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Usually I let myself sleep in on Saturday mornings. Rather than five o’clock, I get up at six. But since I’m on vacation, I don’t set an alarm.
I wake up at 6:02.
And I can’t fall back to sleep.
Sighing, I head to the gym in my penthouse and do my usual workout. Then I have a shower, make myself some eggs and bacon, and sit at the table with my breakfast and a double espresso. I reach for my phone out of habit, but then I remember that my idiot brother confiscated my phone and refused to give it back because I didn’t attend last night’s orgy. So instead, I pick up Como agua para chocolate and read another chapter.
When I look at my watch, it’s eight thirty. My God, Courtney is certainly sleeping in. I can’t remember the last time I slept until eight. I pace back and forth. I want to get on with my day, but I can’t do that until she’s up.
There’s a knock at my door
“It’s Vince,” says a muffled voice.
Great. Just what I need.
Reluctantly, I let my brother inside. He’s wearing the same clothes as last night, and he looks a little worse for wear. He sprawls out on my couch.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” I ask, my tone of voice making it clear that I am not experiencing any pleasure whatsoever.
“Just thought I’d pop by and see what you were doing before I went home and slept.”
“You haven’t gone to bed yet?”
He shoots me a lazy grin. “Define ‘going to bed.’”
So he came here straight from the orgy. How lovely.
“Are you drunk?” I ask. “On drugs?” What sort of drugs do people do at sex parties?
“Nothing serious you should know about.”
“It’s probably best I know as little about your life as possible.”
“Probably true. What did you get up to last night?”
Oh, shit. Courtney is in the guestroom and could emerge at any minute and meet my wayward brother.
“Um,” I say. “I went to a coffee shop, then came home and went to bed.”
He looks at me in horror, his wide eyes a little red. I hope that’s because it’s eight thirty in the morning and he hasn’t gone to bed yet, not because of aforementioned drugs that are “nothing serious.”
“You,” Vince says, “are no fun at all. You seem a bit twitchy, too.”
“I’m just fine,” I grind out. “I was enjoying a relaxing morning until you ruined my peace and quiet.”
“That’s what I do best.”
“I’m well aware of that. Now, for the hassle of having to put up with you on this beautiful Saturday morning, could you please return my phone?”
I hold out my hand, and my brother regards it for a moment. Just when I think he’s going to give my phone back, I hear an unwelcome voice. It’s quite a pretty voice, but it’s decidedly unwelcome at this moment.
“Julian, do you have a hairbrush? Or a comb?”
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Courtney walks into the kitchen. She’s wearing the jeans and T-shirt she wore yesterday, and they’re a touch rumpled. Her hair is sticking up on the left side, but she looks lovely.
Vince’s eyes practically bug out of his head, and then his lips curve into a smirk. He saunters toward her. “I’m Vince, Julian’s better-looking brother.”
She’s momentarily caught off guard, but then she says, “I know. I saw the calendar.”
He laughs. “Did you, now?”
“Hold on a second,” I say. “What calendar?”
“The charity one,” Vince says. “At least, I assume that’s what she’s talking about. To my knowledge, it’s the only calendar I’ve appeared in.”
I frown. “Why don’t I remember this?”
“I didn’t tell you about it. I figured you wouldn’t approve of me getting half naked for a photoshoot, even if it was for charity. Like you said, it’s probably best you don’t know the details of my life.”
Dear God. I have a headache.
“I think you were more than half naked,” Courtney says.
“Mm,” Vince says. “You’re right.” He turns to me. “You backed out of the orgy, but since you got laid last night, I think you deserve your phone back.” He takes it out of his pocket.
I’m torn. I really want my phone, but at the same time, I don’t want Vince to have the wrong impression. Yes, it looks like Courtney and I slept together, but we didn’t. Instead, I made her a strange deal.
In the light of morning, that deal now seems particularly weird.
Courtney takes the decision out of my hands. “We didn’t sleep together,” she tells my brother. “I understand why you think that, but I assure you, it’s not happening.”
Admittedly, I’m a bit disappointed she’s so firm about that.
“Instead,” she continues, “Julian is paying me five thousand dollars to teach him how to enjoy life.”
My idiot brother laughs his head off. “Dude,” he says to me. “If you wanted to learn to have fun, I would have done it for free. Actually, I did my best to help you yesterday, but you weren’t having any of it.”
I cannot believe this man once ran a successful tech start-up and worked almost as much as I do.
“Look,” I say, “I don’t like your particular brand of fun, but maybe my family does have a point. I could use a break from working fourteen-hour days, and I need to learn how to enjoy myself.”
“Huh. This is the first time you’ve ever admitted I’m a genius.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“More or less.”
“No...”
I trail off as Vince turns his attention to my overnight guest.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Courtney.”
“And you haven’t actually slept with my brother?”
“That would be correct.”
“But to help him learn to enjoy life, it’s necessary for you to stay in his penthouse?”
“Apparently,” she says. “He’s under the impression he needs ‘serious help’—his words, not mine—so I’m supposed to be around all the time. Except when I’m at work.” Her gaze locks with mine and I swallow hard.
I really do want her.
I wonder if she actually thinks Vince is better looking than I am. That’s an awful thought. God, what if he sleeps with her? He seems to sleep with everyone, and now he knows Courtney and I haven’t been together.
This is a mess. I’m normally pretty good at cleaning up messes, and people depend on me to do just that, but I don’t have much experience with this particular kind of situation.
“Let me give you some ideas,” Vince says to Courtney. “Get him to smoke pot and send me a video of him while he’s high. Or invite me over. I think my brother might actually be tolerable if he was high.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” she says, “but I don’t do drugs. Other than alcohol and caffeine, that is.”
“Julian.” Vince shakes his head. “I question your judgment. This is the woman who’s supposed to teach you to have fun?”
“She’s qualified. Trust me. And even if she tried to get me to smoke up, I would refuse. The only time I did weed—”
“You’ve done weed before?” Vince puts his hands to his mouth as though this is truly shocking, horrifying news. “Call the press!”
I glare at him. “It was fifteen years ago, when I was in university. It made me paranoid, which was no fun at all, so I’ve never done it again.”
He nods and puts his hand to his chin, deep in thought. “The problem might have been the strain. Head to a dispensary and tell them you had issues with paranoia last time. They’ll find you something appropriate.”
“Vince,” I say through gritted teeth. “Out. I’m supposed to be relaxing, and your presence is not good for my blood pressure.”
“I’m aware of that,” he says with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Courtney. Keep me updated on his progress, okay? And give him back his phone when you think he deserves it.” He throws her my phone, and I watch in horror as it spins through the air. It’s going to crash any second now and the screen will shatter—
But Courtney catches it in one hand.
Impressive.
Vince heads out the door, and I follow him into the hall.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on her,” I hiss.
He holds up his hands. “Hey, now. You might not have sealed the deal yet, but she’s yours. I understand that.” He tilts his head. “A little possessive, are you? How’d you meet her?”
“At the coffee shop. She was drinking a gingerbread latte like it was the greatest thing on earth. She’s the opposite of you, actually. You crave overstimulation, but she appreciates the small things.”
A shadow crosses Vince’s face, but it quickly disappears. Perhaps I imagined it.
“Well,” he says, pressing the elevator button, “if you ever need tips on women, hit me up. I’ll be out on the town, having a good time, though I think I should go home and sleep first.”
“Yeah, you probably should,” I say before heading back inside.
I sure hope the day improves from here.