“Tell me again what we’re doing here?” Ridge asks me while looking at a pillow with a pineapple on it.

I grab the pillow and throw it at him. “We need to get furniture for ten apartments, and what better place to get furniture than Ikea? I can buy bulk here and save money that can be used for other things.”

Oren comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle. “I think this is a great idea. Turning that old warehouse into a low-income housing is a great way to give back. I’m proud of you, Alice.”

I cringe when he says this. Oh, Oren. If you only knew why we started this project to begin with. Something tells me the Michaelson brothers would not agree with what we’re about to do.

The three of us spend the next four hours going through Ikea. If Ridge didn’t insist on sitting or laying on every piece of furniture, we probably could have gotten in and out in half that time. The guys are excited about everything we were able to find, until they got to the warehouse part.

“Alice, why are we searching a warehouse with a flat cart?” Ridge asks with disdain.

“You’ve never been here before have you?”

“No. Well, I came here after it opened to try some of their Swedish Meatballs, but I didn’t go into the actual showroom.”

“You and your food, Ridge.” Oren pokes at his brother. “Seriously, Alice, what are we doing?”

I clear my throat. “The thing is, we have to find all the furniture then load it up. We get to put it all together once we get it back to the apartments. Fun, right!”

Ridge throws his hands up in the air. “Hell no! I don’t mind helping, but we can’t get all this furniture in my truck, nor can we move it all in and put it all together. I mean, we’re pretty awesome, but we’re still just human.”

I pat Ridge on the chest. “This is why I called Zoe an hour ago and had her meet us here with a U-Haul. I also have a couple of guys waiting for us at the apartments to unload and put the boxes in the apartments for us. All we have to do is load it up here. Easy peasy.”

“Easy peasy, my ass,” Ridge mutters.

“Come on, brother. We can do this. I bet Alice will even feed us after all this is done.” Oren winks at me.

“Absolutely. I’ll feed you whatever you want.”

Ridge bends over and whispers in my ear, “Is that a promise, Hot Lips?”

I shudder at his words. I’m going to need some air, stat.

Once we have the U-Haul loaded, Zoe and I follow Ridge and Oren back to the warehouse where we are met with a dozen guys ready to help us unload everything.

It doesn’t take long before everything is in the correct apartment and the guys I hired are busy putting all the furniture together. We decide to leave them and head back to my house for dinner. We already have security in place to let them out when they are done. We stop for Chinese takeout on the way home, per Ridge’s request.

After dinner I can’t stop yawning, so Ridge and Oren kiss me goodbye and I head upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed. All that shopping and loading up furniture has left me feeling sweaty, gross, and exhausted. I’m soaping up my loofah when I hear the bathroom door open.

“I’ll be out in a few minutes!” I holler.

The shower door opens and Ridge is there smiling. “Mind if we join you?”

I’m standing there with my mouth hanging open. My mouth and brain aren’t computing what he is saying. Did he say we?

Ridge smirks and throws off his shirt. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He continues removing the rest of his clothes and I am still standing there holding a soapy loofah. Ridge enters and takes the loofah out of my hand. I take in his muscular body and wowza, that erection is something to behold.

He motions for me to turn around. “Let me scrub your back for you.”

Ridge starts slowly soaping up my back when I hear the shower door open again. I look over my shoulder to see Oren stepping inside. Yes, they are identical twins in every way. He walks over to stand in front of me, and I have just became the ham in a twin stud sandwich.

I feel Ridge kneel behind me, as he sensually soaps up my backside then down the back of each leg. The sensation is causing goosebumps to erupt across my whole body.

Oren grabs the back of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. The kiss is hard and urgent, making me weak in the knees. I open my mouth to his tongue just as Ridge pushes my legs apart so he can thoroughly clean my throbbing pussy.

“Turn around so I can clean the rest of your gorgeous body,” Ridge growls.

Oren stops our kiss and spins me around. He applies shampoo to my hair and starts massaging my scalp. It’s all I can do to not melt into a puddle on the shower floor. Ridge begins soaping my shoulders and then down to my breasts. He cleans one breast while sucking on the other one. Oren leans my head back to rinse my hair and then he applies conditioner while running his fingers through it. Ridge continues cleaning the rest of my body one agonizing inch at a time. Oren steps up to my back and I feel his hardness pushing against my bottom. I grind back into him while he palms my breasts, alternating between kneading them and pinching my nipples. Ridge stands up after thoroughly cleaning my legs. His lips crash down on mine and there is a fire igniting in my core. I can feel his hardness pressed up against my stomach. I’m about to reach down and stroke his shaft when I hear loud beeping.

“What is that horrible noise?”

I open my eyes to find out that I’m in bed alone, with wet panties. Damn, I was only dreaming and didn’t even get to take my shower last night. Not in real life or in dreamland. I reach over and shut off the alarm. Today is moving day for the working girls so I better get my ass moving, but first things first. I open my nightstand drawer and pull out my trusty Rocket Rabbit. I’m going to have to relieve the pressure myself or I won’t make it through the day. I would hate to jump the first man I see.

