Fulfillment (Book 3 in The Temptation Series) (42 page)

“What?”

“Hmmm,” I
mumbled, while squinting my eyes at him.

He chuckled,
leaned forward and kissed me on top of my head. All the girls
sounded a long-winded ‘Oooooo’.

I laughed and
rolled my eyes, prying his hands from around my waist. “Okay, you
four, what will it be first: cupcake making or make-overs?”

“Make-overs,”
the all screamed and clapped. And with perfect timing, the buzzer
to the door sounded again. Bryce walked over and let in two of the
hotel’s spa centre staff, who were both pushing a garment rack
containing five fluffy robes and a case which I assumed contained
many beauty make-over products.

“This is
Bridget and Emily, Alexis. They will help make-over each and every
one of you.”

All four girls
happy-clapped and bounced on the sofa.

“Hi, pleased
to meet you,” I said.

“Great, now
that Bridget and Emily are here, that is my cue to leave. I’ll be
in my office if you need me.” He placed two fingers on his lips and
blew me a kiss. I sighed.
Did I just sigh out loud? Shit! What
is wrong with me today?

Emily and
Bridget spent the next hour applying facial masks to me and the
girls while 4Life played through the speakers in the background. We
each had our hair in buns, with headbands keeping the loose strands
of hair back, a greenish poo-coloured mud mask spread across our
faces, and slices of cucumber lightly balanced on our closed
eyes.

All four of us
were lying back on the sofa with our robes on and our feet up on
the coffee table.

“How long does
this mask have to stay on?” I asked Bridget or Emily, not being
able to see either of them. Quite frankly, I couldn’t see shit
through these circles of cucumber.

“Another five
minutes,” one of them replied with a slight giggle.
Glad you
find this funny!

I nodded very
carefully. I honestly couldn’t wait to get this shit off my face. I
was only indulging in this incredibly expensive mud mixture—that
was probably dug up from down the street—because Charli wanted me
to.

The sound of a
camera shutter broke through the only piece of silence I’d had
since the girls arrived.

“Was that a
camera?” I asked awkwardly, as the mud around my mouth was dry and
made it difficult to move my facial muscles to talk.

“Yes,” Bryce
answered with a cocky tone.

I shot up, the
cucumber slices falling into my lap. Blinking for a second, I
spotted Bryce standing on the opposite side of the coffee table
holding up his phone.

He smiled
satisfactorily. “This photo is going on my desk.”

“Like fun it
is,” I said as I stood up. “Give me your phone.” I held out my
hand.

“Sorry,
Hunny.”

“Bryce Edward
Clark.” I put my hands on my hips.

Bridget, Emily
and the four girls started laughing.

“You know I
can’t chase you,” I said angrily, but with a subdued laugh.

“I know.”
Grrr.

“You do
realise I look like a clown. Would you like me to put on a red nose
for you? Maybe even a coloured wig,” I warned.

He raised his
eyes to meet mine. “Point taken. I’m deleting it now.”

I squinted my
eyes at him—I must’ve looked atrocious. “Good,” I said triumphantly
as I took a few steps toward him. “Now give me a kiss.” I reached
out to grab his t-shirt, pursing my crackly skin and lips. He was
too quick and jumped away.

The girls all
laughed—again!

***

After our
make-overs were complete, two dozen cupcakes were baked and
artfully decorated then consumed, pizzas were devoured and movies
were watched, and we all made our way to bed.

“My fucking
ears are ringing,” I complained. “I must have a permanent
high-pitched squeal noise going on in there.”

“No, they are
all still screaming,” Bryce grumbled as he turned over and placed
the pillow over his head. “A house full of young girls. Whose idea
was that again?”

“I don’t know,
but please, someone shoot me.” I flopped onto the bed, just as
another loud giggle echoed down the hallway. “Grrr.”

“You’re so
sexy when you growl into a pillow.”

I growled
back. “Shut up.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE

The end of the
calendar year was fast approaching which meant one thing:
Christmas! I loved Christmas. I loved all things Christmas. I loved
Santa.
Not the Mr. Gordon Santa variety, he interrupts too many
of my fun sexed-up moments.
No, I loved the real Santa and his
big round belly and big black boots. I loved the fantasy and joy
behind the concept of Santa and his elves, who joyously made the
toys in the North Pole. I loved the reindeer and the Christmas
tree, the sleigh and the presents. I loved the sense of family and
togetherness, of giving and being grateful. Oh, and I loved the
food—damn, did I love the food.

