4
PARKER
“It’s perfect.” I stare in awe at the yellow home with white trim. Around the entire house is a full-size wraparound porch reminding me so much of my grandparents’ home I can hardly speak as the memories flood my brain.
Skyler nudges my bicep with her nose and wraps her arms around my waist, staring at the house. “What did you think of the inside?”
The sun is setting as I scan the house. There’s an open field in front that seems to go on for days until it hits a huge wall of trees separating the edge of the property from the next.
“Hmm.” I stare out at the landscape as the sun streaks color across the treetops and grass. I can easily imagine playing Frisbee with our dogs. Soccer and football with the guys and my future children. Skyler setting up a blanket and lazing in the sun in one of her flirty little sundresses.
“The inside?” She eases my chin toward the house.
I shrug. “It has a lot of antique furniture in it.” I make a stink face, and Skyler giggles against my side.
“Yes, and it will all be removed in the next four to six weeks. It has seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. A huge den. A game room. A man cave that doubles as a fully finished basement. An open kitchen and dining room. Two good-size living rooms and an entryway. A beautiful pool, firepit, fountain, and garden already growing veggies. And I asked Rachel what she and Nate thought of the guest house. They love it. It’s bigger than their apartment with room to have a child. Something they’ve been talking about.”
I wrap her in my arms and lift her chin up with my thumbs so I can look into her eyes. “Do you want to live here with me, make a home, build a life, bring our babies home here?”
“Real or fur?” she teases.
The act of caressing her nose with mine is instinctual. “Both,” I whisper against her lips, then kiss her softly.
She hums into my mouth and nods. “I feel at home here, and I can tell you’re in love with the view.”
I grin and kiss her again. “My woman knows me well.”
“Yes, I do! And I’ll make the inside something you’ll never want to leave to go to work,” she promises.
“So, we doing this? Buying the farm so to speak?”
She grins wide. “Yeah, honey. Let’s do it.”
“All right. We’ll get things started. Come on, let’s tell the current owners the good news and contact our Realtor.”
“We have a Realtor?” she asks with surprise.
“Wendy set us up with Mick’s. They’ve already drawn up the paperwork.” I chuckle. “Wendy was that confident this was the house for us.”
“Seriously?”
I nod. “We’re going to have a ball of wild on our hands with her living just down the road.”
Sky smiles wide. “I sure hope so. I’ve always wanted a nosy, well-meaning sister. Looks like I’ll be getting one.”
I rub her arm as we head up the stairs to meet with the owners, who’d given us some privacy by staying inside while we talked outside.
“Peaches, your world just exploded with friends and family,” I remind her, knowing how much everyone in my life loves her.
“Best decision of my life,” she murmurs, and bites at my bicep.
I stop and loop an arm around her waist, plastering her front to mine.
“What did you say?”
“Parker Ellis, taking you to bed was the best decision of my life.”
I can’t stop my laughter. “I’m pretty sure I took you to bed.”
She shakes her head. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
“I jumped you the first day,” she says with a determined pout as we continue walking.
“Yes, but I didn’t take advantage. You were drunk. I was drunk. That would not have been chivalrous.”
“So, waiting a few days later until I made it so by jumping in the shower with you, and you had no choice but to take advantage, was?”
“Totally.”
She laughs as I hold the door open for her.
“I think we should put in our offer and take this discussion back to the penthouse. I’m feeling a wild case of naked wrestling is necessary to put this disagreement to rest.” She smirks and steps through the door.
I grab her around the waist and slam her ass against my semi, dipping my lips close to her ear. “Deal.” I hum against the skin of one of the places on her body that make her sigh. “Whoever wins gets to tie up the other and do whatever they want to the other’s body.”
She gasps in my arms and rubs her ass back against me with more intent. “Hmm. I’m feeling a little winded, I might not fight at my best,” she teases, still rubbing her pert ass in dizzying circles against my much harder lower half.
I have to bite down on my cheek not to go fully erect against her sumptuous booty. “Figured you might want to throw this round.”
She hums again, and the sound threads through my body like an arrow shooting straight for a bull’s-eye. She one-ups the sensation by reaching back and strategically wrapping her hand around my cock through my slacks, giving it a playful squeeze. “Maybe I’m feeling generous.”
