Hudson (9 page)

“I can walk.  I wouldn’t fall
down
the stairs because
I’d be going
up
them.”

“Then I won’t point out the fact that you’re quite adept at
falling
up
the stairs.”  Max winked at them and left with his wife in
his arms. 

From the door, Micah asked, “Can I get you anything before I
turn in?” 

“We’re set.  Give her the magic potion because we kept
telling her she wasn’t actually drinking.”  Tawny was not remotely ashamed.

“You are fucking diabolical.”

“It’s why you
lo-o-o-ve
me, Micah.  It’s my job to
remind her that she isn’t
really
a fairy princess.  Otherwise, she’d get
a fat head.  I take my job seriously.”

Laughing, Micah followed the others upstairs. 

Tawny listened carefully and gave a nod.  “Coast is clear.  I’m
going for baby cheesecakes.”

“Aren’t those for the party?” 

“I’m a party guest, here
very
early.  Max made them
special with eighty-percent cacao.  Mine.  Be Bonnie to my Clyde and let’s get
a couple of those destroyed.  Almost everything is being catered but those are
here
now
.” 

They ended up with Patrón and cheesecakes on a tray between
them on the bed. 

“I love the relationship you guys have.  You remind me of my
sister.”

“She’s totally awesome then…obviously.”  She popped a mini-cheesecake
in her mouth and sighed.  “You know, Riya is the only chick friend I had until
you.  I normally can’t stand women.  You’re like Riya without the halo.”

Brie couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up.  “Uh, no. 
No halo.”

Tawny grinned.  “Things come easy to her.  She’s naturally
good
at shit.  If she weren’t such a good person, I would have punched her out when
we were teenagers.  Until her project, Riya was so fucking sweet it could make
your teeth hurt.”

“I read the books…it was an education.”

“Right?  She has some dings in that halo now, I tell you
what.  I’m glad she took to you.  You’re a good fit.  A halfway point between
us.”

“Thanks.”

“Alright, I’m going to pull out your deep dirty shit now. 
Time for some
Truth or Dare
.” 

The next hours were spent acting like teenagers and Brie
could say she’d never had so much fun with another person besides Izzy. 

After a three-hour nap, they were up again…making pancakes.

The others were awakened to the sounds of them singing
Here
Comes the Sun
at top volume.  Max and Micah appeared at the top of the
stairs. 

“Ladies,” Micah said carefully.  “Good morning.  Is
something the matter?”  His voice was still scratchy from sleep.

Tawny blew them kisses.  “Nope!  Just want you to get a
sample of what holiday mornings will be like when you have kids.  Up, up,
up
! 
Lots of stuff to do today!”

Max mumbled, “She’s
not
serious.”

Behind them, a yawning Riya said, “Oh yeah.  She’s serious. 
Best to go with it or she’ll get worse.” 

Brie laughed quietly as Tawny nodded soberly.  “Trust her. 
She’s a
doctor
.  Come on!  We made pancakes!”  Then she dashed back to
the kitchen.

Stopping in front of Brie, Riya said, “She got to you.”

“Sorry.”

“Liar.  You’ll never be the same now.”

“I know.  We have coffee and mimosas.”

“I smell the coffee.  It’s the only thing currently keeping
her
alive
, Brie.”   

The day was beautiful.  The light streaming through the
floor-to-ceiling windows was perfect as they decorated.  Christmas carols
played through the rooms while they worked.

A couple of hours before the party, Tawny and Riya pulled
her upstairs to get ready.  Riya ordered all of them coordinating dresses and
shoes.  They were the same fabric but different colors and styles.  All of them
fell just above the knee. 

Hers was custom-tailored for her odd shape and even had
built-in booby support that even her own bras sometimes failed to provide.  The
dark blue brought out the color of her eyes.  When she originally took Brie to
the dress shop for measurements, she refused to show the design.

“Trust me.  You’re going to love it.”

The finished product was beautiful.  They took her hair out
of the big clip and it fell to the middle of her back.  Tawny grabbed a lock
and watched the tight curl spring back.  “I want to see what it looks like
flat-ironed.”

