Chapter 4
Kyle
Top note of bergamot orange followed by middle note of grapefruit with a bottom note of vanilla.
The liquid swirled around the beaker when I mingled the fragrance notes with a glass stirring rod. I brought the mixture to my nose and inhaled. It missed something, but I couldn’t figure out what. With swift movements, my fingers tapped over the keyboard of my laptop as I meticulously wrote every metric measurement down.
Frederick, my senior lab assistant, opened my door forcing me to break concentration. “Sorry to barge in, but I knocked three times. Where did you drift off to? The fields of Ireland… the beaches in Tahiti?”
“Bali.” The new line of fragrances were each modeled after a romantic destination, designed to transport the customer from their everyday life. “I’m just trying to nail down this fragrance, but all I keep thinking of is that sickly sweet creamsicle ice cream bar I loved as a kid.”
“Did you try cutting it with cardamom?” I shook my head, and Frederick knew not to question further. When I was in my lab, my staff let me work my mad scientist skills without influence. Of all the divisions in Cleary Laboratories, fragrance creation was my baby. I delegated well when it came to cosmetics, hair products, and even men’s fragrances. But anything to do with a woman’s scent was all me. At my silence, he added, “Okay, boss, I’m calling it a night. You should, too.”
My first instinct was to say that I had a few more hours, but for some reason today I wasn’t able to focus on something that usually came as easy as tying my shoes. Instead, my brain was recounting the events of the past weekend.
“I’m right behind you. See you in the morning.”
I closed up my lab, shutting lights along the way, and locking up. The moment I sat my distracted ass in my Model S Tesla, boredom hit. Unless I was at work, entertaining a woman, or hanging out with my friends, most of the time I felt antsy. I was the type of person who needed activity at all times. After such a busy weekend, I should have welcomed the opportunity to chill out and relax. Yet, the week stretched ahead in a looming way.
The drive home from Queens to the Upper East Side with not much traffic only took fifteen minutes. I parked my car, grabbed my tux from my backseat, and walked to the cleaners on the corner.
Metallic bells sounded when I strolled in. Natasha, the woman behind the counter smiled. “Hi, Kyle.”
“Hey, Natasha. How’s the dirtiest beauty in the cleaning business?” Her Eastern European features gifted her with striking bone structure and a long lithe body. Her flaxen straight-angled bob currently sported a fuchsia streak that framed the right side of her face.
The sweetest smile crinkled the corners of her ice blue eyes. “That’s not fair. I only did that once in my life, and that was with you. Having sex in my family’s place of business never occurred to me before you came along. Not that I’m complaining because it was fun.”
“It sure was, although I’m lucky to still have my balls after your dad stopped in on his day off. And I’m still thanking the gods I didn’t burn off anything important on that long iron thing.”
“It’s called a pant press,” she corrected.
“Whatever. It still could have permanently branded my ass.” A few months ago, Natasha and I were having a great time on the back counter when her father, who owned the cleaners, walked in on us. Needless to say, when we heard the linebacker-built man mumbling in Russian at the front of the store, it was that day I found out I’d make a great firefighter. The way I jumped off of her and into my clothes was quite an accomplishment. I smiled at my agility, then frowned at how close I came to death.
Natasha giggled at the look on my face. “When he said…” She puffed up her chest and deepened her voice three octaves to imitate the grizzly bear that was her father. “‘What you doing back here?’ That was hilarious.” Then mimicking her father’s actions, she thrusted her blue painted, manicured finger toward the door. “Out!”
“Yeah, haha. So, funny.” I dumped the suit on the counter, and Natasha robotically began to check my pockets.
“Aw, you handled it well. ‘I’m fascinated with garment conveyors, Sir.’” She now altered her voice to sound like a high-pitched Mickey Mouse.
“I don’t sound like that.”
“You did that day,” she quipped with a grin. When she pulled out a few strands of hay from my tux jacket, her eyebrow arched. “I thought you were going to your friend’s wedding, Kyle?”
At the sight of the stiff pale yellow straws, my cock sprung to life in my slacks. “I did. It was in a barn.” There was no way I’d think of hay the same way again. Not that I ever thought of it to begin with.
“Uh huh.” Natasha gave me an all-knowing smile. She started taking inventory of what I’d brought in. “One pair of pants, one vest, one shirt, one suit coat.” Natasha moved the pieces into a bin. “No bow tie?”
The memory of where that bow tie had been turned my semi into a full-blown hard-on. I stepped closer to the counter to camouflage the issue in my pants.
Natasha gave me a smirk. “Did you lose it or was it a casual affair?”
“I guess I must have misplaced it.”
