My Brother's Five Friends Read online

  He laughs. “You like it ?”

  “It’s bigger than my freaking apartment back in the city.” Which is true, and it’s much, much nicer .

  It’s basically a small apartment without a kitchen. The bathroom is beautiful and modern, the bed is huge, and the living room area is plush and comfortable. I don’t think I’d have to leave this room all month .

  “Good. Get yourself set up. I’m in the door at the end of the hall if you need me. There are fresh towels and stuff. Leave your laundry outside your door, it’ll get done for you .”

  “Done for me?” I stare at him .

  He grins. “I have some help out here .”

  “Henry. Are you serious ?”

  He shrugs. “Why be rich if you can’t use it? Plus, I pay well and don’t take advantage .”

  I sigh, shaking my head. “This is too much .”

  “You’re my guest, enjoy it. The guys definitely are .”

  I laugh softly. “Thanks, Henry .”

  “Sure. Feel free to use whatever. Explore and stuff. The beach is private and ours between the two white markers, you’ll see them out there. Need anything else ?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. I think I’m okay .”

  “Good. Get settled. I’m glad you’re here .”

  “Thanks again, Henry .”

  He smiles and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him .

  I stand there, totally overwhelmed. I had no clue Henry was this rich. I never really thought about it. I was dreading the next month, waiting for my parents to get back from safari, but now …

  Now maybe it won’t be so bad. I’m living in this incredible house with five hot as sin guys. Sure, my brother’s here too, but that doesn’t matter. I have these amazing guys to hang out with .

  Maybe things are starting to look up for me. I’m not even mad at my landlord for cooking meth anymore .

  I unzip my suitcase and start to get myself settled, trying not to picture myself with any of the guys that are just downstairs .

  2

  Aiden

  I fish the last slice of bacon from the pan and drop it on the pile. I slide the plate across the counter. “Bacon’s up,” I call out .

  The guys descend like animals. “Good shit,” Daniel says, his mouth full .

  Ryan picks at it. “God damn, I’m going to have to run this shit off .”

  I grin at him. “Don’t be a pussy .”

  Carter jostles his shoulder. “Yeah, brother. Relax. It’s vacation .”

  Ryan grumbles. “I’m the only damn athlete in this place. I have to worry about that sort of thing .”

  I grin at him and go back to cooking. Ryan has a point, though. He’s a professional tennis player, ranked in the top fifty right now, but looking to break into the top twenty soon. He’s thirty years old, past what should be his peak playing years, but he’s playing the tennis of his life. I don’t blame him for wanting to stay on top .

  I start on the eggs, periodically pulling out toast and putting more in. This isn’t my kitchen at home, but it’s pretty damn nice. Everything Henry has is nice, to be totally honest. He’s a good guy and deserves it all, which is why I’m cooking. I want to try and give back .

  Henry reaches across the counter and grabs some toast. “Thanks again, Aiden,” he says. “I could just call the cook, though .”

  “Nah,” James says. “I’d rather Aiden cooked. He looks so cute in that apron .”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re just jealous.” To be fair, I am wearing an apron .

  The guys bullshit some more. When I’m finally done, I sit down on a stool and eat the plate I set aside for myself. Henry gets up and walks over to the glass window, looking out at the beach .

  We’ve been here for only a few days. This was supposed to be a guys-only type thing, but Henry’s sister was added at the last second. She’s not down yet, but that’s okay. We’re a bunch of early risers, and it’s not even eight in the morning yet .

  I don’t mind having her here. Actually I’m fascinated by her. She looks nothing like Henry, which is to say, Henry’s short and dark and intense while she’s slim, pale, and blonde. She seems a little flighty, although that was probably just her being overwhelmed by us, and I can’t blame her. Henry didn’t tell me much about her, but I can see why. She’s absolutely fucking gorgeous, and I think he wanted to keep her away from us. Then again, he’s not that close with her, so maybe he just doesn’t know much about her to begin with .

