The Henson Brothers: Two Complete Novels (36 page)

"You cannot lose twenty pounds in two and a half weeks."

Cassie folded her arms and lifted her chin. "I can and I have. I just need help—support really."

"You've lost twenty pounds in two weeks?"

"Yes."

Drake took off her plastic cap and his. "Hmm, and I bet you lost your hair and had about as much energy as a sloth."

Her arms fell. "How would you know?"

He flexed his hand. "Let's just say that I know a little something about malnutrition."

"I don't want to meet my mother looking like this."

"Looking like what? You look fine."

"But I don't feel fine and that's what matters, right?" She rested her hands on her hips. "Will you help me or not?"

He thought for a moment. "Make it three pounds and you've got a deal."

"Three pounds! That's nothing. I could spit that off."

He held out his hand. "Great, then we have a deal."

She slapped it away. "No."

"I'll help you gain muscle."

"Make it fifteen."

"Five."

"Twelve."

"Seventeen," Eric said. "What are you two arguing about?"

"She wants me to help her lose twenty pounds," Drake said in disgust.

"I'm visiting my parents in two weeks," Cassie added.

Eric frowned. "So?"

Drake nodded. "Exactly. Even though I'm against it, I said I'd help her lose five."

"Twelve," Cassie argued.

"Make it ten," Eric suggested.

They looked at each other, then Eric. "Fine, ten," they agreed.

He bowed. "Glad to be of service."

Drake lifted the trash bag. "You'll have to move in with me. So I can keep an eye on you."

"You're just adding that as a bonus."

He suddenly smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way."

"Okay."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "We'll have to seal this deal with a kiss."

She held a hand against his chest, glancing at the people as they swept past "Wait a few pounds."

"You either kiss me now or we don't have a deal." He saw her hesitation and sighed, annoyed. "Cassie, we kissed before."

"That's because you caught me off guard."

He glanced around. "It's safe. Nobody's watching."

She suddenly felt foolish, understanding how he would have thought she was ashamed of him. Her voice was a whisper. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

He met her eyes, his gaze holding her still. "Then kiss me and make me feel better."

She kissed him, then whispered. "That's just the Band-Aid," her tone suggesting a much more complete healing later on.

His voice was husky as he lifted the trash bag. "We'll be eating at my place."

She smiled and watched him go, feeling nothing but joy, but a sliver of doubt settled in her thoughts—after all they've been through, did he still want to marry her?

Chapter 15

Eric stared out Drake's balcony window with a pensive expression. "When is Cassie arriving?"

Drake glanced at his watch. "Soon."

"Since you and Cassie are now back together, Brenda is out of the picture, right?"

"She's been out for a while."

He paused. "How did you do that?"

"I made it clear that I was only interested in being friends."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking pained. "Are you sure Brenda got the message?"

"Yes." He looked at him, curious. "Why?"

"Because she's on your balcony."

"What!" Drake flew to the window. He saw Brenda climbing over the balcony railing. He opened the sliding door. "What are you doing?"

She smiled. "Seeing you."

"How did you get here?"

"I know people in high places."

Drake leaned over the balcony and saw a fire truck driving down the road. He turned to Brenda. "You have to leave. I'm expecting a guest."

"I don't plan to stay long." She cupped his face. "Of course that all depends on you." She opened her trench coat. There was nothing underneath.

Behind him Eric softy swore; Brenda snapped the coat shut.

"You know, those breasts look vaguely familiar," Eric said. Drake glared at him. "But of course that's not the point."

She studied him. "Who are you?"

"Doubt you would remember me."

"He's my brother," Drake said.

"Ah..." she said, remembering. "Still trying to measure up?"

Eric flushed slightly and took a step back. "I'll leave you two."

"Excuse us," Drake said, following his brother to the door. He seized Eric's arm before he could escape. "Did you sleep with her too?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"No, she just let me see her breasts."

"For how much?"

"It was free."

"Did we attend the same high school?"

"She felt sorry for me," Eric admitted. "If you survive tonight I'll tell you about the student teacher." He dislodged Drake's grip and made his escape.

"Good," Brenda said. "I thought he'd never leave."

"I thought I explained—"

"What you said and what you wanted to say were two different things." She traced his lips with her finger. "I know you're shy, so I'll do all the work."

"I'm back with Cassie."

She smiled, smug. "That's okay. I know you're loyal. Your type usually are. I don't mind being the other woman." She licked her lips, grasping the front of his shirt. "It's less stressful anyway."

He grabbed her wrists, debating whether to toss her out the door or through the window. He was certain she would just turn into a bat and fly away. "I'm—" She pushed herself up against him. He moved back, disgusted. "Brenda—"

"Wait right here. I have a surprise for you." She disappeared into the bathroom.

He pounded on the door. "I'm not interested in your surprises." She just laughed. He considered bursting in when the buzzer rang. He squeezed his eyes shut, debating whether to pretend he wasn't home. When the ringing continued he pushed the button to open the front door and paced, trying to figure out a good excuse for Brenda's presence. He pounded on the door again. "What are you doing in there?"

"Patience."

Someone knocked on the front door. He took a deep breath and opened it, blocking her entrance. "Cassie, I'm in a jam right now. Could you come back in an hour?"

"But I brought my bags," she argued, holding up the objects. "At least let me drop them off."

He took the bags and tossed them on the floor. "There."

"Wait, what's the rush?"

"Drake, are you ready for your surprise?" Brenda called out. It was a statement rather than a question because she gave him no time to reply.

