He smirks again. Blake is good at smirking. He can be an arrogant ass. “Is that all?”
“Got a speeding ticket and I was almost an hour late meeting a client.”
“Wow.” The humor leaves his face and he quirks a brow. “Bad day.”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat and glance back down at my iPad.
“Been happening a lot lately.”
I ignore him and stare blindly at the words on the pad in my lap. He’s right. I’ve been off my game for the past few months, and I don’t know why. Life is good. My business is thriving. I love it. I have a beautiful condo right on the water of the Puget Sound and good friends.
But something feels…off.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“I really just want to talk about Will and Meg, Blake. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“I have the staff in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the dishes we already talked about. The wine is corked and ready. We’re ready.”
“Great.”
“Hello?”
Megan McBride’s voice calls out from the lobby of Blake’s offices. I jump up, happy to see her, and grateful for the change in subject. I join her and Will, with Blake on my heels.
“Hi guys.” I smile and hug Meg and offer Will my hand to shake, but he just laughs and pulls me in for a big hug too. He’s surprisingly gentle for such a big man. Standing at least six foot four, he’s nothing but pure muscle and mischievous bright blue eyes. Will is my favorite of the brothers because of his fun-loving attitude and sense of humor.
Meg is a lucky woman.
“Sorry we’re early,” Meg says with a shrug.
“I’m always early when food is involved,” Will adds, and rubs his hands together. “Bring it on.”
“He’s so classy.” Meg shakes her head and slips her arm through Will’s and kisses his bicep.
“We’re almost ready,” Blake says, and motions for Meg and Will to follow us into the dining room. Blake’s staff has set it up to look exactly like the tables that Meg has chosen for her reception, complete with the centerpiece of her flowers of choice.
“Oh, babe! Look how pretty it is.” Meg grins and reaches out to touch an orange tiger lily.
“Have a seat.” I sit and lay the linen napkin in my lap and grin at the happy couple. Meg is oohing and ahing over the flowers, the china, even the party favors at each place, and Will is watching her with soft, love-filled eyes.
The Montgomery family almost makes me believe that true love really exists.
“Okay, first we have the Dungeness crab cakes with Washington apple slaw paired with Dominic’s Riesling.” The servers take their place to each of our left, and then in perfect synchronization, lower our plates before us.
“Wow, this looks amazing.” Meg grins and raises her fork, then laughs when she glances up at Will, only to find he’s already eaten one whole crab cake. “Good?”
“Mm…” He rolls his eyes and digs into the next one. “Good call on going with the Pacific Northwest menu, babe.”
“But we added the steak for those who don’t like fish,” she adds, looking to Blake for confirmation.
“Yes, you’ll get to taste both the salmon and the filet mignon today as well.”
“Oh, God, I won’t be able to eat it all. I have to fit into my wedding dress in two weeks.”
“Just take a bite or two of each,” I suggest with a smile. “Blake won’t be offended. That way you can taste everything and approve it for your guests.”
“Good idea.”
“I’ll be eating it all,” Will informs us and sips his wine. “I don’t have to fit into a dress. Damn, this wine is good.”
“Crab cakes and slaw are a thumbs up,” Meg agrees and sips her wine.
“Ready for what comes next?” Blake asks, and Meg and Will both nod. Blake signals the servers to return with the salad course. “Okay, here we have a grilled chicken salad with mandarin orange vinaigrette.” The servers again go through the ritual of setting our plates before us in perfect synchronization.
“Oh, yum,” Meg whispers, and digs in to her salad. “So good.” Will nods, his mouth too full to speak. Blake and I wink at each other. Blake is a master in the kitchen and my caterer of choice, especially for big events like this one.
Will Montgomery’s wedding is going to be all over the news and in every major magazine there is. This is a huge deal for all of the vendors involved, including me. It’s important that I only work with established vendors who are at the top of their game.
And no one is better than Blake.
“The wine pairing with this is the pinot gris?” I ask and sip the delicious wine.
“It is.” Blake nods and takes a few bites of the salad, seemingly satisfied with the outcome.
“I love it all so far,” Meg says with a grin and looks up to Will. “What about you?”
“I love it too.” He grins and leans down to kiss her lips softly. “Whatever you want, babe. You know that.”
“Now we begin with the entrée. First we’ll try the salmon.” Blake nods at the lead server. “This is a grilled copper king salmon with tomatoes, balsamic marinated mushrooms and pancetta salad, paired with Dom’s merlot.”
We all cut into the flakey salmon and moan in elation. Blake does food so well.
“Oh my God,” Meg mutters with a moan and braces her hand on her chest. The rock on her finger sparkles.
“Keep moaning like that, Megan, and we’ll leave before the next course.” Will doesn’t look down at Meg, but she blushes furiously and squirms in her seat. I have to bite my lips to keep from laughing out loud. I love how the Montgomery and Williams men aren’t afraid to make it clear that they not only love their women, they can’t get enough of them physically.
They are in a league all their own.
“And now the filet,” Blake says, his eyes also full of humor. “I had these prepared medium. It’s served with a blackberry cabernet sauce and baked potato.”
The beef cuts like butter, making us all sigh in pleasure.