“Ha!  Good luck with that.  Your arms will get tired
way
before you finish. 
Next time.
  We do not have time to fuck with my hair
right now.”  Grumbling, they settled for doing her makeup and a casual up-do
she never would have accomplished on her own. 

It seemed that everyone arrived at the same time and the
space quickly filled with talking, laughter, and music.  The friends and family
who arrived were very different from the people Brie knew growing up in her
little town in Washington. 

Tawny’s mother and Riya’s father had been married for almost
two years so the young women were actually stepsisters now. 

Maggie was pretty and loved to laugh.  She asked Brie rapid-fire
questions about where she grew up, her family, and her interests.  The older
woman’s acceptance of her daughters’ ménage relationships blew Brie’s mind. 
Even Riya’s dad seemed fine with everything. 

Tawny told her things hadn’t always been so peaceful but it
was better now. 

“Something to remember, Brie.  If family wants you in their
life badly enough, they’ll accept you for who you
are
…not who they
want
you to be.”

Archer was a nice man with a booming voice.  “Riya told me
how you ended up here.  I’d be happy to look into things, speed the process
along for you.” 

“Thank you, Mr. O’Connell.  The investigation is ongoing but
I try not to think about it too much.  I have a new life and friends, a
fabulous apartment, and a decent job.  It will either get resolved or it won’t
but it won’t affect my life from this point.”

“Good attitude.  If you change your mind, just let me know. 
Call me Archer.  Mr. O’Connell makes me feel old and I’m convinced I’m still in
my prime.”

Food and alcohol flowed freely for hours and when the deejay
put the holiday music on hold and started playing dance hits, the open space along
the windows became an impromptu dance floor. 

Her first partner was Riya’s father though she tried to
decline several times. 

“Maggie!  Tell this lovely young woman I won’t step on her
feet!  It’s not natural for young people not to dance.  I danced all the time
when I was your age.” 

Maggie called, “You can trust him, Brie.  Have fun, dear!”

All the dancing she’d ever done in her life was with
family.  Mexican celebrations were filled with music and dancing.  For a
moment, she almost panicked at dancing around people not related to her. 

These are friends.  They won’t judge me. 

“Mr., uh, Archer…I’ve never danced with anyone who wasn’t a
relative.”  His eyes lit up brightly and he walked over to tell Maggie. 

Tawny and Riya’s jaws dropped open. 

The older woman nudged their chins up with her fingertip.  “You
enjoy yourself among friends, Brie.  Everyone needs to have fun.  This is your
youth!  Dancing brings joy whether you’re good at it or not.”

Without another word, Archer led her out.  The man had to be
in his sixties and he could
move
. 

Blushing brightly, she soon found the rhythm and began to
relax. 

In the middle of the song, Micah tapped on Archer’s shoulder
and cut in.  She did her best to keep up with Riya’s husband. 

Over the music, he told her with a laugh, “Someone has been
keeping her mad dance skills a secret.  Don’t you know we
always
need
partners?  I’d say that is the only drawback to our lifestyle.” 

Brie shook her head with small smile.  When the song
changed, Max took her other hand and Micah’s place.  After half an hour, she’d
also danced with Zach and Quinn. 

Quinn bowed over her hand and returned her to Riya and
Tawny.  The only thing she could do was hug both of them. 

“Thank you for that.  For helping me feel less awkward.” 

She was on the verge of tears and Tawny was determined to
keep her mood up. 

“I am totally kicking your hermit ass, Brie.”  She held up a
glass of Patrón.  “Don’t make me drink alone.”  Brie took it gratefully.  “When
you’re ready, we go out.  We dance, we drink, and we make
Riya
drink so
we can record the chaos.”

Laughter erased her almost tears.

For the next several hours, Gabriella alternately danced and
mingled with the other guests.  She was thrilled when she discovered a couple
of Riya’s dissertation subjects were among them. 

