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Authors: Kate Perry

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“Look who’s here,” Matt said when he returned a couple of minutes later. “Barrington and his lady friend.”
Of course. Now if only my parents would arrive, the night would be complete. I quickly rescinded that statement in case there
was
a supreme being who was actually listening to me at that moment. Didn’t want to give him any ideas.
“Mena!” Cindy shrieked as she cleared the stairs. She threw her arms out wide and headed straight for me.
Because I was afraid she’d tumble down on top of both me and Rio, I jumped up to intercept her. “Cindy. What a surprise.
Oof
.”
Her hug squeezed the air out of my lungs. Over her shoulder Barry gave me a sickly smile, which said plain and clear this was the last place he wanted to be.
Ironic, wasn’t it? Now that I wanted Rio to myself, Barry kept popping up.
“Barry said that Rio told him he had a date with you tonight and I told Barry we
had
to stop by and say hi because we were on our way to dinner at Hurley’s, which is my absolute
favorite
restaurant, isn’t it, Pookie?”
A pale pink flushed Barry’s face. “Yes it is, Sweet Blossom,” he replied dutifully.
Gag. I looked at Rio and wondered what kind of name I should call him.
His responding look said:
Don’t even think about it
.
I smirked.
“Mena, you should offer your guests some refreshments.”
Scowling at my ever-proper sister, I turned to my supposed guests. I didn’t want to offer refreshments; I wanted everyone to leave. “What can I get you?”
“I’d love a Cosmo. The pink goes with my shoes.” Cindy stuck out a long leg to show us all.
“Sorry, I don’t have vodka. How about a beer?”
She tipped her head and pouted thoughtfully before she finally said, “I’ll just have water.”
“Okay.” I glanced at Barry. “Beer?”
“Yes. Thank you,” he said without looking up from Cindy’s still outstretched leg.
I rolled my eyes and went to do my duty. I had my back to the living room when I felt steely arms clasp around my waist. Rio. I melted as I felt his lips nuzzle my neck.
“Get rid of them,” he whispered as he settled himself against my butt.
Yum. He was already firming up. I started to push back to encourage him when a horrible idea occurred to me. I whirled around and glared. “That better not be the effects of seeing a certain pair of legs capped in pink heels.”
“Actually, I got aroused seeing you in your gi.” He trapped me against the counter and fingered the opening of my top as he pressed his lower parts against mine. “And you know how much your cup turns me on.”
I laughed. Then he bent and gently bit the base of my throat. Gulp. I stopped laughing.
“Get rid of them,” he murmured again.
Right. “Right.” I turned around and poured the beer I just uncapped down the drain. The water followed. “Wait here.”
I strode into the living room, hands on my hips. Everyone looked up when I entered. I faced Cindy. “I ran out of beer and water.”
Matt shook his head. “I hate it when the tap goes dry.”
I gave him a menacing look before I faced Cindy again. “Sorry.”
“It happens,” Cindy said philosophically.
Barry stood up and held out a hand to his girlfriend. “We should get to the restaurant anyway.”
Just then, I could have kissed him, slug tongue be damned.
I glared at Matt and Daphne. Matt made a big production of picking lint off his gi, but he finally got up when I walked over and pain-punched his ribs.
“Ow!” He rubbed his side and frowned at me.
I turned my glare on Daphne, who hopped up before I moved an inch toward her. “We should go too. Come on, Johnny. Let’s go for a walk.”
Johnny didn’t have a chance to do much more than squeak before Daphne jerked him to his feet.
Fine with me. I didn’t care as long as everyone left. I escorted them all to the door and went through a flurry of hugs (mostly from Cindy). Before I could lock the door, Daphne turned around and leaned down to whisper. “It’s a good thing Barry isn’t the one you’re taking to my party.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because he’s in love with that perky girl.” She nodded toward Cindy. “There would have been no hope for you there. Anyway, Mom and Dad are going to love Rio.”
