Chapter 8
“Go ahead. Steal my shoe. See what happens.” ~ Rhett
Rhett
“D id you bring your lucky charm?” Kai asks.
I grunt.
Miles wags his finger at me. “Grunting isn’t an answer, Mr. High and Mighty.”
“I am not Mr. High and Mighty,” I grumble.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize your girlfriend, Dakota, is the only one who can use the nickname.”
“Not my girlfriend.”
“I heard they were cozied up in Eli’s closet during the hurricane,” Zane says.
“I heard Eli caught them naked in his shower,” Kai claims.
“We were not naked in Eli’s shower,” I grumble.
I’ve never been naked with Dakota. The only time I touched her was to tickle her. I barely touched her ribs and my cock was ready to explode out of my pants.
But I won’t be touching her again. Not after how she ran off when Eli arrived. It’s obvious she’s keeping secrets. But what are they? And will they ruin the company? My family? My idiot brothers already love her, but I won’t allow anyone else to break their hearts. Not after what Dad did. Never again.
“Are we going to play poker? Or are we going to tease Rhett about Dakota all night long?” Jaxon asks.
Miles throws his arm over Jaxon’s shoulders. “Don’t you worry. We’re also going to tease Eli about Paisley all night long.”
Eli’s had a crush on Paisley since high school. When the hurricane ruined her brewing facilities – she’s part owner of the Five Fathoms brewery here on the island – he couldn’t rush to her side quick enough to offer her use of the extra space in the distillery.
We were planning to use the space to expand the distillery but the hurricane and the local brewery needing help put those plans on hold. I don’t mind. I’m happy Eli is occupied with Paisley instead of working himself to death.
Eli clears his throat. “It’s my house. Tease me and I’m kicking you out.”
Zane bursts into laughter. “As if you can keep us out.”
Eli glares at him. “You are not crawling in through the window in my fitness room again.”
Zane shivers. “No way. The window is tiny.”
Kai wiggles a set of keys in the air. “Good thing we have the keys.”
“And the alarm code,” Miles adds.
Eli rubs a hand down his face. “How the hell did you get my alarm codes?”
“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies,” Miles sings.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Zane points at Jaxon, who’s opening the front door. “Let me guess, our nerdy brother has too much work to do to spend time with his family.”
Jaxon removes his glasses and pinches his nose. “I’m required to attend poker night, but if we’re not playing poker, I have work to do.”
Eli frowns. “Do I need to hire you an assistant?”
Jaxon scowls. “I don’t need an assistant.”
“If you need to work on a Friday night after you’ve already worked fifty hours this week, you need an assistant. I’ll set up a meeting with you and Dakota on Monday. You can go through your requirements for an assistant.”
“I don’t need Dakota’s help,” Jaxon insists.
“But Rhett does.” Kai waggles his eyebrows.
I start toward him. I’m done with my brothers and their teasing about Dakota. Do I want Dakota in my bed? Hell yeah, I do. The woman is sexy as hell with those bowtie lips, green eyes, and curves for days.
But I don’t fool around with women who are obviously liars. I thought we might have something. When we were stuck in the closet during the hurricane, we laughed and joked, and she opened up to me about growing up in care.
Except it was all a mirage. The second the hurricane was over, she ran away. She was being all sneaky. What is she up to? What are her secrets? I will find out.
Eli steps in front of me. “No fighting. You’re the one who’s supposed to keep these yahoos under control, remember?”
I remember. How could I forget? It’s been my full-time job since Dad up and left us when I was fifteen.
“I’m with Jaxon. If we’re not playing poker, I’m out of here.”
“But Nugget wants to play poker.” Zane holds up his taxidermized squirrel. It’s wearing a cowboy hat because, of course, it is. This is Zane after all.
“Nugget’s getting his ass kicked by Mr. Crisp.” Kai cuddles a jar containing a pickle he’s named Mr. Crisp. The pickle is apparently wise and full of poker wisdom.
Miles dangles his rabbit’s foot. “Hopper is feeling lucky tonight.”
Zane points to the foot. “Hopper is not a bunny. No rabbit has ever had a foot that big or lumpy.”
“Says the man holding a squirrel in a cowboy hat.”
Zane hugs the squirrel. “Do not make fun of Nugget. He’s a gentle soul.”
Eli sighs. “Whose idea was it to play poker with lucky items?”
Miles wags his finger at him. “Says the man whose lucky item is a pair of teeth.”
“Because those teeth scared the hell out of you when you were younger. It was the only way I could get you to brush your teeth.”
Eli used to chase Miles – and Kai and Zane – around the house while snapping the teeth at them. More than one pair of pants was peed in fright.