  Either way, it doesn’t matter. She’s here and I’m happy about it. I want to get to know her, maybe spend a little time away from these idiots

  “Listen, gentlemen,” Henry says suddenly. “I wanted to thank you all for coming here. We don’t get together like this often enough, and I for one would like to make this a tradition .”

  “Sounds good to me,” I call out. The others all agree .

  He nods, looking pleased. “To that end, I want to propose something.” He has this devilish look in his eye, and I know what that means .

  Henry is notorious for his wagers. He loves gambling, does it all the time, and now that he has money, he can’t help himself. He’s constantly making bets, starting games, and most of the time it’s fun. Sometimes he can go a little overboard, but that’s just Henry. At least it’s always interesting .

  “Here’s the deal,” he says. “Last night, I just made a tidy sum of money on a little deal I set up, and I’m feeling generous. While I know none of you need money, I think money can make this game more fun.” He grins the whole time, and I’m almost dreading what he’s going to say .

  “What’s the wager this time, Henry?” James asks him. “And speak for yourself. Some of us actually can use the money .”

  The guys laugh. “Don’t kid yourself, James,” Carter says. “That starving artist shit doesn’t work with us. Starving artists don’t get $50 haircuts and wear $600 watches .”

  James grins. “Okay, well, I guess I’ve been lucky lately .”

  “Lately?” Daniel asks. “Didn’t you just sell a painting at Christie’s for — “

  “Okay, come on,” Henry says, interrupting. James shoots him a grateful look. “Listen up .”

  “Okay guys, the dear leader wants to get through this,” I say .

  We all laugh and watch Henry attentively .

  “Here’s the wager. Whoever here can sleep with the most women gets one million dollars .”

  Everyone perks up. None of us need the money, but that’s a stupid sum. Henry is always making bets, but never this much .

  “You’re kidding?” Carter asks. “Seriously ?”

  “Yeah Henry, that’s insane. I mean, you’re rich, but that rich?” Daniel shakes his head, mystified .

  “I’m very serious,” Henry says. “Like I said, I’m doing very well at the moment. So, whoever lands the most pussy, wins. But here’s the catch .”

  I groan. “There’s always a catch .”

  “If I win, you all have to give me something that I want .”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “What, exactly ?”

  “I won’t say.” He grins at me. “But it’s not money, and it’s not something you can’t afford to give up. Just something you don’t want to .”

  I shake my head. “No way. I won’t play without clear terms .”

  “Yeah, same here,” Daniel speaks up .

  The guys all grumble and Henry holds up his hands. “Okay, fine. Aiden, I want your car .”

  I raise an eyebrow. “My ‘Cuda ?”

  “That’s right. And James, I want another painting .”

  James shrugs a little .

  “Daniel, you have to teach me to play cards .”

  Daniel groans. “I’d rather die .”

  “And Ryan, you have to give me tennis lessons .”

  Ryan groans too. “I’m with Daniel .”

  “And Carter, you still have that antique globe ?”

  Carter groans. “I do. I keep it in my office at t
he university .”

  “Good. I want it.” He grins at us. “And that’s it. If one of you wins, you get money. But if I win, I get all that stuff from each of you .”

  “It’s us against you?” I ask him .

  “Something like that.” He shrugs a little. “Come on, guys. We’re not getting any younger. Let’s make this goddamn month count for something. We’ll never forget our time here .”

  “I’ll do it,” Daniel says, which isn’t a surprise. He’s something of a bad boy and loves this kind of stuff .

  “Me too,” James adds. “What, I could use a million bucks, and it’ll be easy to outscore all of you pathetic losers .”

  I sigh. “I don’t want to give up my Barracuda, man,” I say. I’ve had that car since high school. It’s a classic and I rebuilt it myself .

  “So just score more pussy than me,” Henry says. “Or help someone else to do it.” He grins at us. “I don’t care what you guys do .”

  “Fine,” I say. “But only if Carter and Ryan are both in .”

  “I’ll do it,” Carter says. “But just so you guys know, undergrads love that damn antique globe .”

