Dare to Succeed [The Dare Series 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “I thought we discussed not snooping around,” Max said to him.

  “I don’t know if it’s really snooping.”

  Caldwell laughed at Monroe.

  “Mr. Cool and Calm is feeling a bit out of control I see. We need to be respectful. We’ll get to know her and gain her trust when she’s working here. Stay calm.”

  “Stay calm? How the hell can you stay so calm when she smells so good, looks so good, and damn it I bet feels so good to hold?” Monroe asked.

  “Patience, Monroe. Remember what our mamma always said, about good things coming to those who wait and patience pays off in the end.”

  “Well can we fast forward through the bullshit and make Alicia ours already? This is fucking torture,” Monroe added.

  “Well, when did she say she could start? That’s how we’ll know how long this torture might be lasting,” Caldwell asked.

  “In a couple of days.”

  “Well then, let’s have a beer and make a toast to getting through this so we can claim our woman and start working on becoming a family. God knows Mamma’s been hinting about grandkids and settling down. She’ll love that we’re considering it sooner than later,” Max said.

  “Mamma finds out about Alicia, she’ll show up here and try to help,” Monroe added and all three chuckled.

  “Then God help us we can get through to Alicia and prove our intentions are noble. Otherwise they’ll be hell to pay and Sianne Gordon is not the kind of woman we need to make angry,” Caldwell added and they laughed as Max grabbed the beers.

  Chapter 3

  “Please, Alvin, I’m fine. I’ve just been really busy with work,” Alicia said into the phone as she tried to get ready to meet Max, Caldwell, and Monroe at their house with the final idea for the window in their winery. She’d taken a couple of extra days to pull together a small replica of her idea on a stained glass piece. She figured if they liked it she would give it to them to use somewhere else in their house.

  “Too busy to call me back? To talk to Tony? I doubt it. Unless you haven’t told me about some other fabulous job you got where you’re making a lot of money,” he snapped at her. She felt the tears reach her eyes. She hated when he got this way. He seemed to focus more and more on himself and his wants than hers. Plus the fact that he really believed she would be his financial savior. She didn’t need men like this in her life.

  She used the special cleaner to shine up the 16 x 18 stained glass piece. It looked stunning and she hoped they liked it.

  “Are you listening to me?” Alvin raised his voice.

  “Yes. Of course I am but I need to get going.”

  “Where? It’s nearly seven.”

  “I have an appointment.”

  “At night? With whom? It isn’t a date is it?”

  “No. It’s business.”

  “With male or female?”

  “With none of your business.”

  Alvin was silent.

  “Don’t go making some huge mistake. Tony still wants you after everything, even the accusations that he cheated on you.”

  “He did cheat on me.”

  “You were upset about losing the business. Your poor decisions caused that. It’s no wonder you made up the lies about Tony having affairs and seeing other women. He would never do that to you. Don’t you be stupid now and start fucking a bunch of guys. Tony will never take back used goods.”

  “I’m not used goods.”

  “You slept with Tony before you were even married. Do you know what Mom and Dad would have done?”

  “No, I don’t because I hardly knew them anyway. Besides, I’m not involved with anyone. Tony broke my heart in case you didn’t realize that.”

  Her brother was silent.

  “It was your fault, not his. Get it together, because when he wants to take you back you won’t want to have any regrets.”

  God, he frustrated her so much. She was sick and tired of this same conversation. He feared she would find another man, a boyfriend, a husband, and all his wants would diminish and Alvin would have to support himself. She took a deep breath. My God what would he do if he knew about the ménage relationships running rampant in Chance? Or if he knew she was attracted to three brothers. Real men who would probably knock Alvin and Tony out with one punch? I can’t like three men. I wasn’t even able to keep one man from cheating on me. The Gordon brothers would use me and indeed I would be used property.

  Damn Alvin! Why does he always make me feel like shit?

  She didn’t need a nervous breakdown now when she had this huge job starting in another day. That was if the Gordon brothers liked her idea. She was having second thoughts. She was feeling like she wasn’t good enough. Tony and Alvin did this to her. They made her feel like without them making decisions for her she would screw up.

  She swallowed hard and tried to keep the tears at bay as Alvin demanded to know where she was going and who she was meeting.

  “I’m doing a big job for some friends in town. It’s a large window in their wine cellar.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The sheriff and his…family. Very nice people and he loves my work so I’m doing this private project for them.”

  “Well don’t forget to keep in touch and call Tony. He said he’s planning on visiting you and misses you.”

  “I don’t want him coming here. It’s none of his business what I’m doing.”

  “Then be sure to call him and me back immediately when we call. Otherwise he will check in on you. Remember, no other man will want you since you gave it up to Tony. If he wants you back, you’d better accept it. Otherwise there’ll never be a man out there who will respect you, want you, and honestly love you.” He disconnected the call and Alicia slammed the phone down.

  “I hate you. I hate both of you and wish you would just leave me alone.”

  The tears rolled down her cheeks and she tried unsuccessfully to wipe them away. She would be late to the Gordon men’s home. She needed to dry out first.