I tilt her ass and hand away from my body, knowing that the owners could catch us in a precarious position at any time. “I’m thinking you’re feeling greedy to be worked over.”
She grins wide and cocks an eyebrow. “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”
“Looking forward to it, Peaches.”
Interlacing her fingers with mine, I lead her into the kitchen area, where I can hear the owners laughing over a cup of coffee. One day, that will be us.
When we arrive in the room, two gray heads come up and look at us with smiles.
“We’ll take it,” I announce, and their smiles get wider, but neither is as brilliant as my woman’s.
“I cannot believe you did this. Rented a freaking jet?” I growl and take one of the lush, camel-colored leather seats on the private plane.
“Do these seats go all the way back?” Bo asks Skyler, who’s trailing behind him with our dogs.
She grins, and I frown, still pissed that she chartered a private jet to and from Madrid so that she can bring our dogs.
“Yes, they do, Bo, but there’s also a couch that folds out bigger if you want.”
Bo shakes his head and takes a captain’s chair farther back in the belly of the plane. “Naw, I’ll save that for the two of you if you need it.” He waggles his brows suggestively.
“Bo, simmer down. We’re not going to fuck out in the open on a plane.”
He lifts his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Whatever. It’s cool, man. Just leaving your options open. I have total noise-canceling headphones I could put on. Do whatever you gotta do.”
I can feel my nostrils flare as my irritation rises.
Skyler continues with fighting her side of our current disagreement. “Honey, I couldn’t leave our babies behind for a week or more. I’d miss too much of their lives.”
Rachel and Nate lumber onto the plane and pick a couple of chairs at the very front. “Baggage is loaded, and the captain is ready to initiate takeoff,” Nate grumbles as he settles into one of the chairs, then sighs deeply.
“Plus, we needed to book three tickets extra for me, Rach, and Nate.”
“We talked about having Wendy watch the pups for us,” I remind her for what feels like the thousandth time.
She scrunches up her nose. “Honey . . .” She picks the seat next to me, and both dogs jump up on the small love seat across from us and get comfortable. She grabs the blanket hanging over the side of the loveseat and tucks in our dogs. They immediately close their eyes and yawn. They’ve had a lot of activity today and need the rest. Watching them get settled cools my ire a little but not much.
“It was too soon to leave them. They’ve already had a rough go at life. We can’t let them feel abandoned, plus Mick and Wendy are just getting settled with their fur baby, Lauren. I just . . .” She sets her cool hand over my forearm. “I couldn’t be without them. Not yet. I haven’t had enough time with them, and when I get back, I’m going to start filming the first A-Lister movie. This really isn’t a big deal. I mean, I’m technically part owner of this charter line anyway. We’re not even paying for these, if you really think about it.”
I frown. “You own part of this airline?”
She nods. “Yeah, forty percent. My financial planner said it was a good investment years ago, and look . . . I’m finally taking advantage of it, aside from the cashola I make quarterly on the sales of the flights.”
“Jesus.” Sometimes her wealth is staggering, and what I make with IG is nothing to sneeze at.
She shrugs. “Told you I had more money than I’d need in a lifetime. Now just sit back and enjoy a comfier ride to Spain than you would have on a stuffy domestic flight where you wouldn’t be able to snuggle your pups or kiss the daylights out of your woman.” She blinks at me prettily, knowing she has one over on me.
Her ribbing makes me smile, which cuts through the frustration. Really I don’t have any reason to be upset. She booked us a private jet. It’s her money to do with however she wants. I inhale long and slow, turn to her, cup her cheek, and smash her lips to mine. I delve my tongue in deep when she gasps and taste the cherry-flavored gum she was chewing in the car. Her hand comes up and tunnels through the hair above my ear. She tangles her tongue with mine, getting her own tantalizing licks in before we’re both sucking in huge bouts of much-needed air.
“Am I forgiven?” Her lips are swollen from my kiss as one side of her mouth tips up into a smirk.
“There was nothing to forgive. It’s your money. You spend it how you want,” I admit, voicing the conclusion I just came to.
