Kismet, page 16
I set the envelope down on the nightstand and stared at it.
“One day, Mama,” I whispered, “just not today.”
Taj had invited Collin and Heidi to the house for dinner tonight, and I was still trying to figure out if that was intentional or unintentional. He said he wanted to meet Mikkel, yet he invited my ex and his girlfriend over to do so. Suspiciously murky water if you ask me.
Seeing that tensions were high between us siblings, and everyone else getting ready to come through the door in a few hours, I begged Kristen to cancel her plans, so she and Garrett could come be on team Granger for the evening.
Noa had flown in from Manhattan yesterday, and having her around was not as bad as I thought it would be. I still didn’t believe she was right for my brother. Then again, Taj didn’t always like the men I picked out for myself. On that level, we were equal for once. But before the curtain would rise on this evening’s shit show, I was taking some time to relax in the late morning sun. God knows I was going to need it. I hadn’t seen Collin since the morning after Deluge. My head hurt with the anticipation of spending an entire night watching him with another woman. I might as well put my shoes on and start kicking myself in the gut because that is exactly what it was going to feel like.
I sighed as the warm sunlight pouring over me was suddenly blocked. I opened one eye to see Noa standing above me. She was wearing a white monokini and an oversized sun hat, looking every bit like the gorgeous model she was.
I pulled my earbuds out and sat up as she handed me a little package wrapped in sparkling gold tissue paper.
“When I went to Marrakech a few weeks ago, I was thinking about you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Noa Idelsohn thinking about anyone other than herself? Shocker.
She nodded. “I wanted to get you something to help lighten your spirits.” She gave the package a little nudge. “Open it.”
I tore the tissue off, letting it fall to the ground. I held up an indigo silk kimono that had tiny iridescent beads hand sewn into it. It was a unique piece, and I didn’t own anything like it. “It’s lovely, Noa, thank you.” I stood, giving her a brief hug.
“You are welcome.”
She took it and draped it in a voguish way around me. “See, I knew this was made for you.”
I smiled at her praise, momentarily feeling sky-high as I smoothed my hands over the fabric.
“Look who I found,” my brother’s voice called out, interrupting Noa and I’s private interlude.
I turned to see him and Mikkel walking out onto the patio.
“Mikkel Sandvik!” Noa rushed over to him.
“Noa Idelsohn, you light up worlds,” he replied, kissing both her cheeks.
“It’s so good to see you again! Imagine my surprise when Taj told me that you have been keeping it quiet with Granger.”
Mikkel held his arm out to me as he locked eyes with mine. “Well, she is hard to say no to.”
I walked over and stepped into his embrace as he greeted me with a quick kiss. “I see my brother didn’t maul you at the front door.”
“Not yet anyway.” He laughed.
“That’s right, the night is still young,” Taj said coming up behind Mikkel, patting his shoulder. “Though I think I like this one, Granger. He has good taste in cigars.”
I gave Mikkel a curious look.
“I brought him a Cohiba Behike.”
“Later, I’m going to smoke this and tell him all your embarrassing secrets,” Taj threatened.
I shook my head. “The relentless joy of my brother knows no bounds.”
Mikkel winked at me. “I for one would love to hear these secrets.”
“Has she told you about the time—” But he was interrupted by his phone ringing. Holding his index finger up, he assured us that we would finish this conversation momentarily, then he answered his phone. “This is Taj Bashara.”
I was getting ready to speak when I heard him say Detective Sokes name.
“What can I do for you, sir?” he asked, before stepping away.
There had been very little communication from the police since I turned in my stepfather’s laptop and I was tempted to follow him because I wanted to hear what they were talking about.
“Hey,” Mikkel said diverting my attention, “I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thumb drive, handing it to me.
“What’s this?”
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “The pictures I took of you.”
My heart rate accelerated. I had forgotten all about them. “Are they good?” I asked feeling awkward about how I may look in them.
“Are what good?” Noa asked, pushing her way into our conversation.
“I took some pictures of Granger.”
My eyes widened. Why would he tell her that?
“Oh, let’s have a look!” she gushed.
Oh, let’s not and say we did.
“They are personal.” Perhaps that would quell her curiosity.
Au contraire.
“Granger, honey,” Noa slid her hands over my bikini top, gently gripping my breasts, “I see this every day in my profession.” Then she linked her arm with mine. “Show me.”
I looked over at Mikkel, and he held up his hands in defense, with a shit eating grin that said I was on my own. Sighing, I gave in. She was right; it wasn’t anything she hadn’t already seen.
Mikkel wandered over to my brother as I plugged the little drive into my phone. It took a few moments for the pictures to import, but when they did, I was stunned.
Staring at the erotic images, I almost didn’t recognize myself. They were done in Mikkel’s calling card, black and white standard.
I was so engrossed, that when Noa spoke, she startled me. “He has such talent.”
“I can’t believe that’s me.”
“He sees everything, doesn’t he?”
