“Damn. I’ll have what she’s having,” Keeley mused as she watched Penny Beaumont slow-dancing with Gage Russo. She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily.
She was jealous as hell.
When she’d helped plan this birthday party for Penny, she had no idea her quirky, sweet friend would be swept off her feet by her hot-as-sin, billionaire boss. And while Keeley was over the moon for her, she desperately wished she could find someone like Gage.
Not a billionaire. She wasn’t that type of woman.
No. What she wanted was a man so filled with love that he would crash her birthday party and claim her right there and then, in front of God and everybody.
Her mother would have loved it, would have called it wildly romantic. And it was. It really was. If there was one thing she’d gotten from her mother—well, except for her dark brown eyes and less-than-bountiful tits—it was her hopeless romantic side.
“I want it too,” Liza said, agreeing. “Even if he is a Russo. I mean, how hot is that dance?”
Keeley had been friends with Liza long enough to know she wasn’t the only woman at the table with a green-eyed monster sitting on her shoulder.
The last strains of John Legend’s “Conversations in the Dark” played out as Gage kissed Penny with such passion, Keeley swore she felt it all the way across the room.
Their other girlfriend, Gianna, left the dance floor right after the slow song ended. Her boyfriend headed to the bar while she reclaimed her seat next to Keeley. “I swear to God, that is the dreamiest thing I’ve ever seen. Penny with Gage Russo! Who would have guessed it?” she gushed excitedly.
Unlike Keeley and Liza, Gianna didn’t have a speck of jealousy in her tone. Why would she? She’d been dating her super-sweet boyfriend, Sam, since they were both sophomores in high school. She’d had her life mapped out and planned down to the very second ever since she was fifteen years old and fell head over heels in love with Sam Mannarino.
Gianna had never spent a single second out there in the cold, cruel world, traveling from one meat market to the next, trolling online dating sites, and kissing frog after fucking frog, all in the hopes of finding the one.
Mr. Right.
It was a depressing task. Not that Keeley would ever give up or stop looking. Her prince was out there, and she was bound and determined to do whatever it took to find him.
And, of course, because karma liked to kick her in the ass from time to time to keep her humble…a prince she couldn’t have decided to make his appearance at that very moment.
Gio Moretti, like all the Moretti men, was the living embodiment of tall, dark, and tatted-to-perfection handsome, and as such, he’d starred in pretty much every fantasy—romantic, sexy, and kinky—that she’d had since puberty.
Gio approached their table, scowling, and Keeley didn’t even bother to hide her grin. She knew why he was pissed off. And it amused her to no end.
“Down boy,” she said when he was within hearing distance.
“Did you invite Gage Russo?” he asked.
Keeley shook her head. “No, but Penny might have.”
Gio grimaced. “Yeah. She said she did. What’s going on with those two?”
Liza snorted. “Come on, cuz. You can’t be that thick. I think it’s pretty obvious what’s been going on between them.”
“Did you know about this?” he asked the table in general.
Keeley shook her head. “Not really. They danced together once when we were all at Enigma, but Penny never alluded to anything between them. She definitely didn’t tell us she was sleeping with him, but…wowza. I think that’s pretty much a given.”
“Why were you at Enigma?” Gio plopped down in the empty chair next to her.
Keeley gave him a “seriously?” look. “Where else would we be? We’re single ladies on the hunt for a man.”
“Something incredibly difficult these days. There are no men worth dating in Philly. Period. End of story,” Liza chimed in.
While Keeley was still optimistic about her chances of finding the perfect guy, Liza was a lot more jaded. So jaded, in fact, that she joked her skin fairly shimmered with the blue-green hue.
Gio smirked. “You always say that, and yet I have countless friends, brothers, and cousins who are great guys.”
Liza rolled her eyes. “Fat lotta good that does us. None of you guys will ever go out with Keeley because you’ve shoehorned her into the eternal kid-sister role. And I’m related to most of those yahoos you speak of.”
“Just say the word, Gio, and I’d be yours forever,” Keeley teased, running her fingers up and down his tattooed arm. God, she was a sucker for tats. “Don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m awesome in bed.”
