Page 13 of Everything Is Yours
Lily’s face registered fleeting panic at being caught. She nodded, pretending she had been listening. “Sure I’m up for whatever Jack has in mind.”
Jack and Mya howled with laughter, and Rick wandered over, looking every inch the rock star. Still dressed in black leather pointed boots, skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and leather bomber jacket, he was obviously too cool to wrap up for the weather. He looked like he was going to solidify if he stopped moving. I guessed that was his excuse for the little dance he was doing wiggling his legs as he stood beside me. He looked…frigid. The thought of that word and Rick in the same sentence almost made me lose my shit, and I started laughing with the others.
“What the fuck is funny? I’m freezing my ass off out here. It’s minus fucking insane degrees. Can y’all get the fucking keys, and crack the jokes on the inside of the wood instead of staring at how pretty the place is? We’re not fucking here waiting to see fucking Santa.” His breath was blowing hot puffs of mist into the air as he stood shivering with his hands stuffed as deep as he could get them into his jeans pockets.
I knew which cabin I wanted for us. It stood on its own. Rick quickly claimed the one nearest to us. Cody and Lennon were directly across from us but some distance down, and the rest of Lily’s friends in the one opposite cabin of Rick’s. Our security detail shared one, leaving one free in the event any of the guys found a female to hook up with. Even though individual arrangements were in place, everyone gravitated toward our cabin.
Before we could enter, a young blonde woman opened the cabin door I’d chosen in my mind and greeted us warmly.
“Hello, I am Dita, your cabin maid for your stay. I’ll bring food and supplies for you. Whatever you wish, please tell me and I will do my best to make you happy.”
Rick smirked wickedly, his mind immediately going into the gutter and he pushed past us. Closing the space between them, he slung his arm over her shoulder and tugged her into his side.
“Hello, darlin’ my name is Richard. Pleased to meet you. Let’s get inside the cabin and down this hallway, hon, there’s a lot more of us. They’re freezing their asses off out there.”
I don’t know why it never occurred to me, but it suddenly clicked that he was Richard Fars. Rick was a secret Dick. I bit back a grin and looked over at Jack. When his eyes met mine, I saw he’d had exactly the same thought as me. As a reporter, it was obvious that Jack knew this already, but we shared a small smile and a silent mutual acknowledgement to store this information about Rick to use at a later date.
Rick wasted no time wrapping his other hand around Dita’s waist and began walking her backward into the kitchen area. From the look of pure adoration on her face, she definitely knew who he was and was making no attempt to distance herself from his grip.
The rest of us struggled out of the padded outdoor wear we were sporting before entering the open plan living room. We were all exhausted from the effort of stripping the layers off. I watched as Lily flopped onto the plush sofa with a sigh of contentment. Her face displayed how happy she was as she glanced around our accommodation.
Mya had called it exactly right. Small was beautiful. Heat radiated from a huge fireplace set against one wall. An oversized burgundy velvet sectional and an oversized sofa faced each other, and on the wall opposite the fireplace was a vaulted bank of floor to ceiling windows, which brought the nature outside into the room. Or so it appeared anyway. I had been in some pretty luxurious places but after a while they had all felt the same. Not this place. It was very different and even better than the pictures in the brochure.
Dita had prepared open sandwiches and a large pot of warm soup to thaw us out. We all tucked in, and Rick had three bowls of soup. Lily noticed Rick hadn’t touched the meat filled sandwiches.
“Don’t you want a sandwich, Rick? They’re delicious.” Narrowing her eyes, she questioned Rick’s lack of enthusiasm for the food.
“I heard Dita tell Jack it was venison. I’m not fucking eating Bambi,” Rick barked loudly in a stern and serious voice. His nose was wrinkled in disgust.
Jack snickered, but it was Mya that laughed out loud first, then the whole table erupted in fits of laughter. Jack struggled for breath and placed his hand on his chest before responding.
“Wrong movie, Rick. Bambi lived in that film as far as I recall.”
Rick glanced over at Jed, shoved his chair back and stood up before making his way to where he had left his bag in the hallway. Jed was perceptive and took it as his cue that Rick was leaving. Rick raised his large hand and inclined his head toward Dita, winked then gave us his trademark contemptuous smirk as he cast his eyes around the table. He addressed Dita again.
“Careful, sweetheart, they may look harmless. Don’t let any of these innocent looking folks fool you. Around this table are some of the most brutal people of their generation. You want some sanity? I’m in the next cabin to your left as you leave.”
I laughed at Rick hitting on the housemaid because she was the only unattached female besides Emma. Even in the middle of nowhere Rick was trying to make his move to get laid. Turning on his heel, I watched him make his way to the front door of the cabin again. Jed pulled open the heavy wooden door, and a cold blast of air crept up the hallway. I saw Rick’s shoulders hunch up tightly as he faced the elements again and listened when we heard him complaining to Jed.
“Fuck. I’m going to freeze my balls off or starve in this fucking wilderness. I have no idea why I agreed to this. Was I drunk? Remind me never to let Mya talk me into this kinda shit again.”
The door slammed shut and, as if we had all been holding our breath until he left, we all burst out laughing at our friend and wayward rock star’s reaction to snow.
Once we had settled, I looked around the table at our closest friends. I was glad I’d made the decision to do something for Lily and felt I’d fulfilled my part in getting everyone here. It was up to them to contribute and make it a memorable holiday for her and the rest of us.
“Right everyone. Out. I want some down time with my lady if you don’t mind. It’s been a long day.”
I’m sure I sounded harsh, considering I was the one that invited them all to share our time, but no one argued. They were all tired from the trip and the cold. When they all filed out, and I heard the door close behind them, I felt relieved.
Jack seemed momentarily awkward that it was just the four of us and gave me a tight smile like he was lost for words. A moment later he wandered across to the fridge. When he opened the door, he began chuckling.
“Hmm. Did you make a special request for this, Alfie?” Jack was holding a can of whipped cream in his left hand and had an inquiring expression on his face.
Shaking my head in disbelief I wondered why everyone seemed to think that stuff was a necessity. Every fridge I’d ever opened on tour seemed to have a can. Jack continued to try to rile me.
“No? Well, in that case, Mr. Black, would you like some whipped cream with that ‘down time with your lady’?” Making air quotes with his fingers, Jack chuckled, and I shook my head because the guy never seemed to lack a reason to get me wound up.
Mya huffed loudly, pretending to be annoyed with Jack and stood up shaking her head. Smiling seductively, she sashayed toward him releasing a soft giggle from her throat. Sliding the can slowly from Jack’s hand she began to shake it like she was jacking him off. His gaze dropped to the motion her hand was making, and he was suddenly completely focused on the can. Jack was silent, mesmerized by her suggestive gesture. After a few moments she took the lid off, aimed it at Jack’s face and sprayed it on one side.
