Dating His Brother: Forbidden Affair (Heartstring Dating Agency Book 5) Page 6

  “Fancy you two knowing each other,” Richard smirked as he opened the door to his car, waiting for us at the curb just outside. “It’s a small world after all.”

  “This city is funny like that,” I shrugged. “It seems so big and full of people, but our circles seem to be small. It’s the same old people over and over again.”

  “You seem disenchanted,” he chuckled as he slid onto the backseat beside me. “But I don’t know that I’d count Dawson as being a part of our circles.”

  “Oh? What makes you say that?”

  He shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s complicated. Forget I said anything.”

  I was terribly curious and wanted to press him, but the car pulled up in front of the restaurant and before I could say another word—Richard was helping me out onto the sidewalk.

  Richard seemed to be trying to impress me with his choice of restaurant—a five star gourmet joint that was as exclusive as it was expensive. He still didn’t seem to get it. I wasn’t one of the princesses he was used to dating who could be easily dazzled by him spending a small fortune on them in one night. I had my own money and was accustomed to fine dining for three meals a day.

  Nonetheless, I tried to be polite and coddle his ego a little—feigning being wowed. It was easy to do considering how handsome he looked over the candlelit dinner.

  “So, tell me more about you,” I forced myself to say, wondering how many times I had uttered those words since being launched into this ridiculous dating world. Then I blurted something completely unnecessary. “What about your family?”

  I froze with wide eyes, but quickly shook it off—hoping he wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t an unusual question to ask on a first date. I was just surprised by my own unquenchable thirst to know more about his brother. I couldn’t convince myself that wasn’t the real reason behind me asking.

  “Well, you’ve already met one part of it,” he told me. “Dawson is the classic middle child—always desperate for attention. And we have one older sister who is just like our mother. In fact, you remind me a little of her.”

  “Oh really?” I sipped my wine. “What do you mean Dawson is always desperate for attention?”

  His features drooped with a strange expression—disappointment, maybe. “He’s always going to extremes to separate himself from us. He’s a weird bird. Always wanting everyone’s love and approval, but he seems to think pushing his whole family away is how to get it.”

  “I see,” I nodded, but truthfully—I didn’t see. The only thing that was clear were long built up resentments towards Dawson.

  Richard returned the question, asking about my own family. I tried to give him a quick rundown of what our parents were like before they died, followed by an explanation of Jack and what our relationship was like. I couldn’t tell if I sounded as bored as I felt, but I kept fading in and out of focus as I talked.

  “You okay?” Richard asked suddenly, jolting me from some deep daze I had drifted into.

  I caught myself staring aimlessly around the room, unable to pay attention to any one thing longer than a second or two. That regretfully included Richard and our conversation.

  “I’m fine,” I insisted, shaking my head—trying to snap out of it. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired. Maybe we should…”

  “Go somewhere more lively,” he suggested, cutting me off before I could recommend we call it a night. “There’s a marvelous tasting room upstairs from here. How about dessert and wine? This dim lighting and soft music is putting me to sleep too.”

  Before I could answer, he held out his arm to lead me upstairs to the separate entrance for the tasting room. It was a standing-style room for mingling, high top tables scattered all around. The neon blue lighting was somewhat more jarring than the downstairs atmosphere, which was good for waking me up. The peppy jazz playing in the background helped as well.

  Richard led me to one of the tables in the middle of the room and took my coat to drape it over the railing before ordering some things from the waiter. Both then and at dinner, he ordered for me without bothering to ask what I wanted. That was typical with men like him.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” he commented, making me realize I had spaced out yet again. I looked over to find him staring at me with a hungry spark in his eyes.

  “Thank you,” I smirked, only to fade out again.

  The truth was, no matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking about Dawson. Nothing good or bad—just about him and everything I knew so far. The only negative feeling I had about it was that I couldn’t seem to shake him from my brain.

  But I held it together well enough for us to split a dessert, make small talk, and down several glasses of wine.

  “So, where to next?” he asked, once again refusing to give me a chance to ask to go home. It’s like he could see it coming, and kept trying to squash the words before they could roll off my tongue.

  I racked my brain for a moment, relishing in the warm buzz of the three glasses of white wine I tossed back. They were bringing me back to life some, and I thought—hell, I have Richard for tonight. I might as well make an effort not to waste it. I did like him, after all.

  “How about your office?” I blurted. “I’d love to see where a top dollar lawyer like you works. And I believe you mentioned something about a portrait of you hanging there?”

  His brow twitched in surprise, then he looked down to his drink with a smile. “Oh, you don’t want to see that boring old place any more than I want to go off the clock. Trust me. I have a better idea. Why don’t you come back to my place and see the art collection I have there?”

  “I thought you weren't such a big fan of art. Are all of the pieces you own by your brother?”

  “Some of them might be. I don’t know. A decorator picked them all out. But I’d love your opinion. Maybe you’ll have some ideas for how I can improve the art in the place.”

  He grabbed my coat and held it up for me to slide my arms in, like a child. But I went along with it and followed him back out to the car. I could feel him staring at me the whole drive, and I was certain if I made eye contact—he’d try to kiss me. So I avoided it.

