Rule of Three (18 page)

“Har,” Dag said. She shot him a frosty glance.

Why was she angry at both of them? This wasn’t their fault. They’d just been watching a dirty movie and had no idea it was going to turn out like this. She sighed and pressed shaky fingers to her eyes. “I can’t believe this.”

Was Hailey wondering that about her? Was there a difference between what Hailey was doing and what she was doing? Her mind spun all over the place, her stomach tight and hurting.

That night when the three of them went to bed, Kassidy didn’t want to have sex.

Kassidy and Chris were about to leave for her parents’ place, their car loaded up with food and drink, when Kassidy turned to Dag where he slouched on the sofa and said, “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“To leave. For the party.” She grimaced. “Such as it is.”

“Uh…I didn’t plan to go.”

Her eyes widened. “Why not?”

“It’s your family, Kassidy. And I’m not family.”

She stared at him, lips parted. “But…yes, you are.”

Whatever their relationship was, it wasn’t family. It was weird, unconventional, even kinky—but not family.

“You have to come,” she said, her eyebrows meeting over her small nose.

Dag looked to Chris for guidance. Chris nodded, his face completely open, looking almost confused by the fact that Dag wasn’t going to join them. And once again, even though Chris had once rejected him in the worst way possible without even knowing it, Dag only felt acceptance and inclusion from him.

Warmth spread inside him, but he shrugged carelessly. “Well, okay, if you’re sure. I don’t really know your parents, but…”

“You stayed with Mom that day, and you’ve met my Dad. You’re staying with us; of course they’d expect you to come.”

He was tempted to make a comment about a boring family barbecue but somehow knew it wasn’t going to come out sounding the way he wanted it to—it would only sound hurtful, and even though he only wanted to cover up how much it meant to him to be included with his usual cynicism and jokes, he couldn’t do it.

“I’ll just go change. Sorry to hold you up.”

In the spare room where he kept his things, he changed from baggy athletic shorts and T-shirt into a pair of beige cargo shorts and a white shirt that he wore loose over them, the sleeves rolled up. He didn’t know why he wanted to go with them—it was going to be a boring family barbecue, with just Kassidy’s parents and them, possibly Hailey. That at least would likely add a little spice to the evening, but then again, he hated the thought of Kassidy being upset by her sister. She’d been pretty freaked out by the whole porn movie thing, had been distracted and brooding ever since.

But he did want to go, strangely felt himself looking forward to it as he quickly changed.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said as he emerged from the bedroom.

Kassidy smiled at him. She looked pretty in a flowered orange and yellow sundress, the bodice two tiny triangles over her breasts, held up with equally tiny straps, showing a lot of smooth, golden skin including some nice cleavage. Chris looked good too, as usual, in a pair of plaid shorts and a pink—pink!—polo shirt that only he, with his wide shoulders and muscled arms, could pull off.

“Nice shirt, man,” he said, raising a brow. “You borrow that from Kassidy?”

Chris laughed. “Fuck off. Grab that case of beer and let’s go.”

They got Mrs. Langdon settled on the deck in a comfortably cushioned chair in the shade. The backyard swimming pool shimmered turquoise and aqua in the late-afternoon sun and colorful flowers and greenery spilled out of pots arranged around the deck. It was so far from how Dag had grown up, it made his skin itch. Chris and Kassidy had both had completely different lives than he had. And yet, from the moment he’d met Chris he had never felt inferior or any less. And Kassidy had been the same. Dag’s chest tightened at those thoughts, which he pushed away as he directed his best smile at Kassidy’s mom.

“How’re you doing, Mrs. L.?” he asked.

“I told you, Dag, call me Hope.”

“Oh yeah.” He winked at her. “Hope. How’s the pelvis?”

She made a face. “I suppose it’s getting better. It’s driving me crazy, though, to sit around and do nothing all this time.”

“Good thing it’s summer holidays and you’re not missing work.” He’d learned she was an elementary school principal the day he’d spent with her, a day that once again had been surprisingly enjoyable.

She sighed. “Yes, if there was anything good about this whole thing, it’s that. I should be more mobile by the end of the summer.”

“Do you need a drink?”

“I’d love some iced tea.”

“I’ll get it for you then.” He flashed another smile and returned to the kitchen where Kassidy was unloading the bags of food they’d brought. Chris and Mr. Langdon were already opening beers and talking about the Cubs.

