Four Fiances & I (O’Reilly Fight Club #5)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

JASMINE

“Please tell me this is the last one,” Layton whines beside me as we make our way down the busy high street. “Why couldn’t you have brought your fiancé, who loves to shop? That would have made more sense than making me deal with all these people. I hate people.”

Count to ten, Jaz. Daddy and Terry will not be happy if you stab your security.

“Because I’m shopping for Jason, so he couldn’t come,” I point out, rolling my eyes. “And yes, this is the last one, so stop sulking. Otherwise, I will tell Daddy you threatened to shoot me.” I warn, but looking at Layton, I know he’s not threatened.

“He would ask what you did to annoy me,” he points out. “They are all surprised I haven’t done it yet.”

I open my mouth to argue with him, but as I turn to do so, I see the way his eyebrows have disappeared under his hairline, daring me to try and prove him wrong.

“Yeah, fine. I’ll give you that one,” I sigh, shaking my head. “Why don’t you put the bags in the car, and I’ll meet you there. I will only be in here for ten minutes.”

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” he laughs, shaking his head.

“I won't tell anyone you left me. It will be our secret.”

“Please, you can't hold your own piss when it comes to the O’Reilly’s. Do you really believe you won’t let it slip that I left you unsupervised?”

“I’m not that bad!” I argue, turning back towards the jewellers I have an appointment with. I notice the security signs and smile. “See, you can watch me go in and leave. I will be perfectly safe.” I turn back to Layton and can tell he’s assessing the situation.

Honestly, he’s not the only one fed up, but I have to get the last Christmas gifts today, or I risk not having anything for the guys. Performances only finished yesterday, and with everything that’s been happening with Verity, who is still hiding with her men, I am stupidly behind. It doesn’t help that the constant worry of them being found has left me exhausted, thanks to being unable to sleep properly. I’m terrified she will be forced to marry the prick like her arsehole of a father has arranged behind her back. Thinking about it makes me so angry that I force myself to concentrate on everything around me.

Turning to Layton, I see him eyeing the multi-storey car park before us. The car is on the third level, and would only take a few minutes to get to it. If it weren’t for the fact that I still need to find Christian a Christmas present, I would be demanding Layton take me home.

“Come on,” he sighs, reluctantly walking to the door of the jewellers. He knocks on the door, and a gentleman in a suit appears.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, under the name O’Reilly,” Layton explains. The gentleman's eyes widen when he recognises, and his whole persona changes.

“Of course, Mr O’Reilly, please do come in.”

“I’m their security team, she…” Layton nods at me, “Is their fiancée. You are to treat her with the same respect as you would them. Is that understood?”

“Yes, of course, sorry.” The gentleman smiles nervously as I watch him tremble slightly before turning his attention to me. “Congratulations on your engagement, Miss …”

“Connors. Thank you for seeing me at such short notice, Mr …”

“Cooper, but please call me Trent.”

“Mr Cooper is fine,” Layton warns. He can sometimes be a little overprotective, even more so when he is tense, tired, hungry, or all of the above.

“Layton,” I say through gritted teeth whilst trying to force a smile. “Why don’t you sit outside while I get what I need from here? You will be able to see the door and will be only a call away should I need you.”

Layton stares at me momentarily before looking down at the bags, which I know must be hurting his hands. I offered to carry them myself, but he went all macho man on me and told me I was being ridiculous.

“Fine,” he sighs, walking towards the door. Mr Cooper quickly steps around and opens it for him. “I’m going to drop these bags off at the car and come straight back. Do not leave this shop until you see I’m out there,” Layton snaps at me before rushing towards the car park.

“Feel free to grab me a coffee on the way back,” I call out while giving him a little wave. I can see him muttering under his breath, no doubt calling me every name under the sun. I smile, stepping back as Mr Cooper closes the door behind him and turns to me nervously.

“Let’s try this again without the hangry guard,” I say with a relaxed smile. “Hello, Mr Cooper, I’m Jasmine Connors, but please call me Jasmine.” Holding out my hand. His body visibly relaxes before he reaches out and shakes my hand.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Jasmine. Please, call me Trent.”

“Thank you, Trent,” I reply happily before turning my attention to the display cabinets around me. “The O’Reillys all speak very highly of you and the quality of your products.” I spot Trent’s chest expanding at the praise. “I know you know their style, so I need to find something special to gift Christian for Christmas. I also need something for each of the brothers as wedding gifts. The wedding is in just over a month, so I want to order them now. Do you have anything unique that can be personalised?”

