Chapter 7 – Allegra
7
ALLEGRA
I never really believed that old adage of so quiet you could hear a pin drop . Not in a house with five kids, and all of us rowdy and loud. But in this instant, I can say, I understand it. The kitchen sounds are in the background since Theo’s office isn’t far from the kitchen, but not one person moves a muscle as my brothers stare at Theo like they would like to kill him. Dead.
“What the hell are the four of you doing here?”
Alyx, the second oldest of the group of idiots, snarls at me. “Raine said we should be here and, apparently, we got here not a second too early.”
And see, this is precisely why I’m a virgin. When I was in Denver, guys would take one look at my brothers and run in the other direction. If my virginity didn’t have them running, my brothers made sure they disappeared. It’s so annoying because I’m an adult who has been working since the age of sixteen. I run a food and beverage department that some forty-year-olds would have problems handling.
“Yeah.” This comes from Raine, which has my eyes narrowing.
“You brought Devon out here to meet me.”
“I want to say that I don’t agree with any of this, and I would rather we get to work.”
I look at Sully. He’s twelve years older than me, so he always seemed distant when we were growing up. But over the last few years, our relationship has grown. He values my level-headedness. The other three drive him crazy with their schemes and dating dramas.
“Work? Isn’t that in Denver?” Theo asks as he tries to step in front of me. I see that he’s sporting a world-class erection—and I mean world-class —I think it’s best that he stays behind me.
“You must have flown on the redeye to get here this early. And there’s not enough room for all of you in Raine’s room. Also, we are booked up this weekend.”
I was lucky to get that room for Raine, in fact.
“No problem. We’re staying with you.”
I growl. “I only have two bedrooms in my little apartment. And I don’t want any stinky boys in it.”
“Sucks to be you,” Raine says to Theo.
“He’s not a boy,” I say, crossing my arms beneath my breasts. I’m not dealing with my brothers being underfoot constantly.
Theo chuckles behind me, and it makes me blush.
“Listen,” he says, “I’ll see what I can find. The family usually has an apartment that is just for us. There’s enough room for all four of you. Or five, if Devon ever shows up.”
“He’s not coming down,” Raine says.
I frown at him. “What?”
“The job with General Allen’s daughter sort of took a different turn, and that’s why they’re all here.”
It must be serious for all of them to be here.
“There you go.”
I turn around and look at him. “What about Milo and Hazel?”
“They’re out of here, remember? They want to avoid the BFH and GFH.”
“Damn, I should have thought of that. Do you think we could run away and avoid them and everyone who will be at their wedding?”
He chuckles as he’s looking down at me, his eyes turning warm. It isn’t the heat that was there before. This is something very different. Something like admiration. It does funny things to me, leaving me self-conscious of everything I’m doing.
“Hey, we’re still here,” Alyx says, laughter in his voice. I roll my eyes, pulling a chuckle from Theo.
“You have a luncheon and a rehearsal dinner to work on.”
He nods.
“I’ll get them out of your way.”
“Of course,” he says, leaning closer so he can brush his mouth over my cheek. Just that chaste move has my entire body buzzing with need.
I turn and face my brothers, who have all strangely different looks on their faces. Raine looks like he wants to tear off Theo’s head. Alyx looks more amused than anything. Tyler isn’t even looking at what is going on, probably because he has the metabolism of a fly. He wants to eat all the time. So, he’s scoping out the kitchen. Sully…his expression is the hardest to read. That’s pretty normal for the oldest Sullivan, but his contemplative look has me more worried. He’s the smartest and would definitely be able to sniff out anything fake.
“I’ll make sure to have lunch delivered to you.”
I turn and look back over my shoulder. “I can feed myself.”
“A candy bar is not lunch, Allegra.”
The way his voice slips over the syllables of my name has me squeezing my thighs together. I nod, unable to say anything in return.
When I turn around, my brothers are all still standing in my way.
“Make a hole, Sullivans.”
They immediately move, and I head out of the office.
“Follow me.”
“Can we get something to eat?” Tyler says, eyeing the kitchen.
“Not now. Come to my office, and we can get your quarters straightened out.”
They stomp behind me, and I don’t miss all the titters as we make our way to my office. My brothers are an impressive bunch of men, all in great shape, with an air of authority around them. Women are usually dropping at their feet to get their attention. Women actually pop out of other offices to watch the parade of big ol’ former Marines marching down the hallway.
We step into my office, and I sit in my chair. My feet are already hurting, and I’m exhausted. I laid awake last night trying to sleep, and all I could think about was Theo. I am not that girl. Woman. Whatever. I am not the kind of person who gets hung up on the unattainable. But here I am, feeling dizzy from a kiss. A KISS.
Of course, once I announced my virgin status, that probably ended any hope of that. And then, the idiots in my office helped end any hopes of sex.
Wait. I don’t want sex with Theo. I mean, yes, any heterosexual woman would want to after that kiss. But I know the man is just a one-night stand kind of guy.
“So, you want to tell me about this Theo?”