We decided to
have Christmas at the hotel, being that it was a convenient place
for everyone to stay. I was terribly excited that we were hosting
both our families, so much so that I had gone just a tad overboard
in my decorating. I’d twirled tinsel around the staircase banister,
bought a sleigh which was about two meters long and one meter high
with an entire set of Santa’s reindeer. I’d also put up twinkling
lights on every door frame and window frame I could find. But I
think my over-the-top craziness had been when I’d gone absolutely
ga-ga when seeing the huge hanging snowflakes and baubles dangling
from the hotel’s lobby. They were gorgeous, and each one was
approximately one meter squared.

The next thing
I knew, Bryce was having them hung from the ceiling in our lounge,
three stories high. He’d also organised a ginormous Christmas tree
to be put up, the tip of it being the perfect height for Nate and
Charli to adorn it with a star from the top of the staircase. The
apartment looked like a Christmas wonderland...I absolutely loved
it!

“Charli, don’t
touch that bauble, Missy,” I barked at her, as she gave my
perfectly colour-coordinated Christmas tree decoration a tap with
her finger.

“Alexis, calm
down. Everything is perfect,” Bryce said, reassuringly.

“It’s no use,
Bryce,” advised Nate, “No one touches Mum’s Christmas tree. She
goes nuts if you do.”

I was tidying
up the lounge area, making sure it was as baby-and-toddler proof as
I could get it. “Listen to your brother, Charlotte, or that rather
large present toward the back of the tree with your name on it will
no longer have your name on it,” I said flatly, without removing my
attention from what I was doing.

“When is
everyone going to get here?” Charlotte groaned impatiently.

“Soon, Charli.
It’s only 7:30 in the morning.”

“Urgh! I wish
they’d hurry up. I want to open some presents.”

“Alexis, come
and sit down and we’ll open our presents before everyone gets
here,” Bryce suggested.

I raised my
head and noticed him looking just as eager as the kids. He really
was adorable at times. “I’ve got to go and set the table,” I
argued.

He stood up
and strode my way, then bent down and picked me up, throwing me
over his shoulder.

“Presents!
Now!”

“Bryce!
Alright,” I squealed while smacking his arse.

Both the kids
laughed.

“Me first, me
first,” Charli squawked.

Bryce set me
down next to the sofa then pulled me onto his lap, my back to his
front and his arms securing me to him.

“Go on, get
the big one at the back,” I said to Charli. “Nate, you can get that
one over by the wall.”

Both the kids
launched themselves into demolishing the wrapping paper I had so
precisely applied.

“Sick! A
telescope,” Nate slurred, as he stood back to admire the rather
expensive telescope Bryce picked out for him.

“We can set
that one up in your room, Nate,” he said with excitement on his
face. I loved how they both shared this fascination with space—just
the two of them.

“Awesome,
thanks.” Nate got up and gave us both a hug.

Charli’s
shrill voice sounded next, securing all our attentions. “Oh! My!
God! My own Karaoke machine.”

“Oh Geezus!
Charli, please be careful with that,” I said while cringing as she
tried to lift the state of the art model Bryce insisted on getting
her.

He gently
squeezed my waist and dug his chin into my shoulder blade. “Stop
stressing,” he whispered into my ear.

“I’m not
stressing. I just know how much both those things cost.”

He wrenched me
around and dipped me to the side, making me scream in surprise.
“Hunny, you seem to forget that I’m made of money.”

“I don’t,” I
giggled as he nuzzled my neck, tickling me. “I’ve just learned to
respect it and appreciate it and—”

“I appreciate
that I have a lot of it, and I also appreciate that I now get to
spend it on you three,” he mumbled into my neck, unfazed by his
wealth.

“I know you
do, and I also know you have given generously to so many charities
lately. It’s very sexy.”

“Urgh! That’s
gross,” Nate grumbled.

Bryce ignored
my son’s unease. “It’s what I do, Ms. Summers,” he said with a
perfect smirk.

I laughed at
him as the buzzer to the door rang. “Yes, it is, Mr. Clark, and you
do it so well.”