  Henry rolls his eyes .

  “I’ll do it too,” Ryan says. “Fuck it .”

  “Great.” Henry beams at us and raises his glass of orange juice. “Gentlemen, to a wonderful month of pussy and debauchery .”

  “Here, here!” I cry out, and the guys all cheer .

  “What’s going on?” We all look over to spot Emily walking into the room. She’s wearing a striped t-shirt and tight skinny jeans with a rip in the knee. Her long, thick blonde hair is piled up on top of her head .

  Henry grins at her. “Glad you could join us, sis,” he says. “We were just discussing what we would be doing this month .”

  “Yeah, we got a little—“ James starts saying, but I quickly interrupt him .

  “We’re having a party tomorrow,” I say. “So I hope you’re prepared .”

  She leans up against the counter. “A party?” she asks, taking some toast and chewing on it .

  “That’s right,” Henry says. “A big fucking blowout .”

  She grins at them. “I’m living in a frat house, aren’t I ?”

  “One of the best frats imaginable,” Ryan says, putting his arm around Emily. I catch Henry’s look and he doesn’t seem happy .

  “We’ll take good care of you though, don’t worry.” Carter grins as he says it .

  “Okay, enough of that,” Henry says. Ryan slides away from Emily, laughing to himself .

  I offer Emily some breakfast and the guys disperse. Henry heads outside with Carter and Ryan while I watch Emily chatting about nothing with James and Daniel .

  She’s going to be a problem. I can see it already. She’s gorgeous, flirty, and Henry clearly wants us all to stay far away from her. But I can already tell that I’m not the only one interested. For some reason, that doesn’t bother me. I already want her, and I don’t mind working to get exactly what I want .

  This is going to be a wild month, I can already feel it. Henry wants everyone in this house to try and sleep around as much as possible, but I suspect that won’t happen. For me at least, there’s only one thing I’m interested in .

  And it’s Emily, his sister. She’s the only girl I care about tasting right now. Maybe I’ll lose the bet, but I don’t care .

  She might be worth everything .

  3

  Emily

  T hey weren’t kidding when they said they were throwing a party .

  The mansion is packed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people in one house before, and it still doesn’t even feel overcrowded. Everyone is gorgeous, dressed in rally fancy clothes, and I feel so out of place. I’m a college girl living in the city, I don’t have money or fancy clothes. I’m wearing my short denim shorts and a slightly baggy white sweatshirt with red stripes going around the arms. My hair’s down tonight, and I keep playing with it nervously as I sip at a glass of wine and look around the room .

  The party is catered, because of course it is. People working the event in black shirts and black pants walk around with fancy snacks and alcohol. People seem to eat and drink like it’s the last thing they’ll do. There’s a DJ in the back right corner, although I don’t know where he came from because he wasn’t there like twenty minutes ago when I stopped upstairs in my room. People are milling around outside on the huge balcony around the pool, although I don’t know why there’s a pool when the ocean is like literally ten seconds away. There’s a bonfire on the beach, and people are coming up from the mansion and down onto the beach at will .

  Henry is running around, acting the host, with a big smile on his face. He’s wearing a handsome suit and he looks nice, although he hasn’t said much to me yet tonight. We spent the afternoon together on the beach, which was a little awkward, but the other guys helped break the ice a little bit .

  Speaking of the other guys, I glance to my right and catch James watching me. He’s wearing tight dark jeans, a simple white shirt, and he’s drinking a little glass of bourbon. He winks at me and I smile a little bit to myself, feeling uncomfortable .

  He comes walking over. “Crazy party, yeah ?”

  I nod. “Crazy,” I echo .

  “This is your brother’s thing. He loves throwing these parties .”

  “He looks pretty at home.” I spot Henry laughing with a group of European-looking girls, all tall and brunette and thin as hell .

  “He just likes the attention, and can you blame him ?”

  “Not really. I mean, I don’t experience this sort of stuff at school .”