“They are?” She was shitting me. This was her way to pay me back for throwing her Folgers away.
“Of course they are.” Her brow wrinkled like she couldn’t imagine any other scenario. “You’re obviously in love with him, and he is with you. What more could they ask for?”
Oh, I don’t know—perfection, maybe? But I didn’t get a chance to respond because she turned on her heels and skipped down the steps to Johnny.
“Don’t wait up for me!” she called over her shoulder.
No chance of that. I locked the door and ran up the stairs.
Rio stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, leaning against the counter. “Impressive. There are generals who can take tactical training from you.”
I untied my gi top. “There’s only one type of training I’m interested in right now.”
He grinned and pushed off the counter. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lessons Learned from MacGyver
#16
Secrets have a funny way of getting out.
“I don’t want to go.”
Rio smiled at me and tugged my hand. “Barry and Cindy are expecting us.”
I let myself be pulled an inch and then I dug my heels in. Because he was so strong, I held on to the doorframe too. “Let’s stay home. Daphne’s out. We’d have my place to ourselves.”
He shook his head. “Phil.”
Time to change my tactics. I pressed against the length of his body and shrugged my shoulder so the strap of my little dress fell. “Or we could go to your place. We definitely wouldn’t get interrupted there.”
“You know I’d love to,” he said, his hands circling my waist. “But we already made plans.”
I batted my eyes. “I’ll bring ajar of peanut butter.”
“Now how could I resist that?” He chuckled, stroking my hair, which I left down. “Tell you what. We’ll go for just a little bit and then head over to my place.”
Pout. Still, it was better than nothing. I sighed, long and heavy. “Fine.”
“You’re awfully reluctant,” he said as I locked the front door.
I was. It wasn’t about hanging out with Barry and Cindy together. Actually, I kind of liked Cindy, in a weird, other-dimension kind of way. She had to be doing something right because, from the little I’d seen, Barry worshipped the ground she walked on.
Still, I felt off, like there was something looming around the corner that I should avoid. Dwight would say avoiding it would only close me off to any opportunities that could come from it, because in strife there was always the possibility of good. Although I would never say this to Dwight, sometimes sticking your head in the sand was just plain easier.
I sighed again and let Rio lead me down the stairs.
“You act like you’re going to the firing squad.” He lifted my wrist to kiss it. “We won’t stay long. I promise.”
I would have sighed one more time, but I saw Magda coming down the block. I squeezed Rio’s hand. “Have I introduced you to my tenant?”
He groaned. “Phil, I know what you’re doing.”
“No, she’s right here.” I smiled brightly at her as she approached the house. “Hey, Magda. How’s it going?”
She looked at me suspiciously and her answer was hesitant. “Okay.”
“This is my—” What did I call Rio? My boyfriend? That sounded so juvenile. And lover sounded too tawdry. “My friend, Rio. Rio, my tenant, Magda.”
“We need to get going.” Rio gave me a look I couldn’t decipher. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here.” Magda nodded at him politely, gave me a look too (also undecipherable), and jogged up the porch steps.
“What did you think of her?” I asked when we’d settled in his Mustang.
He shrugged. “What was I supposed to think of her?”
I shrugged back. “I don’t know. Did you find her attractive?”
He glanced at me as he pulled out of the parking space. “Is this a test?”
“No.” It wasn’t, really. And the thought of distracting him from going to Barry’s by proposing a threesome with her was only fleeting. “She’s a hooker, you know.”
“A hooker?” He raised his brows.
“A high-priced call girl.”
He chuckled.
“She is.” Frowning, I turned to face him. “Does that make her more enticing?”
“No. And I doubt she’s a call girl.”
“Oh?” He sounded so sure it made me suspicious. “Know all the call girls in town, do you?”
“Hardly. She didn’t look like one.”
“That’s because she’s not your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill hooker. She’s high-priced.”