“And the wine?” Meg asks.
“Dom’s cabernet sauvignon.”
Meg takes a few bites of the beef and potato and closes her eyes as she raises her wine glass to her lips. “This was so good.”
Will has managed, of course, to clear every plate presented before him. He’s only sipped the wine though, choosing to drink water instead.
“We have a surprise,” I reply with a grin as the servers clear our plates.
“There’s more?” Meg asks with wide hazel eyes. “My belly is full.”
“I think you’ll have room for this.” The waiters return and set plates before each of us with four mini cupcakes on each one.
“You got Nic to make our cupcakes?” Meg asks, referring to Nic Dalton, the owner of Succulent Sweets, and Will’s brother, Matt’s, girlfriend.
“Yes, she made mini ones for the tasting today, so you could taste them after you’ve had the meal. All four of the flavors you chose are there. Lemon raspberry,” I point to each flavor as I name it. “Tiramisu, Death by Chocolate and vanilla with vanilla frosting.”
“And Dom has paired them with a late harvest Riesling,” Blake adds. “It’s sweet and will go nicely with any of these flavors.”
“Wow,” Meg mutters and she takes a bite of the raspberry lemon and sips her wine. “That’s amazing.”
“Megan,” Will sighs and clenches his eyes shut. Meg giggles and licks the frosting off the chocolate cupcake, looking up at Will with wide, innocent eyes, clearly just egging him on.
“What did I do?”
Will laughs and eats the remaining cupcakes on his plate, then wipes his mouth. “I think I’ll take you home and show you what you’ve done.”
Meg raises a brow. “Sounds fun.”
“Oh, it’s gonna be more than fun.” Will turns hot blue eyes on me and I can’t help but bite my lip. The Montgomery men are hot, but add turned on and they’re just…wow. “Do we have anythin
g else we need to discuss today?”
“I take it you both approve of the menu?” I ask, and sip my Riesling, as I look through the catering contract on my iPad.
“I love it,” Meg confirms.
“We’re still waiting on some of the RSVP’s,” I inform them with a shrug. “But that’s not uncommon. Most people hold onto them past the due date.”
“How many do you have so far?”
“We have 232 confirmed yes,” I reply, and Meg gasps as Will shrugs.
“That’s a lot of people.” Meg glances nervously at Will. “This is going to be really expensive.”
Will chuckles and kisses Meg’s forehead softly. “It won’t break us.”
“I can cut back on the flowers.”
Blake and I share a glance, thinking we should leave and let them talk, but Will just laughs and leans in to whisper in Meg’s ear. Her worried face relaxes and she bites her lip and nods as Will kisses her temple and pulls away, shaking his head as though he finds her adorable.
“We’re good. I keep having moments of panic,” she admits. “And then Will has to talk me down from the ledge.”
“Perfectly normal,” I reply with a smile. “This is a big deal.”
“Yeah.” Meg nods and takes another sip of wine. “Emphasis on big. But Will’s team is big, we have a big family and lots of friends. I have so many colleagues and friends from the hospital. I don’t want to leave anyone out.”
“Hey, you should celebrate with everyone you love.” Blake smiles kindly at Meg, and I remember why I love him so much. He’s a nice guy.
“Thank you.” She smiles back at him and then glances up at Will who has continued to watch her. “So, we’re meeting on Wednesday out at the vineyard?”
“Yes. We’ll walk through and talk about the set up and all of the final details. But you don’t have anything to worry about. All of the vendors are ready and the food is now approved and ready to go. The hard part is over.”
Meg’s smile is wide and happy. “Okay. We’re getting married.”
“Thank God. This has been the longest engagement on record.” Will scowls down at Meg, who just laughs and rubs her hand along his rock-hard arm.
“It’s almost over, football star.”
“Let’s go home.”
Hugs and handshakes are exchanged, and as Will and Meg turn to leave, I return to my seat, sip my wine, and ask Blake to look over the final contract with me.
He steps behind me and rubs my shoulders as we read through it together and I melt back against him. “So, this price point should work up to 250 guests. But I need you to work up the additional price, should it go as high as 300.”
“There are still that many RSVP’s out there?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Hey, what are you doing here, man?” I hear Will say as he and Meg reach the lobby.
“I have a meeting with Blake.” Dominic’s voice.
“You should see if they have any of the food we just tried left over. It’s awesome.”
“I’m fine, but thanks. Did you like the wine pairings?”
“They’re perfect. Thank you, Dom.” Meg replies. “I wish you’d let us pay for the wine.”
“No, bella. It’s a gift. Have a good day. I’ll see you this weekend.”
A chill runs down my spine as Blake leans over me to point at something on the contract. He’s still kneading my shoulder with the other hand. I have no idea what he’s just said, so I just nod.
“I’m sorry you’re having a rough day,” he murmurs and kisses the top of my head. “Headache better?”
“Yeah,” I lie, and offer him a small grateful smile, then look over my shoulder to see Dom watching us. His hands are shoved in the pockets of his slacks. He discarded his suit jacket long ago and rolled the sleeves of his white button-down up his forearms, showing off his tanned skin. His tie is loose. His dark hair is messy, as if he’s run his fingers through it in frustration.
