Mistake: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (18 page)

I saw a ghost of a smile flash across her face when she said it, and I felt my heart leap up. Still, I wasn't out of the woods yet. "Give me a minute. Here was Dwayne's deal. He's opening another resort, near Kennebunkport. I'm to work there as the assistant manager in charge of fitness and recreation facilities, in a junior executive mentorship program. At the same time, he's going to get me into a university. I have four years to graduate. If I do, he'll make me a Vice President of the chain. Krystal, I know it's halfway across the country, but it's only a few hours by plane. Hell, I'll use my trust fund to buy a private jet if you want just so that I can see you every day I have off. But at the end of it, I can maybe, just maybe, be a man that you'd be proud to have with you."

Krystal looked at Kimberly, and the two seemed to share a psychic communication. They came closer, whispering from one to another, before Krystal nodded, turning to look at me. "I've heard what you had to say. Now, time to beg. On your knees, in the middle of the floor, eyes closed."

I swallowed and nodded, doing just as she asked. Getting in the middle of the carpet, I closed my eyes and knelt. Just as I started, my words were cut off by the sound of steel on steel. I'd heard it before, when Krystal had used a sharpening rod on one of her knives. From the deep sound of it, it was her largest, a chef's knife that I'd seen her break up a chicken with a surgeon's precision.

"Shut up, and hold still," Kimberly said, her voice as sharp as the knife I could see in my mind Krystal holding. Still, if that was what Krystal wanted, I'd give it to her.

I could hear the two women approaching, and I heard the sound as Krystal slapped the flat of the blade against her thigh. I gulped down my fear, but resigned myself as their presence came so close that I could feel them, like some sort of magnetic field or something. Suddenly, a whoosh went by my right ear, and there was a snicking sound. I opened my eyes as I saw Krystal standing there with a lock of my hair in one hand, and her kitchen shears in the other. "I forgive you Julian, but you're on your last chance. Love can only get you past so much. Now stand up."

I scrambled to my feet, looking from Krystal to Kim, who was still angry, but had a small smile on her face. "I swear, you looked like you were about to piss your pants," she said, holding up the spatula she'd been holding, smacking it against her palm twice to clue me in on the deception.

I sighed and looked at Krystal, who set the shears aside before putting the lock of my hair into an envelope she had lying on the counter from a credit card company. Turning to me, she came over and hugged me, then kissed me on the cheek. "Now, are you going to help with dinner or not?"

"Ow," I replied, wincing at the pain in my cheek. "No kissing the sunburns, please."

"Be glad I don't smack you in the arm with the spatula instead," Kimberly replied. "Since your little stunt also cost two people their jobs as well."

"
S
o that was
how I got myself fired," I explained as we sat down at the coffee table, since I wanted the meal to be more relaxed. "And yes, I admit it's not your fault, Julian."

"I'd say he's responsible for at least part of it," Kimberly said as she looked at the large plate of couscous, lamb, and vegetables. "Any particular way I'm supposed to eat this?"

"No, just dive in," I said. "Just remind me in twenty minutes to get the dessert out of the oven."

Julian looked at his plate deeply for a second. "Kim, you said I cost two people their jobs. Who else?"

"Yuki," I replied. "Mom fired her after she stuck up for you when you left. While John wasn't happy about it, he wasn't going to overrule the decision. He did give her until the end of the month to find a new position and she could stay in the manager's house until then."

"Geez, Yuki didn't deserve that," Julian said, setting his spoon aside. "Krystal, please go ahead and eat, but I need to make some phone calls. I'm going to see if there's anything I can do about that."

He got up from the table and went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Kim and I watched him go, and she turned back to me. "That's a step in the right direction," she noted. "I wonder what he's going to do when I tell him Gina's baby is most likely not his."

I stopped, my fork halfway to my mouth, and nearly dropped it into my plate. "What?"

"Oh, you hadn't put it together yet?" Kim asked me. "Damn, I thought you chefs were good at math."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, still trying to keep my mind from flipping out.

Kim took a bite of her lamb, nodded in appreciation, and made me wait for what seemed like eons before answering. "Gina said that her due date was somewhere in January, right?"

"Right."

"And your mom got married in June, right?"

"Right."

"And how far after June is January?"

The realization hit me like a truck. "Seven. So if Julian is the father, either...."

"Either Gina's some sort of mutant hybrid that creates babies faster than almost every other woman in the human race, or she screwed up in remembering the date, and it's a March or April baby instead of January, or...."