“Uh huh,” she repeated with a wink that meant she was on to me. She gave me my receipt and said, “It’ll be ready by Friday. In case you have another bow tie-less barn hosted wedding to attend.”
“No, nothing in the near future. None of my other friends are signing their lives away in marriage.”
“You’re terrible. You’re going to die a dirty, old, lonely man.”
“I’ll make you a deal. If we’re both single when we’re eighty, I’ll make an honest woman out of you.” Thinking in my head that her father would be dead by then.
“Oh, great. That’ll give me fifty-five years to find the perfect dress.”
“You probably shouldn’t wear white,” I said as I limped away. The chimes on the door did little to hide her laughter.
A few minutes later, I was back in my apartment in need of food and drink. Not bothering to change out of my work clothes, I opened a beer and began to scarf down a slice of cold pizza. I wondered where that damn bow tie ended up. With half a slice still dangling from my lips, curiosity caused me to dig through my overnight bag that still sat packed in my bedroom. I pulled out boxers, socks, and low and behold poking out the side of the condom box was the black tip of my bow tie.
“Oh, yeah.” I remembered how and why I had shoved it into the box… which led to remembering Vanessa spread eagle on a mound of hay… which then led to a fierce need to have a quickie with my hand like a teenage boy.
Luca’s text a few hours earlier commanded I meet him at Dispatch. After a boring week, I jumped at the request. Friday nights usually drew in all the Manhattanite female population for Happy Hour, which put all the guys on alert. Luca beat me there. I approached in time to see him drain a beer and smack the empty bottle onto the worn mahogany table with a thud.
“What’s wrong?” I asked at the scowl he gave me as a greeting.
“One of Jude’s huge clients, Waldon, wants my balls on a fucking platter. Whenever Jude isn’t available, a convenient crisis appears. I didn’t give a fuck what he said, I had no intention of contacting Jude on his honeymoon, and because of it the prick has made my life miserable for the last two weeks.”
“I’m actually surprised you haven’t heard from the Swede. When we sent him away for six weeks…”
“We? What the fuck? You sent him away for six weeks.”
“Technically, Brae sent him away for six weeks. She picked the cocky bastard.” I raised my hand to get the waiter’s attention.
“Well, when he’s with Brae he has a one-track mind, and it’s not focused on Soren Enterprises or Howard-fucking-Waldon. Like last time, he left me at the helm and having to deal with that pazzo.”
“Please don’t start with the Italian.” The waiter came over and looked at us expectantly. “A Molson for me, please, and another Stella,” I said to the dude before turning my attention back to Luca. “Can you blame him? Would you be thinking about an old, bald billionaire if you were tapping Brae?”
“If you repeated that to Jude, he’d…” Luca stopped to reach over the table and slap the side of my head.
“Ow, you fuckhead. You said the same once. You just don’t have the balls to say it to him.”
“No… I have the brains not to say it to him.”
Our heads turned simultaneously when two female forms appeared at the end of our booth. “Fancy meeting you here.” The petite blonde said. My eyes instantly looked behind Cassie and Desiree for the brunette I’d been lusting over. When I didn’t see her, Cassie picked up on the disappointment written on my face. “She’s not here.”
“Who’s not here?” I played dumb.
Luca’s laugh made me want to punch him. “Yeah, okay. Good try, Cleary.” He turned toward the girls as his ass shifted sideways on the seat. “Join us.”
Without hesitation, Desiree slid next to Luca, leaving Cassie no choice but to sit beside me. At that moment, the waiter appeared with our beers. “What can I get you ladies to drink?” he asked when he saw they didn’t have anything as of yet.
“Cosmo,” Desiree said before Cassie added, “A lemon-drop martini.”
Once we were alone again, Cassie’s face brightened with a smile. “So, Des and I were just discussing ways to surprise the newlyweds when they get home tomorrow. We thought we’d get flowers and scented candles…”
“Jude hates surprises,” I interrupted. “Plus, those scents will destroy your nasal passages.” They both looked at me like I had two heads. “Truth.”
Desiree looked toward Luca, her brow quirking up in question. “He’s all about the smells.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that means,” Desiree responded.
“I own my own cosmetics lab, specializing in fragrances.”
That caught their attention based on the wide-eyed, enthusiastic expression on their faces. “Ooh, your girlfriends must love that.”
“I don’t do girlfriends.” As if my words were attached to a plug that has been pulled, their smiles fell in an almost comical way. I felt the need to apologize. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to disappoint you, are you offering?”
“No, not offering nor am I disappointed, but your comment makes sense now,” Desiree said. “You and V are two peas in a pod. The term boyfriend would cause her to break out in hives. After a date or two, her attention span significantly plummets. Tonight is date number two for her, and it’s almost time for me to text her and check in.”
