Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (104 page)

For
a second, Morgan didn't understand, then she realized he thought
she'd flown in that day. Of course, she wouldn't tell him she'd
already been there a week, so she lied. “Late last night.”
She grabbed her water and took a sip, avoiding further explanation.

“Where
did you fly from?” Julius asked, then glanced around the room
quickly.

Morgan
smiled at his question. Not for what he asked, but at how quickly he
spoke. He was nervous, and Morgan thought it was cute. “Poland,
it wasn't a very long fl...”

“Julius?
What are you doing here?” Morgan was cut off, as a very tall
man, loudly approached the table.

A
man who looks like Julius. Manuel, I presume?
He
had hair that was just as short as Julius, and a goatee as well, but
Manuel's extended up his jawline, in a perfectly trimmed line.
Just
like the edging of your driveway.
Morgan
smirked, and tried to hide the evidence with her hand. His eyes were
a deep brown, almost black, and his skin tone, just a shade more
golden than his brother. He had at least three inches in height on
Julius, and it was obvious that Manuel enjoyed time in the gym.

“Oh,
wow!” Julius quickly stood, and placed a hand on the back of
the other man. Morgan knew immediately that it was no coincidence
that Manuel had arrived, but it was sweet Julius reached out for
help, and his brother came to the rescue.

“And
who is this beautiful woman?” Manuel took Morgan's hand, and
placed a soft kiss upon the top.

“Morgan.
Morgan Holland,” she answered before Julius had the chance to.
“And you are?”
Of all that is holy...

“My
name is Manuel,” he kissed her hand again, then stood upright
once more.

“My
brother,” Julius added.

“Do
you mind if I sit?” Manuel didn't wait for an answer, and
pulled out a chair between Morgan and Julius and sat himself.

“Well,
actually, we're,” Julius pointed to himself, and Morgan, then
smiled at Manuel. He wanted Manuel to sit at the table, but he at
least had to pretend it was awkward that his brother was on their
date with them.

“Ah,
a date. Yes. I do apologize for my inconsiderate behavior.”
Manuel sounded sincere, and Morgan held back a giggle as he pushed
his chair out with his feet.

“No,
no, you're fine. Please stay,” Morgan placed a hand on his arm,
and Manuel smiled down at her and nodded.

“If
you don't mind?” He shrugged his shoulders toward Julius and
got confirmation of a nod back that it was
okay.

Stop
looking at him, Morgan. Stop it. Fuck. He's beautiful. So, so,
beautiful. No. Julius is gorgeous. Stop looking at his brother.

Morgan
cleared her throat, and was at a complete loss of words. If she
hadn't known the truth, conversation would be easy.
What do you do
for work? Where do you live?
All the normal questions, she
already knew the answer to, and she didn't want to make her client
uncomfortable by asking.

“So,
have you two been dating long?” Manuel grabbed Julius' water
glass and helped himself to a long sip to ease his discomfort.
Morgan's head dropped as she hid her smile. It would be far more
entertaining to hear Julius respond than to find a way to force
herself to stop smiling. Right on cue, Julius delivered.

“Uh...
no, in fact...well... this is our first date.” Morgan's eyes
flicked upward and watched the exchange between the brothers. Their
eyes met, then fell to the table in unison. Neither of them knew
what to say next, and Morgan was loving every second of it. She had
also figured out that Julius must have put a call out for help, and
that was the reason for the sudden-out-of-the-blue visit by Manuel.

The
silence, however, went from entertaining to almost painful in just a
few moments. Morgan shifted in her chair and cleared her throat.
Something had to be said to help both of the men, and she grasped for
the right words. Then...she smiled and looked at her companions.

“Manuel,
please stay for dinner.” Her gaze fell on Julius as her head
tilted playfully, “maybe you could tell me all of Julius'
secrets.” Instantly, Julius' neck darkened, and his face began
to heat as the blood rose to his cheeks. The last thing he needed
was for any of his secrets to be known. Manuel was quick to ease his
brother's pain.

“Ah,
no secrets here. My brother,” he slapped Julius on the back
with a sound that made Morgan giggle, “is a straight up guy.
What you see is what you get.” Manuel's smile at his own
ability to smooth things over made Morgan giggle again. She nodded,
and grabbed her linen napkin from the table to distract herself from
laughing out loud. “Morgan?” Manuel's face was lit with
kindness, and humor, when she looked up and nodded. “Are you
ready to eat?” She nodded again, and smiled at the gorgeous
man. His eyes nearly sparkled with an innocent, yet mischievous
shine that she was becoming more and more attracted to by the second.

“Please,
order for me.” Morgan meant to say the words to Julius, but
her eyes remained on Manuel. For all the money and manners in the
world, she couldn't pull her gaze from the man. He leaned forward,
close enough for Morgan to feel his warm breath against her shoulder.

“My
pleasure. You'll start with a Maracuya Sour.” His eyes moved
from her lips to shoulder. “It's made from a local Brandy,
blended with passionfruit.” She nodded, and her smile faded as
she felt her heart beat in her own chest. “Then,” he
moved closer, “you will enjoy Yuquitas Rellenas. The Yuca is a
root, much like a potato. It's prepared with queso fresco in the
middle, with a light outer crust.” Morgan took a deep breath
and her eyes finally moved to Julius. She was happy to see him
smiling, and very content with his brother taking over for the
moment.