"Or Julian isn't the father," I finished for her. "But, why would Gina make that claim?"

"Who knows? You'd need to ask her, but given what you've told me about her, she probably doesn't know who the father is, and picked the one most likely to give the best life to the baby. Or maybe she fell for him like you did. She seems to be the type that places good sex high on the importance list of mates, and Julian checks all those boxes."

"How do you know that?" I asked curiously. I felt joy spread through me, and felt like flying. "I've never told you the details."

"Four times your first night?" Kim reminded me. "That's not just good, that's a virtuoso."

We both giggled as I nodded, flushing pink as I thought about it. It took us a few minutes to calm down, and we enjoyed our dinner until Julian came out of the bedroom, a smile on his face as I cleaned the last of the vegetables off my plate. "Sorry it took so long," he said. "And I'll need to talk more with some people tomorrow, but I may have a solution for everyone."

"Oh, what's that?" I asked, warmth in my heart blossoming as he sat down.

"I called my Dad, and I called Dwayne. Dad confirmed for me that Yuki is still on the grounds, and he gave me her phone number. I called her and we talked briefly, and I told her about what my idea is. I then called Dwayne. He's cautiously on board with it, but wants to talk more after he gets to Paris. He had a shareholders meeting today."

"What's the plan?" I asked, excitement joining the warmth in my heart as Julian's face opened up into a smile.

"How would you like to become the executive chef of the newest Forrester Hotels resort, right in Kennebunkport? And Yuki is going to be either the General Manager or Assistant General Manager?"

I felt tears of happiness spring to my eyes as Julian tucked into his food, smiling even though his lamb was now cold. "Hey, what about me?" Kimberly asked in mock indignation. "I've helped out around here too, you know."

"Yep, I know," Julian replied. "Which is why Dwayne wants to talk to you about a contract for you to do IT work for Forrester Hotels, and his sister's law firm. It's not going to be at the Kennebunkport resort, but you'd be definitely moving out of that apartment you have now. Maybe Miami, maybe Chicago, hell, if you work it right, you might be able to telecommute and do it wherever you want."

Kim turned to me and smiled. "Okay, you can keep him. By the way, it's time for dessert."

T
he site
of the Forrester Kennebunkport Resort was still very raw when Krystal and I got out of her car. The outer walls of the building were up, but I could still see many of the windows were bare, and the outside had three different scaffolds on it. "Wow, when Dwayne said be prepared for it to be a bit bare boned, he wasn't kidding," I said. "I hope that our quarters will at least have a roof."

Next to me, Krystal chuckled. "You know we're both going to be going around so much over the next few months that it's not exactly going to be moving in."

I pulled her close, kissing her on the temple. "I know, but still. It's our new home, at least temporarily."

"It is," she agreed. "Should we go inside? Yuki's been here for three days already."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her again," I said as we walked towards the front door. It had been a crazy three months, since our fight, breaking up, and coming back together. We'd spent most of it in Chicago, as I learned under the Forrester Hotels management team in Chicago as well as getting started with college, again. Who knew, maybe the third time was the charm, but I was doing a lot better than I had the first two times. I'd already passed the first round of tests. Between that and management training, as well as my own personal development as a trainer, I was working fourteen hours a day, but loving every bit of it.

Of course, I think my true secret was Krystal. With her next to me, I found motivation and drive in the academic arena that I'd never felt before. While she was in Chicago less than half the time, I never forgot what I was busting my ass for. I'd even taken a digital photo of her and I in front of the Ferris Wheel at the Navy Pier and printed it out, sticking it on the wall above the small desk I'd put in what had been my bedroom in our apartment. Every time I felt like slacking off, I looked up and saw her, and the smile on her face. I was working for that, and I found the energy to keep going.

"It's a little cold though, don't you think?" I said, as we stepped into the hotel lobby. The floor was still bare concrete, but the walls were being painted. "I wonder what it's going to be like when winter sets in."

"It sets in early in New England," we heard, both of us turning our heads to see Yuki coming towards us. She was dressed differently than I'd ever seen her before. When she was my father's house manager at Castelbon Manor, she always wore suits, except for the few times I'd seen her exercising, doing yoga in the garden or something similar. I'd also seen her in formal dresses and gowns on the occasions that the manor hosted formal events, the most recent being Dad's wedding to Sandra, Krystal's mom.

However, until that moment, I had never seen Yuki in work clothes. She was wearing cargo pants that looked like they were a copy of military style, along with work boots and a button down chambray work shirt. All in all, she looked cute, and even younger than she normally did. In fact, she looked almost my age. "It's good to see you two."