“Okay.” She pecks me on my lips three times in quick succession.
That’s it. Easy peasy. No more conflict.
I ease back into the very comfortable seat and reach for her hand. She holds mine and sighs, settling in, our fingers laced with one another’s.
This is my life.
This is always going to be my life with Skyler.
Easy. Beautiful. Filled with love.
I lift her hand and kiss the back of it while I watch my dogs sleep and prepare for takeoff.
“Bienvenidos, Mr. Ellis, Ms. Paige. Come in, come in.” Our client, Alejandro Rodriguez, gestures to a large swank office in a unique building in the heart of Madrid. It’s one of the sleek, contemporary buildings fashioned with tons of glass and steel, reminding me very much of our building back in Boston. Flanking it are older, more historical-looking structures. It’s as if the heart of the city decided to marry historical and contemporary together in one big jumble of old and new.
“Mr. Montgomery, bienvenido. Thank you for coming.” His accent rolls around the English language, sounding exotic, and befits his handsome style, trim form, and metrosexual vibe. He has slicked-back hair, perfectly coiffed, which goes well with his tailored clothing. Everything about Alejandro Rodriguez oozes class and money.
I’m used to dealing with men like this. Driven. Focused solely on the almighty buck. I clench my jaw and fall in line behind Skyler to a black leather couch surrounded by glass tables. She sits, and I undo my jacket button and sit next to her, my arm around her shoulders, casual, with a hint of professionalism.
Bo saunters in, all dark jeans, black tee, and white leather blazer. It’s his version of professional dress, although he’s pushed the sleeves up his forearms and not removed the studded leather bracelets crawling up his wrist.
Alejandro claps his hands, goes over to his desk, and picks up the phone. “Call for Juliet and bring her here within fifteen minutes,” he orders, before replacing the receiver.
“First of all, the work you did on my friend’s modeling campaign . . .” He puts two fingers together and kisses them. “¡Magnífico!”
“Thank you. We’ve read over the file you sent, but there wasn’t a lot to go on. As we understand it, you have new talent that you’d like to mold into a superstar. Is that correct?”
Alejandro grins, and combined with that face, he could probably grace the cover of the Spanish version of GQ magazine and sell a million copies. “Sí. Juliet is a dream with the voice of an angel.”
Bo plucks at his goatee and sits back, ankle crossed over one knee as he shakes his foot in what most people would consider a nervous gesture. With Bo, it’s just the annoyance of inaction. Bo likes to keep moving. Doesn’t prefer to stay in one place for too long. If there’s no food, brews, or game on a wide-screen in front of him, he gets a tad jittery. “What’s the girl’s deal, then? She lacking sex appeal?” He rotates his pelvis. “Maybe needs to learn a few moves?”
Alejandro crosses his arms over one another. “Sí. Those things for sure. Only it’s more than that.”
“Enlighten us,” I state, not wanting to drag this conversation out. I’d prefer to get on with the case, get what we need done, and head back home.
Alejandro tips his head and purses his lips. He swivels his hand in the air in a circular movement. “She needs . . . how do you say? Work.”
“Work?” Bo frowns. “As in a makeover?”
“Sí. More like plastic surgery. And a diet. A big one. She’s too fat.”
“Whoa, dude. That’s harsh,” Sky interjects, and I rub the ball of her shoulder, knowing that, once upon a time, she was told she needed to be the perfect size zero in order to act or she wouldn’t be taken seriously or looked at as beautiful. I got her past that, and now she’s a healthy weight and has never been prettier.
Alejandro shrugs. “ʼTis true. You will see.”
Right after he says the words, there’s a tiny knock on the door.
“Come in.” He smirks as the door is opened and a petite woman and a tall, stately, modelesque brunette enter holding hands.
“Aw, hermosa Violeta.” Alejandro greets the tall young woman with a kiss to each check. He then leans at least six inches down and does the same to the petite child standing next to her, because that is what she looks like. A child. “Juliet, my ángel cantarín.”
Juliet is squeezing Violeta’s hand and standing very close. They have comparable coloring, being brunettes with olive skin, but the similarities stop there. Their eye colors are different, with Juliet having hazel eyes to Violeta’s dark brown.