He was completely unaffected by her flirting. “I’ll take your word for that.”
“Smart-ass,” she muttered.
Gio had never crossed the line with her, despite the fact she’d flirted with him for years. It was a harmless game she played with her brother’s friends because they were all stand-up guys. And just as Liza said, they’d never see her as an available woman because she would always be Kayden’s little sister.
Kayden, who was sitting at a table nearby, yelled out, “Behave yourself, Kee. Leave poor Gio alone.”
His words had the same impact as a dare, so she shifted her chair two inches to the right, ensuring that she was sitting even closer to Gio. She gave him a wicked, come-hither smile, purely for her brother’s benefit. “Break the bro-code. I’ll make it worth your while,” she cooed in her best sex-vixen tone.
“Jesus.” Kayden gave up, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to the people at his own table.
Gio smirked, and then, because he was as shameless and accomplished as she was when it came to teasing, he rested his arm around the back of her chair.
“I took no vow, little one,” Gio said, winking at Keeley in that charming way of his.
She wanted to be annoyed when he called her “little one,” but in truth, it got her girl parts purring like a well-loved kitten. Unwilling to let him claim the upper hand in their game, she shrank the distance between them by another inch or two. “Just one kiss?”
Gio snorted. “You can’t handle me, minx.”
Keeley relented, moving back and crossing her arms. “All you’re doing is proving that Liza’s right. She and I are doomed to forever be the sister mascots for your merry band of men.”
Gio didn’t deny her comment. Instead, he offered a one-shoulder shrug that gave her the tiniest bit of hope he was serious about taking no vow.
Yep. Optimist. That was her.
Back when she was younger, she’d suffered serious crushes on both Gio and his best friend, Rafe Baros. The two men had solidified their places in her heart the night her parents died.
However, over the years, she’d learned to accept that she would always be—for all intents and purposes—untouchable. Not that it stopped her from flirting…and hoping. She’d just gotten to the point where she considered all this playful teasing to be practice for guys she actually stood a chance with.
Unfortunately, as far as single men went in Philly, Gio was right. His friends and male relatives were all very good, very decent men, sexy as sin…and the ideal she’d been using as a yardstick when measuring the men she dated.
Sometimes she considered breaking that stick in half—maybe twice—if she hoped to find someone worthy of a second date, but in the end, she refused to lower the bar. She knew what she wanted, and she was determined to find it. She wouldn’t stop trying to find him—the one man who was perfect for her. Just like her dad had been perfect for her mom.
Gio glanced back toward the dance floor. The music was faster now. Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” blasting from the speakers. Penny and Gage were dancing like lunatics, laughing their asses off, and even Gio couldn’t manage to hold on to his scowl, grinning reluctantly at their silliness. “She looks really happy.”
Keeley studied Penny’s face and agreed.
She’d thought the slow dance and kiss had been hot, but there was no denying the friendship and fun Gage and Penny shared looked just as amazing. It seemed Penny had scored the dating trifecta—romance, friendship, and set-the-sheets-on-fire sex.
Meanwhile, Keeley was zero for three in that department.
“Yeah. She does.” Keeley’s jealously tripled, and she sighed again.
The sound captured Gio’s attention. “You okay, Kiwi?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Thought we agreed we were going to let that nickname die.”
The Moretti family was huge, several generations deep, with most of them still living in Philadelphia. Billy, one of the youngest generation, had struggled with her name when he was learning to talk, only managing to call her Kiwi, something the Moretti men had found completely hilarious.
For the past five years, she’d stopped being Keeley and had instead been dubbed with the ridiculous fruit moniker. And it wasn’t even a good fruit. Those fuckers were impossible to peel.
Gio gave her a devilish grin. “Again…I never agreed to anything.”
“Dick,” she murmured.
“Bitch,” he retorted playfully.
“Fuckrod.” This exchange of name-calling between them wasn’t new. In fact, it was so standard, it bordered on tired. She couldn’t recall the last time they’d had a conversation that didn’t end this way.
“Here we go,” Gianna said with a laugh. “You two need to find a new schtick.”
“Karen,” he returned, ignoring Gianna’s joke.