He didn’t say anything, which was the loudest reply he could have made.
“I have proof,” I declared.
“What?”
“She carries around a big black bag that’s filled with her sex toys.”
“You’ve seen inside it?”
“Well, no.” Minor detail though.
He put his hand on my leg, just under the short hem of my dress, and squeezed my thigh. “I love you, you know.”
I froze, surprised by how easily he said it. I liked it, so I smiled wide and put my hand on top of his. After a moment, I said, “Does that mean you still don’t believe me about Magda?”
He didn’t dignify that with a response.
All too quickly, we pulled into Barry’s driveway. It was my reluctance that made me wait in the car until Rio came around and opened my door. I sighed for the millionth time, set my shoulders, and decided to just get the evening over with. My feeling of impending doom was probably hormones or something.
We walked to the door hand in hand. I was about to ring the bell when it flew open. “Hey, guys! I’m
sooo
happy you’re here.”
Cindy engulfed us in her flowery embrace. I coughed discreetly at the powdery floral scent of her. I grinned at the look on Rio’s face when she launched herself at him. I thought for sure he’d sneeze, but he held back somehow.
“Come in, come in.” She dragged us through the door and slammed it shut.
It sounded so final. Like there was no going back now.
Rio put a reassuring hand on my back and pushed me forward.
“—already making drinks. I hope you like them.” Cindy looked at us imploringly.
I smiled and said, “Oh, yeah. Cool.”
She beamed happily and pointed us to the living room. “Sit down. I’ll go see what’s holding up my Pookie.”
I perched on a loveseat and Rio reclined next to me.
“You had no idea what she was asking, did you?” he asked with a grin.
“Nope. No clue.” I looked around. “Do you think she and her pukie are going to join us soon?”
“Her Pookie, not pukie.”
“Same difference,” I mumbled.
He pulled me back into his arms and gave me a thoroughly lingering kiss. “Play nice.”
“Oh, look, Pookie! Aren’t they
sooo
cute?” Cindy squealed as she and Barry entered the room.
Barry grunted but didn’t say anything. Probably trying not to spill the loaded tray he carried.
I tried to sit up, but Rio tightened his hold on me. I brought my elbow up, intended to jab him in the ribs, but he slipped a couple of fingers in the top of my dress, at the side so his fingers glided against the outer swell of my breast.
I stilled, not able to breathe at the tingles his touch caused. If I angled my torso just right ...
“Here you go, Mena.” Barry held out a pink beverage.
I tried not to grimace as I took the drink. Cindy must have picked the alcohol selection tonight. I opened my mouth to ask if I could have a beer instead, but then decided to deal with it. Really, I wanted to watch Rio drink his. Smirk.
“Isn’t this
sooo
cozy,” Cindy gushed as she sat down. She patted the seat next to her, giving Barry a come-hither look.
I had to look away from the adoring gaze he gave her as he did her bidding. Gross.
Okay, it
was
sweet. Just a little though.
“Mena, that dress is so cute on you.” She gave me an appraising look. “Did you get it from Betty’s Closet?”
“Yeah.” How did she know? I lifted my arm discreetly to see if I’d left the tag on.
“I thought so.” She gave me a knowing nod. “They’re the only store in Portland that carries that designer.”
“Um. Oh. Really?” Fascinating. Who knew?
“I love the color palettes she uses. Her designs are so bold.”
“Um. Yeah.” I smiled politely, elbowing Rio surreptitiously when I felt him snicker.
Barry’s cell phone rang (I recognized the James Bond theme) and he got up to answer it. A moment later he came back, phone in hand. “Sweetie, it’s for you.”
“Excuse me a second, you guys.” Cindy hopped up and accepted the phone. Before she left the room, she kissed the tip of her manicured finger and pressed it to Barry’s nose.
I hid my smirk in my drink.
Barry eased back in the seat, a martini is his hand (why didn’t he get a pink drink?), and asked Rio, “How’s business going?”
