where did we meet?”
“At a charity event last summer. We bonded over a deep conversation about climate change, spent the whole weekend together, and parted ways as long-distance lovers,” I answer without missing a beat.
“Don’t say lovers. That’s weird.”
“What am I supposed to call it? We fell in love, didn’t we? You want me to say we were pen pals? Sexting buddies?”
He holds up his hand. “Just stop. We were in a long-distance relationship. There’s no reason to elaborate on what that looked like.”
“I think the people want to know how we went from a weekend together to engaged, Leo. If there wasn’t any phone sex, then?—”
“Please don’t talk about phone sex. It’s not the crowd. This is my family and all our closest friends who might as well be family.” He rubs his temples.
I shrug. “Fine, but if they ask, then I can’t make any promises. You want this to be believable, then we definitely had phone sex.”
“Trust me, they won’t ask. Now, let’s just get this over with.” He opens the door, revealing a scene straight out of a Vegas nightclub—the ones I’ve seen on TV anyway.
We walk through the foyer, passing a burlesque dancer holding a tray of shrimp cocktail, and I swipe one off the tray as I follow Leo into the living room. My eyes go wide as I take in all the characters. There are so many people here, and some of these costumes look like the real thing.
There’s an oversized cage big enough for a tiger in the middle of the space, and I spot an orange cat curled up on the small platform, fast asleep. It’s hilarious how he seems so unbothered, the large metal bars are easily spaced wide enough for him to walk through if he wanted to get away, but he looks too comfortable sitting atop his plush throne.
“Leo!” Mary calls out as she rushes to us with a martini in hand.
Leo’s mom’s wearing a crown-shaped birthday hat and a sequins sheath dress that falls to her knees. She looks classy and timeless and is even more beautiful than last time I saw her.
“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you came.” She waves someone over, and a few moments later, Frank appears, wearing a white Elvis jumpsuit, complete with a wig and platform boots to match.
“Ivy, you remember my parents,” Leo starts, but they’re already hugging me.
“We’re so happy you could make it! I can’t think of a more perfect event for you to meet everyone. Leo, make sure you make the rounds. Everyone has been dying to meet your future bride,” Mary says as she hugs Leo.
“Mrs. Kingsley, this is incredible.”
“Please call me Mary. I think it came together rather nicely. We had a few hiccups with the entertainment, but I think it all worked out in the end. We love any excuse to bring people together, don’t we, Frank?”
His slow nod says everything he doesn’t. The man is so smitten with his wife that he’d do anything to make her smile. Even throw a cat’s twenty-first birthday party.
“Which reminds me, we really need to start talking about your wedding shower … and then there’s the bachelor and bachelorette parties …”
She looks to Leo, bubbling with excitement, and to my absolute shock, the ice man cracks a smile but quickly course corrects.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ivy and I are taking our engagement slow.”
“You know it wouldn’t kill you to show a little enthusiasm every now and then. I’d hate to think you were actually happy,” Frank teases, and the remnants of Leo’s smile fade into a hard line.
“Oh, trust me, he was bursting with excitement just before we came.” I squeeze Leo’s bicep and wink.
Leo stiffens. “She doesn’t mean it like that—” he starts to argue, but Frank just laughs and shakes his head.
“I knew I liked you. It takes a strong, confident woman to be with a Kingsley man. We’re a stubborn breed—that’s for sure.”
He plants a kiss on Mary’s cheek, and her whole face lights up. It’s the cutest fucking thing, watching them so clearly in love. If I ever settle down and it’s not like that, then I don’t want it.
It might not be my twenty-first birthday and technically not Vegas, but the party checks all the boxes in my book. Besides, I think Fern would make an exception if she were here to see this.
The music grows louder as a Britney Spears drag queen impersonator steps up to perform on the small platform in the center of the room, and we all spin to watch her. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. Between the bass of the music vibrating in my chest and the flashing lights, I feel like I’m really in Vegas watching a show. I don’t even want to know how much work went into this party tonight, much less the cost of turning their living room into a Vegas nightclub.
Ever since I crossed the county line into Ashford Falls, it’s like Fern’s list has come alive and is creating every opportunity written on it. At this pace, I’ll be finished with the entire thing by the time the festival rolls around and I leave for Transylvania.
The thought of completing it and moving on to whatever’s next sends a wave of panic straight to my chest, and I instinctively rub my palm over my aching heart.
It’s rare that I don’t have the list with me, but I didn’t exactly have a place to put it in this tiny dress. I couldn’t even wear a bra because the cutout in the back, and my nipples are rubbing themselves raw with every brush against the sequins.
“What’s wrong? Is it too much? Do you need some air?” Leo’s deep voice whispers in my ear, sending chills up my neck.
This man doesn’t miss anything, does he? How is he already so perceptive to my changes in mood when we only just met?
