Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (2 page)

Ayla elbowed him in the side before she kissed him on the cheek.

“It’s not mother nature Sean.  You’re a slut.  There’s a difference.”

He shrugged.

“Yeah well, that too.”

They grinned at one another and looked at me.  I loved them and they knew it.  We all ragged on one another and I got my fair share over Anton.  But beneath it all, we’d go to the wall for one another and that made us a family.  Sean grabbed a cranberry muffin from the basket I’d placed on the table and took a bite.

“So what’s on the agenda for today Mel’?”

I walked to the kitchen sink and rinsed out my cup before placing it in the dishwasher.

“We finish the mock-ups of the designs for the show, and then we have a little fun.”

Ayla perked up and zeroed in.  She had a hunch what the “fun” part entailed.

“Fun?  What kind of fun?”

“I’ve been thinking Ay’.  You might have something with your baby clothes idea.  Everyone our age is having children and where we live, that could mean money.  I’d like some help designing a line for children five and under.  Nothing Old Navy or generic, I’m talking something that will set us apart from Baby Gap.  What do you think?”

Ayla lit up immediately.  Sean had to think about it a minute.

“It’ll be hard to do high fashion with stain resistant fabrics Mel’.  We’ll have to work around it if we’re talking about everyday wear.  Since babies rarely stay up after eight o’clock, I’m assuming we’re not designing formal wear for infants.  I think we can work with toddlers and up, but designing for babies?  They live in onesies.  Right?”

“True for the most part, but why not a onesie that’s lined with flannel for warmth and comfort?  Why not have an interesting logo stitched on it?  Why can’t we design one that’s held together by zippers or snaps, that come apart in two pieces?  That way, other pieces could be attached to create an entirely new look?”

“You mean like those swimsuits that have different colored tops to wear over a black bottom?  Something like that?”

“Exactly like that.  I think there’s untapped market out there that we can appeal to.  Plus, we’ve got our very own baby on the way that we can design around.”

Sean was getting excited at the possibilities.

“You think Dorothy would let us borrow Chuck?”

I narrowed my eyes.  He knew that was a sore spot with me.

“Quit calling my unborn niece or nephew, Chuck.  It’s going to be named after one of my parents, not some unknown person named Chuck.”

Sean gave a quirky grin and sipped his coffee.

“The question stands.”

“She’ll accept designer clothes because they’re from me.  If a Lincoln-Sloan baby is wearing them, every baby in Manhattan will be wearing them by next summer.  I’m telling you, we’ve got something here.”

We made it to the design room before the inevitable question came up.  Ayla was smart enough not to ask.  Sean didn’t care enough not to ask.

“Speaking of yummy Sloans, have you heard from Anton?”

I sat down heavily on the stool behind my drafting table.

“Not since the wedding.  How about you Ayla?  Heard from Pierce?”

She was seated at her desk, going over the budget and filing receipts.

“Dead air for me too.  Think something’s up?”

I shrugged because I really didn’t know.  The Sloans were a strange group of men.  They were famous for being “Confirmed Millionaire Bachelors”.  What kind of shit is that to be famous for?  Well there is that whole dot-com business thing, but still.  You don’t see Bill Gates or Richard Branson on the cover of every magazine, right?  Everyone knows they’re rich, but they’re their privacy.  If their names were Bill or Richard Sloan, I’m willing to bet the paparazzi would be hiding in their rose bushes.  Even with all of that notoriety, there had been nothing printed now for almost six weeks.  No pics, no blurbs on the society pages, nothing.

“I’m thinking about calling my sister and nosing around.  If anyone knows anything about them, she will.  She lives with one.  I need to check up on her anyway.”

Ayla tried her best to look disinterested, but her anxious voice gave her away.

“Think you could do it soon?  I’m thinking you could ask for her thoughts on our baby clothes idea as well.”

...and there was the excuse I needed.

I whipped out my cell and hit her contact button.

“Hi Mel’.  What’s up?”

“Hey Dor’.  Thought I’d call while I had a minute to see how you’re doin’.”

“You happened to catch me between episodes of throwing my toenails up.  Great timing.”