She scowled, though she didn’t feel the slightest spark of anger. Just the opposite. Still, she fought to hide her grin. “Too far,” she chastised.
“You started it.” He reached over to ruffle her hair in a brotherly way, and she smacked his hand.
“You’re messing it up and it took me ages to get the curls just right.” Her chestnut hair—streaked with dark auburn highlights—was painfully straight. And as was the custom with women all around the world and throughout history, she hated her hair, always longing for what she didn’t have. In her case, curls. Or hell, she’d settle for a wave or two.
“Seriously though,” he said. “Why the heavy sigh?”
Keeley shrugged. “I think I’m entitled to a little depression here. I mean, I lost my job, the landlord just raised my rent—which doesn’t matter because without a paycheck, I can’t pay him anyway. And I’m this close,” she pinched her thumb and forefinger together, “to having to move back in with my brother, which I think we can all agree would end badly.”
Liza feigned a horrified gasp. “One of you would definitely kill the other. No question about it.”
Keeley loved Kayden more than life itself, but their relationship had gotten a gazillion times better after she’d gone off to college and moved out from beneath the ever-present thumb he’d kept on her while she was growing up. Not that she could blame him for his overprotective nature. After all, Kayden had basically stopped being a big brother when he was twenty-five, forced to take on the role of surrogate mother and father instead, stepping in to raise her after their parents had been killed in a plane crash.
Her father, a former pilot in the Air Force, had continued to fly small charter planes after retiring from military service. When she’d been younger, she would swear she spent more time in the family’s single-engine Cessna 172 than in their Buick. Her dad was airplane crazy, never so happy as when he was in the air, soaring with the birds, as he liked to say.
Sadly, the plane had gone down when an unexpected storm caught up with him and Mom as they were returning from an anniversary trip to Nantucket.
Keeley had been fifteen and, even now, ten years later, she missed them more than words could say. Not a single day passed when she didn’t long for one of her dad’s big bear hugs or wish she could talk to her mom.
“And,” Keeley added, “if the job situation wasn’t bad enough, last night’s date ended with the same whimper as the previous forty-seven. I really, really,” she stressed, “need one to end with a bang.”
“Pun intended?” Liza joked.
“Absolutely,” Keeley replied.
“Hey, Gee,” Sam called from the dance floor. “They’re playing our song.”
Gianna hopped up with a laugh, joining her boyfriend as “I Like Big Butts”—which was definitely not their song—started to play.
However, it did appear to be Keeley and Liza’s song, as they both broke loose, singing all the lyrics at rapid pace, never missing a single word and shouting, “You get sprung!” at the top of their lungs, while Gio merely shook his head in amusement, claiming, “You two have issues.”
“Hey, Keeley,” Rafe called out, interrupting their impromptu concert as he approached the table. He dropped down into the chair Gianna had just vacated.
“Hiya, Rafe. You’re in luck. Gio turned me down for the night. The path is clear for our lust-filled evening of passion. If you’re nice, I’ll even let you pull my hair.”
“Keeley.” He gave her that tone, the one seemingly reserved for her that said “cut the crap.” And he managed it by just saying her name in that patient/exasperated tone.
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to break my heart too.”
Rafe ignored her joke, which was not particularly surprising. While Gio teased back, Rafe simply pretended she wasn’t flirting at all. “Kayden just told me you lost your job.”
“Yeah, I did.” She hadn’t shared that information with Rafe because he’d spent the last month dealing with the aftermath of his grandfather’s death. She didn’t feel right complaining about her problems when he was genuinely grieving.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She let her sympathetic smile answer for her.
Rafe rubbed his chin. “I’ve been too wrapped up in my own problems.”
Keeley reached out and placed her hand on his. “You lost your grandfather, Rafe. I just lost a stupid job I didn’t even like.” She’d been laid off in “last hired, first fired” style when the office supply company she worked for had been forced to scale back. Online shopping conglomerates were hell on the little mom-and-pop businesses.
“Even so…I’m kind of hoping I can solve both our problems. If not forever, then maybe for a little while.”
She frowned, confused by his comment. “What do you mean?”