"Yuki, it's good to see you as well," Krystal said, coming over and giving her a hug. No longer an employee of the family, she was much more relaxed than she had been, although still professional. After all, we were now equal level co-workers at the resort, with Yuki being the staff and building manager, Krystal being the executive chef, and I being in charge of resort activities and the fitness center. We were to report to Benjamin Williamson, who Dwayne had tagged to be the resort manager until I finished my last year of training. The implication was pretty clear, if I wanted the resort after I finished my diploma, I could have it. "How are you enjoying the transition?"

"It is wonderful," Yuki said. "Lizette is loving the ocean, and our home is on the beach itself. I woke her up this morning to the sound of waves crashing just outside our bedroom."

"Oh, you didn't tell us you weren't living at the resort," I said, slightly disappointed. I'd been looking forward to meeting Lizette. "Why not?"

Yuki smiled. "Because not all of us have loved ones who can work at the same location as us," she reminded me gently. "But it's not bad. Her commute now is nearly the same as when I lived at Castelbon Manor, and mine is not bad either, only a half hour. In fact, it will give me a chance to put some miles on my favorite toy."

"Toy?" Krystal asked, confused. I grinned and squeezed her shoulder.

"You've never seen Yuki's toy? If you've got a minute Yuki, how about you give us a walk around?"

"Of course. We can talk with Mr. Williamson later," Yuki said, turning to walk towards what I assumed was the back office area. "My keys are in my office, let me get them first."

As we walked, I kept my eyes open. Dwayne wanted the resort to have a Colonial feel, and I thought that, so far at least, they were doing a good job. There was a definite nautical feel to the structure, with a wide, broad floor plan with very simple design. The roof support pillars looked to be simple round columns, about what I'd expect, and the outer buildings were supposed to be constructed in what I had learned was called a Dutch Colonial style. I actually was curious to see how the final product would look. "Hey Yuki."

"Yes, Julian?"

"I noticed you called him Mr. Williamson. Any particular reason?"

She turned her head to look at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Why do you think?"

It told me a lot. After my father being so casual, Yuki had grown used to it, and only referred to people by their family names if she didn't like them. Of course, I was 'sir' for years to her, but I deserved it. But if Yuki was calling him that, I suspected my new boss might be a challenge to work for. Not what I wanted, but I could deal with it. The hint of Krystal's jasmine perfume that crossed my attention reminded me of the very reason.

* * *

"
W
hoa
, Yuki. I didn't know you had it in you. You always seemed so...."

"Conservative?" Yuki asked, smiling as she ran her hands over the metallic silver hood of her Nissan GT-R NISMO. "In most of my daily life I am. But not everywhere."

The car was beautiful, sleek and powerful. If I could take the word
sexy
and put it into a Japanese sports car, it was this one. Yuki had also done a lot of customization to it, including fender work, a new hood with aerodynamic scoop, and a body kit that made the vehicle look like it hugged the ground. I whistled as I touched the carbon fiber body. It looked fast even standing still. "How come I've never seen this before?" I asked. "I mean, I stayed at the Manor a few times."

"Because I only took her out when I needed to," Yuki replied. "John let me use a Manor car for work, and I wasn't going to risk her just going for work. She's far too valuable."

"Uh, can I ask.... how valuable?" I said, looking inside at the leather racing seats and Bose sound system. It only had room for two, and looked more like the cockpit of a jet fighter than a car. "And what can she do?"

"I've put close to a two hundred thousand into her," Yuki replied. "I'd have spent more if she'd been new, but the NISMO is the type of car that dedicated tuners upgrade when they can. I found her on an auction site for just under a hundred thousand, then put in another hundred thousand over the past three years in upgrades and customizations."

"And you knew about this how?" I asked Julian, who was grinning.

"Pure luck. I caught sight of her driving it off one day and saw her parking it inside the locked garage another. So how fast can she go, Yuki?"

"I don't know. There is a track nearby I might try and find out, but the fastest I've had her up to is a hundred and forty on a road trip through Canada on a vacation. But there are NISMOs that can top two hundred easily. I've spent most of it on getting the zero to sixty time down. I'm at just under one point eight seconds right."

I blinked. I think my car did zero to sixty in about ten times that. "Wow. So does that mean you're driving this every day now?"

Yuki nodded with a smile. "I can't just let her stay inside all the time, although I am getting a SUV for the winter months, when the roads are snowy or we have bad driving conditions. But in good weather, this baby is going to purr."

