Finding Love on the Slopes (Bad Boys Club #1)
Chapter One
Looking at his diamond-encrusted Rolex for the hundredth time, Enrique pounded his fist on the steering wheel in frustration as he glared at the line of cars stretched out before him. His family’s annual New Year’s gathering had officially started thirty minutes earlier, and he once again failed to arrive on time. His brothers would certainly be giving him a ribbing over his tardiness.
Holiday traffic in New York appeared to double in size every year, as if regular traffic weren’t bad enough already. It didn’t matter who you were or what you drove. Even in the latest Aston Martin DB12, he wasn’t going anywhere fast.
Enrique rested his left arm over the steering wheel as his brown eyes briefly scanned the busy street. Snowflakes had started falling from the gray, dreary sky, and the sidewalks were littered with people rushing around, dressed in fancy clothes and heavy winter coats. A few Santa hats could be glimpsed bobbing through the crowd. Strings of lights hung from one tree to the next, and he could hear Jingle Bells playing amongst the cacophony of sounds surrounding him.
Pressing the button to close the convertible canopy, he narrowed his eyes. Christmas was almost a week ago . Give it up, people. The happiest time of the year is over. He looked down once more at the sparkling timepiece occupying his wrist and watched the hands strike seven.
His cell phone buzzed, notifying him of a new text. Traffic was at a dead standstill, so he peeked at the message, certain it was one of his brothers telling him to hurry up.
Anthony: I know you’re driving, so don’t text back. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that Hannah may have just whispered under her breath that she would poison your food if you made her serve another cold or overcooked meal. See you soon!
A smile nearly split his face as he read the text. Leave it to Hannah to do something drastic to encourage him to change his ways and Anthony to send him a warning, trying to soften the blow but not doing anything else to interfere with his well-deserved punishment. He was totally annoyed with the current situation but was looking forward to seeing his family. Now, if this traffic would start flowing so he could actually get there.
The car in front of him finally moved, and before long, he was out of the congested city and zooming down the road leading to the mansions in the hills. Twenty minutes later, he swerved his car around the illuminated fountain in the courtyard of his eldest brother's lavish family home. He climbed out, entrusting his very expensive beauty to Anthony’s valet, who dutifully drove it around to the garage. Enrique ran his fingers through his wind-tousled hair and fastened the top button of his Armani suit jacket before walking in.
One of the staff opened the door as soon as he approached, and Julio, whose over-sensitive ears must have heard him pull up, met him at the entry. Without barely a greeting, Julio embraced him in a firm hug, pounding him on the back hard enough to nearly knock the wind from his lungs. Enrique grinned, his heart full as he embraced his brother in return.
Enrique hadn’t laid eyes on him since Julio’s last deployment over two years ago, but now that he was back, he still seemed the same. Only a few physical features were different, like the slightly longer-than-regulation haircut, the beard covering his jaw, and the new scar above his right eyebrow. The hem of a snug-fitting black turtleneck fell below the waist of dark-washed blue jeans, and black combat boots finished the look.
“I didn’t think I would live to see the day you wore a beard, Julio,” Enrique said as he clapped his brother on the back twice. He had missed him even more than he realized. “You look good. A new scar, perhaps bigger muscles, but in one piece, at least. Are we to thank the Marines for your new fashion sense as well?”
“Something like that,” he chuckled. “I am trying new things,” he added. “This might be the first and last time you actually see me with a beard. These things are itchy! ”
“Good,” Enrique said with a chuckle as they walked toward the game room, where they could hear the others talking and laughing. “Hannah’s being too soft on Anthony. He needs to shave his beard off. He claims it makes him look sophisticated … I say it just makes him look old .”
Julio chuckled at Enrique’s critique of their older brother’s style. He had always been the fashion-forward one in their little family, and apparently, that had not changed with time.
Enrique slapped Julio on the shoulder before turning right, cutting through the dining room. “Hey man, I will catch up with you in a minute; I need to make a detour to the kitchen and beg Hannah for forgiveness.”
The table in the dining room was already set, the lights from the chandelier overhead reflecting off the china and crystal. The familiar aroma of Hannah’s cooking permeated the air around him, causing Enrique’s stomach to growl. Hannah had prepared a traditional Jamaican meal for them every year since he was a child. Usually, curry goat, gungo peas, oxtail stew, ham, and Jamaican black cake with a shooter of rum cream for dessert. It was one of the things he looked forward to every New Year when he gathered with his brothers.
Removing an emerald and diamond necklace from his suit pocket, Enrique silently swung the kitchen door open, stepping behind his sister as she fluffed rice in a large pot. She jumped with a small squeal as he draped the extravagant gift around her neck and clasped it at the nape. Bending to kiss her cheek, Enrique whispered, “Happy New Year, Sis. Sorry I’m late. ”
“Oh, Enrique! You’re hopeless!” Hannah shouted, slapping his arm while the fingers on her other hand grasped the large pendant dangling from the necklace. “You know these trinkets mean nothing to me. All I need is your presence… on time .”
“I know, but if my slug of a big brother isn’t going to drape you in jewels, then the task is left up to me. You know I love to do it. Don’t ruin my fun. When I saw you at the MET Gala in that stunning green dress, I was so annoyed you didn’t have any emeralds to wear with it. Now you do.” Pulling a velvet box from inside his suit jacket, he opened it to reveal a matching pair of earrings, bracelet, and ring. “The moment I saw these in the display window, I knew they had to be yours.”