His face lights up as he almost skips around the counter, holding up a finger.

“How about I show you a few options, and you can decide if any would match what you are looking for,” he declares, walking over to a cabinet.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I reply, hoping he will have something to fit the bill and show my men just how important they are.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, all wedding gifts are picked and ordered, and Christian's Christmas gift is hidden safely in my bag. I look out the door to see if Layton is back, but he’s nowhere to be seen. But I spot two people I haven’t seen in a very long time, and my heart jumps into my throat. My old best friends Sophia and Amber sit on a bench giggling together. I have conflicting feelings seeing them. Part of me wants to hide away, remembering the last time we saw each other, but another is desperate to make peace whilst we can. I don’t know if it's because I’m missing Verity so much or if it’s because I still think of the girls regularly, when I decide to speak to them and put the past behind us.

“I’m going to wait for Layton outside,” I declare as I walk to the door. Trent quickly rushes out from behind the counter and places a hand on the handle as if to stop me.

“I think you should wait here until your security comes back,” he says nervously, looking around.

“I promise I will be fine. Layton is probably just waiting in the queue at the coffee shop and will be here any minute,” I reassure him. Sometimes the whole ‘save the little lady’ attitude pisses me off.

“Then please let me stay with you until he returns.” He doesn’t realise that I am better equipped to defend myself out of the two of us. Sean has trained me every other day since I was recused.

I open my mouth to point this out but am interrupted by someone calling my name. I turn to see Amber and Sophia walking towards me, both smiling. I wave and turn back to Trent.

“My friends are here and will wait with me. But thank you for everything, and I look forward to coming to collect the other gifts when they’re delivered.” Before he can reply, I step away from the shop and hug my old friend.

“Where the hell have you been? We haven’t seen you in months!” Sophia yells as she hugs me tight.

“Here and there, you know how life is,” I answer with a smile. I know I should be pissed with them; they abandoned me when I needed them the most. But I've changed, and I’m sure they have, too.

“Did you just come out of that jewellers? Do they sell anything in there for less than a grand?” Amber asks.

“Yeah, it’s not cheap. I think I just spent a huge chunk of my savings,” I start but stop myself from saying any more. I don’t know how much of my life I want them to know right now. I also don’t miss the way they smile at each other. “What are you two doing with yourselves?” I ask, hoping to change the topic of money.

“Nothing much; going out, enjoying life, same old,” Amber smiles before looking me up and down and then at the shop I had just walked out of. She has noticed that my outfit is designer, as Jason only buys what he classifies as ‘the best’ for me.

“We should go out and catch up. You can tell us all about what you’ve been up to.”

“Definitely, it's been so long since we had a night out like we used to,” Sophia chimes in. “We were just saying the other day how much we missed you and how much fun we used to have on weekends together.”

I’m nodding in agreement when I hear someone shouting.

“Jasmine! What the hell did I tell you!”

I spin around and see Layton storming towards me, holding a take-out cup of coffee. He doesn’t pay any attention to the girls, but I notice the girls are paying plenty of attention to him.

“I told you to stay inside the shop until I got back!” he snaps, stopping in front of me and thrusting the coffee cup into my hands.

“I’m fine. Don’t get your panties in a twist,” I sigh, rolling my eyes.

“Is this your boyfriend?” Amber asks, checking Layton out.

“What? Hell no!” Layton and I respond in unison. If it wasn’t Layton, I would probably take the look of disgust personally. But with him, the feeling is mutual.

“Good to know,” Amber grins with that look in her eye, which she gets when she sees something or someone she likes. “Hi, I’m Amber. Single and always up for a bit of fun,” she declares, holding her hand out for him to shake.

Layton looks at her for a moment and obviously thinks better of commenting as he rolls his eyes and turns back to me. Sucking my lips between my teeth, I attempt to ignore the look of disappointment on her face.

“Maximus just called to see if you had finished. He said he would meet us here.”

“What? Already?” He’s meant to check out a new property for a potential club. He had asked me to go with him, but Christian gave him a list of things to do first. I was expecting it to take him the majority of the day.

“Your stepbrother?” Sophia asks excitedly. I’d forgotten how obsessed she was with Maximus. She was determined to have at least one night with him and would throw herself in his direction whenever she had the chance. I hated it then, but now it leaves me feeling protective as well as jealous. Layton looks from me to her and back again.

