Chapter Fifteen
It was extremely unusual for Marcus not to answer his cell.
Only a very limited number of people had the number and if they abused it, Marcus promptly blocked them, so when Ty’s call went to voicemail for the third time, he became concerned.
Marcus and Susan were combustible in Ty’s opinion, and they wouldn’t be the first couple who got into trouble trying out some new bondage technique, he thought with a grin.
Brushing Kelsey’s hair off her cheek, he leaned down to kiss her, waking her gently.
“I’m going to run over to Marcus’s place, Sweet Pea,” he whispered in her ear.
“Huh?” she replied sleepily, opening one eye.
“It’s nothing important. I just haven’t been able to reach him on the phone and I want to tell him our plans. He has a ton of connections and may be able to get us a flight quicker than I can. Go back to sleep baby,” he ordered gently, patting her bottom. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” Kelsey sighed, snuggling back under the covers.
Lord, she was beautiful, Ty thought as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He couldn’t wait to make her his, permanently.
The drive took less than ten minutes and Ty stood at the door knocking for another five before he used his key to let himself in. He immediately punched in the security code, disabling the alarm and headed to the office.
Before Susan, it was not uncommon for Marcus to write late into the night and crash on the leather sofa, but he wasn’t there.
Ty noticed the pillows on the floor and picked them up.
Marcus’s desk was abnormally messy, which was also out of character.
There were clumps of used tissues on the floor, a wine bottle and two glasses that looked untouched and a glass of whiskey on the desk without a coaster that had already left a ring in the finish.
No, there was definitely something wrong with this picture.
Marcus had that desk custom made the first time he hit the best-seller list and he would never be so careless with something he treasured.
It was a symbol of his success and it meant more to him than any of the awards he’d received.
Leaving the room, Ty made his way slowly through the downstairs before moving quietly up the staircase.
He checked several rooms and all were empty.
There was an eerie stillness to the place at a time when he should have smelled coffee brewing and heard Susan bitching about having to make an egg-white omelet or some such thing.
Reaching the bedroom, he knocked several times before turning the lever and opening the door. To say he was shocked would be putting it mildly. The room looked like a tornado had gone through it. Even now, he wasn’t sure something terrible hadn’t happened.
Marcus was in bed, well mostly, although one naked leg was actually hanging off the bed and on the floor, a very unusual sleeping position.
The only part of Susan, at least he thought it was Susan, Ty could see was her naked, cherry red ass.
The rest of her was completely buried under the comforter, including her head.
Clothes were strewn everywhere and as he took a step into the room, softly calling Marcus’s name, he tripped over his size 14 shoes, stumbled and crashed to the floor with an oomph.
Now that he was on the floor, he noticed the handcuffs, blindfold and assorted other items including a silver object several inches away that suddenly started dancing all over the floor, rapping the wood sharply as if possessed.
“No Marcus, no more,” Susan moaned as Marcus scrambled around the bed trying to find the remote.
That damn thing, outside the body, was louder than hell he thought, prying his eyes open.
“Jesus,” he swore as he spotted Ty getting to his feet. “What the hell time is it?” he whispered, sliding out of bed and rubbing his face. “What are you doing here?”
Ty couldn’t tear his eyes away from the toys on the floor. He was torn between embarrassment, awe and a touch of jealousy. His brother was incredible.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour,” Ty whispered back. “Sorry, I thought something was wrong over here. You never ignore your cell.”
“My cell is now a paperweight and I’m tired,” Marcus shot back, striding naked across the room, grabbing a pair of jogging pants and pulling them on. Noticing Susan’s bare butt, he strode to the bed and covered her up as her soft snores brought a smile to his lips.
“You should be,” Ty grinned.
“Just go make some coffee while I clean up will you?” Marcus ordered, kicking a plug under the bed. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Hurry up,” Ty said, heading out the door. “I have news.”
Marcus took the coffee Ty handed him and inhaled the aroma. “This better be good, Bro,” he warned darkly, “and if it’s something Susan shouldn’t hear, make it quick. She’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around your bedroom,” Ty laughed, sipping his own coffee.
“My bedroom is no concern of yours, and I would appreciate it if you would forget every detail of what you saw in there.”