“Next,
you'll enjoy Chupe de Camarones.” Morgan smiled and brought
her brows together playfully in question. “It's a savory
potato chowder, with fresh shrimp caught from our own water.”
Morgan smiled and nodded. “When your mouth can take no more,
you'll lean back in your chair and declare that you are done. But,
sweet girl, you will not be.” His head moved slightly back and
forth as his eyes remained on her lips. “You will not be
fulfilled until you have enjoyed every last bite of Mazamorra
Morada.” He smiled, and slowly sat upright in his chair once
again. “It's made of purple corn, and fruit...cooked with
clove and cinnamon to perfection.”

Nearly
an hour later, Morgan was giving it her all to finish the purple
corn. “It's so good, I just...” she leaned back in her
chair and put her hands on her stomach, “can't.” The
whole table laughed, and agreed, they were all beyond full.

Dinner
had been filled with light conversation, and the tension had
disappeared as soon as the drinks had arrived. The brothers were
alike in many ways, but their differences were
very
different.
Julius was reserved and quiet, and Morgan knew it was more than being
nervous. She could tell he was the kind of person who was shy until
you got to know him, and definitely not the type of man who, even if
he had the means, would order a call girl. He was boy-next-door, with
more than boy-next-door looks. Julius had the face and the body of a
model, someone who Morgan could imagine modeling underwear in a
magazine, or the kind of man who could walk into a bar, and have his
choice of woman.

Morgan
dabbed her lips with the linen napkin and smiled. “I'll be
right back,” she told the men and grabbed her purse before
heading toward the restroom. She pulled a bold red lipstick from her
bag and leaned toward the mirror and thought about Julius as she
carefully applied a fresh coat to her lips. “I've been where
you are, and I can help you,” Morgan whispered to herself.

She
didn't want to just help him financially, that was too easy. No, she
wanted to help him, in the way that would mean so much more...the
kind of way, that Julianne had helped her. Morgan washed her hands in
the small porcelain sink and shook her head, smiling as she
remembered how low she had felt the night Julianne had approached her
table. It wasn't until Finlay, Tanner, Dante, Sean, Kole...that
Morgan realized how beautiful she really was, and that she had so
much more to offer the world. If she had to give every penny back,
that she had made, Morgan would still walk away a different person,
and that kind of growth is not something money can buy.

“But...money
definitely helps.” Morgan sighed, and knew, that to help him in
any way, money
was
going to be involved, and getting around
that, and pretending she didn't know his situation, was going to be
the hardest part.

Chapter
Ten

“I
can't do it, Mannie. I can't. I just need to tell her. Maybe you can
tell her. Just tell her that I...I'm sick...” No sooner than
Morgan had disappeared behind the restroom door, Julius was already
planning his escape route.

“Brother,
you can do this. You told me, that you wanted to spend a week,
knowing what it was like.” Manuel didn't need to explain what
it
was. Julius remembered, and he nodded. He had dreamed of
living the exquisite life of a wealthy man once again, but he hardly
saw how his brother paying for a woman to keep him company was living
the high life.

“And...and
do what? Take her back to my house? Play Go fucking Fish by
candlelight on the floor? Or I know, we'll get a nice romantic
shower...I'm sure she'll love the ice cold water. And when I take her
to bed, I'll give her the good side, the side without the springs
that poke you in the fucking back. Oh, and let's not forget
breakfast. I'll take her to get a day-old gourmet bagel from the
baker. And then, I can take her for a drive in my....” Julius
ranted, and Manuel never even saw him take a breath.

“Seriously,
we don't have time for this. If you're done feeling sorry for
yourself, allow me to explain what's going to happen. You're going to
have that limo outside, take you to
your
house.” Manuel
raised a brow, and Julius understood that he would be going to the
mansion. “You're going to stay there all week. Hell, two weeks,
three weeks if you want. I've got cargo to pick up in California, and
I'll be gone all month. I left all of this on a voice mail, don't you
ever check your phone?” Manuel finished the last of his drink
and smiled at his brother.

“No,
I don't check my phone because half the time it doesn't even work.
What about dad...and Eva.” Julius refused to call his
step-mother by anything but her name. “I know they love to
check in on their wittle pookie-bear.”

“Funny.
They're on holiday in Brazil with the cousins, so they won't be back
any time soon. I told you, I had you covered. Besides, if they come
back early, there's no reason for them to come to my house.”
Manuel gave his brother a soft jab on the arm and a warm smile, that
told him everything was going to be alright. “Carmen and
Leonardo know you'll be staying. So, if there is anything you need,
you let them know.” Manuel had leaned in close to Julius to
give him that last bit of information, as Morgan was approaching the
table.

She
was taking her seat when a flash of lightening made everyone in the
restaurant turn towards the front window. It was quickly followed by
roaring thunder that warned of a fast approaching storm. It was
instinct that brought the two men to their feet. Manuel took
Morgan's arm and she willingly followed his lead toward the front
door.

“Wow,
looks like it's going to get pretty bad.” She stepped outside,
looking at the sky as she moved closer to Manuel's side. “Julius?”
Morgan looked behind them to find her date. He smiled and stepped
forward, taking her left arm and gently pulled her from Manuel.

“Here
we are, Morgan.” He nodded at the driver as the door was
opened, and followed her into the back. “Call me next week,
brother, we'll do dinner.” The words felt foreign as they left
his lips, and they must have sounded strange as well, because Manuel
stifled his laughter as he nodded and waved as the door was shut.