And his jaw is clenched and his deep blue eyes are full of heat and anger.
My thighs involuntarily clench at the sight of him, and my mind immediately goes to my dream this morning. Those hands and his mouth on my skin.
What would it really feel like?
I turn away and take a deep, calming breath as Blake crosses the room to Dom and shakes his hand.
“We’re just wrapping up here.”
“No problem. I’m a little early. I’m meeting my sisters for lunch in a few hours, so I thought I’d see if you could squeeze me in.”
“Absolutely.”
“We’re done here,” I hear myself say, as I power the iPad down and stand, preparing myself for Dom’s usual flirtatious come-ons and charming smile. I can stay professional.
I will stay professional.
I smile at both of the handsome men, but instead of offering me a cocky smile, Dom simply nods at me and turns to leave the room.
“I’ll meet you in your office,” he says to Blake, who turns a questioning look to me. I just shrug.
“Who knows? But I need my bag from your office.” I march with my head held high into Blake’s office and retrieve my handbag, shove my iPad inside and turn to Dominic. “The wines you chose are perfect. Thank you.”
He nods. “My pleasure.”
I don’t know what else to say, so I fumble through with, “Enjoy your sisters. Thanks again, Blake.”
Before I can turn to leave, Blake pulls me into his arms and gives me a big hug, rocking me back and forth.
“I’ll call you later. Take something for the headache.”
I pull away and again Dom is watching me with hot blue eyes. He rubs his hands over his mouth and looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t.
And I can’t figure out why I want him to. It’s good that he’s not asking me out or flirting with me.
I’d just turn him down like I always do.
“I will.” I nod and walk out of Blake’s office and wonder what in the hell that was all about.
Chapter Two
~Dominic~
Alecia sends me one last long look and then walks out of Blake’s office, head held high and hair pulled up in a smooth twist at the back of her head, if a bit unruly today. She’s wearing a pink suit that fits her like a glove, molded to her amazing figure, and the sexiest heels I’ve ever seen. The confusion in her brown eyes sends an unexpected pain through my chest, but I quickly dismiss it.
I can understand that for the sake of professionalism she’s turned down my advances over the past year, but she never once mentioned that she was in a relationship.
Had I known, I would have backed off long ago. I don’t poach on another man’s territory.
Ever.
Certainly not on a man that I consider my friend and a respected colleague.
“So, like Alecia said, the wines were a hit with your brother and Meg,” Blake says, as he sits behind his desk.
“I’m happy to hear it,” I reply and smile to myself. It’s still a bit of a surprise to hear the words your brother.
I have four of them, and despite knowing them now for more than a year, there are moments that it still knocks me back a step. I’ve grown to love the Montgomery family, and to my utter shock, they’ve welcomed me into the family as if I’d been with them since birth.
But I wasn’t.
“How many bottles will I need to order?” Blake asks, bringing me from my thoughts.
“None. My staff will take care of it. We have plenty on hand.”
Blake cocks a brow in surprise. “It’s a lot of wine.”
“I have a lot of wine,” I reply with a smirk.
“Okay, one less thing for me to worry about.” He shrugs and taps some keys on his computer. “So, we need to talk about the family reunion event late next month.”
“Yes.” I lace my fingers and cross my legs. “Did they decide on a menu?”
“They can’t come to an agreement.” He rolls his eyes. “Some are vegetarians. Some aren
’t. Blah, blah, blah.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You’ll figure it out. I can choose a red and a white that will compliment almost anything and call it a day.”
“That works.” He nods. “You know, you should hire someone to handle all this stuff for you.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Seriously. Alecia does this stuff. You should hire her to organize your events.”
No. Way. “I’m quite sure Alecia is busy enough with her own business and her relationship.”
His eyes jerk up to mine and his hands still on his keyboard. “Alecia’s in a relationship?”
I cock my head to the side and narrow my gaze on my friend. “You’re going to tell me you’re not sleeping with her?”
Blake blinks and then laughs, clapping his hands as if I’ve just told the best joke all year.
I don’t find it particularly funny.
“No.” He shakes his head and goes back to typing on the computer. “That ship has sailed, man.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that she and I started out as fuck buddies and discovered that we actually liked each other, but weren’t in love with each other. God, I haven’t slept with Leash in…almost two years.” He shakes his head again and chuckles.
“You’re very affectionate for a friend.”
He stops typing again and watches me for a moment before answering. I don’t drop my gaze.
“I love her like a sister. I know her, inside and out, and would do just about anything for her. She’s probably one of the best people I know. She had a shit day, and needed a hug. So I gave her one.”
She had a shit day. And I added to it, no doubt.
“I’m sorry that I misunderstood.”
Blake leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers together. “You’re interested.”
“I’ve been interested for a long while,” I admit, and rub my hand over my mouth in agitation. “She’s made it clear that she doesn’t return the sentiment.”
“Hmm.” He focuses on something over my shoulder, briefly lost in thought. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“What?”
“You and Alecia.”
“Did you not just hear what I said?” I shake my head and turn my attention to my phone, pulling up my notes for the family reunion. “So, a white and a red—”