Kicking and Screaming (2 page)

"Mom, I'm twenty not two. I'm not wearing that."

"You can't wear denim to meet our important guest young lady." Please let me be adopted.

"Jeans mom, they're called jeans in the twenty first century. Are you sure I'm yours, because seriously...."

"I will thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head young lady, and none of your sass; oh where did I go wrong?"

"It's that Conrad person you married, you've told me enough times that I'm just like him. I think it's only fair, you got the other three, well not Janet so much but...."

"You have a point, but please, for your poor mama, just this once, it's a nice dress."

"Which one of your cohorts picked it out?"

I saw the lie forming before she opened her mouth and that just put my back up even more.

"I knew it, I'm not wearing anything that, that...Jenny picked out." I couldn't very well call my mother's daughter a streetwalker in front of her now could I, but it was a close call.

"Oh come on Maxie, it's a nice dress." She tried forcing the horrid frilly thing on me. It looked like somebody spray-painted taffeta with pepto bismol.

I opened my mouth to blast my incubator, but she was saved once again. Lucky her, I was about to hunt down her twit of a daughter and strangle her ass with the straps on the ugly ass dress.

"Maxie, I bought you something to wear for tonight." Janet burst into my room with her arms loaded down, and a glow on her face. For her I'd wear a stupid dress.

"Let's have it; when is his eminence supposed to be here?" I studied the new torture device she passed off to me.

"Oh Maxie really, I think that's blasphemous or something."

"Maybe that's because you're all acting like he's the second coming or something mom, more like the anti..."

"Maxie Irene Dove...humph." She stormed out of the room and Janet looked at me like I’d kicked her puppy.

Why couldn’t anyone see my side here? Maybe because they had no idea what was really going on with you?

Whatever! Now was not the time to think about that. “Don’t look at me like that sis, you know I’ll never do anything to spoil this for you.”

“I just wish you’d tell me what it is that has soured you against him. It’s not like you to be this mean to anyone.”

I walked over and hugged her to put her mind at ease. Poor thing, she had enough to worry about, what with hitching her wagon to some man who was probably going to run her life until she was old and grey, while he ran around with every skirt he could...

Geez Maxie, you really have gone off the deep end. I put a big stupid grin on my face to hide my inner thoughts and ushered her out of the room so that I could get dressed.

***

I ended up in a short, off the shoulder dress, in pearl grey, whatever the hell that means.

Janet said it matched my steel grey eyes, which makes no damn sense.

If anybody said anything about my fat ass sticking out in this contraption, I'm going to throat punch them.

My sisters know better though, they've felt my wrath enough as kids. It's been a while, but I'd still knock them on their asses. Freaks.

"Don't you look fetching imp, where you hide the weapons?" Why is dad always sneaking up on me? I eyed him in his monkey suit that mom had probably had to browbeat him into wearing.

"Very funny dad." I playfully punched his arm.

"Who's laughing? Now, the young man is downstairs and your sisters are on their best behavior. Please do me proud and try not to cut the man's throat at the dinner table."

I gave him the stink eye and he held up his hands and stepped back with a laugh.

"I had to ask, your mother's orders." Figures, she should be more worried about one of her precious daughters missing a few teeth if they said the wrong damn thing to me.

"We'll see; I'm not making any promises."

"Pretty girl tell me the truth, why do you hate this guy?" he squeezed my arm and looked at me indulgently.

It took me a while to answer. I had to get my thoughts together for this one. No one else but dad would care enough to ask.

"I don't exactly hate him dad, it's just that I get the feeling from the tone of the things he's said, that he doesn't approve of Michael marrying Jan, and it's because we're cash poor and land rich."

"Where'd you ever get the idea that we're poor? We might not have what the family once had, but we're holding our own. Now give the poor guy a break, he's probably not even thinking anything like that. I met him and he seems like a nice guy to me."

"Grrrrrrr, not you too dad, traitor." I sailed down the stairs ahead of him with my nose in the air.

***

Huh, so this is the firecracker Michael told me about. I watched her make her way down the stairs like Boadicea at the head of her troops. Not bad, if she would tone down the death glare in her eyes.

In a past time they'd probably have burnt her at the stake. Those steel grey eyes and jet-black locks that flowed around her down to her ass, would've spelt witch back then.

I wonder if she knew what affect that austere manner of hers with a body like that had on a man? Of course she did, how could she not?

Jenny and Miranda were talking my ears off, though I think Miranda might be the less aggressive of the two.

They weren’t exactly to the point where I was ready to hit the decanter, but I have to admit to wanting to forego the usual inane chatter for a gander at the fiery one.

I pretended interest in the latest little tidbit from Jenny when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement.