He did. My pleasure, my hunger, my gratification, the distance, the sadness, it was all there. We scrolled through the rest of them together. My favorite was Mikkel and me on the rooftop. His eyes pierced the camera and you could see the side of my face as I kissed his cheek.
Whatever Mikkel and I were or were not, I wanted to share that uncertainty, and I did. Posting it to my Facebook and Instagram, I tagged Mikkel with a single heart emoji.
Taj walked up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “What did they want?” I asked.
“They needed the security code to get back into the house.” He frowned. “Apparently, they missed something during their initial search.”
Leaving Noa and Mikkel to catch up, we walked inside to prep for dinner.
“Did they say what they were looking for?”
“No, he wouldn’t tell me.”
“I mean what do they expect to find? They already know your—” I caught myself, “who did it.”
Taj pulled the steaks out of the fridge. “I don’t know, Lovely. We just have to let them do their job.”
I nodded, but it was a small consolation. Ghabi had managed to make a full recovery from his injury and was now sitting in jail, without bail, waiting to be formally charged. I didn’t understand why they had to wait; I thought it was pretty fucking obvious what he had done.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said, sprinkling seasoning onto the meat.
Grabbing a stainless stockpot from one of the cabinets, I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Oh, God, I feel another lecture coming.”
“Surprisingly, no. It’s actually more like an apology.”
Flabbergasted, I set the pot on the stove in shock. “Hold on, I’ve got to call hell and see if I need my ice skates. Taj Raafi Bashara, you never apologize!”
He laughed and shook his head. “Seriously though, I was a little hard on you the other day. Sometimes I forget how young you are because you’ve always been so grown up. Even when you were little, you were like a mini version of Mom.”
I laid down the stick of butter I was unwrapping and put my arms around his waist.
“I want you to know that it’s okay if you don’t want to go to school this semester or the next. And I don’t want you moving into an apartment either. I want you to stay here, in my house, that way I know you’re safe.” He brushed a lock of hair from my face. “I am returning to New York soon, and I will rest easier if I can look on my camera and see your car in the driveway.”
“So, you want to spy on me?”
He shrugged. “Just a little.”
I thought on it for a moment. “If I agree, can I have a new car?”
“Granger, I just offered you an eight thousand square foot house!”
“Yes, and it’s got two garages for two cars,” I pressed. “I only have one.”
“You’re impossible.”
“But you love me.”
“I do.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “But I have a counteroffer since you’re asking for a new car. If you’re going to take time off from school, I would like to see you become involved with at least one of Mom’s charities. They meant a lot to her, and it’s a great way for you to spend your spare time.”
I had never thought about my mother’s charities, but it seemed to be a reasonable request. And I did want a new car.
“Deal?” he asked.
“Any car?”
“Any car.”
“Deal,” I confirmed.
Kristen sat on the countertop shucking corn as I showed her the photos that Mikkel took of me. “What are you going to do with them?”
“I don’t know, keep them, I guess. I mean, there isn’t much I can do with a bunch of naked pictures of myself.”
“You know what would be hot? If Mikkel would do some pictures of me and I can have them made into a calendar for Garrett.”
“I think he would love that.”
Garrett was so utterly obsessed with Kristen. If she gave him a nude calendar, his cock would probably shoot them both straight to the moon.
Tom and Gloria had initially freaked out about the seven-year age gap between the two when they met two years ago but relented when they saw his devotion for their daughter.
Sometimes, I was jealous of her—she had exactly what I didn’t. A mom and a dad to love her. And rules, the girl had rules. As much as I hated them, I wished my mother had given me more rules because that’s what normal kids had. Instead, I grew up with black credit cards and no boundaries.
“I really like your boobs in this one,” she commented drawing me out of my envious pity party.
I looked at the picture. My eyes were closed as I leaned back on Mikkel’s thighs, forcing my chest out. “You think?” I asked, gingerly putting another wiggling lobster into the boiling water.
Before she could answer, Heidi and Noa walked in from the patio with catty laughter.
Heidi didn’t even look at me as Noa grabbed them a couple more beers.
But I stared at her. Those red locks were pulled back in a sexy messy bun, and the olive-green bikini set off her stunning eyes. Every inch of her was a slap in my face as to why Collin liked her; she was a gorgeous woman.
She reminded me of the centerpiece girls at the parties I went to—the ones that lay on the tables with nothing on their bodies except food. Then, when it was all gone, you might get lucky enough to lick her clean, inside and out. That was Heidi Fortenberry.
Her diamond necklace glittered in the low kitchen light, as my hand went up to the simpler one around my neck. It was the one Collin had given me on that fateful day. I don’t know what I was playing at by wearing it tonight. I guess I wanted him to see it on me. I even picked out the smallest bikini I owned and put it on to help him look.
“Does it feel awkward yet?” Kristen jabbed as I watched Heidi follow Noa back outside.
I gave her the glaring side-eye as I whipped my sesame mayonnaise dip for the asparagus.
“On the bright side, it seems like Taj and Mikkel like each other though,” she continued to prattle.
I watched them through the patio doors and whatever conversation they were having, Taj was fully engaged. “Thank God,” I muttered. At least one thing would go right tonight.