That comes from Sully. I love them all to pieces, but this crap is ending now. I moved to Virginia partially because I wanted to work for the Darling Corporation. They have a history of promoting from within, and they believe in diversity. The head of the hotel division is a black woman who started out bussing tables fifteen years ago at one of their resorts. But I’m not going to lie and say my overbearing brothers weren’t part of the reason.
“No. I do not.”
His eyebrows rise up to his hairline. “Is that a fact?”
“Yeah, Five has been really tightlipped,” Raine says.
I pick up my scissors and turn the point down to the table and eye him in a threatening manner as I twirl them around.
“This is your last warning, Drizzle,” I say, using the nickname I gave him as a taunt when we were younger.
“He seems to like you,” Tyler says as if surprised a guy could like me.
“He was mauling her when we walked in,” Alyx says. He always has the worst temper out of all of us. “I think we need to go teach him a lesson, Sullivan style.”
I drop the scissors, irritation running through me. I have a full slate of issues this weekend, and while I adore my brothers, I don’t have time for their shit.
Me: Can you not control your sons?
Mom: They’re in DC.
Me: No. They are here trying to give me grief because I’m actually dating someone.
And that makes me feel guilty. I don’t like lying to my mama, but I need help.
Me: Also, they are here at the resort, causing me issues when I have a weekend with the BFH to end all BFHs.
Suddenly, all four of their phones go off. I enjoy the look of horror on their faces; although I am kind of sad I don’t know what she threatened them with.
“Really?” Alyx says. “You tattled?”
“Listen, I get that you’re protective, but I have a terrible weekend with a BFH, who makes every one of the Kardashians look like amateurs. And I need Theo to have his head in the game because he’s in charge of all the food. Well, except the cakes and goodies like that. I don’t have time for your antics.”
“There’s going to be a wedding? With like, bridesmaids?” Alyx asks interest threading his voice.
“It’s spring in Virginia at a resort. Of course, there’s a wedding.”
My brothers all share a glance with each other. Well, everyone but Sully who is frowning at his phone. My phone buzzes, and I look down, expecting something from my mother. But it’s not her. It’s Theo.
CFH: Hey, got the guys set up at the apartment. They just need to entertain themselves for about an hour while it is cleaned.
Me: Thank you.
CFH: Are they still there?
Me: Yes, but I sicc’d my mother on them. They will behave this weekend.
CFH: Then I guess I won’t ask you what you’re wearing.
Me: I wish it was a t-shirt, yoga pants, and my giant fluffy hippo slippers.
CFH: That’s sexy in a weird kind of way.
I laugh, ignoring my brothers.
Me: Well, that’s what I plan on doing when I get off at insane o’clock tonight.
CFH: You never asked me what I’m wearing.
Me: Well, seeing how it’s almost time for you to start prepping lunch, I would hope you are dressed. Cooking naked seems dangerous.
CFH: Maybe I’ll prove you wrong on that point.
My face goes hot at the suggestion, and I know he’s just joking, but damn .
CFH: No comment?
Me: Maybe a discussion for another time when my brothers are not staring at me like I’m a lunatic.
CFH: Understood.
CFH: Italian for lunch sound good?
Me: You do not need to feed me.
CFH: Shut up. Tell me, what is your favorite Italian food?
Me: Carbonara
CFH: Noon work?
Me: Yes. Thank you.
CFH: Don’t mention it.
I look up from my phone and find all four of them staring at me as if I lost my mind. “You have an hour to kill.”
“You could show us around,” Tyler mentions.
“No. I have work to do, and you’ve been here before. Why don’t you go eat something? All of you. Out of my office. I have some things I need to get done.”
“Fine, but we’re having lunch together,” Raine says.
“No. I have carbonara coming for lunch, and I am not sharing. Plus, I will be super busy. But I will happily have a quick dinner with you. I have to be back here to make sure that everything is in order for the wedding tomorrow.”
As if to prove my point that I’m busy, there is a knock at the door, and then it swings open. And there in all her glory is Rachel Burton, aka Bride from Hell.
“Allegra, I can’t believe you haven’t sent me an update on the table settings.”
She overlooks my brothers at first, but she stops frowning at me when Alyx shifts his feet. Her face changes expressions immediately. She smiles seductively. Seriously? She’s getting married in less than seventy-two hours.
“Rachel, these are my brothers, and they’re leaving right now.”
Sully takes over and ushers them out. Each of them gives me a kiss on the cheek.
“Dinner at six, okay?”
Sully nods and follows the rest of them out. Once he’s behind Rachel, he mouths wow, before slipping out of the office and shutting the door.
“Your brothers are…interesting.”
She means that they are attractive, and she doesn’t understand how they are my brothers. Rachel is a woman who needs to put down other women to feel better about herself. I encounter that at times, and I just ignore it. Especially after finding out what she did to Hazel Prescott Darling, Milo’s wife. However, the wedding had been booked, and I was stuck.
“They are.”
“Will they be here the whole weekend?”
“I have no idea with them.” If I don’t change the direction of this conversation, I will end up strangling the bride-to-be because I have a feeling she wants a last fling with someone and that someone is not going to be one of my brothers. “So, the table settings?”