He turned and saw her wearing red stiletto heels with chocolate and whipped cream spread all over her body. "I hope you're hungry." Her mouth fell open when she saw Cassie, then smoothed into a grin. "Oh, you have company."

Drake turned to Cassie, ready to explain. She wasn't there. He found her at the elevators. "It's not what you think."

She pushed the elevator button with extra force. "You have no idea what I'm thinking right now. Of course now I understand why you need an
hour
to get out of your... situation." She quirked a brow at him. "Forty minutes wouldn't give you enough time to get through all that whipped cream and the chocolate should take at least twenty minutes."

Drake began to explain, then stopped. He'd seen Cassie upset before and this wasn't one of those moments. He rested his hand against the wall and scowled down at her. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

She bit her lower lip and pushed the button again.

He folded his arms. "This is what you get when you're nice to people."

She laughed at his disgust. "You must have been
very
nice."

His scowl deepened. "It's not funny. She climbed over my balcony wearing just a trench coat. You can ask Eric. I told her that I wasn't interested, but she thought I was just being shy. Stop laughing."

Cassie sucked in her lips, but her chin trembled at his look of outrage.

"I told her we were back together and she offered to be my mistress. The next thing I knew she disappeared and came out... like that."

"She's very attractive. If I were a man—" His fierce glare stopped her. She flashed a wicked grin. "Do you want me to help you get rid of her?"

He spun on his heel. "I can get rid of her, but I doubt I'll be nice about it."

Cassie jumped in front of him, holding her hands out to stop him. "I'll take care of this. Take off your shirt."

"What?"

She wagged a finger at him. "Don't ask questions, just do as I say and follow me."

They returned to the apartment and Drake took off his shirt and threw it over the couch, while Cassie slipped out of her shoes and unbuttoned her blouse.

"You're beginning to worry me," he muttered as he followed her.

"Good."

They both stopped in the bedroom doorway where they saw Brenda lying seductively on the bed. Her creamy brown body looked like the topping on a sundae. Cassie nudged Drake's paralyzed form. "Stop drooling and try to breathe." She stepped forward and took off her blouse. "Brenda, I am so happy you're here to join us. We weren't expecting you of course, but the more the merrier. Drake is so... fond of you."

"You can't compete, Cassie."

"I don't plan to." She sat on the edge of the bed. "Fortunately, with you here we can get started before the others come."

Her superior expression faded a bit. "The others?"

"Yes. Marie, Debbie, Tawana." She turned to Drake. "Who else was there, dear?"

He blinked. "Uh—"

She smiled at Brenda and shrugged. "We've had so many we've lost count."

Brenda's eyes widened, horrified. "Are you telling me that you have other women come and—"

"Not just women. Men too. We believe in equal opportunity." Cassie lowered her bra strap. "So do you want to start with Drake or me?"

Brenda leaped out of the bed. "This is sick! Being a mistress is one thing, but what you're talking about is immoral." She grabbed her trench coat and backed out of the door, staring at Drake as if he were about to attack her. "I hope I never see you again."

They heard the clicking of her heels as she ran and then the front door slammed.

Cassie ran a hand through her hair and fluttered her eyelashes. "Well, don't I deserve a thank-you?"

Drake began to grin. "Why didn't you just tell her to get out?"

"Because she might come back. I had to give her a reason not to."

"What if she had said yes?"

"With that ego?" she scoffed. "There is no way she would want to be one of many."

"You know, that little bit you did with her gave me some ideas...."

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "I will not sleep with another woman."

He sighed with mock disappointment. "A man can dream." He frowned at the bed. "She got chocolate all over my sheets."

Cassie gathered some chocolate on her finger. "Yes, but she had the right idea."

Drake needed no more prompting. "I'll be right back."

She watched him go, then glanced at the chocolate-smeared bed and saw the ghost of Brenda lying there—Brenda's perfect slim body, perky breasts, soft curves.

"Is there a problem?" Drake asked, standing in the doorway with a can of whipped cream in one hand and a bowl of strawberries in the other.

She pushed the ghost of Brenda from her thoughts and grinned. "Not at all."

* * *

After lovemaking, they freshened up in the shower, and then decided to change the sheets. Drake snatched off the sheets and tossed them in a basket to be washed. "Thanks for believing me."

Cassie grinned as she removed the pillowcases. "I knew you couldn't be that imaginative on the spot. You know what this means, don't you?"

He stared at her, suspicious. "What?"

"When you find a naked man in my bedroom covered in massage oils you'll have to give me the benefit of the doubt."

He met her grin. "Don't worry. I'll never let that happen to you. The only naked man you'll have around is me."

She threw a pillow at him. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I thought I just showed you."

"Yes, but every now and then I'll need some convincing."

He laughed. "No problem. I'm here to serve."

"Speaking of which, what is my weight-loss regime?"

"You'll see."

* * *

He was such a nice guy, Cassie thought as she watched Drake jog in front of her. It was such a shame to have to kill him. She would plead self-defense. While their love-making last night could have made the record books, this evening he seemed bent on administering as much misery as physically possible.

Sweat poured down her face; her sweatband had long lost its purpose. It was now just a soggy piece of cloth on her forehead. Her legs seemed to move in slow motion and her lungs threatened to explode.

"How much... farther?" she puffed.

The wicked rogue threw a casual smile over his shoulder. "Just another two miles."

She stopped. "Two miles? Did you say
miles
? You meant meters, right?"

"Keep jogging! I told you that stopping suddenly will be a shock to your body. At least walk."