“Check in for what?” Luca asked.
“We have a texting system. She’ll respond with a yes or no, and if no then we know she’ll be joining us soon.” Cassie lifted her phone and added, “I’ll check in now.”
My eyes shifted toward her screen, but she angled the phone away from my view. A few seconds passed and a response came quick. “All good,” Cassie said. “Which means we won’t be seeing her tonight.”
And why the fuck that bit of information annoyed me was unexpected.
“Now we know Vanessa doesn’t do boyfriends, but why aren’t you two attached?” I took the opportunity to change the subject.
“Desiree is married to her job, and I just haven’t found my Prince Charming.”
“Uh oh. I’m guessing you’re the romantic in the bunch.” I took a sip of my beer. “Just like you, Benedetto.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Cassie said in a defensive tone.
“He’s right, I’m a dreamer, and Kyle’s a scientist. His world doesn’t run on emotion, but instead facts and measures.”
A waitress I recognized appeared with their drinks. “Hey, Kyle,” she said when her eyes noticed me. They roamed from face to face before settling back on mine with a sexy smirk. “How have you been?”
“Good, you?” Luca did his typical throat-clearing-sarcastic-chuckle thing. “Where’s the dude who was serving us before?”
“He’s on break. I have mine in fifteen, if you want to catch up.” Her pink tongue came out and skimmed over her full ruby lips.
“Is that what they call it,” Luca mumbled. My glare caused the prick to laugh in my face.
“Maybe another time, Lynn,” I said, thanking God she had a name tag on… because there was no way I would’ve remembered it. “I’m on the early shift tomorrow if you change your mind. Plus, it’ll be my last day.” She winked and walked away while Cassie groaned in obvious disgust.
“Seriously? I could have been your girlfriend.”
“Is that a proposition?” I asked with a teasing smile.
She smacked my arm. “It’s rude… and whore-ish.”
“Just his type,” Luca shot out.
The girls both shook their heads, and I felt the need to defend myself. “That’s not true. I have standards.”
Desiree lifted her Cosmo and said, “Yeah, I can see that,” before taking a sip.
“He does. I was just busting his balls. Kyle loves a strong, independent woman who is smart as a whip. It helps if she’s cut from the same cloth… facts and measures above candlelight and flowers.”
The girls’ eyes met across the table and they both said, “V,” at the same time. “Anyway, you two should be there tomorrow night. We’ll bring the food and you bring the liquor,” Desiree suggested.
“Speaking of, your idea on how to surprise Jude and Brae tomorrow night has a potential to backfire.”
“Why?” they both asked together.
“First of all, instead of the flowers and candles maybe you should consider handcuffs and blindfolds. Soren is a kinky fucker, and that may distract from the fact that he can’t consummate his marriage the moment he walks through the door with his bride.”
“They’ve had two weeks to consummate,” Cassie said with a dismissed wave of her hand.
“I’m just saying.’” I raised my hands defensively. “We all know what a caveman he is around Brae. He may still be a kinky fucker, but now he’s a fucker in love.” I pretended to shudder, which earned me another smack on the arm.
I threw my arm around Cassie’s shoulders and planted a soft kiss on her cheek as an apology. “Fine, we’ll be there. Who are we to deny two beautiful women?”
“Now I know why Vanessa calls you Mr. Flirt.”
“I could be called worse.”
“Like dickhead… prick… jackass… Canadian cocksucker…” Luca paused and then quickly added a few more in Italian for good measure.
“Okay, that’s enough, asshole.” I leaned across the table and kissed Luca in the same way I kissed Cassie. He shoved me away, but I knew he loved me.
“What’s this?” Cassie pulled out a bright orange flyer that was nestled in the menu holder on the table. “Oh! This sounds like fun, listen.” She cleared her throat. “Join us next Saturday for our first annual Halloween Bash. Awards will be given for best single, couple, group, scariest, funniest, and most original costume.” Luca grumbled. “Oh, hush. It will be fun! Let’s do it!”
“I hate to break it to you, Miss Festivus, but Soren will not don a costume. When we were in college, he wouldn’t even wear a toga.”
Cassie smirked. “If Brae asks him to, he will.”
Luca sighed in defeat. “She has a point, but that doesn’t mean Cleary and I have to.”
“Oh, come on, we’ll make it interesting. Girls versus boys. If we win a prize, we drink on your tab for a month. If you win, you drink on us.”
“So if we win, we get to do body shots off you for a month?” I clarified.
“Um, no. You get to drink free on us, not literal.”
“Whatever. We can iron out the details later.” I offered Cassie my hand and added, “Game on.”
“Game on,” she repeated with a firm shake, but Desiree and Luca didn’t look as enthusiastic as we did.