  * * * *

  “Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe you pushed too much, Monroe,” Max said to his brother as he stood in the kitchen looking impatient.

  “Nonsense. She said she came up with an idea and wanted to present it to us. I can’t wait to see what drawings she came up with,” Monroe said.

  They heard the doorbell ring and Caldwell headed toward it. “I’ll get it.” Monroe and Max headed toward it, too.

  The second Monroe saw her face he could see that something was wrong. She said a quick hello and walked in carrying a large box.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked her. She nodded.

  “Just fine. Let’s head into the kitchen so I can show you my idea,” she said but her voice cracked and she seemed sad. He glanced at Max and Caldwell, who appeared to have noticed as well.

  Monroe took in the sight of her as she laid the box onto the table and began to unwrap the packaging. She looked good. She wore a pair of capris in beige and a matching tan-and-white tank blouse that showed off her sun-kissed skin and toned arms. Her hair was pulled up into a fancy style and appeared to be held up by one lone clip in white. She looked very pretty.

  “So, this is my idea,” she said and undid the box. She lifted the piece but before she even had it out of the box and in the light of the kitchen he loved it.

  “Oh my God, Alicia. You made that?” he asked and moved closer.

  “Holy cow that is stunning,” Caldwell said and Max walked closer. He eyed over the Tuscan scene, a sunset over a large vineyard. To the bottom right was a house, similar to their own with a table and four chairs. On the table were a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, and four glasses, plus a platter of cheeses and grapes in green purple and red. The detail was amazing.

  Max placed his hands on her shoulders.

  “It’s stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it. You can create this on the window downstairs?” he asked, seeming stunned at her capabilities. There were tears in her eyes as s
he nodded her head. She stared at the stained glass creation as if analyzing her own work. When she spoke he heard her own criticism of the piece.

  “If you don’t like certain aspects of it I understand and can tweak them. Perhaps you don’t like the house or the wine-tasting table. Or maybe the sunset behind the vineyard.”

  “Are you kidding me? This is more than we expected. This is perfection,” Monroe told her.

  “You’re truly talented, Alicia. I’m so impressed,” Max added and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

  Monroe saw the tears in her eyes and she cleared her throat and stepped from the table, giving them a better amount of space to look at the piece. And look they did, at every detail and at her ability to be so meticulous.

  “Are you sure this is what you had in mind?” she asked, standing to the side with her hands clasped in front of her.

  “Baby, it looks incredible. It’s perfect. You’re amazing,” Caldwell told her and she chuckled, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.

  “Now make this night even more perfect and tell me you made a decision about us backing you financially for your own shop and studio where you can sell this stuff and promote your talent,” Monroe said.

  “God, Monroe, I’m just not certain. You make me feel like it’s possible.”

  “It is possible. You can trust us,” he said and walked closer to her.

  She shook her head.

  “I don’t want to be in debt to you. I don’t want to ruin this friendship or business relationship. What if things go wrong? What if people don’t buy my work and don’t like it?”

  “Honey, they already love your pieces on eBay. They’ll love it here in Chance and elsewhere. We know what we’re doing. We don’t back anyone who we don’t believe in or support or think won’t be successful,” Caldwell added.

  “We’ll see. I need a little more time.”

  “Okay, but know that we believe in your capabilities and talent,” Monroe told her.

  “Who wouldn’t, after seeing this piece alone?” Max said, holding her gaze.

  “How about a glass of wine and a look at what this piece appears like over the window downstairs?” Monroe suggested. He watched her expression change and she still looked kind of sad.

  “Sure. That’s a great idea. Then you can make the final decision and I can start tomorrow.”

  “Excellent,” Caldwell added and they headed down to the wine cellar with the glass piece in hand.

  * * * *

  Alicia was feeling a bit better. She had an easy time talking to Monroe and Caldwell, and was beginning to get used to Max’s hard expressions. He seemed very nice, too, and she was glad to become friends with them, but she was still uncertain about the business deal.

  “I appreciate your compliments. I think I would have been shattered if you disliked my ideas. I have a personal attachment to each piece I make and sometimes I need a little transition time to give it away. But this one I just felt the three of you would love. I’m glad that you’re happy with it and don’t hate it as I feared. It would have been the perfect ending to a horrible day,” she said as she took another sip of wine. She didn’t know much about wine, but she did have her favorite white and red.

  “What do you mean a horrible day? Did something happen?” Monroe asked her as they sat around the small wine-tasting table in front of the window.

  “Well, it was just a hard one,” she said and thought about her brother and the way he acted.

  “Anything we could help you with? You know, maybe talk about to get off your chest,” Caldwell suggested.

  She shook her head.

  “We just became friends and I’m also working for you now so it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to spill my guts.”

  “Why not? Like you said, we’re friends now,” Caldwell said.

  She smiled. “You’re sweet, and I appreciate that. I think we should keep this professional. After all, you’ve given me an opportunity to showcase my work and even offered to back me financially for the store. I think we have some details to work out but keeping it strictly business is a great idea. I won’t feel so vulnerable or at risk emotionally. I’ve had some bad experiences in my life that I don’t want to repeat.”