“I’m sorry you’re so sick.  It should pass soon though, right?  Isn’t that a first trimester sort of thing?”

“That’s what I’ve been told, but three months is a long time when it’s you that’s hugging the porcelain.  My abdominal muscles have never felt tighter, so there’s that I guess.  How’s the deadline coming?”

“Sean and Ayla are here with me now.  We’ll make the deadline just fine.  How’s Deacon?”

“Driving me nuts with ginger tea and crackers.  If I never see another cracker, I’ll have died and gone to heaven.  I feel like ripping the head off every gingerbread man I see and he wears this stupid t-shirt around the house that says, ‘Baby Daddy’ on the front of it.  How’s Anton?”

Perfect segue if there ever was one.

“Funny you should ask.  I haven’t heard a word from him since the wedding.  Ayla hasn’t heard from Pierce either.  We were starting to wonder if they’d left town or something.”

“Hmm... not that I know of.  They’re still at work every day or Deke would have mentioned it.  Have you two tried calling them?”

“No can do Sis’.  Anton and I are touchy and the nature of Ayla and Pierce’s potential relationship makes that tricky.  We were hoping that maybe you’d heard something.”

“Not me, but I’ve got an idea if you’re interested.  Why don’t you two come for dinner Friday night.  I’ll invite the guys and we’ll make it a family-type gathering.  You two can feel out the situation and maybe see what’s going on.”

“We’ll be there and bring dessert.  There’s another reason I called.  We’re thinking about putting out a line of baby clothes.  Break-away onesies, stuff like that.  Can we use Chuck as a guinea pig?”

I heard her chuff and realized what I’d said.

“You tell Sean to stop calling my baby ‘Chuck’, and what the hell is a breakaway onesie?  Is that like a velcro thing to get it off quicker?”

“Velcro!  That’s a wonderful idea!  We were thinking snaps or zippers, but velcro is even better!  We want to be able to mix and match looks with one universal bottom.  Like a tank suit.  The bottom part will be break away as well to make diapering easier, but the top part will be interchangeable with other tops in the line.”

“So you’re gonna put out a line for baby strippers.  That’s what you’re telling me.”

“Baby strippers?”

“Yeah.  Think about it.  That’s what strippers wear.  Their clothes are velcroed together so that all it takes is one good yank and they’re bits are hanging out.”

“Excuse me while I bleach my eyes.  Now I have images of stripping babies toddling across a stage.  That’s just not right Dor’.”

“Hey, I’m not the woman designing the costume, you are.  I’m trying to decide if it’s an image I want my child extolling.  Know what I mean?”

“We’ll rethink it.”

“Better idea.  Okay, I’m gonna go and call Anton and Pierce about Friday.”

“Hey Sis - don’t tell them we’re coming.  There might be a reason we haven’t heard from them in weeks.  It might be best to surprise them.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay then, my lips are sealed.  Bring something chocolate or with strawberries.”

“Will do and we’ll see you Friday.  Bye.”

I hung up the phone wondering if trapping them was a good idea.  I’m not sure how I’d feel if it were being done to me, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  If it was truly over between us, I needed to know so that I could move on.  I’d need a date for the after party following the show and it was usually Anton.  I’d been going to business events with him as well.  I couldn’t help but wonder who he was taking in my absence.

Ayla broke the silence while Sean was surging and trying to pretend he wasn’t listening.

“Well?”

I looked in her direction and she had both of her hands flat on the desk, nervous as hell.  I felt bad for her.  I thought my relationship with Anton was complicated, but we had nothing on her relationship with Pierce.

“We’re going to dinner at her place on Friday night.  She’s making sure that Anton and Pierce are there as well.  I told her not to tell them we were coming, but I don’t know how smart that was.  What do you think?”

“I think that if they’re avoiding us, we have a right to know the reason and we’ve waited long enough for them to man up.”

Sean couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Does anyone care what I think?”

We both looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I think you’re deep sea fishing using minnows for bait.  It’s time to drag out the big guns ladies.  Show them what they’ve been missing and make them forget why they’ve stayed away.  Mel’, when does the cast come off?”

