FIVE
DINNER WITH THE Breckenridge family started with a forty-five-minute limo drive. Talk of what the night might hold and future events occupied them. Having their Intimates team in close quarters, without work as a distraction, they searched online and signed up for events to raise money for various charities. At least they’d accomplished something, even if the rest of the night was a bust.
Such a long drive there would equal a long one home. Hmm. They had work bright and early. It wouldn’t be a late night… Would it be a late night? Sharing a car there implied they’d need to share one back. How much would a cab ride to the city cost? Would slipping out early be rude?
When they slowed to take an offshoot with its own flanking columns, intrigue lit. They drove for a while, then a broad gate opened to grant them entry to yet more road.
Both inside and outside the gate were huts, security no doubt. Amazing. The rich could afford to take excellent care of themselves. They wouldn’t be burglarized any time soon. Why was that in her head? It happened a million years ago. The Lighting Darkness call, that’s why. Jacob.
The house came into view and none of them could find the words. Three floors high, the broad curved staircase at the front led to more columns.
“Wow,” Nessa said. “This is like a palace.”
Nothing “ like ” a palace. It was exactly that.
The car came to a halt and ushers rushed over to open both back doors. Shit. Celeste’s order to dress up was opportune. Good save, boss. When choosing her outfit, she’d restrained herself and gone with a cocktail dress and heels. Maybe a ballgown would’ve been a better choice. Not that she owned a ballgown. Who owned a ballgown? Alice Breckenridge, that’s who. The matriarch would have a bunch of them, probably got bored switching between them every weekend for glitzy occasions… If she wore one more than once. Maybe she got a new one for every new event. What a life.
They ascended and the doors seemed to open without assistance. That thought disappeared in the wonder of the glowing chandelier brightening a vast space with a gleaming white floor and breathtaking double staircase.
“Wow,” came from more than one mouth, probably hers too.
Like Christmas in some movie, the walls, the corners, every inch glistened, pure gleaming luxe cleanliness. Who had the time to keep all this space spotless? How did someone even dust a chandelier? When the family were sleeping? Did they do it by candlelight? Wouldn’t get a Swiffer duster up there with all the will in the world, not from floor level, and she didn’t see a ladder.
“Good evening!”
Alice Breckenridge appeared on the overlooking floor between the staircases. Like a balcony, it presented the woman aloft for all to behold. Fairytale stuff.
“Wow,” Nessa murmured under her breath again.
Alice twisted as three kids came to join her and put her hand on the tallest one’s head. “Allow me to introduce Astor, he’s thirteen.” And already as tall as his mother. “Dougie.” The middle one got a touch. “Eleven.” She took the smallest by the hand. “And this is Buoy. He’s five. These are my three youngest.”
Wow, she had a five-year-old? Caber and Darroch were definitely full grown. Very full grown, all adult developed in all the right ways full grown, and Alice was still raising infants? The woman must love risky sex… or the couple had a breeding fetish. Guess they could afford it.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Celeste said, stepping up as the foursome descended. “I’m Celeste. This is Yvette, Nessa, and Savanna.”
“Do you go by Savanna?” Alice asked.
“She’s Savvy, mostly,” Celeste answered.
“Anna’s the name she gives to no-hope guys in clubs,” Nessa offered.
What the hell value did that add to the conversation?
Celeste, luckily, re-routed the discussion. “Will your husband be joining us?”
“Yes. If you follow me…”
They went through a grand living room decked out in gold décor to a sort of reception space with a bar and beyond into a dining room that stopped her in her tracks.
The long table wasn’t fully set. Only a few places at the top were prepared for diners. What a length though, how many people did the Breckenridges feed on a daily basis? There had to be at least ten spots down each side, maybe twelve.
Forcing herself to approach with the others, a guy in a suit, like a butler, showed them to their assigned seats. Before they could sit, a door at the head of the room opened to produce three men. Caber, Darroch, and an older man, Benedict Breckenridge, no question about his identity.
“Good evening,” patriarch Benedict Breckenridge proclaimed. “Well, boys, it looks like we’re in luck, dining with such accomplished winners tonight. Welcome, all.”
He went to kiss his wife and help her into her seat before picking up Buoy to settle him too.
Someone behind her cleared his throat. Oh, Darroch. With one hand on the back of her chair, he gestured with the other.
Sit.
Right.
“You got the short straw,” he said, sinking down at the next place.
“Sitting next to you?”