Here comes Janet and Michael with the fire-eater in tow. I turned to face them, but it was more to get the full effect than anything else.

"Jackson Collins, I'd like to introduce you to my sister Maxie. Maxie this is Michael's best friend Jackson."

I didn't miss the slight squeeze she gave her sister's arm to get her to respond, nor did I miss the squint fire girl sent her sister's way.

So it was like that was it? I like a good challenge, bring it on sister.

"Mr. Collins."

"Maxie." Did she just sneer at me?

I see little Maxie's game; it's the oldest female game in the book. Playing hard to get, or in this case more aptly called, the cold shoulder; that's fine, I excel at that game.

If she wasn’t so gorgeous it might’ve been easier to ignore her completely, as it was, I did my best.

Her sisters seemed to be even more animated in her presence and I wondered about that. But there was time enough to decipher the dynamics of the family my pseudo brother was marrying into later.

"So, Jenny, you say you're a model?" There was a snort from my left where the fire breather was standing and I barely held back a grin.

Jenny rolled her eyes subtly in her sister’s direction, before turning her beaming smile on me again.

Taking my elbow, she turned me towards a wall of photos where she was in almost every picture in differing poses.

There were some of the other girls as well. One I found of particular interest was of little Maxie with a helmet under her arms, and what looked like a flight suit, one used for jumping out of planes.

Huh, looked like my little challenger was a bit of a daredevil. “That’s quite a collection you have there Jenny.” I leaned forward to get a better look.

I could've sworn I heard someone mumble 'camera slut', but that couldn't be.

This is an upstanding family; one of those least known higher echelons of society.

Granted their finances weren't what they once were, but they still had the name. There's no way one of their daughters would speak like that, or was there?

I'd had the family investigated because Michael was my best friend since childhood.

His adoptive parents had been my parents’ best friends since forever.

When they'd died when Mike was only fifteen, my parents had finished raising him, until we both went off to Harvard business, me a couple years ahead of him.

Now he's my right hand man in my family's corporation. I'm here because of those reasons, and because I'm very protective of Mike. Of both him and my little cousin Patrick, who couldn't be here, because his NFL team had a game this weekend.

As the eldest, I saw it as my duty to look out for them, and make sure they weren't being taken advantage of.

Even though they were grown men now, I haven't outgrown the habit, and doubt I ever will.

Mike had told me about the fire-eater's aversion to some of the things I'd said in the past, where the wedding was concerned.

Now apparently she was out for blood, so be it. I've been looking out for him since he was three and I five and a half, and I wasn't about to stop now.

Janet seemed like a nice girl, but had she not been, I would've done everything in my power to get rid of her.

Mike is an orphan after all. He didn't need any more bullshit heaped on top of him for the rest of his life.

I looked at the little fire-eater and she pretended that I didn’t exist as she glared across the room at who knows what.

I started to say something to her, but Jenny cut in again, and this time I was sure I heard the word ‘twat’, coming from my side.

Jenny of course heard this and opened her mouth to retort, but her sister simply growled at her and stalked off.

That’s right, growled. Mike had told me about her theatrics to a certain degree, but he hadn’t warned me that she was part animal.

She sailed out of the room and the room went flat. It was as if the joy or the light, that’s it, it’s as though the light had gone out of the room.

Very interesting indeed! I tuned back into whatever Jenny was saying and promised to strangle my dear old friend in his sleep for straddling me with her.

"Dinner is served, if you'll follow me." Thank fuck.

The lady of the house announced dinner some twenty minutes later, cutting short Jenny's narration of all her modeling accomplishments, which were vast.

As luck would have it, I was seated across from Maxie, who looked like she'd tasted something foul.

She was too busy glaring at Jenny and Miranda, who bracketed me, across from her, and the engaged couple, to notice me watching her.

That face; so amazingly expressive, like an open book. For all her veiled hostility there was something about her that called to the protective male in me.

It’s like I could see through that veneer of bravery she wore so well, to the hurt, scared little girl inside.

Shit, I did not come here for this. I knew the second she felt my eyes on her and looked away just as she turned to me.

I saw her make a deep sigh and then relax, and wondered what that was about. She couldn’t be this put out because her sister was getting married.

***

CONRAD

Oh boy, Cynthia may not get that peaceful dinner she was aiming for after all. I can already see the signs.

Whatever it is that's brewing is not going to be pretty. I know my imp and she's not one to be trifled with.

I thought for sure that after she met him she would follow her sisters in that simpering nonsense females do when they see a guy they like, but no.

I should’ve known better anyway. My imp never does the expected, except when it’s the worst possible thing, and then you can be sure she’s gonna do it.