  “We’ve all had bad experiences. Those are what make us stronger,” Monroe told her.

  “You’re amazing, Monroe. I understand why you guys are so successful in business and in life. You have it all together. You’re strong, empowered, and confident.”

  “You don’t see yourself as confident?” Max asked her.

  She leaned back in the chair.

  “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I’m not a confident person. I’m very critical of myself and well, past experiences have weakened that confidence in me. But your compliments tonight and the fact that you still want to back me in opening a store really mean a lot to me. I’m glad we’re friends, and that there’s no other pressure for anything else but business. It’s what I need right now. People who believe in my art and really are supportive. So, how about I start this project here tomorrow and then by Friday we can talk details to a possible business arrangement?” she asked but all three men seemed different. They seemed sad or maybe shocked. She wasn’t certain but Monroe smiled wide.

  “We’re glad to help out. We’ll definitely talk business by Friday. In the meantime we should get you a key so you can get in and out of here if we’re stuck at work or need to leave for early meetings.”

  “Oh, are you sure? I mean you don’t really know me that well,” she said.

  “As long as you lock up when you leave we don’t mind at all,” Max teased and she chuckled. Maybe things were finally looking up after all?

  * * * *

  Monroe stood in shock just like his brothers once Alicia left. He felt numb and totally out of sorts. His brothers obviously felt the same way, too.

  “Well, you’re idea backfired on us. She thinks we want to be her best friends. She thinks we’re only into her for business reasons. I told you this was going to get screwed up. We should have just focused on getting to know her here on the job and not trying to help her financially as you suggested Monroe. Why can’t we just tell her how we feel?” Caldwell asked.

  “I’m thinking okay. The last thing I expected was for her to think of us as friends and nothing else. It will work out. Maybe this is for the better,” Monroe said.

  “For the better, huh? How the hell are we supposed to be around her and not want to touch her, kiss her, and get to know her?” Max asked.

  “We just need to do things a little differently so she feels safe and learns to trust us. So we learn about her as friends. We make her feel comfortable and when the time is right we can come clean and be honest about our feelings.”

  “How the hell long will that take?” Max asked.

  “As long as it does. She’s special and we’re in this for the long haul so I say it’s worth it. She’s worth it don’t you think?”

  “Of course, but this is going to be torture,” Caldwell said as he downed another sip of wine.

  “She’ll be here in our home getting to know each of us. That will work in our favor if she is attracted to the three of us.”

  “God I hope so, Monroe, because the more I’m around her the stronger my feelings get for her,” Caldwell said.

  “It will work out fine. Let’s give her a chance to realize that she likes us, too, and as more than just friends. After all, this will give each of us time to make sure that she’s the one for us. How else would we know for sure?”

  “By kissing her and holding her in our arms, that’s how,” Max said in frustration and Caldwell mumbled in agreement. Monroe chuckled.

  “Well, like everything else we’ll be tortured together. Here’s to our pursuit of happiness and landing a very special woman to make ours.” Monroe raised his glass and so did his brothers, toasting Alicia and what they hoped was yet to come.

  Chapter 4

  “So how is it really going
working for the Gordon men?” Marlena asked Alicia as they sat on the back porch at Marlena’s cottage.

  Alicia sighed. “It’s going very well. They’re really nice and respectful.”

  Marlena chuckled.

  “Nice and respectful? Hmm.”

  “What?” Alicia asked and Marlena chuckled.

  “You like them.”

  “What’s not to like? They’re gorgeous, manly, courteous, and caring. Hell, they seem perfect.”

  “That’s wonderful so when are you going to make a move?”

  “Make a move? Hello? I’m not going to do any such thing.”

  “Why the heck not? They like you, you like them, there’s not much more to figure out,” Marlena said, feeling surprised that Alicia was acting this way. She knew her friend had been hurt before.

  “What gives?” Marlena pushed.

  Alicia pushed up off the chair and stood. She looked out toward the lake in the distance. Marlena could see her gripping the wooden railing. Something was holding Alicia back.

  “Monroe and Caldwell offered to back me financially to open my own storefront in the new strip on the edge of town.”

  “That’s wonderful. You said you didn’t want to use all your savings and risk sinking in the business and then being left with nothing. This makes it less risky.”

  Alicia turned to look at Marlena.

  “It’s more risky.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because, I was in business with my ex, Tony. We talked about doing all these things and the business was doing great. Then suddenly he sold everything out from underneath me. He cheated on me, used me, and left me with nothing but what money I had stashed away in a savings he didn’t know about.”

  “They’re not him.”

  “How do you know they aren’t? They have reputations around town. Monroe and Caldwell are known as ladies men with lots of money and whom are very successful. They could have their choice of women whenever they want them. The sheriff? Well there are bets going around about how many women in Chance he’s slept with. Not exactly commitment material to me. I don’t need another man and in this case, men, using me and leaving me to get out of debt and be miserable once again. I can’t trust them.”