“I’m dying on the vine, Kiwi. I need you.” Rafe flipped his hand over, clasping hers.
Her heart skipped a beat or three as she purposely let herself misinterpret his words.
He needed her?
She wished.
“Need me how?” she forced herself to ask, ignoring the sudden heat growing between her legs. She wasn’t kidding about needing to get laid. It had been a while.
Scratch that. A while indicated months.
She’d drifted into forever territory, as she hadn’t gone to bed with a guy in well over a year.
“I want you to come work for me.”
She laughed for just a split second…before she realized he was serious. It was hard for her to get used to the idea of Rafe being his own boss. For the past decade, he’d been working as a finance manager for a large international company whose home base was in Philadelphia, but he’d taken a leave of absence after his grandfather’s terminal cancer diagnosis, wanting to spend as much time as he could with the beloved man before his passing.
He didn’t go back to the job after his grandfather’s death because he’d discovered he was the sole heir to what turned out to be a legit fortune. Like, an overnight-millionaire kind of fortune.
According to Gio, Rafe had expected his mom to inherit his grandfather’s wealth and vast property holdings. Apparently, his mother and the latest in a long line of stepfathers—Keeley thought this might be husband number four or five—had thought the same. And they’d caused one hell of a scene in the lawyer’s office. His mother had broken into loud sobs, while his stepfather insisted they would contest the will and that Rafe hadn’t heard the last from them, before storming out.
“Rafe—” she started, shaking her head, certain his job offer was one of pity.
“Hear me out,” he interrupted, still holding her hand, a fact that was making it difficult for her to process what he was saying. He had a large, warm hand, and it made hers seem tiny in comparison. “I’m in over my head right now. I hate to admit that, but it’s true.”
Keeley didn’t doubt for a second he detested saying those words out loud. Rafe was the “never say die” type, the kind of guy who rarely asked for help, certain he could do everything on his own. To hear him say he was in over his head was…well, shocking. Because she’d never heard him admit defeat on anything.
Rafe continued, “Grandpa was old school—like, severely old school. He didn’t trust computers, so all of his business information is stored in countless handwritten ledgers.”
Keeley’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Rafe shook his head. “And to add insult to injury, he was a bit of a hoarder. Not a gross, piles-of-trash, dead-pet-remains hoarder, but I swear to God I think the old guy kept every single piece of paper he’d ever touched. He has so many boxes of paperwork, I can’t possibly count them all. They’re stacked floor to ceiling in three rooms in the haunted mansion, and his office at Eclectic—that’s the nightclub he owned—isn’t much better.”
Keeley had gone to the reception held at his grandfather’s home, after the funeral, and Rafe’s nickname for the place was pretty accurate. It was dark and dusty and creepy as fuck. Several rooms were decorated exclusively in large drop cloths, covering God-only-knows-what kind of furniture.
“Is the paperwork stuff you need? Can’t you just pitch it?” Gio, who’d been listening, asked the question.
Rafe rubbed his eyes wearily, and Keeley noticed the dark circles and lines caused by tension that never used to be there. Rafe was nowhere near as easygoing as Gio, which made their friendship one of those opposites-attract sort of relationships.
Rafe was the type of friend who seemed content with always standing on the sidelines, while Gio, with his larger-than-life personality, took center stage. Gio was quick to tease with a loud, blow-your-eardrums-out laugh, while Rafe had a tendency to take life too seriously. Gio was one big ball of emotions, all of which showed on his face and in his voice and hands, which—as was true of most Italian men—were an extension of his words and always moving, while Rafe was the very definition of stoic, never revealing any of his feelings.
However, Rafe’s stone-cold, rock-solid nature was absent tonight. She’d never seen him looking quite so…on edge.
“I wish I could toss them out,” Rafe said, “but I went through a couple boxes…just to see what was in them. Buried amidst a lot of crap that was trash, I found the title to a boat I didn’t know he owned and…Jesus, get this…over three thousand dollars in cash. Apparently, he didn’t trust banks much more than computers.”
“Hot damn!” Gio exclaimed. “A boat. We need to go fishing.”