Then my eyes shifted to Collin. He stood sans his shirt as Heidi walked over, handing him a beer. I felt my saliva build in my mouth and I swallowed. It was hard to look at him and know that at one time he was mine and now he belonged to someone else.
Kristen followed my gaze. “Oh, Lovely, don’t look at him like that! He doesn’t deserve it.”
But in my mind, he did.
“I know,” I tried to agree with her. “I just can’t help myself.”
Garrett poked his head inside, letting us know that the steaks were ready.
“Kris, would you take this asparagus and dip out?”
“Sure thing. Anything else?”
I looked around the kitchen trying to figure out what else we may need. “And some tongs.”
She loaded her hands up and headed outside.
I pulled out a large tray and carefully stacked the lobsters, adding a little kale here and there to dress it up.
I pulled off the kimono Noa gave me earlier, revealing my skimpy bikini underneath.
My heart started to pound with anticipation as I silently hyped myself to not trip and bust my ass in front of everyone.
Taking a breath, I grabbed my tray of lobsters and headed outside.
I guess God had a sense of humor after all because somehow the only seat I could find at the table was beside Mikkel Sandvik, on either side.
I should have seen this as an indication of how the rest of the night was going to go.
I managed to avoid getting into a conversation with him before dinner. But now he was pulling a chair out and motioning for me to sit down. How could I refuse chivalry?
“No hard feelings, man.”
“Of course not,” I replied with false reassurance.
Taj looked around the table. “Where is Granger with the lobster?”
“She is coming. She was finishing up when I came out,” Kristen told him, sitting down beside Garrett.
On cue, she emerged from the house, carrying a tray of lobsters. God help me, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was wearing a pale-yellow bikini that left nothing to the imagination. Her breasts swelled behind the thin scraps of fabric, shaking as she walked. Her thighs barely touched as she casually sauntered over to the table.
“Who wants lobster?”
“I want you,” I heard Mikkel say and he playfully smacked her ass as she went to sit down.
Seriously?
I leaned over to him. “You do realize that her brother is sitting right there?” I motioned over to Taj with my eyes.
“And yet you’re the only person saying anything,” he pointed out. Then, as if to drive his opinion home he said, “Taj, your sister has a great ass.”
“I’m aware. It’s becoming a full-time job to keep people off it.” He deadpanned, and laughter erupted from around the table.
Am I the only person that doesn’t find this man amusing?
Instead, I tried to focus my attention on Heidi. She wasn’t exactly thrilled when she found out that Granger was going to be here tonight. I had to point out to her that she did live here, so it would be hard to avoid her.
Ever since that night at Deluge, Heidi had been asking me questions about Granger and it was getting uncomfortable. Not only was I questioning my relationship with Heidi, but it also made me wonder if there was any chance for Granger and me. And if there was, what would I sacrifice to take it?
Dinner drummed along without having to hear any more comments from Mikkel about Granger’s ass. Or any other part of her body.
When we were done eating everyone fanned out into the pool, leaving a table full of dishes behind. I grabbed an armful of plates and brought them inside. Granger was in the kitchen with her back to me, rinsing dishes off when I came up behind her.
“Where do you want these?”
When she turned around, the light caught the necklace around her neck.
Is that…?
Yes, it is.
My heart stung in my chest as the memory of me giving it to her pounded through my head.
“Um, I guess just leave them over here.” She nodded to the empty counter space beside her.
I set them down as she busied herself rinsing and washing. I should probably go back outside, but I didn’t want to. Not right now. “Can I help you with anything?”
“That would be great, thank you. Would you put up those leftovers?”
I nodded, going through the cabinets until I found some containers. “The lobster was exceptional. Where did you learn how to cook it?”
I watched her features go from happy, to distant, to sad. I wasn’t sure what I said, but obviously, it was something.
“Ghabi was actually the one that taught me how to cook lobster.” She looked over at me with a regretful smile. “One time he and Mom brought back fresh ones from a day trip to the beach. Imagine my surprise when he took it out of the cooler, and it crawled across the counter toward me.”
We both laughed.
“You freaked out, didn’t you?”
“Completely.” She bent over, stacking the last of the plates into the dishwasher.
I stared longer than I should have, and when she turned around, she caught me. But I didn’t care, nor did I look away. Without thinking, I stepped toward her and touched the pendant around her neck. My fingers grazed her skin, making my heart pound from the contact. “You’re wearing the necklace I got you.”
“It’s a pretty piece. Not too little, not too much.” She lifted her face to mine—our lips a breath apart. “It’s just right.”
Fuck me. It is, and so is she.
I struggled for my self-control as I watched her lick her lips. I craved her, and it was becoming increasingly hard to play the game of pretending that I didn’t.
She shifted her weight, causing our bodies to brush together. “Do you like it?”
“It’s still as beautiful as the day I gave it to you.” I allowed my flesh to intentionally brush hers again as I continued to finger the necklace. I wanted to knock everything off this counter and make love to her right here—consequences be damned.