I shake my head and brush the ache away. Thankful for his well-timed distraction, I wrap my hands around his neck and pull him closer. He stares at me with a concerned look, like he’s trying to solve a puzzle, like he’s not buying my act for one second.
That’s ridiculous, Ivy. He doesn’t even know you. It’s just the way his face looks. Stop making this bigger than it is.
I sway my hips to the music, ignoring his questioning stare as I look up at his massive frame that’s encompassing me like a protective barrier, shielding me from the mass of dancing bodies. It’s so dark and loud now with only a spotlight shining on the stage; we might as well be the only ones in the room.
He doesn’t tear his gaze away as he studies me like he’s just waiting for me to crack again. But I’m nothing if not a professional. Even the observant Leo Kingsley is no match for my ability to avoid the pain of my grief.
I spin around him as I dance to the music while he stands stiff as a statue, but his gaze doesn’t waver as he watches me.
“Come on, Leo. Dance with me,” I yell over the music.
He shakes his head. “I don’t dance.”
“Shocker.” I roll my eyes, then spin around so my ass is pressed against him and begin to grind in a slow rhythm to the beat of the music.
“What are you … doing?”
His hands move to my hips, and he squeezes, like he doesn’t know whether to push me away or press me into him. I make the decision for him when I press my ass against him harder and fold at the waist as I begin to twerk.
“Jesus Christ, Ivy.” He clenches my waist, then pushes me away … but not before I feel the hard length of his cock through the thin layer of fabric of my dress.
We’re both breathless now as I give him a playful grin. “Relax. I’m just having a little fun. It’s what people in love do, remember?” I walk my fingers up the panel of his tux and run my hands over his freshly shaven jaw. “You’re too uptight. They’re never going to believe you’re getting laid if you keep scowling like that. You need to loosen up. Have a little fun.”
“Who says I’m not having fun? You don’t even know me.” His nostrils flare, and he holds perfectly still as I run my fingers through his dark, wavy hair.
I shake my head and laugh. “If this is you being fun, then I’d hate to see you angry.”
The music blends into an Elton John song, and I pull his hands. “Come on. You can at least handle a slow song.”
To my absolute shock, he follows me to the middle of the floor and pulls me into him as he begins leading me in a slow dance. I narrow my eyes, and he just shrugs.
“What? I didn’t say I couldn’t dance, just that I didn’t.”
I follow his lead as he spins me around and circles his arms around me like a goddamn professional.
“Someone has a hidden talent, doesn’t he?” I tease.
“Mom made all of us take ballroom dancing classes every summer. Said it was important for men to know how to be gentle and graceful.” He leans in and whispers, “But I always thought she enjoyed torturing us after having to watch all of our sports.”
His thumb moves in soft circles over my hip, and now, my heart is catapulting in my chest.
“I’m with Mary on this one. I think a man who can dance is sexy. She did you a favor, my guy.” I wink, and he shakes his head, letting out a small sigh before sending me twirling me in a circle.
When I snap back to his chest, I suck in a breath of surprise, which seems to please him because I catch the slightest twitch of a smirk pull at the corner of his lips. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.
“You’re good at this, you know.” His voice comes out slow and deep.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Good at what?”
“Pretending. They really like you.”
He dips me, then traces fingers up my leg, but is careful to stop just above my knee. My pussy clenches in excitement, and it’s all I can do to keep dancing. What the hell is happening to me?
Leo guides us through another slow dance effortlessly, and I only trip a few times, but thanks to his strong arms holding me upright, you can’t even tell. And when the song comes to an end, the lights slowly turn on, and I realize everyone’s staring at us.
“Good idea,” he whispers in my ear, his warm breath tickling the skin on my neck.
“I told you those dancing lessons were a good idea,” Mary says from behind me, then grabs my hand and tugs me away. “Come with me, Ivy. I want you to meet everyone.”
Once I get a few feet away from Leo, I’m able to shake the fog from my brain and finally think a little more clearly.
What’s in that cologne he’s wearing? Some kind of pheromone voodoo? Or is it this place that has me all turned around and inside out?
I follow her on shaky legs through the living room and into the kitchen, where a group of people are laughing around the massive kitchen island. It’s brighter in here, and I immediately recognize Dr. Stone and one of Leo’s brothers from the hospital.
“You remember Dr. Stone. This is his wife, Evelyn, our lovely mayor and my best friend since childhood.”
I shake each of their hands.
“And that’s Roman, our middle son. Who’s gone above and beyond helping me with this party.”
Roman waves, then pops the top of his beer. “It’s no big deal. You know I’m always happy to help,” he says with a grin.
I can’t help but notice how similar he looks to Leo, but in reverse. He’s all smiles while Leo’s signature facial expression is a judgmental scowl.