“Juliet, do you want to have Violeta wait outside so I can introduce you to your new mentoring team?”
Mentoring team. I like the sound of that. After coming off a case of being hired to tear people down, it’s exhilarating to be lifting someone up. Especially a girl so young and impressionable, who’s embarking on what promises to be a huge career in music.
The small girl shakes her head.
“Um, would it be okay if I stayed?” Violeta asks. “JJ is shy, as you know, Alejandro.”
He smiles tightly. “Sure. Everyone, this is Violeta and Juliet Jimenez. Violeta is Juliet’s older sister and the reason Juliet was discovered.”
“Really? How so?” I smile, trying to make sure our presence isn’t frightening the young woman.
“She let me record her singing. It was a ruse. Told her it was for me, for my long trips to Milan and Paris when I travel for modeling.”
A model.
I can see that from a mile away. Not only is the sister naturally beautiful, her confidence in herself shines out every pore just by the way she stands, dresses, and looks you directly in the eye.
“Except I sent the sample tape in to a scout a friend of mine told me about. Her recording worked its way up the chain, and now we’re here.” She hugs her sister around the shoulders. “I’m so proud of my baby sister. She’s going to be a star. I just know it!” Violeta beams as though her sister’s happiness is all that matters to her.
Juliet’s cheeks pinken as Bo stands up. Her gaze goes to him as he does his thing, walking a circle around the pair.
“You wearing anything under that boxy sweatshirt, lamb?” he asks, his tone of voice nonthreatening but still direct.
She nods but doesn’t move to remove her hoodie.
“A hair tie perhaps? I’d like to see your beautiful face.” He dips down to look into her eyes. Juliet’s long brown hair is parted down the center, hiding a good portion of her face, the ragged lengths falling against both cheeks like a veil.
Violeta springs into motion, yanking a brown elastic from her wrist and going behind her sister, where she pulls back Juliet’s hair, bringing it into a high ponytail. Juliet’s hand lifts to the side of her face. Her sister grabs her hand and gently brings it down. She then moves in front of her sister and whispers something. Juliet slowly unzips and removes her sweatshirt, showing us that she has a very curvaceous form. It’s the kind of body Jessica Rabbit has and most women in their right minds would kill for, but it doesn’t technically fit the standard size-zero mold an industry like this insists sells a brand best.
“Hot damn!” Skyler says in delight.
“Oh yeah, now this is something we can work with.” Bo winks at me and then grins his man-whore grin.
“She’s a child, bro,” I remind him.
He winces. “Not going there with jailbait, but seriously, lamb, you’ve got some kickin’ curves. Why are you hiding them?”
Juliet looks down and shrugs. “I’m nineteen, not a child.” The words lack complete conviction.
“Told you, sis. Everyone loves curves.” Violeta dips her knees and knocks Juliet’s hip.
“Well, not everyone. Our marketing team would prefer Juliet drop at least twenty-five pounds prior to the first large media blitz,” Alejandro states methodically.
Skyler stands up, hands on hips, indignation in place and at the forefront, ready to blast this guy into next year.
He lifts his hand. “I mean no disrespect to Juliet or you. I’m only the messenger. I call the shots, yes, but I answer to investors, and the team decides how to best sell a new pop star. We’re already at a disadvantage with her height. And of course, she’ll need to get the scar on her face smoothed out, along with the protruding bump on her nose.” He frowns apologetically.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I stand up, an ugly feeling burning in my gut at the same time Bo remarks, “Say what, again?”
Alejandro looks at the three of us and then back to Juliet, who has crossed her arms protectively over her body and is looking at the floor as if the carpeting is the most fascinating thing in the world. When I see a tear slide down the side of her face, I’ve had enough.
“Violeta, how’s about you take your sister back out in the waiting room, and we’ll reconvene this meeting in a little bit. Yeah?” I suggest.
Alejandro glances my way, looking rather confused, but nods, apparently going with the flow.
Violeta hooks her sister around the shoulder and leads her out of the room, a deep sadness in Juliet’s pretty face. The second the door shuts, Bo loses his shit.