Oh well, I can always hope for the best. If Cynthia had had any sense, she would've put Maxie on the end closest to me, so I could at least kick her under the table if she had one of her spells.

Now she’s gone and put her across from the poor man, who was directly in the line of fire. If he knew what was good for him he’d get that smirk off his face before she noticed that it was aimed at her. Good grief, I never thought I’d get flop sweat at my own dinner table. I reached for my glass of wine to dull the ache that was starting behind my eye.

MAXIE

Look at him just sitting there, like a big fat toad, just lording it over the rest of us mere mortals.

With his Gucci suit and his Hermes tie, with that stupid smirk on his face. I ought to just knock his teeth out.

He thinks I haven't noticed that he's talking to everyone but me, big woo.

They're talking about the wedding again anyway, I don't really care. All that this wedding is going to do is take my only likable sibling half way across the country anyway, but I'm happy for my Jan.

Mike had better be good to her or else. What was I going to do without her here now? With her gone there will be no buffer and it wasn’t like I could go spend as much time with her as she keeps saying, because they were going to be living rather close to my nemesis.

One under the lash glance showed him leaning to the side to hear something Miranda was saying. The idiot was probably asking him to pass her the salt, but of course she had to be overly dramatic about it.

She and Jenny were really showing their skinny asses tonight. Funny, mom didn’t seem to find any fault with their behavior.

I guess it’s more acceptable in polite society to be a flirtatious bimbo, than someone who actually had a functioning brain cell and knew how to use it.

JACKSON

I wonder what has her frowning now? Man she is just one unhappy chick. I haven't seen a smile on her face since I arrived, while everyone else has been nothing but pleasant.

Maybe she has mental issues or something, but no, Mike would've mentioned it if she did.

Whatever, the meal was excellent and the conversation was flowing nicely. Mike and Janet were beaming with joy, and that's all I cared about.

It was my reason for being her after all, and not to care one way or the other about what some self- overindulgent, spoilt little girl thought.

CYNTHIA

  Why ever did I seat Maxie across from Mr. Collins, what was I thinking? The way she's been glaring daggers at him, does not bode well.

I wonder what had set her off this time? Nothing had happened that I could tell, but with this one it didn't take much.

I just hope she doesn't get it into her stubborn head to throw a dinner roll at his head, the child has been known to do such a thing in the past.

If we get through this meal without incident I promise not to bother her about her wardrobe or her potty mouth for at least...two days.

I wish this meal would hurry up and be over. It was wonderful having such an esteemed guest in our home, but with Maxie teetering on the edge of...whatever was bothering her this time, it was wearing my nerves down.

At least Jenny and Miranda were keeping him occupied. I can always count on my girls to do the right thing. I cut my eyes over to Maxie and my spirits dropped even farther. Just what could I possibly have done to deserve such a trial?

***

Thank heaven that's over. I was about to sneak out the door to escape the madness.

If those two hoochies in training had batted their lashes and twitted at him one more time, I might've lost it. Idiots.

"Where are you going Maxie?" Shit where did she come from?

"Isn't my sentence over mom? I paid my debt to society, I'm going to the Club to hang with Jonas and the boys." I was almost home free too, damn.

"You will do no such thing young lady, this night is very important to your sister, please try to remember that." She kept her voice low but there was no mistaking the bite in her words.

"Yes ma'am." Old bat, she knew using Janet was the only way to keep me here. I turned back into the room just as the rest of them were filing in.

There he goes again, looking down his nose at me. And how come my man repellent glare isn't throwing him off? Little softy rich boy should be cowering in his boots by now. Opinionated prick.

I ought to go over there and gut-punch him. He just makes me so angry, and what is with that hair?  He probably paid some ass mega bucks to come up with that unsightly mess. I should take the garden shears to it...

"Imp, whatever you're thinking of doing don't." Dad sidled up to me and spoke out of the side of his mouth.

"Did you hear him at dinner dad? 'I don't think that venue will be large enough to hold all of Mike's guests; why don't we talk later Mr. Dove?' Jerk."

"I think he has a legitimate argument. If the place only holds up to two hundred and fifty and they're estimating five hundred guests there's no way..."

"But Jan already had the guest count, where did they get another two hundred and fifty people from?"

"The Collins have a lot of associates dear and obviously these people want to attend..."

"They're his friends not Michael's or Janet's. I'm not licking one more stinking envelope and that's that."

I could feel the blood just boiling away under the surface of my skin. I knew he would prove me right, what I didn’t understand is why no one else was calling him on his bullshit.

And why were Janet and Michael just letting him make all the decisions? Was he paying for the damn wedding? No.