Nate and
Charli jumped up and made their way over to the door to open it.
When they did, it was like a never-ending freight train of Blaxlos,
Summers, and Clarks; Lucy, Nic, and Alexander; Rick, Claire, and
RJ; Mum, Dad, Jen, Steven and the kids; and lastly, Jake and his
new girlfriend, a tall attractive red head—not his normal type.

I scrambled
off Bryce’s lap as they all filtered into the apartment.

“Are you two
ever not all over each other?” Jen asked as she approached to give
us a hug.

“No,” Bryce
said as a matter of fact.
I can’t really disagree with him
either.

Jen passed
Jack to me. “Here, Merry Christmas, he’s my gift to you. He spews,
shits, cries and doesn’t sleep. Enjoy.” She kissed me on the cheek
then moved over and hugged Bryce. “Merry Christmas.”

I jiggled Jack
on my hip as I greeted everyone else, leaving my brother till last.
As I approached him and his scarlet companion, I lifted Jack and
gently pushed him into Jake’s arms. “Here, Merry Christmas, he’s my
gift to you. He spews, shits, cries and doesn’t sleep. Enjoy,” I
said, repeating what Jen said to me.

Jake had no
choice but to accept. “Geez, just what I’ve always wanted...a
smaller version of myself.”

Scarlet let
out a snorting laugh. “You’re so funny,” she complemented
adoringly.
Oh God! She’s a Jake groupie.

“Alexis, this
is Johanna. Johanna, Alexis, my little sister.”

“Clearly, I’m
not little,” I said as I rolled my eyes at my brother. “It’s nice
to meet you, Johanna.”

“Nice to meet
you too, Alexis.” Johanna said politely, putting her arms out to
Jake, wanting to hold baby Jack. My brother more than happily
obliged, passing him over.

“Hello, you
big handsome boy,” she cooed at him, as she walked toward the rest
of our family, Jack now bouncing on her hip.

I linked my
arm around Jake’s. “So, how long is this one gonna last?” I
murmured with a low voice.

“I dunno,
hopefully a while. I like her.”

“Didn’t you
like the others?”

“Not
really.”

“You’re such a
man-whore.”

“Correction:
was a man-whore. I like this one.”

“Well, if you
want to keep said ‘one’ stop referring to her as a number.”

Jen walked up
to us while giving Johanna unsure glances.

“Who gave my
son to a stranger with a funny laugh?”

Jake pointed
to me and I pointed to him.

“I re-gifted,”
I explained.

“So did I,”
retorted Jake.

“Jake, she
better be clean and sterile.”

“Listen you
two, be nice. She is clean and sterile, although we did shag before
we came here...”

I punched his
arm. “Ewww.”

“That’s it!
Get my son, someone get my son. She’s kissing his cheek and I have
a fairly good idea where her lips have been.” Jen turned around and
headed for Johanna.

I smiled
sweetly at Jake. “So she gave you head before our Christmas lunch?
She’s so nice,” I said stretching out the ‘nice’ part of my
statement.

“Alexis, give
her a chance.”

I screwed up
my face, insulted. “I will, I was being genuine, she does seem
nice.”

He glared at
me.

“I’ll do you a
deal. Be nice to Rick, and I’ll do the same to Johanna.”

He raised his
head and spotted my estranged husband. “No can do. The man cheated
on you with that little bitch hanging off his arm,” Jake said
angrily.

“Hey, I know.
We both made mistakes, and anyhow, I’m better off now. I’m happy
and I’ve forgiven him, so you can do the same.”

He huffed.
Yes, my brother huffs.

“Deal?” I
offered again.

“Hmmm.”

I hugged him.
“I love you, Jakey Snakey.”

We walked down
into the lounge area to mingle with the rest of our families. I
noticed Dad and Bryce come out of Bryce’s office, Dad giving Bryce
a manly slap on the back, both of them looking quite pleased.
God, I hope Dad just didn’t agree to let Bryce buy him a
helicopter or something.

I let go of
Jake’s arm so that I could embrace Bryce. “What are you getting up
to with my father?” I inquired as I slid my arms around his waist.
“He didn’t just agree to sign his life over to you, did he?”

Bryce
chuckled, “Kind of.”

I scowled at
him with curiosity. “I know you want to share your wealth with me
and my family, but you need to keep me informed about it. I hate
shit being said and done behind my back.”