  His place was everything I imagined it would be—a spacious penthouse loft with minimal, modern decor. The paintings and sculptures inside were simple lines and curves with bold colors to give some pop in all the black and white everywhere else.

  While I circled the rooms, surveying the large paintings on the walls, he poured us some more wine and put on some music that he obviously intended to try and seduce me to.

  “What do you think?” he asked as I stood in front of one piece with messier strokes that was obviously done by Dawson. I checked the signature to confirm I was right. How could I have never noticed him or his name before when my friends were dragging me around to all of those gallery openings?

  “I think…I think…” I clutched my glass and tilted my head, noticing how heavy my eyes suddenly felt. “I think I better get home and go to bed.”

  Richard moved in closer from behind, grazing my neck with his hot breath—which only made me think of his brother doing the same earlier that evening at the opening.

  “You could always sleep here,” he said in a deep rasp, his lips dangerously close to kissing my shoulder and neck.

  “Uh, I would. I just…I can’t,” I stammered, fumbling towards the door. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me tonight. Can we reschedule for another time when I’m thinking more clearly? I’ll make it up to you then.”

  Just as he had been doing to me all night long, I took off out the door without giving him a chance to respond. I bolted for the elevators like I was fleeing from a bad date, but the thing was…It wasn’t a bad date at all. The only thing that made it bad was me being so distracted.

  I lied to him. I knew exactly what had gotten into me, or my brain anyways. Suddenly, Dawson was taking up more space in my mind than I could handle—leaving room for little else, especially paying attention t
o his more predictable brother.

  I raced home, desperate to sleep, hoping I was cured by morning.

  10

  Isabella

  I wasn’t hungover, but I still felt like I couldn’t stomach anything more than the fancy herbal infused water being served at the swanky brunch spot where I was supposed to be meeting Jada. No matter how much I drank, my throat still felt dry and tight. And it was all because of those pesky thoughts about Dawson that were still running rampant in my brain even after a good night’s sleep.

  I scanned the room from my table, casually watching the other diners as they ate their salads and sipped their drinks. Then, across the room…I saw him. The devil, Dawson, himself. At least I thought it was him. Until another person passed by in front of him, lifting the fog of my obsessive brain. By the time they were out of the way, I could see the guy on the other side of the room clearly wasn’t Dawson at all.

  “Have you been waiting long?” Jada’s voice appeared as she slid into the chair across from mine.

  “Oh, no. Not at all,” I lied, snapping back to alertness.

  She put away her purse and locked her fingers together, perching her chin on top of them with a big grin. “Soooo…tell me all about your date with Richard Hayes. It was last night, wasn’t it?”

  I nodded. “There’s not much to tell. I’m not so sure how I feel about him yet.”

  No more than I was sure about my feelings regarding his brother, I thought. Beyond being hopelessly obsessed with the idea of him for no real reason I could put my finger on.

  “I’m actually glad to hear that,” she said, bursting with excitement. “The interest in you and the ball has been even bigger than we anticipated. So I want to make this thing…”

  “Let me guess. Even bigger?”

  “You bet. So, it’s good that you haven’t totally made up your mind about Richard yet. We might as well ride the waves of this thing for as long as we can and milk all the publicity we can out of it.”

  I sank down in my seat as she put her order in with the waiter. When he turned to me, I waved him off—explaining to Jada that I wasn’t hungry.

  Her brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded and waved her off her question just as I had done with the waiter. But…no, I was not okay. The last thing I wanted to do was blow this whole charade up to be even bigger than it already was. Especially not while I was so preoccupied by someone I had met completely by chance…if Dawson was even telling the truth about his attendance to the ball being coincidental.

  “Think The Bachelorette,” Jada continued. “It will be just like the show, but with mini webisodes on the Heartstring website, and all over social media of course. You’re not opposed to a small film crew following you on your dates, are you?”

  I parted my lips to say I very much did mind, but before I could speak—a tall, familiar figure approached the table.

  “Oh, hello again, big brother. I, once again, didn’t know you’d be joining us today,” I smiled tightly up at him.

  He leaned down to kiss my cheek before turning to Jada, pulling up the seat next to her. His skin was glistening with a fresh tan from one of his quick tropical business trips. He looked as excited as Jada was, no doubt loving all the extra attention for Heartstring. Never mind how I felt about it.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Jada is insisting you join in on all of our meetings. You’re not scared of me, are you, Jada? You think you need backup to deal with me?” I teased, feeling a sting in my heart at my own joke.

  “Someone has to keep you in line,” Jack smirked, leaning in his chair with his usual cocky air.

  “I guess that’s just another reason why you’re so hell bent on marrying me off as quickly as possible. The sooner I have a man in my life, the less you have to worry about keeping up with me.”

  “You said it. Not me,” he grumbled. “Has Jada already filled you in on the latest developments?”

  “Yes,” I sighed, guzzling down more water before calling the waiter back over. “Excuse me, could I have some regular ice water? Without all this herbal flavoring in it?”