"Amazing. Well, I guess we need to get this meeting with Mr. Williamson out of the way. Any advice?"

Yuki laughed and nodded. "Yes. Mind your manners. He's not a bad man I think, but he has been in the Forrester Hotel group for almost forty years. He knows this is his last assignment before he retires, and he plans on, as he put it,
training the next generation properly
. I would suggest not telling him to, what was it you said, Krystal? Yes, no telling him to fuck off."

I groaned and sighed, walking away after giving Yuki's car a lingering last look. "I only said it once, you know. Sheesh, tell your boss to fuck off once, and it stays with you forever."

Yuki led us to the general manager's office, where a man who was older than John Castelbon sat behind his desk, dressed in a perfectly pressed gray suit. "Mr. Williamson, this is Julian Castelbon and Krystal Aksoy." She nodded respectfully, and turned to go, slipping me a wink as she did. "No fuck off!" she mouthed as she walked out the door, and I had to repress a smile.

"Come in, please and close the door," Mr. Williamson said. I felt like I was back in school being called to the principal's office. "It's good to meet you two. I've been looking over your profiles, expecting your arrivals. Mr. Forrester has made it clear to me, you two are in a relationship?"

"Yes we are," Julian said, "I was assured it wasn't going to be a problem."

"Since you are on equal levels in the hotel chain of command, it shouldn't be," Williamson replied. "On the other hand, I must make it very clear that regardless of that and your, ahem, personal relationship with Mr. Forrester, I expect you both to uphold the highest standards of professionalism. That means that where guests can see you, no public displays of affection, especially if you are on duty."

"We understand," I said, giving Julian a warning glance. I could read Williamson like a book, and understood it was a very old-school book. He ran his hotel like he was in the military, and would not be afraid to cut down anyone who gave him trouble. "Outside our quarters, there is no public displays of affection on resort grounds. Is that going to be all the time?"

"Most of the time. I'm not exactly Captain Bligh, regardless of what some of the younger staff may say about me. There are social events and other such times on the resort calendar in which the lines of duty are somewhat relaxed, and you'll be given the opportunity to act more, well, more relaxed. Miss Watanabe has that schedule already for the next two months."

It took me a minute to realize that Williamson was talking about Yuki, who in all the years we'd interacted together, I'd never heard anyone refer to her by her family name, although I should have known since Masaharu Morimoto signed the gift to her uncle with the same name. Still, it took me by surprise. "We'll check with her."

"Good. As to current business, for about the next month there isn't much on site for you two to do. I understand why Mr. Forrester asked you to come up however, as the weather turns cold very soon, and when the snows set in, it's not a pleasant time to travel. Also, from what I understand Miss Aksoy, you wish to create a menu that is based off of local products, correct?"

"Outside of a few standards such as hamburgers, a pasta dish, and other things, yes. I'd like at least half of the menu items to be seasonal and local."

I caught a hint of a smile from Williamson, and I think I went up a notch in his eyes. "Excellent. If so, you would probably want to spend as much time as you can over the next month exploring the Kennebunkport area. There are a lot of lobster boats in Maine of course, but there are other things as well. Do you have leads on suppliers?"

I shook my head. "I have some on vegetables, but since I wanted as much of our seafood to be straight off the boat as possible, I still need to meet the local fishermen."

"Okay. I suggest starting with the local chamber of commerce, and of course heading down to the docks themselves. There has to be at least four or five crusty old seadogs who can point you in the right direction. Now, as for you Mr. Castelbon, you have your own kettle of fish to fry."

"I do. First semester finals are next week, and I'm taking four courses."

"So I've been informed. Let me put it bluntly, Mr. Castelbon. I've worked for Forrester Hotels since I graduated the University of Ohio over forty years ago. In that time, I've worked with quite a few members of the program you are a member of. Each of them, regardless of whether under Mr. Dwayne Forrester or under his father's time as head of the company, came in with impeccable academic credentials, and a relatively clean history. Mr. Castelbon, you have neither. What you do have is a record that includes three felonies, numerous civil lawsuits, and a list of former girlfriends that reads like my grandson's copy of the
Maxim 100
. That, and the endorsement of Mr. Forrester himself. I will be a very strict, but a very fair taskmaster, Mr. Castelbon. Do not think I will not act with total professionalism towards you. On that same note, there will be no slack just because you are friends with Mr. Forrester. Do I make myself clear?"