Rafe rubbed his brow. “I’d love that, but the truth is, I don’t have a clue where the boat is docked.”
Everyone at the table, with the exception of Rafe—who really was stressed to the max—laughed.
“Basically, there’s no way I can just take the boxes to the shredder. I have to go through all of them. And I can’t stress this enough…there are a shit ton. Plus, there’s a goddamn safe in his office, but I can’t find the combination. I’m hoping that’s in one of the boxes as well.” Rafe looked at Keeley. “That’s where you come in. I want you to help me go through the hoard.”
“If this is as bad as you make it sound,” Keeley said, “it could take me months to help you.”
“I know that. But, well…” Rafe shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “It could be a part-time project—that I’ll pay you for—if you want to keep looking for another job. Or I’m in a position to make it a permanent one, if you prefer. I’m okay with running Grandpa’s businesses from a financial point of view, but I’m no marketing expert.”
Keeley perked up. She’d earned her bachelor’s in writing and digital media, and a master’s in marketing at Penn State before coming back to Philly. She’d worked hard to finish all her coursework in five years. She’d thought her majors made her fairly marketable, but finding her first job had been a challenge. She’d known the office supply company wasn’t going to be her forever career, but they’d been the first to offer a position, so she’d taken it for the practical working experience it would add to her resume.
“Rafe. Listen…” Keeley wasn’t sure what to say. If his offer was sincere, this could be her dream job. Because he would certainly be her dream boss…and she didn’t mean that in a sexual way. Rafe was a really nice guy. He wouldn’t be condescending like her last boss, who also managed to creep her out by calling her “sweetie” and leering at her all the time.
“Let’s make some time on Monday morning to sit down and talk about it,” Rafe said, when she didn’t finish her thought. “I don’t want you to think this is a spur-of-the-moment decision. I realized immediately I’d need to hire someone to help with the boxes and the businesses. I was going to chisel out a job description and upload it to Indeed and LinkedIn. Then Kayden said you were looking for a job and…it felt like fate had led us both to this same place at the same time.”
Rafe gave her a brazen grin that proved he had her number. She was a big believer in karma, and not a day went by that she didn’t read her horoscope.
“Nicely played, Rafe,” Gio murmured, while Liza giggled.
Rafe continued, clearly not finished trying to plead his case. “We’ve known each other for years, and I have a feeling we’d work really well together. You won’t cry when I bark.”
She grinned. “You don’t bark. But if you do, just know that I’ll bark back.”
He raised his hand as if she’d just made his point. “Which is exactly what I want. That, and your upbeat personality. That dark, dreary house is starting to get to me. I need your sunshine.”
Keeley smiled, touched by his compliment. “I would love to talk to you about the job. What time Monday?”
“Why don’t you come by that creep show of a house of mine around nine? I feel like I owe you full disclosure. You really should see how many boxes I’m talking about first, before we take the discussion any further.”
“That sounds good. Are you sure Kayden didn’t put you up to this? Call in a favor or something?” she asked, kicking herself for looking this gift horse in the mouth. Because she wasn’t sure she gave a shit if this was a kindness for her brother or not.
Rafe shook his head. “No. He doesn’t even know I’m over here making the offer. You’ve got a good work ethic, Keeley. I know that. I’ve watched you bust your ass the past few years, showing up every day and putting in the hours, even though you didn’t love the job.”
“That’s an understatement,” she muttered.
“And if you decide this isn’t for you, that’s cool too,” Rafe said.
“I’m going to help you with the boxes regardless,” she said.
“Hell, I’m probably going to help with the boxes. There’s a boat to find,” Gio joked.
Rafe looked at him with tired but amused eyes. “Yeah. Damn boat.”
“Rafe,” Keeley said, feeling a thousand pounds lighter than she had a few minutes ago. She had a job prospect. One that she was super excited about. Maybe she wouldn’t have to move back in with her brother after all. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen the hoard. I’m afraid you’re going to take one look at it and run screaming into the hills.”
Keeley’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right? A treasure hunt for a lost boat? The combination to a safe? Hidden cash? Sounds like an amazing adventure.”
Liza, who’d been eavesdropping the whole time, laughed. “It sounds awesome to me too.”