Joshua was around her age and chose
Beautiful Liar
to
pull her out on the dance floor.  He held her close and she thought the man was
ripped like no one she’d ever touched.  They were chatting and dancing for a
few minutes when his girlfriend Jessica joined them. 

By
joined
, the pixie blond stood behind Joshua and
held Brie’s hands against Joshua’s ass…then ended up behind
her
with her
hands on her hips.  They kept talking as if nothing was strange about this at
all. 

“We love the
hell
out of that woman.  You know we
work for Max and Micah’s companies, don’t you?”  Brie shook her head slowly. 
“It’s great.  We do what we can to provoke the M’s around Riya.  They should
never forget how awesome she is.” 

The couple nudged in closer.  “Tell us about
you
,
Brie,” Jessica said at her ear a moment before she nibbled her earlobe. 

Glancing at Riya, whose mouth hung open again, she gave a
nervous laugh and let them do…whatever it was they were doing…and tried to
sound coherent. 

When the song ended, they thanked her by taking turns
kissing her on the mouth and giving her a card with their contact information
on it. 

“Don’t be shy, Brie.  I’d be so gentle if you let me take
your girl-on-girl cherry.  It would be our little secret.”  They stroked their
fingers down her arms.  “You’re like silky caramel.  I wouldn’t mind a little
taste.”  With a wink, Jessica led her man away.

Riya and Tawny appeared at her side. 

“Just in case you’re offended, I’m sorry.  I should have
warned you about my darling Joshua and Jessica.  They can, um, come on strong.”

Brie stared at the retreating couple.  “Offended?  I’ve
never been so
flattered
in my life.”

The three of them started laughing and couldn’t stop.  Brie
made a show of putting their card in her cleavage.  “If I ever get the
courage.”  That started a fresh round of laughter and they refilled their
drinks. 

Tawny whispered, “Would you really consider taking on both
of them?” 

“I’d feel so self-conscious, to be honest.  They have like
twelve-percent body fat.”  She cupped her breasts.  “With these I come in
around forty percent.  It isn’t a good forty.”

“Oh, bullshit.” 

“I so wish I was kidding.  I’m looking into a reduction.” 
She absently took her hair down. 

Riya had a little frown between her eyes.  “Isn’t that
dangerous?” 

“Not with the right doctor.  I need to do some more research
but…I hurt most days from the weight.  It’s just too much.”

Electric Slide
blasted through the speakers and their
eyes went wide.  They moved to the middle of the room, drunk and barefoot. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw people join them.  They
watched Ricardo and his wife Malina bump and grind to the beat.  Joshua and
Jessica, not to be outdone, nudged the heat a little higher and the other
guests started clapping along. 

She was covered in a light sheen of sweat by the time a
second line dance song ended. 

Leaning heavily on Tawny, Riya said, “I wish you could have
met Lucas and Victor.  They can’t travel until summer with their businesses.  You’ll
get to meet Sean and his ladylove next week.  Naturally, you’ll bring in the
New Year with us.”

A song began to play in Spanish.  It was one of her
favorites.  Brie sang along, clapping at the right spots, and Riya joined in
when she learned the chorus. 

Ricardo came over and Malina settled on the other couch. 
Gathering Brie’s hands, he tugged her up and danced with her to
Lloralas
as they sang the words.  He complimented her in Spanish and twirled her back to
sit. 

“I like this new friend of yours, Riya.  You need more heat
like Brie around you so you don’t forget, yeah?”    

Tawny seconded the motion. 

Riya laughed and a moment later, Micah and Max collapsed
beside her.  Max raked his fingers through his damp hair.  “Tawny, your mom
kicks ass on the dance floor.” 

The friends grinned.  A waiter came by with refills to their
drinks and each of them took one.  Tawny and Brie chuckled as the M’s exchanged
a look.

The redhead whispered, “I’m going up to get my phone…just in
case.  You know I
live
for the half dozen times a year I can get her
wasted.”  She stood and made her way across the room.  As she approached the
stairs, she was waylaid by her men and tugged into the den. 

Gabriella sipped her tequila and listened to Ricardo and
Malina talk to Max and Micah with only part of her brain.  Stretching her legs
out and crossing her ankles, Brie sang along to the music with her eyes
closed. 