“Who are these girls?” he asks, nodding towards them. This is what I love about Layton, he never pretends to like someone. He shows it if he doesn’t deem you important or worthy of his time.

“They used to be my best friends; I’ve known them most of my life,” I answer, sipping my coffee. Layton's eyebrows disappear under his hair before looking back at them.

“The ones who left you the night Maximus offered me the job?”

I nod, knowing what night he’s referring to.

Layton got his job as my bodyguard after Maximus saw how well he looked after me one night. I was so drunk I couldn’t stand and was throwing up everywhere. He had been a bouncer at the club, and the girls had left me to chase after some guys, leaving me with the moron I was dating at the time.

“Who is this if not your boyfriend?” Sophia asks, watching Layton and me.

“I’m her bodyguard,” he answers, standing tall beside me. Amber and Sophia look at each other and burst out laughing.

“What the fuck do you need a bodyguard for?” Amber laughs. “Thinking very highly of yourself, Jaz.”

“It’s to keep her safe from lowlifes like you.”

My heart skips a beat as Maximus steps into view in his jeans and black shirt, looking like a god.

“Max!” Sophia screams and goes to launch herself at him. He growls as he stops her before she can touch him.

“For the last time, it’s Maximus,” he growls.

“But Max will be so much easier when I moan it,” she smirks, causing me to choke on the coffee I was sipping.

“Oh shit!” Layton gasps as he looks at me. I’m staring at the girl who has the audacity even to suggest my man would touch her.

“Shorty never has any issues moaning my name,” he replies, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me close to him before kissing me so hard that it takes my breath away.

“You're sleeping with your stepbrother!” Amber yells before laughing again. I smile at Sophia as I lean against my man, leaving my hand resting on his chest. I can tell she’s put out that I have what she has always wanted.

“Oh, this could be interesting,” Layton mutters under his breath, unable to hide the massive smirk on his face, as Maximus chuckles in my hair. The girls seem oblivious to the fact, and the guys are trying, but failing, to hold it together.

“I always thought she would end up with that stuck-up fucker Christian,” Sophia adds.

And just like that, all the humour from the situation has gone.

“What did you call him?” I demand, stepping out of Maximus’s arms.

“Oh, come on, he was always telling you what to do and that you should stay at home and be a good little girl,” she answers, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe he was looking out for me as he could see I was on a slippery slope and was going to end up throwing everything away,” I point out, annoyed.

“You wouldn’t have thrown everything away; you were just trying to have fun. He was a killjoy, and you know it.”

I step forward and close the distance between us a little. I hear Layton asking Maximus if he should intervene, but he knows, as well as anyone else, that this is overdue.

“At least he helped me when I hit rock bottom. He didn’t force me out onto the streets with nowhere to go or money to eat.”

“We didn’t force you out; we gave you a couch to live on. You’re the one who disappeared in the middle of the night without so much as a word!” Amber snaps, taking a step forward.

“Because I couldn’t afford to stay! You wanted two hundred pounds a week from me!” I yell, throwing my empty hand up in the air.

“It was to go towards the rent and bills,” she screeches back.

“Yeah, the whole amount! What were you going to pay towards?” I ask. “I heard everything you two said that last night when you thought I was still at rehearsal—laughing about how you were going to get me to pay for everything so you guys could enjoy the free ride and have more money to spend at the weekends. You figured you would get more money out of me that way, not like you ever paid for the nights out anyway; it was always me. You even said it was the only reason you kept my sorry ass around.” I had been so hurt hearing how my best friends didn’t really care about me, and it was always my generosity they loved.

I leave out how I heard they would try to get money from the O’Reillys for putting me up. I can already sense Maximus’s anger radiating behind me. I don’t need to add fuel to that fire. Feeling him there reminds me that I don’t need them anymore. I have more than they ever will.

“Let’s face it, you were always well off and could afford it! You would have asked your stepbrothers for help eventually.” Amber shakes her head and looks at the guys over my shoulder. “You did fine anyway. You bagged a millionaire, and I’m sure stick-up-his-arse Christian still has his say over what you can and can’t do.”

I jump forward, all anger taking over. I feel an arm slide around my waist, holding me back as someone takes the coffee from my hand. Maybe lashing out wouldn’t be the best thing to do right now, but I will not let anyone talk shit about my man.