“Dag, good to see you again,” Mr. Langdon said, reaching to shake his hand.

“Thanks for having me.”

He found iced tea for Hope and a beer for himself, and the men wandered back out onto the deck. It wasn’t a wild party, that’s for sure, but Dag found himself feeling remarkably relaxed and comfortable, sitting there in the warm sun, drinking beer and talking to Chris and Kassidy’s parents. They clearly loved Chris, and a pang of envy twinged in Dag’s chest at that. Not that he was jealous of Chris, but Dag had never experienced that easy acceptance by the parents of any of his dates—they were more likely to look at him, sense the badass inside him and try to discourage their daughters from having anything to do with him.

Mr. Langdon was interested in Dag’s work and had a lot of questions, smart and knowledgeable, absorbing him in conversation, and then Dag also felt a stab of guilt at the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Langdon were just as accepting of him as Chris and Kassidy, even though he was totally corrupting their sweet daughter.

After a while, Kassidy emerged with a tray loaded with food—bowls of chips and salsa, a layered dip and some stuffed jalapeno peppers she’d made earlier. She laid things out on the table.

“Looks good, Kassie,” her dad said to her.

“Thank you for doing this,” Hope added. “It wasn’t necessary.”

“You know we’ll take you out for a special dinner when you’re feeling up to it,” Kassidy said to her mom. “This isn’t much, really. But thirty years is something to celebrate. I even brought a bottle of champagne for later.”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” Hope said. Kassidy’s cheeks got a little pinker.

The business conversation continued, turning to talk of government bailouts for struggling companies.

“You’re opposed to that?” Dave Langdon asked Dag, picking up a chip.

“Absolutely.”

“Dag’s a
laissez-faire
capitalist,” Chris put in with a smile. “Dog-eat-dog Darwinist capitalist.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Dag responded. “But a capitalist, yeah. If those businesses can’t survive on their own, why should the taxpayers be bailing them out? A business has to make it or break on its own merits. If it can’t be financially viable, then what’s the reason for its existence?”

“How about to provide jobs to thousands of people,” Kassidy spoke up. Dag looked at her. “That’s important,” she continued. “Some of those businesses are so big they’re the backbone of the entire economy. If that many people lose their jobs, think how many other business will suffer because of it—because nobody has money to spend.”

“A simplified point, but true,” Dag acknowledged. He loved talking about stuff like this—it revved his motor. “I just hate to think of people getting handouts, when some of us…” Yeah it was personal, he fully admitted it. “Had to work our asses off for everything we have. That’s the way things should work. You work for what you want.”

“You sure taught me that,” Chris said. Dag’s head whipped around and he stared at Chris.

“Taught you what?”

“That I had to work.” Chris gave a rueful smile. “I cruised through high school. My parents had the dough to send me to a good university. You were there on a scholarship that you busted your… I mean…” He shot a glance at Hope. “I mean you had to work hard to get there while I just walked in. And I probably would have just kept walking right out if it hadn’t been for you.”

Dag clenched his jaw to keep his mouth from falling open in astonishment, reined in his emotions to keep his face neutral.

“Yeah, you were a slacker, all right,” he said, forcing a laugh. He couldn’t believe Chris actually realized how much he’d changed while they’d gone to school. The fact, that he, Dag, had actually had some kind of positive influence on someone gave him a weird aching feeling inside.

“And the truth is, I wouldn’t be where I am now at RBM if it wasn’t for that.”

Dag’s chest constricted. Jesus, the guy was killing him here. He lifted his beer and caught Kassidy’s warm gaze on him. She’d thought he was the slacker, but now admiration gleamed in her eyes. For him. Jesus. “See. I knew I’d suck you into my philosophy—living by your own effort. Getting what you deserve rather than getting something you didn’t work for. Achievement. Happiness.”

“Sounds like you’re a follower of Ayn Rand,” Dave said.

Dag looked at him with surprise. “Yeah. To a certain extent.

“You’re an Objectivist?”

“Again, to a certain extent.
Laissez-faire
capitalism, limited government protecting individual rights to life, liberty and property.”

“Entrepreneurs who create by building businesses.”

“Yeah.” Dag grinned. “That’s me. But so is Chris. He invents new technologies.”