When someone sat down beside her, she turned to find herself
staring into Hudson’s black eyes.  Nothing could have surprised her more. 

His voice shivered through her.  “A Patrón woman.  I’ll
check my stock.”

She had to laugh.  “I only drink when I’m around people I
know.”  Carefully, she cleared her throat.  “Merry Christmas, Hudson.”

“Merry Christmas, Brie.”  He placed a medium-sized gift box on
her lap.  “I’m invited every year and usually decline.  This year, I figured
you’d be here.” 

She tilted her head and he shrugged.  “I’ve noticed that you
avoid me.”  He motioned to the box in her hands.  “I didn’t forget what you
said.”

Brie opened the paper carefully then the box inside and exhaled
slowly at the small but stunning statue inside.  It was tastefully done in jade,
a nude man and woman wrapped around one another in passion.   

“Hudson, it’s beautiful.  Really beautiful.  Thank you so
much.” 

Holding it in one hand, she hugged him with the other.  His
arms slid around her and Brie thought Hudson’s hug might be one of the best
she’d ever received. 

He whispered at her ear, “Stop avoiding me, Brie.  I don’t
bite…unless you ask.  Should that happen, I can assure you I’ve had all my
shots.”  Then he nipped her earlobe lightly.

Heat flooded her system instantly and she gasped softly. 

“Dance with me, Brie.” 

The first strains of
Feeling Good
began to play and
he pulled her to her feet.  She tugged at him.  “One second.”  He held her hand
as she stepped into her heels then pulled her out on the floor and into his
arms.  She focused on his shoulder as he led her around the room. 

His fingers stroked her hair.  “I’ve never seen it down. 
It’s lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“How have you been, Brie?” 

“I’ve been alright.  Working and exploring the city mostly.” 
Glancing up at him, she tried to steady her heart rate.  Everything about
Hudson screamed
dirty sex
in a way she really wanted to hear.  “I didn’t
get you a gift.”

He stared at her, his hands tightened, and he pulled her
closer.  “I could be
cheesy
and say dancing with you
is
my gift. 
I’m not that selfless nor do I have a cheesy cell in my body.” 

Unconsciously, she tugged her lower lip between her teeth
and he smiled.  It was the smile of a man who knew how powerful he was, how
sexual he was, and
reveled
in the knowledge.

“You’re afraid to ask me.”

“I…I don’t…know what you’d say.”  They were still dancing
but she couldn’t think about anything but the man in front of her.  Staring up
at him, she watched how he watched her.

Lifting one hand, he traced her lower lip with his thumb.  “You
have fantastic lips, Brie.  Full and beautifully shaped.”  His eyes flicked to
hers and she saw his resolve.  “I want to kiss them.  Now.”

She tried to stay calm but it was wasted effort. 

Pressing his body forward, she felt a wall behind her and
realized he’d maneuvered them into the small alcove beside Riya’s kitchen.  She
hadn’t even noticed. 

Hudson moved his hand beneath her chin, tilted her face as
he lowered, and she inhaled the smell of him.  His scent was
incredible
. 
A combination of expensive cologne and a trace of something that reminded her
of the forests back home. 

He kissed one corner of her mouth, then the other, before
his tongue traced over her lower lip.  He sipped at her mouth with tiny
open-mouthed kisses that threw her entire body into heat. 

Needing air, her lips parted slightly, and his tongue darted
inside for an instant before he planted more kisses on her lips and nuzzled her
cheek.  His breath on her ear was warm and she pressed against him. 

“I’m not polite or gentle.  I’m trying but I want nothing
more than to fuck you until you know nothing but my name.” 

A small moan slipped past her control and he growled at
her.  Nothing registered in her brain but the feel of him.  He was big, hard,
and warm and she wanted to have sex with this man more than she wanted her next
breath. 

His cock nestled against her lower belly and she tried to
feel more of him without seeming obvious.  Rocking her hips, she felt his
entire body stiffen. 