“Oh my. I know you enjoy spending your money and have a giving heart, but really, Enrique… this is a lot.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him an affectionate hug. “Thank you! I will think of you every time I wear them.” Pulling away, she swatted his arm. “Don’t think for a minute that this gets you out of trouble for arriving over an hour late... again. And, I will remind you… no bad-mouthing my boys under my roof. Any of them, whether they are my husband or not. Home means harmony. Now get out of my kitchen and go say hi to the rest of your brothers before all of them come traipsing in here to find you. The last thing I need is five overgrown boys poking at each other in my kitchen. Tell them fifteen minutes and they better be sitting at my table. This food won’t hold any longer.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Enrique hollered over his shoulder as he exited the kitchen and made a beeline for the game room .
“How nice of you to finally join us. Hannah wouldn’t let us start dinner without you,” Anthony said as he entered the room.
“You know how New York is. The traffic is exhausting,” Enrique complained as he walked past Fernando and Gabriel, who were in an intense billiard battle, but not without hugging them first. Their suit jackets had been discarded over the backs of overstuffed leather armchairs, and their shirt sleeves rolled up to their elbows. Anyone off the street would mistake them for newly fired interns instead of billionaires who ran their own corporate empires.
“Sick shoes, Rique,” Julio said while Enrique embraced Anthony. “I’ve worn combats so long that my feet feel like they were made for nothing else. But for a pair of kicks like that, I may try.”
Enrique smirked as he took a seat on the leather sofa beside his eldest brother and crossed his ankle over his knee for special effect, showcasing the expensive footwear. “There’s just two of ‘em in the world, Julio, and the second pair’s in my closet.” Then he leaned forward with a mischievous grin on his face. “You wanna know how I got them?”
Anthony sighed, “Here we go.”
“Anthony, gag him before he gets started! We are not getting into any macho matches today,” Fernando warned, his eyes still focused on the red billiard ball as he thrust the stick forward. The ball collided with a few others, and they rolled into the pockets.
Fernando grinned triumphantly while Gabriel rolled his eyes .
Enrique parted his lips to speak but promptly shut them, seeing Gabriel’s glare and Anthony holding a finger against his lips before pointing towards Fernando. “You heard the man.”
“I remember the epic fights between you two growing up like it was yesterday. One of you always trying to show the other one up. Poor Gabe was constantly breaking you up at the boy’s home,” Fernando added, retrieving a glass of iced water from a small side table and taking a sip. “I know Julio just got back, and we are trying to make up for lost time, but Hannah will have our hides if you two start bickering. Heaven help us all if you get into a wrestling match.”
“You two were like fighting dogs when you first met,” Gabe piped in, leaning forward, eyes focused on the white ball as his cue stick made contact, and smiled as two balls fell into pockets. “There were a few times I worried being twice your size wasn’t going to be enough to pull you apart. You were out for blood. Now that Julio is black-ops and all, I’m not sure I would want to even try. But I can still take you down, Rique.”
“This is the first time in over four years that all the BBC brothers are in the same place. I don’t want anything to jeopardize that. Understood?” Fernando may have been the smallest and youngest brother, but he could have been the poster image of “small but mighty.” There was steel in his tone. He would have made an excellent general.
“We outgrew that years ago. You don’t have to worry about Rique and me, guys. We are just as tight now as we were before I enlisted,” Julio reassured, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher on the bar.
Enrique raised his hands in mock surrender, and Anthony chuckled. “Good call. Arriving an hour late and starting an argument within five minutes would not have gone over well with Hannah.”
“Between Hannah threatening to poison me and Gabriel implying he is still big enough to give me an old-fashioned pounding, how could I win?”
Gabriel turned to eye Enrique, and Fernando quickly scored behind him. “I am. You would do well to remember that,” he said, but Enrique just grinned with a roll of his eyes.
“Hate to break it to you, bro, but I’m only two inches shorter than your 6’5”. It may have taken me a while to grow, but when I did, I almost caught up. And these muscles may not be barrels like yours, but they get the job done. Julio isn’t the only one who learned new fighting skills over the years.” Pride echoed in Enriques’s voice at his increased stature.
Gabriel nodded. “You did. Congratulations, but I still outweigh you by close to a hundred pounds.” Flexing his arms, he finished, “And not even your thigh is bigger than these guns.”
Chuckling, Enrique admitted, “You got me there, big guy. You are a mountain, but I am a stream, and water can cut through even the strongest rocks. Don’t underestimate the smaller man as being weak.”
“Never,” Gabriel agreed, nudging Fernando on the shoulder .
“I won’t even try to engage in this battle of heights,” Fernando said, placing the pool stick on the table before grabbing his jacket off the back of a chair. Gabriel did the same, signifying the end of their game. “I know I am the shortest, and I don’t appreciate the size shaming going on here.”
“5’11” isn’t short. If you looked at the research, I think you would find it is an average height for an American male,” Anthony argued.
“Dinner’s ready,” Hannah called, signaling the men to head to the dining room.
Enrique instantly felt bad, having forgotten to tell the men about the fifteen-minute time frame. No matter how old he got, he was always letting someone down.