  “No, most people don’t. Honestly, before your brother, I was just another struggling artist trying to paint.” He grins at me. “I worked at Starbucks .”

  I gape at him. “You’re joking .”

  “Nope. I made cappuccinos by day and painted by night, at least until Henry found me, bought a few paintings, and started spreading the word .”

  “I saw one,” I say to him. “At the top of the stairs .”

  He nods. “That’s the first one Henry bought .”

  “It’s beautiful. I mean, really gorgeous. I’m not a big art person, but I love that .”

  “Thanks,” he says, smiling. “Means even more coming from a non-art person .”

  I grin at him. “What can I say, I’m a simple girl. I see pretty colors, I like it .”

  “Well, I’m a simple man. I see a pretty girl, I like her .”

  His handsome, cocky gaze blazes into my eyes and I feel a chill run down my spine. I’m excited and I can’t believe what I’m seeing, but I’m pretty sure he’s flirting with me, and not even trying to hide it .

  I look to my left and I spot Aiden walking over. He grins as he approaches. “I was wondering where you were,” he says. “Of course you’re hiding in the corner with the tortured artist over here .”

  James laughs. “Don’t be a dick, Aiden .”

  “Fair enough. How’s it going ?”

  I shrug. “Not too bad. Just overwhelmed .”

  He nods, looking out at the crowd. “Yep. That’s Henry .”

  I laugh a little bit. “Do you all say that about him ?”

  Aiden grins. “Yep. But don’t get me wrong, it’s part of what we love about him. I mean, he’s the glue that keeps us all together .”

  “Really? Honestly, I wish I knew more about him .”

  “You will,” James says. “He opens up slowly, but he will .”

  “He talked about you some, you know,” Aiden says. “When you got into Penn. Bragged about his smart younger sister .”

  “Really?” I ask .

  “Really,” James confirms. “I remember that .”

  “Huh.” I smile a little bit. “Okay, I guess I feel better now .”

  “Good,” Aiden says. “Now, what do you think of this party? Honestly ?”

  I look out at the crowd again. I spot Ryan talking to some guys, miming a tennis
shot, while Carter is huddled up with two girls and two men, having what looks like a deep conversation. Daniel is nowhere to be seen, but if I had to guess, he’s somewhere trying to fleece some rich guy out of millions by challenging him to cards .

  “It’s not my scene,” I admit .

  “Not mine, either,” he says. “But Henry wants to have a blowout .”

  “Certainly is that,” James adds .

  “Go big or go home. That’s how he rolls.” Aiden sips his beer. “Come on, let’s go check out the bonfire before one of these rich assholes tries to talk to us .”

  “Aren’t you a rich asshole?” James asks Aiden as the three of us walk out back .

  “Yes, but I’m not an asshole .”

  “Are you sure?” I ask him .

  He laughs. “Okay, maybe a little bit .”

  “It’s okay. We’re all assholes,” James says, winking at me .

  We head out back and skirt the pool. There are two girls in there, floating on inner tubes, completely naked. I do a double-take, surprised as hell, but nobody seems to mind. Both girls look totally bored. James and Aiden don’t even glance in their direction, like two girls with big fake boobs floating naked in the pool is a normal thing .

  The bonfire is blazing as we move down the dunes. There’s a big group out here, and several kegs of beer, only reinforcing the feeling that I’m living in a frat party. James gets me a drink while Aiden points out a few people he knows .

  “That’s Helmut Wang,” Aiden says, and gives me a look. “Yes, that’s his real name .”

  I giggle. “Okay, I’m totally immature .”

  He grins at me and laughs with me. “It’s a funny name. But he happens to be, like, this big defense contractor guy .”

  “Why’s he here ?”

  He shrugs. “Henry knows him somehow.” He nods at a woman Mr. Wang’s talking to. “That’s a model, I think her name is …”

  “Lacey Lane,” I say. “I know of her .”

  “Yeah, that’s it. And over there are like… five basketball players .”

  I laugh and watch the five enormous guys all jostle each other, trying to get some beer .