“Tomorrow.  I can’t wait either.  This bastard itches like nobody’s business and it’ll give me two days to make my arm presentable before the dinner party.  Why?”

“I’m thinking something long sleeved and soft.  Maybe a blue cashmere sweater and black skinny jeans.  Ayla, satin for you, maybe a sky blue or emerald green.  Either will bring out your eyes or your hair.  I’m thinking a satin camisole covered in a waistcoat that’s slightly darker and a matching skirt.  Don’t forget knee high boots.  It’s cold out there and both would be appropriate.”

We stared at him as if he were magic.  He’d taken away our wardrobe anxiety and justified our sneak attack.  The man was a gift from god.

As if reading my mind, Ayla walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him on the cheek.

“You’re my hero Sean.  You know that?”

He patted her arm and continued sewing.

“Just because I can’t seem to find my perfect match, doesn’t mean that you two should wallow in my misery.  I want to see my girls happy.  I love you guys.  Now group hug.”

I walked over and he stood.  We hugged and patted each other’s backs.  It may sound silly, but we were always affectionate with one another.  It was our way.

We returned to our jobs and worked late into the night.  Everything would be ready by Thursday so that we could all take a nice long weekend.

“Are you sure I look alright?”

This was the third time Ayla had asked me that question in thirty minutes.  She wore a midnight blue cropped jacket over a matching a-line skirt, with a pale blue silk blouse underneath that matched her eyes.  The black boots beneath the skirt, were more a thigh length and if Pierce got her naked (the bad boy), he’d be tempted to hand her a riding crop and turn her loose.  She looked like a naughty school teacher.  It was perfect.

Let me mention something here.  In private, we’d begun to make fun and speculate about Pierce.  Ayla wasn’t giving anything away, but both Dor’ and I knew that she knew something.  She’d told us once, before she’d even met him, that he was a Dom.  We asked her if she was on Crack.  Pierce is the quiet Sloan.  The teddy bear of the three.  He knew how to talk to women and he made you want to protect and nurture him.  You couldn’t help but love Pierce, if he allowed you to get to know him.  He was shy to a fault and most everyone was drawn to him immediately.  Then Ayla showed up and blew that opinion right out of the water because now we were curious and she wasn’t talking.

We had a feeling they’d hooked up at least once or twice, but she wasn’t talking about that either.  So tonight, the mission was to observe them together for hints and signs.  He didn’t seem like he’d be attracted to a sex kitten, so Ayla’s outfit was probably perfect.  The sex kitten aficionado was his brother, the avoidance king.  Anton was so afraid of anything that smelled like involvement, I bet his bathtub never even got a ring.

“Ayla, you look perfect.  If you looked any more perfect, I’d have to spill something on you out of principle.  Another thing.  Calm down.  If either one of us looks nervous, they’ll spot it a mile away and know we were in on the subterfuge.  We all happen to be having dinner together.  That’s it.”

Ayla stopped in her application of her lipstick, the final touch, and looked at me.

“Oh yeah?  Then what’s with the kitten soft cashmere sweater with the low neckline?  And if I’m not mistaken, you’re wearing something new from Agent Provocateur.  Maybe something in a lace push-up bra?”

“What are you Superman?  You have x-ray vision now?”

I finished my makeup and she followed me out of my bedroom.

“Just making an observation.  I look like a school teacher and once again, you look like a runway model for lingerie.  What gives?”

“If you’re trying to catch a tomcat, the best bait is catnip.”

She started laughing and we left for Deke and Dorothy’s.

“Are you sure you’re at the right place?”

“Deacon, tell the security guard to let us come up.  We were invited for dinner.”

I handed the guard the phone and he walked us to the elevator.  Their apartment/condo was the penthouse and the elevator door opened into their foyer.  The only way up, was by a special pass card.  He was being an asshat (Dorothy’s pet name, not mine).

The doors slid open and we walked into what was probably meant to be a private discussion.

“You ambushed my brothers!  I cannot believe you would do that Dor’!”

“I didn’t ambush anybody.  I never said it would be just the four of us, if they took it that way, it’s their fault.  They should have asked something more than, ‘What’s for dinner?’”