“No, sitting next to Boo Boo, the little guy on your other side. He’s kinda attached to his mom.”
“And you’re not?”
“Not tied up in her apron strings.” He slanted closer. “I’m no virgin, Cherry, remember?”
“That’s not actually my name,” she said, straightening a fork that was already straight. “And I think Buoy is adorable.”
“Competition, huh? I forgot you love everything Breckenridge. Would you turn brother against brother?”
“Being I’m not attached to any one brother, how can I turn you against each other?”
“I’ve staked my claim.”
“Oh, really?”
Turning her head was the mistake because when their eyes met, she forgot how to verbalize.
“I like your getup tonight, beautiful.”
And, uh… why was she suddenly singing scales in her head? Stop. No tunes. No melody. Language, vocabulary, respond. Why was she wearing—what was she wearing? Clothes. Ha. The dress. Would help if she could remember which one. Geez, she didn’t even have that many—did it matter? Breathe. He was being polite. Just breathe. She could do this.
“Celeste…” she started on a half throat clear, eager not to choke on the words. “Celeste, my boss, she asked us to make the effort… for your mom.”
“Mom doesn’t care about things like that.”
“And you do?”
“You don’t need to dress for me either. Though if you want to undress for me…”
What a flirt. Could he be like this with every woman? Maybe. Except he hadn’t taken his focus away. Celeste, Yvette, they weren’t targets of his teasing. Nessa was the youngest, and the prettiest, yet she couldn’t be sure he’d even noticed her.
Still, a little restraint never hurt anyone. “Your little brother is sitting right next to me.”
Alice was whispering to the boy, something she couldn’t hear.
“Playing it cool, I’ve got you,” Darroch said. “Let start at the beginning, how long have you worked for Breckenridge?”
Arrogance wasn’t scarce in this house. “My life didn’t start at Breckenridge, but three years ago. I started as a model.”
“I bet you did. In intimates?”
“Maybe.” Before Jeremy and what came with that relationship. More life reflection. She really had to stop that. “A long time ago.”
“Sorry I missed that.”
“We all have to grow up sometime,” she said, touching her spoon. “I thought fancy houses like this did a million course meals with a thousand different utensils. I think I can guess what these ones are for.”
“We only do that with people we don’t like.”
Others chatted among themselves while the food was being served.
“So I should be honored?” she asked.
“I don’t know what we’re having. Maybe. You allergic to anything?”
“No.”
“Vegetarian? Vegan? A lifestyle diet?”
“No.”
“I’ll keep you right.”
You know, it was curious.
She tried to look deeper. “There’s something about you.”
“That you can’t resist? Don’t fight it, Cherry.”
“No, it’s… I don’t know, I can’t figure it out.”
“Then you should stick close, wait ‘til it comes to you.”
And some part of her wanted to reach out. To touch, like contact might solve the riddle.
“How many women are you seeing right now?” she asked.
“Only you.”
“We’re not seeing each other.”
“Yet.”
Just the idea that he’d be so eager, so interested… What was she missing? Something… She couldn’t figure it out.
“You and your brothers can have anything you want.”
“I’d appreciate it if you kept that offer exclusive,” he said. “Some of my brothers are young and others aren’t that nice.”
“And your sisters?”
“Don’t have any of those.”
Only boys. Interesting.
“How many of you are there?” she asked, leaning back to allow a server to put soup in front of her.
Darroch poured wine for them both. “Only one of me.”
“Breckenridge boys,” she said. “How many brothers are there?”
“Sixteen.”
Her hand stopped midway to the spoon.
After a beat, restraint bolted, and her surprise flew to him. “Sixteen?”
A laugh from further up the table betrayed her lack of subtlety.
“Introducing our guest to the family, Darroch?” asked Benedict Breckenridge.
“Sixteen and counting,” Alice said, stroking Buoy’s cheek as she smiled down at him.
“I swear she’ll never stop,” Caber said. “We already have four family Christmas trees in the den because all the gifts won’t fit under one.”
“Sixteen beautiful boys,” Alice said, glancing from Caber to Darroch. “And not one of them has brought me a grandchild.”
“I’m working on it down here,” Darroch said.
She bit her lip. Another outburst or disaster wouldn’t ingratiate her with anyone.
In his arrogance there was a tease, it wasn’t ego. He didn’t take himself too seriously. Rare for a man as hot and rich as him. Were all the Breckenridge boys the same? Raised with confidence and, somehow, humility too?