I arrive at the warehouse an hour later. I’m still humming from the dream with the Michaelson twins. My Rocket Rabbit was not enough today.

“Hey there, Hot Lips.”

I jump at the sound of Ridge’s voice. Get a grip, Alice. We don’t want to scare him away too soon. “Ridge, what are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you.”

He grabs my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We wanted to be here for support. Besides, you don’t know what all they’ll be bringing and you can always use the extra hands to carry bags upstairs.”

I look past Ridge and see Cash, Oren, and even North heading toward me. I’m shocked to see the youngest brother here. I haven’t seen North since he came over to the house, apologizing for Vivian’s behavior.

“Pretty Girl, come give Cash some sugar.”

I laugh and jump into Cash’s open arms. “You are so silly.” I raise my chin and give him a swift kiss on the lips then lean in to whisper in his ear, “I’m so glad to see you here, but why is North with you? Last I saw him, he wasn’t very happy with me.”

Cash bends over and whispers back, “When we told him where we were going, he insisted on coming. He put Vivian on a plane the morning after the disaster dinner. I don’t think we’ll be seeing her anymore.”

“Stop hogging my Alley Cat,” Oren says as he physically removes me from his older brother’s arms. “We’re here to work, so tell us what you need.”

I put my arms around Orens waist. “We have about fifteen minutes before everyone starts arriving. I have the coffee cart set up, it just needs to be turned on. Do you think you could handle that? There’s water and juice boxes back there also.” Zoe was supposed to come and handle that part, but she said her buds needed some extra attention this morning. I didn’t want to work the cart, I’m here to personally meet and welcome each new family.

Oren takes off to get the drinks ready. Ridge, Cash, and North stand behind me as we watch the first van pull in.

Cash opens the van’s side door and I get my first look at my new tenants. I walk over, lifting my hand to her.

“Hi! Welcome home. I’m Alice Du-Kane and these guys are Cash, Ridge, and North,” I say as I point to each guy. “If you head on in, Sally is at the desk with your key and apartment number.”

The woman still has a grip on my outstretched hand. “Alice, my name is Twyla, and this is my son Keiten. I couldn’t believe it when Sally told me what you were doing. We can never repay you for taking a chance on us.”

I smile at Twyla then bend down to get eye level with her son. “Hello, Keiten. I’m so happy to see you. While your mom is inside getting her key, my friend Oren is at a coffee cart. He has some water or juice if you’re thirsty.”

Keiten hides behind his mom’s legs, but at the words “juice box”, he shuffles out a little and graces me with a toothy grin. I watch them walk off and into the building. Turning around, I come face-to-face with another woman, followed by two smaller kids. I again hold out my hand, but this time it’s pushed aside and I’m engulfed in a bear hug.

“Darlin’, after everything you’re doing for us, we don’t shake hands. This is a hugging moment. I’m Kassie and these are my kids, LeeLee and Tootie.”

“It’s very nice to meet you. Sally is waiting inside with your key, and we have a cart set up with coffee, water, and juice for the kids.”

The next three families to exit the van go about the same way. I welcome Vicki and her three kids: Craig, Sariah, and Arizona. Next is Bea and her daughter, Skye. The last family to exit the van is Tina and her son, KJ. By the time I’ve welcomed them all and sent them inside to see Sally, the next van is pulling up. I go through the motions again, welcoming the last five families.

Mary with her two kids, Kelly and Brandon; Diane with her daughter Bianca; Stella and her three kids, Kay, BooBoo, and George; Lanie with her son, Levi; Erica and her twin daughters, Becca and Iza.

Once all ten families are assigned their keys and the guys have helped them unload their bags in their new homes, they meet me downstairs by the front desk. I show them how to get into the warehouse, where the fitness room, spa, and mailboxes are located. We go over the Wi-Fi information, and they meet the security team I hired to be on the premises 24/7. Lastly, we tour the daycare, and watch the younger kids run and play with the new toys we purchased.

“You did good, Alice. You should be proud of this,” North speaks over my shoulder. I turn my head, looking up at him as he smiles down at me. “When Oren told me about your project, I didn’t know if you’d be able to pull it off. These families look very happy, Alice. If CronCorp can do anything to help, all you have to do is say the word.” He runs his hand down my back, stopping right above my waistline. After a few lingering moments, he removes his hand, turns, and walks out of the daycare.

“Alley Cat, everything looks great. Give us a call if you need anything.”

“Yeah, Hot Lips. Let’s get together the first of the week and have dinner.”

“Call me later, Pretty Girl.”

I watch the four Michaelson brothers walk off and get into Ridge’s truck. I feel air blowing across the nape of my neck. When I turn to see what's behind me, I start laughing. Twyla is standing right behind me, a piece of paper in her hand fanning herself. “Gurl, those are some fine men right there. If you aren’t tappin’ at least some of that, you need to be.”