“Are you out of your fucking mind!” he growls, his jaw set in a firm scowl.
I move to him and place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze, signaling I’m going to take over from here and handle this.
“Alejandro, there is nothing wrong with that girl. She does not need to lose weight or have any kind of plastic surgery to look like a different person. All she needs is confidence, a new hairstyle, some time with a makeup team to enhance the natural beauty she already has.” I state this with the seriousness of a heart attack.
“That’s not what the public is used to seeing.” He points at the door. “She can be a star if—”
“She can be a star if she has talent and a team of people who believe in her ability. That girl, she is exactly the kind of pop star this world needs. Sky . . . baby, help me out here.” I gesture with a wave to my girl, who I know is biting the fuck out of her tongue right now, wanting to ream him a new asshole.
Skyler purses her lips and nods. “Parker is right. From a woman who’s at the top: the last thing you need is another one-hit wonder. You want a woman with staying power, like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. Sure, both of those women are beautiful, but more importantly, they are talented. The songs they sing and the personas they present to the world are not something a mother would be afraid to let her daughter emulate. They are strong women with fascinating songs, and they don’t go out of their way to change their girl-next-door appeal. You want to make Juliet a star, so let her be an enhanced version of herself. The IG team can do that for you.”
Alejandro rubs at his jaw and then shakes his head. “This would be a major risk for us. We know what’s working in the industry right now.”
I take a deep breath and lay it out for him. “What’s working right now will not work for that girl out there. She is not a diva. Let us bring out her outer beauty so that it matches her inner beauty and the magical voice she has and music she writes. Once we’re done with her and you’ve seen the results, then you can decide. You’ve got to trust us on this one. You saw what we did with the show in Milan. Let’s go big and change the tide here in Spain too.”
Alejandro glances at Bo, then me, and finally Sky. “And you’ll be here to help?”
Skyler offers a sultry smile that makes Alejandro’s eyes flare with interest. She then cuddles along my side, which puts out that small fire instantly. “We’re a team. We work together when it’s necessary, and I can see with this girl, she’s not only going to need the guys’ knowledge and expertise, she’s also going to need a woman’s touch, someone she can trust and be vulnerable with. I’m all in.”
Alejandro takes a deep breath and nods. “She is a rare talent. I’d like to try it your way.” He goes to his desk and dials the receptionist. “Bring Juliet back in.”
Within a mere minute, Juliet and her sister shuffle in. Juliet’s eyes are red rimmed and puffy. Skyler walks right up to the girl, tips her chin, and looks into her soulful hazel eyes. “That’s the last time you’re going to shed a tear about who you are, sweet girl. You and me, we’ve got work to do with my guys back there, but it’s all going to be fun and exciting. No more tears. You are perfect just the way you are. We’re just going to spend a little time bringing out your confidence and maybe a little bit of a flirty side. No surgery. No weight loss. Just music, makeup, dancing, and a whole lot of laughter. How does that sound?”
Juliet’s pink lips tremble as she swallows. “I don’t know how to dance.”
Skyler laughs and brings the girl into her arms for a big sisterly hug. “It’s okay, I didn’t know how to dance either when I started out. That’s what they have choreographers for. It’s all going to work out, but first, how’s about you, Violeta, and the guys and I all go out and get ice cream, get to know each other better. Would you like that?”
Juliet smiles sweetly and nods. Her sister jumps up and down next to her. “JJ, I can’t believe we’re going to have ice cream with Skyler Paige! Eeek!” She squeals and hugs both Skyler and Juliet at the same time.
Sky tips her head back and laughs beautifully.
Bo nudges my shoulder. “Glad you brought Sky, bro. She’s going to be aces on this gig.”
“My girl is always aces.”
“I heard that,” Bo murmurs, and winks at me.
“Come on, ladies, we’ve got work to do, but first . . . double scoops on me!” Skyler announces to the room, ignoring Alejandro and nudging the girls out the door.
“We’ll be in touch.” I wave to the man who’s smiling and leaning against his desk, watching Skyler with a look of wonder on his face.
Yeah, Skyler does that for me too, I think to myself, only I get to have it and hold it.