“You make me come like this and I will get payback out of
your sweet ass, Brie.” 

Her sharp inhale could have been shock or excitement.  Possibly
a little bit of both.  Hudson slid his hand along the back of her neck, lifted
her mouth, and held her still for the sort of kiss she’d expected from him the
first time. 

A kiss that conquered.  A kiss that made her question every
man who’d ever touched her sexually.  Her other lovers had been a simmer while
Hudson was full-throttle open flame.

This was passion.

One of her hands touched his face, the other slid beneath
his jacket and around to his back.  He kissed her until she felt drunker from
him than the alcohol she’d consumed.  His tongue coiled and played around hers while
she learned how to return what he gave. 

Bending his knees, Hudson positioned his cock against the
cradle of her body.  He rocked into her firmly and she wanted him inside her. 

There would be no lovemaking in this man’s arms.  He
fucked
. 
She wanted that experience and she wanted it with him. 

Right fucking now.

The head of his cock raked across her clit through their
clothes.  His fingers held her ass hard, working her against his length.  She
was more involved in the sensations he provided than ever in her life and she
was still dressed. 

Brie came apart in his arms. 

He kissed her as she trembled through the unexpected climax. 
Strong hands smoothed up and down her back and ass.  He squeezed and held her
tightly to his groin. 

“I want to fuck you so badly, Brie.  To be buried inside you
when you come for me again.”  She whimpered and pressed herself against him. 
“You are
hell
on my control.  Absolute hell.” 

He stroked her until she stopped shaking and leaned back to
look at her. 

“I have to do things differently.  I have to
be
different.  The usual man I am isn’t good for you.”  Delivering another kiss that
returned her to a sensual haze, his fingers tightened on her ass again.  Then
he suddenly stepped back and let her go. 

She was instantly chilled.

Unable to understand what happened, what changed the
direction of where she’d thought this was headed; Brie stared at him in
confusion. 

She murmured, “Alright.” 

Lightheaded and unsure of herself, the past few minutes took
on a dreamlike quality and she shook her head to clear it. 
What did a man
like this want from a woman like her?
 

“What are you thinking, Brie?”

“That I don’t know anything about anything.” 

She moved to pass him and he caught her hand.  “I don’t want
to just
take
from you.  My entire life is about what I can
get
. 
I want something different with you.”

“I don’t understand taking.  I only understand giving.  I guess
that’s my problem.  Merry Christmas, Hudson and thank you for the beautiful
gift.” 

She tugged her hand from his and he released her with a
frown. 

Plastering a smile on her face, she returned to the party and
watched the others from the landing.  An hour later, she changed out of her
dress in Riya’s guestroom.  Familiar with mountain winters, she pulled on
leggings, jeans, two undershirts, and a sweater. 

Gathering her hair in a loose bun, she picked up her heavy
coat and backpack.  The small jade statue was tucked safely inside. 

Back downstairs, she hugged her way through everyone and
Riya pulled her aside.  Her friend wasn’t completely steady on her feet. 

“Stay here, Brie.  It’s freezing outside and you’ve been
drinking.”

“I love the cold, I’m dressed warmly, and unlike you,
lightweight
,
I can actually handle alcohol.  I have less than the slightest buzz now.”

“Are you sure?  Why don’t you just stay?”

Hands on her shoulders, she smiled brightly.  “I have Mass
in the morning.  I promised my mom.  You need to wake up Christmas morning
without guests so you can give proper thanks for the gift of Micah and Max. 
You don’t understand right now because you’re drunk off your ass.”

“Let me call Rodney to take you then.”

“It is Christmas Eve and that woman he’s dating would
hate
you.  I’ll have the guys call me a cab.  It isn’t a problem, I promise.  Merry
Christmas, Riya.  Thank you so much for including me.”  They hugged tightly and
Brie was genuinely thankful to have met these people.

Tawny walked her to the elevator.  “Something happened.”

“You’re right.  I got
really
tired and want my
fantastic bed.  Someone who shall remain nameless made sure I only got about
six hours of sleep in the last two days.”