  “Actually, the herbs are fresh and the infusion is…” He stopped when I darkened my eyes at him. “Yes ma’am, certainly. Would you like lemon at least?”

  “No,” I rasped. “And bring a whole pitcher, please.”

  Jack flashed me a funny look. “The only kind of pitcher I’ve ever seen you order in such a rush is of daiquiris or margaritas.”

  “I’m parched and can’t seem to quench my thirst.”

  “Drink too much with Richard last night?” he proposed.

  Jada nudged his arm, giving away that the date wasn’t all the splendor and glory he had hoped it would be.

  “Anyway, I think Jada’s idea is great. You’re going to do it, right?” His eyes burned into me, making it clear it wasn’t a real question. The answer had already been decided…by him.

  “I’m not so sure…” I said slowly.

  “Izzy, we’ve talked about this,” he scolded with a heavy sigh.

  “Then why even ask?” I huffed. “You might as well just start showing up to these things prepared to lay out my latest orders. Anyway…What about these bachelors you intend on setting me up with? How are they selected?”

  “I’m putting together a whole portfolio for you to choose from,” Jada explained. “The best of the best from Heartstring. You’ll go on dates with each one and we’ll film the whole thing. I’m vetting them all very carefully. Once I have the final pool narrowed down, you can pick your ten favorites. The Heartstring bachelors!”

  I listened carefully, feeling the seed of an idea growing in my brain. “And what if I knew of a contender to throw in the mix?”

  Jada perked up. “Oh! Why, sure! I think that’d be just fine. We can include Richard, of course…If you haven’t already ruled him out.”

  “Actually…I was thinking…Dawson Hayes.”

  Her face twisted in surprise and confusion, right along with Jack’s. But his expression quickly turned to heavy concern.

  “Dawson?” he scoffed with a dismissive laugh. “Why the hell would you think Dawson should be in the running?”

  I cut my eyes down to my glass of water. “I don’t know. He intrigues me,” I shrugged. “He’s interesting, and a little odd. Unpredictable. Don’t you think he’d make for good TV?”

  “That’s about all he’d be good for. Entertainment…in a pitying sort of way,” Jack teased. “He may be well known in certain circles, but not for anything good. He’s a fool and far too proud for someone who lives in squalor. He’s completely broke.”

  “The Hayes family has money,” I argued.

  “Exactly. That makes it even worse. He lives that way by choice. Can you imagine some of the homeless people on the street knowing that guy was walking around acting piss poor, shunning his family’s own fortune?”

  “Or all the starving children in the world,” Jada added, looking painfully sad.

  “You two never cared about homeless people or starving children before,” I noted. “I don’t know anything about Dawson’s finances. I don’t see what it matters. But I could find that kind of thing out as the show went on. Isn’t that the point? To engage viewers?”

  “He’d never agree to it,” Jack insisted. “He thinks he’s too good for everything…even things that are actually too good for him.”

  I had to admit, it was a stunningly accurate assessment of Dawson Hayes. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at just how spot on it was. But still, something didn’t sit right with me in hearing Jack say it. I felt oddly protective.

  Meanwhile, Jack’s eyes kept stinging into me. “Why are you so concerned with the success of this thing all of a sudden anyway? And why so interested in Dawson?”

  “I told you, I just think he’s amusing is all,” I rolled my eyes. “If I’m going to have to do this thing, I might as well be allowed to have a little fun along the way.”

  Jack cleare
d his throat and leaned forward with a stern look. “To answer your question, no, I don’t think anyone would enjoy watching an arrogant, smarmy guy like Dawson parade around like he owns the place—all while being an idiot who walked away from millions for no good reason. He’s not going to date my little sister. That’s for damn sure. No one would be rooting for him. Including me.”

  I sat back with a pout, feeling embarrassed for bringing it up at all. What was I thinking? Of course Jack didn’t like him. He was worse than just not being from the right kind of family or pedigree. He came from all the right places and apparently refused to ride on his family’s coattails, for whatever reason. I couldn’t relate. I certainly wasn’t in any hurry to give up my inheritance and all the perks and the lifestyle that came with it.

  “Wait a minute,” Jack barked. “You’re not already seeing him, are you?”

  “No!” I shrieked, defensively. “Of course not. I mean, I have seen him…as in we’ve run into each other around town and all. But that’s it.”

  “Good. Keep it that way.” He gave a sharp tug to his suit jacket, obviously annoyed and slightly enraged. “I forbid you from messing around with that guy. I don’t trust him. There’s something seedy about him. Like a used car salesman.”

  I smirked a little, remembering how I thought the same thing about him at first. And I still did, didn’t I? It’s not like he had done much to change my opinion since we first met, other than coming on way too strong.

  But the longer I sat there, the more I resented Jack for ordering me around the way he did. It was starting to feel like I had chains around my hands and feet…and even my neck, which didn’t help my relentlessly dry throat. I was starting to feel suffocating and claustrophobic. I wanted to break free and take off running, never looking back.

  I tolerated the rest of the meeting, going over all the details with the two of them—which meant a lot of listening, since neither seemed to care about my input. The moment it was over, I took off as fast I could—racing off to nowhere in particular.