“Now,” Rafe said, pointing to the dance floor. “What’s going on out there? Isn’t that Gage Russo?”
“Yeah,” Keeley said wistfully. “Looks like Penny found her prince.”
“Lucky bitch,” Liza muttered.
“Apparently, Liza and Keeley are operating under the impression that there are no decent men in Philly to date,” Gio explained to Rafe.
“Really?” Rafe said, somewhat surprised. “I know lots of single guys who are great.” Then he looked at Liza. “Of course…”
“I’m related to all of them,” Liza finished for him.
Rafe chuckled. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
Gio leaned forward. “You know, maybe the problem is that you’re both setting unreasonable expectations. What are you looking for in a man?”
Keeley shrugged. “I guess I’m looking for someone like my dad and Kayden. Stand-up guys with a sense of humor, devoted to their family. He also has to be someone who’ll put me on a pedestal, worship the ground I walk on, and live only for my happiness,” she joked. “That doesn’t feel like too much to ask for.”
Rafe shook his head. “I think I’m beginning to understand your difficulties.”
They all laughed.
“And you’re searching the online dating sites to find this perfect match?” Gio asked.
She and Liza nodded.
Rafe rubbed his chin. “Do you really think you’re going to find an amazing guy on Tinder or Bumble or Hinge?”
Keeley shrugged. “We haven’t had much luck so far, but when you get to be our age, that’s how this is done. We didn’t meet our true loves in high school like Gianna.”
“And we didn’t meet guys at college, and neither of us have met prospects at work,” Liza added.
Keeley nodded. “I’ve even tried the blind date routine a few times, set up through girlfriends who were sure they knew ‘this great guy’ I’d love. They were wrong.”
Rafe and Gio seemed to consider their dilemma, as if they genuinely wanted to help them figure this out. Which would be sweet, if it didn’t drive home just how off-limits she really was when it came to both men. Unfortunately, and despite her best efforts, they snuck into her fantasies way too often. Apparently she was an emotional masochist, her own worst enemy.
“Maybe your problem isn’t the men, but where you’re going on the dates. Seems to me you’re always going to places like Enigma. Isn’t it hard to get to know someone in a nightclub?” Gio asked.
Keeley took a sip of her wine. “That’s not the issue. I’ve gone to movies with guys, out to dinner, coffee dates. It’s just…either the conversation is awkward, or the guy has strong political beliefs—that are completely opposite of mine—or they’re a mansplainer or a chauvinist or a racist or a commitment-phobe or a homophobe or mama’s boy or a guy just looking to get laid or…”
“A married man,” Keeley and Liza said in unison.
“Married?” Rafe asked, frowning.
Keeley wrinkled her nose. “I managed to land dates with two of those cheating assholes. The dating game is a tough one. Requires a lot of patience and persistence.”
“Preach, sister,” Liza said, raising her hands to Heaven.
“Shit,” Gio said. “You’re starting to convince me you’re right. Didn’t realize there were so many pricks in Philly.”
“Or it could just be that we have exceptionally bad luck,” Liza said.
“I can see you’ve both given it serious effort though,” Rafe said.
“We’ve been out there awhile,” Liza said. “Gives a girl too much time to try to figure out where the hell she’s going wrong.”
“Amen,” Keeley said, sighing once more.
“Neither one of you is doing anything wrong,” Gio said with a confidence that touched Keeley deeply. He placed his hand on the back of her chair, closing the distance between them.
“You’re gorgeous, intelligent, and independent. Both of you,” Rafe added.
Gio ran his finger down the line of Keeley’s nose, bopping it on the tip. “Any man who doesn’t see that doesn’t deserve you.”
Keeley blinked a couple times, waiting for a punch line, because it was Gio, and teasing each other was their schtick.
It didn’t come.
So she decided that was the nicest thing Gio or Rafe—or hell, anybody—had ever said to her.
“Wow,” Keeley breathed. “Thanks. I needed that pep talk.”
She smiled widely, well aware her fantasies tonight were definitely going to include one of the guys currently sitting at this table.
The thing was…she couldn’t decide which.