“Great. We started a new marketing campaign with the matrix you provided.” He turned to me. “Barry helps out with PR for the gym.”
“That’s nice of him.” I glanced at Barry, wondering why he did it. The kindness of his own heart? Maybe he did it for Rio, since they were good friends.
“I appreciate it.” Rio speared his hand into my hair and rubbed the base of my skull.
I frowned, partly because I didn’t get why he cared if Barry helped and partly because his caress made it difficult for me to concentrate.
There seemed to only be one reasonable explanation. “Is the gym in financial difficulty?”
Both the guys gaped at me, but Barry was the one who burst into raucous guffaws. Rio just chuckled as though he were charmed and simply said, “The gym’s doing okay.”
“Okay?” Barry managed to choke out. “The gym’s doing great. You’re opening the tenth facility. You have facilities all along the Pacific Coast.”
Rio shrugged and sipped his beverage.
“You’re so modest, man.” Barry shook his head. “When you told me you wanted to open a gym, I thought it was just going to be a hobby.”
The gym was
Rio’s
? I goggled at him. “You
own
the gym?”
He shrugged again. “It’s a hobby. I like doing it.”
“Hobby?” Barry snorted. “You have the start of an empire. You could be right up there with Gold’s if you wanted to. You’re just stubborn.”
“If we had growth like that, we’d lose what makes us stand out.”
Barry waved his hand. “That’s what you’re always saying to us investors.”
Empire? Investors? I stared at Rio. “You’re an exercise mogul?”
“He’s a financial genius,” Barry corrected. “And not only that, but he does a fair amount of work with at-risk youths.”
Rio’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t know I owned the gym?”
“No.” Why was that surprising? I was always the last to know. “You work with kids?”
“We have a nonprofit division for troubled kids and teens. We sponsor classes and bring in athletes for motivational talks.” He frowned. “Does it matter?”
“No.” Hell, yeah, it mattered. If I knew this from the start, I wouldn’t have tried to get Barry back. “But it would have been nice to know. We’re kind of seeing each other, you know.”
He brushed his thumb against my lower lip before kissing me. It tasted apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against my lips.
I shook my head and lifted my hand to cup his face. “It’s okay.”
Actually, it was better than okay. My parents would love Rio. Successful, a homeowner, helped kids. Except for his military background and gas-guzzling car, but not everyone was perfect.
What a relief. I could tell them I was dating him and not Barry. I’d planned on doing it (um, kind of) and living with the fact that they’d be less than enchanted by the turn of events. But now the timing wouldn’t matter. Even if I told them tonight, I’d still shine because Rio was better than Barry—his success was earned on his own, not on the coattails of his family.
“You’re grinning.” Rio traced the outline on my mouth.
“I’m just happy.” Maybe I could even ask him if he wanted to go with me to the party. “Tomorrow nigh—”
Cindy stomped into the room. “I can’t believe you would do this to me, Barry!”
We all looked up, but Barry was the one who spoke. “What’s wrong, Sweet Blossom?”
“This!” She swiped at her cheeks, which were streaked with mascara, and waved the cell phone manically. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
Frowning, Barry got up and reached out to her. “I don’t know—”
“That’s the first truth you’ve said—you don’t know.” She shoved him so he tumbled back onto the couch.
Impressive. I gazed at her with renewed respect. She’d do well in Kung Fu.
Barry gawked at her like he’d never seen her before. “Honey—”
“Don’t you honey me.” She had castration written in her eyes. “You two-timing—” she sputtered “—jerk!”
“Hon—uh, Cindy. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“This.” She threw the phone so it hit him smack in the middle of his face.
Ouch. Rio and I both recoiled. Good aim.
“My call disconnected and I needed to know what Sheri was wearing tomorrow so I could coordinate, so I went to the call log to pull up her number and there was the list of calls you made.” She glared.
Oh, shit.

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