Wife by Design

He’d talked about diving during dinner. And burped so loudly that the people a few tables over had turned to look at them.

He’d flirted with their waitress, who’d flirted right back. Grant was pretty sure the girl had no idea there was anything wrong with his older brother. She’d been absent for the belch.

And he’d talked about Luke and Craig letting him help put pieces of plastic tubing together that day.

“We aren’t going home,” Grant said now. He had no idea how this next part was going to go, but he was determined that it would.

Every problem had a solution.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“It’s not my birthday.”

“You like surprises.”

“Yep.”

Grinning, Darin crossed his arms and looked out the window.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

HE’D NEVER ACTUALLY been to the place before. But he knew exactly which exit to take off Highway 101 to get where they were going.

Guys knew these things. Or at least he did. He supposed most guys did. At the moment, he wasn’t sure. He was having doubts. Because, personally, he didn’t want to spend the evening ahead as he’d planned.

He wasn’t changing his mind.

Arms tense, he pulled into the crowded parking lot, hoping his brother either didn’t recognize the place, didn’t know what it was or wasn’t paying attention.

“Coastal Flame.” Darin read the sign like a first grader in reading class.

And then he started to laugh. Hand over his mouth, he guffawed. “You made a mistake, Grant! Look where you brought us!”

Grant wasn’t laughing. He parked in the back, the only empty spaces he could find. He walked around and opened Darin’s door. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” Frowning, Darin eyed the huge pink building. “We’re going in there?”

“Yep.” Grant yanked at his brother’s sleeve and then, when Darin still didn’t move, undid his seat belt, grabbed his right wrist and pulled.

Darin didn’t resist. He got out of the truck. And stood there, letting Grant close his door for him. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“Yep.”

Standing there, looking like the most successful gentleman at the gentlemen’s club, Darin frowned. “I don’t think they’ll want me in there.”

“You’re a man and you have cash. They’ll want you.”

“But…”

“You’ll do fine, bro,” Grant said. He would have liked to remind his brother of a bachelor party outing, or any other time the two of them had been to a strip joint together, but there hadn’t been any other time.

With a hand on Darin’s elbow, he escorted his brother toward the front of the busy establishment. It was packed. On a Monday night, no less.

“Do you know what this place is?” Darin leaned over and whispered. Loudly. As soon as they stepped inside.

“Yes.” He was heading toward the pay booth.

Darin shook his head, pulled his elbow out of Grant’s grasp and made a beeline past the guy who checked IDs of anyone who looked underage, right by the bouncer who looked surprised and straight back out the door they’d just come through.

Not a good start. At a trot, he followed his brother, ignoring the checker’s curious stare and the bouncer’s frown.

“Darin.”

The taller man was heading straight toward the truck with a purposeful stride.

In the parking lot, a couple of gentlemen, dressed in suits, headed toward the door, but turned to watch Grant chasing Darin.

“Darin,” he said again, firmly, but quietly, too.

Halfway to the back of the parking lot, Darin stopped. With both feet firmly planted he turned to face Grant.

“I am not going back in there.”

“Come on, bro. It’ll be good for us.” For him.

“Good, how?” The raised eyebrow was classic Darin. A look that would have cowed Grant in the old days. The tone of voice was petulant.

“There are pretty girls in there, Darin. We can look at them all we want. And there’s more. I was going to ask one of the girls to dance just for you.”

A private lap dance. He knew what they were. How to procure one. They were perfectly legal.