It almost reminds me of the way Fern and I were so opposite, but Ferny wasn’t grumpy like Leo, just intense and mysterious. Maybe that’s the happy medium.
“This is Silas, Dr. and Mrs. Stone’s oldest—a pseudo cousin, if you will,” Roman says as he points out the others.
There are so many names; I doubt I’ll remember everyone, but I do my best to make small talk.
“Mary, you’ve outdone yourself with this party! A true experience, as always,” a voluptuous, older redheaded woman says as she kisses her on each cheek.
Mary looks around and shrugs. “Thank you, Miss Scarlett. I’m just happy to be surrounded by all these friendly faces. This town really is special, isn’t it?”
“That it is,” she agrees before turning to Roman. “Now, a little birdie told me you’re still looking for someone to volunteer to plan this year’s Phantom Festival. Is that true? Please tell me you haven’t waited to start planning. It’s the hundredth anniversary and the biggest charity event of the year. We can’t disappoint all the organizations who depend on us for funding.”
Roman’s eyes widen as he looks at Leo in a silent plea for help.
“Not at all, Miss Scarlett. I don’t know where you’re getting your information from these days, but I assure you the Phantom Festival will be better than ever this year. We’ve got a committee of volunteers working on it, and there’s no need to worry.”
Miss Scarlett lets out a heavy sigh and nods her head in relief. “Good. I’m so happy to hear that. I have to tell you, when Shir—ahem, the birdie told me, I started to panic. It’d have been a disaster if that were true. No one could plan something that big in less than four weeks.” She taps Leo on the arm and laughs. “It’s the hundredth anniversary. I’d hate for the town to drop the ball on such an important date. Not to mention, we wouldn’t want to anger the Phantom, now would we?”
I catch the slight twitch in Leo’s jaw before he plasters on a fake smile.
“Let’s not ruin my mother’s beautiful party with silly ghost stories. I assure you, the festival will be a hit, just as it is every year.” His words come out firm and final, cutting the conversation off right there.
“Well then, I’m happy to hear. I’ll have to tell Shir—the birdie to stop with the fear-mongering rumors. Lord knows this town doesn’t need any help in that department,” she says with a laugh, and everyone joins in, though I’m not sure why it’s funny.
Consider my interest piqued.
“And don’t you look beautiful tonight?” Miss Scarlett nods in my direction, taking the conversation in a complete one-eighty. “I don’t think I’ve seen Leo take his eyes off you all evening.” She winks.
“At one point, I thought we were going to have to pull Leo off of her and spray him with a water hose to cool him down,” Frank adds teasingly.
“Well, with moves like that, how’s a girl supposed to resist? I had no idea he could dance that well,” I say with a laugh.
“Didn’t you two meet at a gala?” Roman snaps his fingers as he thinks. “The fundraiser for the children’s hospital?—?”
“We didn’t really have time for dancing. We got lost in conversation about climate change,” Leo quickly adds, covering my mistake.
His eyes shoot daggers at me, and just like that, he’s back to his rigid, grumpy self.
“Oh? Isn’t that romantic?” Roman laughs and claps Leo on the shoulder. “Leave it to my brother to go up to someone and woo them through intellectual conversation.”
“Oh, trust me, we did more than talking. We spent the entire weekend together. I could barely keep him off me, if you know what I mean. Seems Leo here got a taste of something he liked.” I nudge him in the ribs, and he grabs my arm and tucks it down by my side, holding it there when I try to squirm free.
“It wasn’t exactly the lust-filled haze Ivy’s making it out to be. We built a deep connection of respect and trust. Took things slow and long-distance for a while.” He nods his head as he looks at me, as if making sure I’m following him. “Eventually, deeper feelings grew, and Ivy decided to move here to be with me.”
I don’t miss the way Frank and Roman exchange a skeptical glance. He’s making it sound so robotic and boring, like the least romantic connection ever. It’s not believable, and even if it were, it’s not doing what he thinks it is, convincing his dad he’s not all work and no play.
I’ve got to spice things up if I want them to believe this.
“We had lots of phone sex,” I blurt out. Leo tightens his grip on my elbow, but I keep going. “Trust me when I say, this man right here knows how to dirty talk.”
“No, that’s hardly?—”
“He can bring me to orgasm without even touching my body. I’m talking the whole shebang, full-body tingles and?—”
His hand covers my mouth before I can finish, and then he’s pulling me away. “Excuse me. I just need a moment alone with my fiancée.”
He pulls me into a small bathroom down the hall and closes the door behind us. He spins me around to face him. “What the hell are you doing? I said to stick to the script!” he hisses.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m helping you, giving them something believable!” I shove him in his hard chest, but he doesn’t even flinch. “You’re making it seem too rigid and … contractual or something. They’re not buying it, Leo. And even if they did, that’s not the type of love your dad wants for you.”