Chris grinned. “I’ll admit I share your views on some things.”

“Well, I don’t,” Kassidy said. She lifted her chin, but her smile told Dag she was prepared to hold a different view but not hold a grudge. He respected that. “Don’t Objectivists believe the purpose of life is the pursuit of one’s own
happiness
?”

“Yeah.” Now it was her turn to get a surprised glance from him.

“Well, I can’t agree. Instead of Darwinist capitalism, how about conscious capitalism?”

Dag’s lips quirked. “Wow, Kassidy. Idealistic much?”

She shrugged. “Call me idealistic if you want. I’ve heard it before. But I believe in it.”

“Of course you do—” He bit his tongue. He’d almost called her “baby” in front of her parents. “Tell me more about that.”

“Every business should have a deeper purpose than just maximizing profits. People want business to do more than just make money. And conscious leaders work toward that deeper purpose. It’s not just about delivering value to stakeholders, and it’s not just about personal gain.”

“Well, pursuit of one’s personal gain, or one’s own happiness, doesn’t mean at the expense of others,” Dag replied. “You have to have respect for facts, for reality, and you have to live by objective principles, which includes respecting the rights of others. So it’s not necessarily selfish. And…” His grin spread and he watched Kassidy’s face. “If you can’t be happy yourself, how can you make someone else happy?”

She met his gaze head on and smiled too. “Okay, I get that. Kind of like, if you can’t love yourself, how do you expect anyone else to love you.” She lifted a brow and their gazes locked. And held.

Christ, she was smart.

“Hey, everyone.”

They all turned at the sound of the voice from the sliding doors. Hailey stood there, dressed in a skintight, short black dress. Dag thought he saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes as she surveyed the group talking and laughing, all at ease with each other there in the sunshine. And at that moment he realized that Hailey’s cocked hip and slightly mocking smile covered up something—something like what he often felt inside when he used that bad-boy attitude. Interesting.

“Hailey! You came.” Hope sounded genuinely pleased about that.

“Sure. I have to work tonight, but not until eight, so I can stay for a while.”

“That’s great!”

“Would you like a drink?” Kassidy offered, and Dag noted the coolness in her demeanor as she spoke to her sister, the stiffness in her spine. “I’m having wine, but we have beer and iced tea.”

“A beer would be great.”

“I’ll bring it out.” Kassidy disappeared back into the kitchen like the hostess of the party, which she was.

Dag felt Hailey’s knowing gaze on him and he lifted his chin, arched an eyebrow and held her gaze challengingly.
Go ahead, make my day and spill it
, he messaged her.
Just try it.
She might think she was tough, but he was tougher, especially when it came to protecting Chris and Kassidy. Hailey’s glance slid away as she talked to her parents.

Kassidy returned moments later carrying a wineglass and a tall glass of sparkling amber beer. Dag watched her. Her pretty mouth was tense, her eyes blinked rapidly even though she smiled and appeared to chat normally with Hailey. He could feel how the entire atmosphere had changed though, although Dave and Hope didn’t seem to notice. Dag could see the worry shading Chris’s eyes, knew how he felt because he felt exactly the same—protective of Kassidy.

He didn’t give a shit if Hailey wanted to spill her guts and rat him out—if Hope and Dave hated him, so what, he’d be gone and never see them again. It was Kassidy he worried about, worried too because he knew how disturbed she was by what her sister was doing.

And he didn’t even want to let his mind drift toward the thought that he’d seen Hailey naked with another man’s cock in her mouth—Jesus H. Christ.

After a while of drinking and munching on snacks, and conversation that had turned brittle and superficial, Kassidy stood. “We should start cooking,” she said brightly. “Dad, can you start up the grill?”

“You bet, Kassie.”

Dave went over to the deluxe stainless steel barbecue on the side of the deck. Dag followed Kassidy into the kitchen.

“You okay?”

She paused, hands resting on the island countertop. He wanted to put his arms around her and hug her but resisted the urge, given…everything.

“Yeah.” She blew out a breath then met his eyes. “I have to talk to her.”

He nodded. He would have been perfectly fine just forgetting the whole thing, never letting Hailey know they knew. He could be good at pretending. He’d been pretending most of his life. But he understood that Kassidy was concerned about Hailey.