Zane elbows Miles. “Better a set of teeth than a lonely bowling shoe.”
“Leave me out of this,” I insist.
“One shoe is kind of lame,” Miles adds.
“I’ll have you know I won the bowling championship in junior year while wearing this one shoe because you shits stole my other shoe.”
Kai widens his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re referring to. I would never steal someone’s shoe.”
I cross my arms and glare at him. “Which is why I found it under your bed.”
He throws his hands in the air. “I was framed. I didn’t put it there.”
“Where did you put it?”
“I mean. I didn’t have the shoe at all. I didn’t take it.”
He’s lying. I caught the little thief running away with my shoe. But I didn’t have time to chase him because I was already late for the bowling championships. I thought I could rent another shoe at the bowling alley. But they were out of rentals. I still won despite wearing a sock on one foot.
Eli claps me on the back. “You are never going to win this argument.”
Don’t I know it. “Let’s play some poker.”
We follow Eli down the hallway to his game room. I don’t envy my oldest brother his wealth. He can have the fancy mansion with the indoor pool and eleven guest rooms. But this room? This room I’d fight my brothers for.
The walls are paneled and painted a deep green color. Along one wall is a bar and – because this is my billionaire brother – it’s stocked with every high-end whiskey you can imagine, including our own Buccaneer’s Whiskey. The opposite side of the room has two leather couches. Naturally, there’s a large television to watch the game on. In the middle of the room are the games – a poker table big enough to seat six and a pool table.
Eli aims for the bar. “What does everyone want to drink? Blackbeard’s Reserve ?”
“I want Siren’s Call ,” Zane says.
Jaxon purses his lips. “Do not drink too much. It’s stronger than rum.”
Zane moans. “Will everyone stop referring to the time I drank too much rum? Every one of you has had too much to drink at one time or another.”
Miles snorts. “But we didn’t make the entire house smell of coconuts after we threw up Malibu Rum for two days straight.”
“ Cursed Treasure it is.” Eli sets a bottle of whiskey down on the poker table.
“A whiskey so good, it might have a ghostly secret. Not a bad slogan if I do say so myself.” Zane feigns polishing his fingers on his shirt.
Miles rolls his eyes. “Yea. Yea. Yea. You’re the marketing genius behind the brand.”
“It’s good you recognize I’m a genius.”
Miles raises his hand but I shackle his wrist. “No hitting at the poker table.”
“You’re boring.” Miles yanks his hand away and reaches for a glass of whiskey.
Eli holds his glass up. “Here’s to the bootleggers. Masters of sneaky sips and secret stashes.”
“Thanks for keeping the party alive,” we finish the Smuggler’s Hideaway toast in unison.
I barely stop myself from grimacing as fire burns through my esophagus. Despite owning a distillery, I’m not much of a drinker.
Jaxon sets his Chia Pet on the table. “If we’re ready to begin.”
“It’s not time for your ‘Elvis’ to lose quite yet,” Kai says.
“What’s with the air quotes? My Chia Pet clearly resembles Elvis. I won the contest.”
Miles chuckles. “Did anyone else enter the contest?”
“What is the losing prize for today?” Eli asks before Jaxon and Miles can get into another argument about the Chia Pet. It’s a monthly recurrence. And one all of us are sick to death of listening to.
“I have t-shirts picked out for the loser,” Kai says.
“Don’t you mean t-shirt?” I ask. “There can only be one loser.”
Kai smirks. “But each t-shirt is different depending on who the loser is.” He points to me. “For Mr. High and Mighty, I have a t-shirt which says ‘Dakota, will you marry me?’”
I growl. I will not be marrying the secret keeper. No matter how much my cock perks up at the idea of having access to her every day. It’s not happening.
“For Eli, the t-shirt says, ‘I’m wealthy and I know it.’”
Eli scowls. “I will never wear a t-shirt proclaiming I’m wealthy.”
Kai rubs his hands together. “You will if you lose at poker.”
I grab the deck and remove the packaging. We use a new deck every month as these pranksters can’t be trusted not to mark up the cards. They’re cheaters down to their toes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Zane reaching for my shoe. I slap his hand. “Don’t touch my shoe.”
“But if I steal your shoe, you lose and have to wear the t-shirt.”
“I am not wearing a fucking t-shirt asking Dakota to marry me.”
Even if I were interested in a relationship – which I’m not – it wouldn’t be with Dakota. But I will uncover what secrets she’s hiding. And, after I do, Eli will rush to fire her.
And then she’ll be out of our lives forever. I ignore how my stomach sours. This is the way it has to be.