“Is that when you’ll stop?” Caber asked. “When we bring you babies? You know there’s a chance those babies might have mothers who’d want a little input.”
Benedict had an answer for that. “None of you would marry a woman your mother didn’t like.”
“To do that, we’d have to find one first. Mom sees the best in everyone.”
“Not anyone who’d hurt my boys,” Alice said. “Do you have children, Savanna?”
“No. Kids? Me?” Ha. Funny. “It would be an unlucky child who’d have a mother like me foisted on them. That alone would constitute child abuse.”
Buoy blinked up at her with pure innocence glistening in his brilliant blue eyes. Was she allowed to reference abuse in front of a little one? Probably not. Best just eat the soup and be silent.
“I have two boys myself,” Celeste said. “They’re grown and out in the world now.”
“Mine may be grown, but they all have a home under this roof.”
She glanced at Darroch. “You live with your momma? How old are you?”
“Age is just a number. And I have an open account with the Grand Hotel in the city, if we need privacy.”
She didn’t need a hotel for that. “I have my own apartment.”
“Great. We can go there.”
There were those eyes again. Wasn’t she supposed to be eating soup?
“Twenty bedrooms?” Nessa gasped.
Good to know she wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by the Breckenridge clan.
“This is the original house. Each of the retreating wings were added as we increased our brood.”
“Construction is underway on a postern block to enclose the courtyard within.”
“With a dozen more bedrooms,” Caber said. “You need more kids to fill them… or we could open a hotel. How do you think Bastian would like that?”
“I would be delighted to model the block for my grandchildren.”
“None of us are married yet, Mom.”
“My darling boy, there is no need to remind me of that.”
“Imagine a wedding here,” Nessa said, eyes wide as she took it all in. “This would be an incredible venue.”
“Are you involved, Nessa?”
“She’s only twenty,” Celeste said. “Still finding her way in the world.”
“If you want a lot of kids, you have to start early, right, Mom?” Caber asked. “How old were you when Rankin came along?”
“Nessa has time,” Alice said, amused by her boy. “Each woman has to make her own choice about children and the number she wants.”
“And it’s the guy’s job to go with it?”
“Would you consider it a hardship to satisfy your wife’s wishes? I raised you better than that.”
“A happy wife means a happy husband,” Benedict said, taking his wife’s hand to his lips. “Whatever you desire is yours.”
Not so bad when it came with what had to be a few decades of solid sex.
“Sound good?”
Startled by Darroch’s voice and the heat of his breath in her hair, her attention snapped to him again.
Shit, had he heard that thought? Please don’t say she’d spoken out loud.
“Excuse me?” she asked him.
“Happy wife, happy husband. I can keep you happy.”
“Oh you think so?”
The smirking confidence in his expression poked more fun at himself than her.
“Marriage takes work,” Celeste said. “Young people these days don’t understand that.”
Says the woman who just got divorced. That wasn’t fair. She shouldn’t be snarky, even in her head.
“Family is the most important thing,” Alice said. “The needs of the family have to be met. Work or not, a family comes together in times of happiness and endures through life’s challenges.”
“It’s how we were raised,” Caber said.
“Only thing we ever asked of our boys,” Benedict said. “To be there for each other. To value family above everything else.”
“It wasn’t always an easy process,” Alice said. “We don’t love each other because it’s easy. We love each other because we recognize the value of family and the individuals in it. Each unique part is just as valuable as the whole machine.”
“Okay, Mom, sounds like you’re recruiting them to our cult,” Caber said, swigging his wine. “Let’s get through a couple of barrels first.”
“A subject change,” Benedict said. “Bring me up to speed on our Intimates department. I’d be fascinated to learn each of your histories.”
Celeste immediately seized on the opportunity to please their hosts. Good. Celeste could talk all night. Please, be her guest. Hold the floor until the last second, save her from opening her mouth.
Yvette caught her eye, grave in her silence. Yes, okay, she wasn’t the best ad for Breckenridge Retail. Her history was not good dinner conversation, any conversation. In Yvette, she had an ally. Maybe her only one. Her friend had gotten her through, been a rock when she needed it most. If the night called for it, Yvette would cover and redirect, wouldn’t be the first time.
If questions started flowing her way, she’d toss some pebbles in the stream and wait for the rain to cover them. Yvette was that rain. And if that didn’t work? Well, the palace was big enough, there had to be a back door out of there somewhere.