Chapter Two
Yvette was ignoring her mother’s phone calls. She had several messages and was purposely putting off listening to them. They had barely talked and she had purposely left her with the belief there was hope for reconciliation. The papers were barely dry with both of their signatures affixed to the document. Her mother had no idea what her daughter wanted.
The movers were not courteous and grumbled underneath their breath. They dumped her belongings in the elevator and stomped off without another word. She was left with the harrowing task of carrying each tremendously heavy box down the hallway to her penthouse.
“I would say you could use the help of a strapping young man. I might have somebody in mind.” Adam Slim was doing what came naturally, sporting a Santa hat on his head. The flirting and casual conversation was easy for him. The same couldn’t be said for his brother Blake.
“I can offer you a beer for all of your hard work. I can’t afford to pay you, but I will be eternally grateful.” He was a true ginger and the short, red hair did nothing to hide his natural physiology.
Behind him stood a young man of similar features but remained remarkably silent.
“Forgive my brother; he can’t help himself when he sees a beautiful damsel in distress. I have a bit more class than to shamelessly flirt for your affection. We will be more than happy to help you move in. Our place is upstairs. It looks like we’re going to be neighbors.” Blake had been in a dry spell looking for a woman of substance to break him out of the slump. He thought he might have found her.
Yvette found both men charming in different ways. She noticed how Adam was undressing her with his eyes, making her feel exposed and vulnerable. Blake, on the other hand, was courteous and showed some restraint. They were as different as night and day.
“I don’t know what I did to get so lucky to have two handsome young men to help me.” They were a cut above the rest and had the muscles of those who were not strangers to a gym.
“I can’t speak for Blake, but I’ve kissed my fair share of frogs to last me a lifetime. I find it endearing the way you blush. It’s your innocence I want to get acquainted with. Some women are not subtle about their intentions.” Adam was up to the challenge. Competing with his brother brought his competitive juices to a boil.
Blake was not about to let his older brother win the girl this time. He had lost several young potential conquests to the silver-tongued devil. There was nothing more galling than to show the women he was with some respect, only to have his brother sweep in acting like a macho, pigheaded asshole. His bad boy qualities made him catnip to the ladies.
They were both wearing black leather jackets. Adam was in a t-shirt and Blake felt it was important to dress for success.
His black slacks and leather belt made him feel comfortable in his own skin. He never could find a reason to wear a pair of blue jeans to the office. He had to shake his head in disbelief at how Blake could constantly snub his nose at old-fashioned values.
“I think I recognize the both of you. I can’t put my finger on it, but give me a few moments and it will come to me.” They were familiar, and it was driving her crazy.
“I’ve never been shy about our wealth and influence over others. Our last name is Slim. We are the heirs to the Slim family fortune.” Blake did like to brag and used his money to secure the company of some young ladies of discernible taste.
“It can’t be easy having your every move scrutinized by the public and the press. To be perfectly transparent, I’m a journalist for the New York Times. I thought it best to be upfront so there is no miscommunication. This isn’t some sort of setup and I didn’t even know you two lived here.” She found herself fascinated by their differences and smiled behind their back from how they were grunting with the effort to carry the boxes over their shoulders.
“We’ve never hidden who we are from anyone. Adam sometimes goes overboard flaunting his good fortune and making himself a target of every scam artist in the business. Women, in particular, have always been his Achilles heel. I’m a little more selective when it comes to partners.” Blake felt like he could build something with Yvette. He wanted the chance to pursue something platonic, to begin with. His worst fear was his brother was going to callously play his playboy card.
“Blake has never been comfortable putting it all out there. I had to drag him kicking and screaming to Miami for March break madness a few years ago. I still party like a rock star, but my brother is more at home reading a good book and going to museums.” Blake felt it was necessary to put his brother down, but he wasn’t expecting a spirited conversation about art to develop between Yvette and his brother.
“I’ve always been partial to those artists that make me feel something. It doesn’t matter their name. It’s the work that speaks for itself. I see the both of you have put in a hard day’s work. I do wonder how much manual labor you really do, being billionaires.” They were in stupendous shape.
She couldn’t help but mask her desire to see them without their clothes on. It was only a fantasy, or at least that’s what she was trying to convince herself.
“Adam likes people to dote on him hand and foot. I don’t mind rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty from time to time. I actually find it cathartic to live in the shoes of some blue collar workers. I have an investment in a property on the outskirts of Manhattan Island in desperate need of some TLC. I’ve been doing most of the work myself. It makes me feel good to see something accomplished by my own hand.” He couldn’t help but pose with his muscles threatening to burst through the crisp, white shirt underneath his jacket.
“You’re not going to get any sympathy from me. I would rather enjoy life to the fullest. I’ve done some amazing things in my life including race car driving, mountain climbing, and bungee jumping, just to name a few. It’s the adrenaline rush I live for. I hope I’m not boring you with the details of my youthful indiscretions.” Blake lived without any regrets. He wasn’t sure if he could say the same thing for his brother.
“I can see both sides. It might be nice to let my hair down and do something reckless for the first time in my life. I also understand how hard it is to go against your natural instincts. I think living underneath the both of you is going to be an adventure.” She had this inane ability to know when a man’s interest was more about getting her into the bedroom. They were both screaming the same thing in vastly different ways.
“We have some unique pieces in our collection. Why don’t you get settled in and come up to join us for a drink? We promise to be on our best behavior.” Blake turned to Adam and found him lifting his hands in mock surrender.
“I wouldn’t want to give you the wrong idea by accepting your invitation. I wouldn’t mind being friends.” Yvette had a couple of cold ones for them.
She was trying to deny the chemistry between them and how hard it would’ve been to choose one over the other.
“Blake is a bit of a prude, not that it has slowed down his pursuit of happiness. Our tastes do vary, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It would be no fun if we were exactly the same. I give him credit for inviting you before I did it myself. I’m a little older and somewhat wiser when it comes to matters of the heart. I actually had to get him a…” He didn’t get a chance to finish his thought. Blake knew exactly what he was going to say and had no interest in him airing his dirty laundry.
“We really have to go. I’ve also been known to cook circles around him in the kitchen. I’ll be sure to whip up something interesting for your arrival for the impromptu holiday season. Is there anything you might be allergic to?” Blake had his hand over his brother’s mouth. He didn’t want Yvette to know his first time was with an escort when he was 18.
“I’m not picky when it comes to food.” She found someone able to cook attractive. She was always bending over to please Tony, mistakenly thinking the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.
“When should we expect you? We have a bottle of wine recently acquired in an auction. I don’t want to shock you with how much we paid. It would be our honor to share it with you.” Adam had always been a big believer in plying a woman with enough liquor to lower their inhibitions.
“I will be up shortly. It might be a little later considering all the work I have to do before tomorrow. We will have to make this an early night.” She was metaphorically pouring cold water down their pants. Any hope of sleeping with her had been dashed by a few choice words.
They both attempted to kiss her hand, but she pulled it back from their fingers before anything could convince her to drop the pretense of being innocent. She was flushed and felt like her legs were going to buckle out from underneath her. She feared one touch of their lips to her bare skin and it would have signaled her body to betray her good judgment.