“Dorothy...”

“Deacon, lower your voice, you’re upsetting the baby.”

He immediately looked contrite and placed his hand over her abdomen.  I hid my smile and Ayla tugged at her jacket for the fifteenth time.  This whole millionaire thing still got to her when confronted with it, and the penthouse stank of wealth.

I should mention something here.  Dorothy had six months to go in her pregnancy and she’d learned in week two that if Deacon thought anything was disturbing the baby, he backed way off and became docile.  I personally didn’t think it would last the entire nine months, but she seemed fairly confident.  Deacon was the poster boy for “control freak” and she had to take the reigns when she could.

I walked up and kissed him on the cheek and he started blinking.  I liked to keep him on his toes.

“Hey big brother, how’s it hangin’?”

He looked at my sister and raised one eyebrow.

“Did your sister just say, ‘How’s it hangin’?’”

Dorothy winked at me and Ayla and kissed Deacon quickly.

“Lighten up husband or it’s gonna be a long night.  Go and see if the appetizers are ready.  Your brothers should be here any minute.”

We moved into the living room and as if on cue, we heard Anton’s booming voice.

“We’re here!  Are you two decent?”

They strolled into the living room with their dates.  That’s right, they brought dates.  Dorothy looked at me as if she expected a trip to the Emergency Room was on the horizon.  Pierce looked at Ayla and had the decency to look embarrassed.  I’ve got to give Ayla credit.  She seemed to calm down at the revelation.  I knew my girl.  She had questions and the look on her face implied that those questions were now answered.  She was fine.  I, on the other hand, was not.

Anton looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe.  It would have been hilarious had I not recognized the floozy he was with.

Remember that bar brawl I mentioned earlier?  It was all started over because of an over-exuberant lap dance in a strip club.  Anton broke up with me, hoping for some stripper action at Deacon’s bachelor party.  He dragged Deke and Pierce to a strip club and I dragged Dorothy and Ayla to the same club to keep an eye on him.  When I saw one of the strippers in question taking an interest in Anton, the trouble started.  In my defense, I’d had an insane amount to drink.  Dorothy tried to diffuse the situation by introducing us to the bitch, who introduced herself as Liza.

I walked up confidently to the couple and held out my hand to her.  She took it while looking like a trout gasping for air on a river bank.

“Hello Liza.  Long time no see.”

“You.  What are YOU doing here?”

Excuse me?  She questioned MY presence?  Someone really needed to tell her that she didn’t have to dress like a stripper all the time.  That red leather catsuit did absolutely nothing for her ass.  She smelled like she’d raided the fragrance counter at Macy’s.  I smiled slyly.  I could have fun with this.

Before I could answer, Anton stepped in between us and tried to sound menacing.

“What are you doing here Mel’?”

“We brought dessert.  We would have brought dates, but that wasn’t specified on the invite.”

He turned beet red at his faux pas.  Good.  Captain Clueless needed to get his shit stamped once in awhile.

“We’d already planned this double date when Dorothy phoned.  We didn’t think she’d mind if we brought them along.”

I waved off his explanation and went to tend bar.

“She probably won’t.  I could care less.  Ayla?  What would you like to drink?”

Ayla was doing her best to follow my lead, even though Pierce had taken the seat next to her.  His date sat on his other side and resembled a librarian.  Her blonde hair was in a tight bun and her black sheath dress fell to her knees.  She wore a strand of pearls and a diamond watch.  The woman looked and acted classy and I would have expected no less from Pierce.  He was trying to get Ayla’s attention without being overt about it, but she wasn’t taking the bait.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine please Melody.  Thank-you.”

Red leather curled her claws around Anton’s bicep and stood as close as legally allowed in public.  She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and scowled in my direction.

“I’ll have a gin and tonic please.”

Pierce’s date who we learned was named Lily, had a soft clear voice that made me want to maim her with a fireplace implement.

“White wine for me as well please.”

The brothers Grimm both wanted scotch, neat.

They were making small talk when Deacon and Dorothy came into the room.  They saw the gathering and both sets of eyes flew to me.  I smiled and continued making drinks.  Deacon came over and poured Dorothy an orange juice and himself a scotch as well.  He leaned over and did his best to look threatening, bless him.