“Hell no,” Ty replied. “I want to know where you got that silver monster and that fancy-ass hair brush too. I may have need of them now that Kelsey has agreed to marry me,” he drawled.
It took Marcus about five seconds before he set his coffee down and hugged his brother, pounding him on the back.
“That’s great, Ty. Kelsey’s a good girl and I know you’ll be very happy. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, I think she’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Ty replied grinning.
“I gotta tell you man, I was totally against going to that party. Thanks for talking me into it. Meeting Kelsey has given me a whole new appreciation for pretty pink bottoms,” he continued with a wink as Susan walked through the door.
Susan scowled as she made her way to the coffee maker and popped in a K-cup. Wearing one of Marcus’ long-sleeved dress shirts and a pair of ankle socks she looked tired and tousled.
“That’s great Ty, just great,” she snapped as she waited for her cup to fill. “I thought you were supposed to be the gentle brother.”
“I am gentle,” Ty shot back with a grin, “unless a firmer attitude is called for, which in your case is understandable.”
Susan snorted and turned her back on him, adding sugar and low fat milk to her coffee.
“Where is Kelsey?” she asked suspiciously. “Home sitting on an ice-pack?”
“Not at all,” he replied. “She was sleeping when I left, but I imagine by now she’s thinking about what kind of wedding she wants.”
“Wedding? You’re kidding right?” she asked, setting her cup on the counter with a bang.
“We’re getting married, Susan. I asked her last night and she said yes.
Now she only has to figure out where she wants to get married.
We would have been on our way to Vegas last night if I could have booked a flight.
Besides that, she has her heart set on you standing up with her and I’d hate to disappoint her.
You’re her best friend, but I love her,” Ty continued solemnly.
“As much as you annoy the hell out of me at times, I would never try to come between you two. Please give me the same courtesy,” Ty said quietly.
“I can’t believe this,” Sue whispered, fleeing from the room.
“Now what?” Ty sighed, running his hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry about Red,” Marcus said, slapping Ty on the back. “She’s stubborn, but she’ll come around. Once she realizes this is what Kelsey wants, she’ll support it.”
“I hope so, but just so you know, if she tries to talk Kelsey out of marrying me, I’ll take a stick to her butt,” Ty warned.
“You won’t have to,” Marcus laughed. “I’ll do it myself. Now, let’s go make some phone calls and see what we can do to make this happen.”
In the end, it only took one phone call to Sam to set the plan in motion.
When Sam called back twenty minutes later Sam and Johanna, Mike and Brandy and Jeff and Elena were all flying out with them for the wedding and a few days of fun.
Even Erica wanted to be included and she decided to ask a Sugar Babies client she had recently interviewed to accompany her.
Ty was delighted. The added guests would give a real wedding atmosphere to the trip and he knew it would make things easier on Kelsey.
Having no family, it would give her nice memories and photos of the day.
Jeff and Elena were already in from Atlanta visiting with Sam and Jo, so they would all fly out tonight.
The wedding could take place tomorrow or the next day, whatever Kelsey wanted, and they could spend some time enjoying the sights of Vegas before they flew back.
Ty made arrangements for coverage at his practice for the duration and headed home to share the news with Kelsey.
Marcus tossed down the whiskey while he glared at the ring on his desk and went upstairs to find out if Susan was going to be a problem.
He sure as hell hoped not. Ty and Kelsey were obviously made for each other and as much as he enjoyed spanking Susan’s lovely ass, he couldn’t do it for her opinion.
In all reality he knew she cared deeply for Kelsey, but he wasn’t going to let her stand in the way of his brother’s happiness.
He decided a firm no nonsense attitude was the best approach as he walked into their bedroom.
Susan was standing at the window with her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest.
As soon as he closed the door she spun on him angrily.
“I can’t believe you’re going to support this,” she spat, her eyes flashing.
“And why wouldn’t I?” he answered smoothly, as he began picking up his scattered clothes from the floor.
“Kelsey is too young,” she insisted, pacing from one window to the next. “She doesn’t even know him that well, or what she’s getting into. You have to stop this,” she demanded.
“Red,” he sighed sadly. “Not everyone has to be hit in the head with a brick to recognize love when they see it.”