One Bride for Five Brothers

“Yes, I think you should definitely call me boss,” I tell her.

A soft knock comes through the door and Dahlia takes a step back, folding her hands behind her innocently. I open the door for Melanie. She raises her eyebrows at me, then notices Dahlia off to my side. For a moment she stands there, calculating, judging. Then she purses her lips disdainfully.

“We’re going to be late.”

I see Kirkman in the hall. He hits the button for the elevator.

“We are exactly on time,” I inform her.

We all pack into the elevator, and I notice Kirkman is covered in some kind of strange substance, something like glitter. He's bronzed like a statue. He looks like a teenage girl.

He catches my eye and just shrugs. “It looks good from the stage,” he remarks.

“If you say so.”

Melanie sniffs, crossing her a

rms and tapping her fingers against her elbow. “So are we all set? No more new surprises?”

“I don't expect anything out of the ordinary,” I shrug.

She arches her eyebrows at me in challenge. “I don't suppose you expected any of these other surprises over the last week though, did you?”

I pivot toward Kirkman, so close he could feel my breath against his ear. In the narrow confines of the elevator car, he can’t escape.

“You tell us, Kirkman. Will there be any surprises tonight?”

He flinches. “You're awful close, man,” he grumbles.

“What are you talking about?” Melanie huffs.

“Kirkman knows exactly what I'm talking about. Did you invite the girl from the Gucci store… Kirk?”

“Kirkman, dude,” he mumbles stubbornly.

“No?” I continue, pretending he answered me. “Okay, then I assume we are good.”

I turn back toward Melanie, holding my hands out like the case has been solved. “Well, if Kirkman didn't invite his little local piece of ass… I guess there won't be any incidents. She's probably still at work.”

Melanie's eyes narrow she looks past me toward Kirkman. “Are you kidding me?” she growls. “Kirkman… answer me. You did not try to —”

“— just drop it,” he rolls his eyes, pushing to the front of the car as the doors open and exiting the elevator with a swagger. Melanie hurries after him, and I hold up my hand so Dahlia stays behind with me.

I watch as Melanie chases Kirkman down the access hallway toward the green room until she can’t hear us anymore.

“See? You have excellent instincts,” I tell Dahlia, leaning down close so I can nuzzle against her ear.

“I can't believe it!” she breathes. “He totally created that whole thing himself ! What a douche!”

I shrug. “I hate musicians, man. They're all douches.”

“Bunny likes him,” she rolls her eyes. “Actually, she just texted me to say she's here. What do I tell her?”

“Go get her, and take her to the VIP room. She's gonna love it.”

“You don't mind? Is there work I need to do here?”

I squeeze her shoulders, wanting to squeeze her harder, wanting to undress her here, in his abandoned hallway, far away from the thousands of people on the casino floor above us, the thousands of people filing into the amphitheater. It's just the two of us, no one would know.