“I don’t want any trouble Mel’.  It will upset my wife which in turn will upset the baby.”

I couldn’t resist leaning over to whisper in his ear.

“Deacon you moron, the baby doesn’t even have ears yet.  She’s yanking your chain dear.”

He leaned back and searched my face to see if I was teasing.  When he realized that I was telling the truth, his eyes zeroed in on my sister.  Served her right for not clarifying the dinner invite.

I placed the drinks on a silver serving tray and placed it on the coffee table.  I wasn’t the maid, they could reach for their own glasses.  Just as I sat down with my wine, Ayla’s phone began ringing in her purse.  She looked embarrassed and retrieved it.  Her brows furrowed and she stood.

“I need to take this, I won’t be a minute.”

She went into the foyer, but with the raised ceilings and lack of conversation in our area, we could hear what she was saying.

“That was tonight?  Are you sure?  I could have sworn that was next Friday.  I think I even wrote it on my calendar for next Friday.  Austin, I’m sorry but we’re at a dinner party...”

Dorothy walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.  When Ayla turned towards her, she smiled.

“Hold on a minute please.”

She placed her phone against her chest and looked at Dorothy.

“Problem?”

“My brother’s best friend is in town this weekend and I told him that Melody and I would go out with them while he was here.  I thought it was next week.  Chase is leaving Sunday.”

“Invite them over.”

“What?  Why would I do that Dor’?”

Anton was talking cars with Deacon and Pierce, his booming voice carried.  I sat at a good vantage point for Dorothy and Ayla’s conversation, or the gist of it anyway.

“Ayla, the more the merrier and I think that the moron and the mute should see that they have a little competition.  Catch my drift?”

Dorothy’s voice was tight, but Ayla did indeed catch her drift.  She shifted her eyes to Pierce who was doing his best to pay attention to his brother’s rant while avoiding any physical contact with his date.

Ayla nodded at Dor’.

“Are you sure it won’t be a bother?”

“None at all.  I’d like to meet your brother.  Go on.  Invite them over.”

Ayla placed the phone back to her ear, but kept her eyes on Dorothy.

“Austin, are you still there?...Good.  Bring Chase to this address.  I’d like for you to meet my friends and you’ve both been invited to a Penthouse dinner party.... Of course I’m serious.”

Dorothy’s eyes were riveted to her and they appeared to be having a telepathic conversation.

“There’s one thing though.  I need for the two of you to do me a favor... I need for the both of you to pretend to be our dates.  Chase is with me and you’re with Melody.... of course she’s pretty.  Actually, she’s a knockout and she’s right up your alley.  The two of you should get along nicely.  She doesn’t pull any punches either.  Tell Chase I’ll owe him one if he’ll do this for me.... Great!  Here’s the address and I’ll see you in a little bit.”

She rattled off the address before disconnecting.  I watched her take a deep breath and plaster a smile on her face before coming into the living room.  She walked directly to me as if her declaration was for my ears only, but I knew better.  Pierce was seated two seats away, close enough to hear everything she said.

“That was my brother Austin. Mel’, do you remember me telling you that one of his friends was coming to town and they wanted to take us out?”

I remembered no such thing, but I played along.

“I remember.  That was next Saturday night after the fashion show.  Right?”

Ayla grinned, her back to everyone but me.

“I thought so too, but I was wrong.  Chase is here this weekend.  I got the weekends confused.”

I placed my wine on the end table and leaned forward.

“Do we need to leave to meet them somewhere?”

She shook her head no.

“Actually, Dorothy invited them here.  They’re on their way.  Austin suggested that we have dinner here and then go dancing if we felt like it.  What do you think?”

I did a quick check of our dinner companions.  Deacon was handing Dor’ her orange juice as she discreetly filled him in on the situation.  Pierce and Anton were leaning forward trying to catch everything that Ayla and I were saying.  Cat woman was doing her best not to look pissed, while Grace Kelly on the other side of Pierce, was doing her best not to look embarrassed.  This evening was getting more interesting all the time.

I smiled at Ayla.