“Say one more thing about my fiancé, I dare you,” I snarl, desperate to teach her a fucking lesson once and for all.

“Fiancé? I thought you were with him,” she frowns, nodding to Maximus behind me.

“Oh, I am,” I reply, grinning. I stand tall and look her dead in the eye. “I haven’t just got one fiancé; I have four, and in less than two months' time, I will be Jasmine O’Reilly.”

A grin spreads against Amber's lips as she shakes her head.

“Who would have thought the fridged bitch would become a slut.”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” Maximus growls behind me, but I place a hand over his, which rests on my stomach. I sense Layton standing closer to me and know he will be just as furious as Maximus right now. Layton and I call each other every name under the sun, but if anyone else does it in front of him, he reminds me why he’s my security.

But I realise I’m not angry; I know these girls, and I expected nothing less than them becoming nasty bitches when they found out about me and the guys. So, instead of getting irate, I lean back against Maximus smugly.

“It’s okay, let her say what she wants. She’s just jealous. I have four men who love me, whereas she’s always struggled to keep a man longer than a few months.”

“I never thought you would turn out like her, but here we are. Both of you are unable to keep your legs closed and happy to take whatever dick is offered as long as you get something out of it. Like mother like daughter.” The smug look on her face tells me all I need to know. She wants to hurt me, and in many ways, she has. The one person I never want to turn out like is my mother, but with the guys' help, I have realised I never will. So, I smile instead of letting her think she's getting one over on me.

“If you had said that a few months ago, it would have destroyed me to be compared to her,” I start, taking a step forward to close the distance between us as I stare my childhood friend in the eye, refusing to let her get to me. “But now I know I will never be that bitch. I will never abuse my children, and I certainly won’t ever let someone touch them or try to sell them. You can say what you like about me, but I can hold my head high, knowing that I have not one but four men who love me more than anything in this world, and there is nothing they wouldn’t do for me, as I would do anything for them. I have the love and stability you could only dream of.” Taking a step back, I lean into Maximus’s arms.

“You know, I’ve actually missed you. Even after everything I heard, I’ve been thinking about reaching out. But you just reminded me why I’m better off without you and my bitch of a mother. I’m stronger, wiser and loved in a way you will never understand. You once told me you felt sorry for me, but how the tables have turned.” I resist the urge to punch her, and instead, I take my coffee back from Layton and sip it as I watch the two of them.

Sophia looks like she’s trying hard not to cry, and Amber looks furious. I can feel the two guys tensed and ready to intervene if they have to. But they won’t without my say-so.

“You can sugarcoat it as much as you like, but it won't work. You still think you’re better than everyone else, but you’re not. Let's face it, no one wanted you, so you had to settle for your stepbrothers like the desperate whore you are,” she snarls whilst staring at me.

“That’s enough!” Maximus shouts as he steps around me and gets into Amber's face. “You need to watch your fucking mouth because I will not stand by and watch you trying to upset my fiancée when you have no idea what she has been through. And you,” he turns his attention to Sophia. “When will you get the picture that I’m not interested? It's pathetic how you throw yourself at me every chance you get. Why would I pick someone like you compared to the woman behind me.”

“Fuck you, both of you,” Sophia yells before grabbing Amber's arm and dragging her away.

“Nice seeing you both; we will have to catch up again,” I call cheerfully as they flip me off.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Layton sighs beside me. I turn to face him with a smile on my face.

“You are so fucking hot when you stand up for yourself,” Maximus growls before pulling me against him and kissing me hard.

“I’m ready to go home,” I point out, smiling as the two girls hurry away. “Are you finished with whatever you were doing?” I ask, hoping to go back with him and show him how much I love him.

“I’ve got her from here,” he tells Layton, not looking away from my eyes once. My whole body has come alive with need. I want this man inside me now.

“But Christian wants-” Layton starts, but Maximus stares in his direction, daring him to keep arguing.

“I will deal with my brother if he gives you any hassle. Now go.” Layton doesn’t say another word. I catch him nodding once and walking away. Maximus looks back at me and grins.

“Daddy needs some alone time with his Shorty. You fancy a short weekend break?” he whispers in my ear as I nod, grinning from ear to ear. “Good.” He kisses me once on the lips, takes my hand and marches towards the car park as I giggle, trying to keep up.