“You don’t know anything about what my dad wants or me for that matter. I asked you to stick to the script. Why is that so hard?”
“Because I can read people, and I’m telling you, they aren’t buying it. How many years have you spent doing things your way? And how’s that working out for you?”
His jaw tics, but he doesn’t say anything.
I take a step back and cross my arms over my chest. “Let me help you. Let me make you seem fun. What’s the worst that can happen? Your dad won’t name you as his replacement?”
His nostrils flare, and he scans up my body slowly. There’s that look from before, only this time, he doesn’t hide it; instead, he stares into me so intently that I don’t know whether to move closer to him or run.
“Fine, but keep it PG. I don’t need my family knowing intimate details of my bedroom skills, whether they’re made up or not.”
A victorious smile spreads over my face, and I leap to hug him, wrapping my arms around his massive center. He stiffens for a moment, and then to my surprise, he pats me a couple of times, and it’s probably the closest thing to a hug I’ll get, but I take it as a good sign nonetheless.
“I’m going to make you look so good, just wait and see.”
“Somehow, I feel like I’m going to regret this.”
It isn’t hard to see that Leo’s uptight and takes everything too seriously, but after watching him interact with his family, I realize it’s worse than I expected. It’s like he keeps these walls up around him and doesn’t let anyone really see him.
Now, I just need to figure out why.
We’ve moved back into the living room, and someone makes an announcement over the speaker. I recognize Roman’s voice immediately.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here to celebrate the one and only Bartholomew Elvis Butterfinger Kingsley’s twenty-first birthday.”
We all clap and cheer as the lights blink several times, and a roar plays over the speaker.
“It is my great honor to introduce our main event of the evening … a magic act like no other. May I present … Siegfried and Roy!”
The lights go out, and a spotlight shines on the large cage in the middle of the room, revealing Bartholomew standing on the platform as a feather dangles from a string in front of him. Then, Leo’s two youngest brothers pop out, wearing poofy-sleeved white shirts that are unbuttoned midway down their chests.
Everyone bursts into applause and laughter when one pulls a hula hoop out from behind the cage. A light flicks on that projects a holographic flame, and we’re instructed to remain silent. The air is tense with focus and anticipation as Guy sprays a gust of catnip in Bartholomew’s face, and he swats at the spray bottle, then wiggles his butt before pouncing to attack the feather. We all try to hold back our laughter, watching them attempt to lure the old, grumpy cat through the hula hoop. He takes a swing at one of them every chance he gets until he finally gets fed up and jumps through the hoop.
The crowd erupts in applause as Mary scoops him up and cuddles him to her chest. His little face wears a scowl that matches Leo’s, but it’s easy to see how happy he really is when he gently blinks up at her.
“Mom’s the only person he likes; it’s the only reason he tolerates all this shit,” Leo whispers in my ear, sending a prickle of goose bumps over my skin.
He hasn’t left my side the entire night. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s afraid of what I might say if he’s not there to intervene or if it’s because he knows I don’t know anyone. His manners are nearly impeccable, so it’s probably a little of both.
I could get used to the feeling of him standing over me like this, like my own personal guard dog on constant alert. Even though we’re just at his family’s house, he makes me feel safe.
The lights slowly get brighter, indicating the end of the show, and Roman calls Leo over to help him untangle one of his brothers from the string lights.
“I’ll be right back,” Leo says, and I wave him off.
“Go. I’m fine. Best behavior, remember?” I make my way back to the kitchen to see if I can help clean up when I bump into Frank.
“Well, what did you think of the Siegfried and Roy performance?”
“I thought it was hysterical. The perfect main act for a cat’s twenty-first birthday. All of this is incredible.”
“Mary does love her themed parties,” he says with a laugh. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” He looks around to make sure we’re alone.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
His smile falls, and there’s a sad look in his eyes. “I’m just worried about Leo.” He looks down and shakes his head like he’s trying to keep his emotions at bay. “He’s always taken the burden of what we do so seriously, and I … I hate that I’ve put that on him. I’ve known he was stressed out for a long time, and I didn’t say anything.” He looks up to meet my eyes. “Would you please take care of him, make sure he isn’t pushing himself too much?”
“Oh, of course I will,” I assure him.
“It’s just … I’ve never seen him look so happy. When he looks at you, I can see this relief on his face. I don’t want that to go away. It killed me to not give him that promotion, but I couldn’t give my oldest son a death sentence. Can you please talk some sense into him? Make him take a day off every now and then? I’m afraid of what could happen if he doesn’t figure out how to stop pushing himself so hard.”
“Don’t you worry, Frank. You have my word.”
“Thank you, Ivy. I knew I could count on you.”