Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 145

Will

That asshole was going to bid.

“Bran, don’t,” I growled.

I shouldn’t have said it. It just made his grin wider.

“I think it will be a lovely weekend. I’ll even bring Gwennie,” he mused, petting her arm.

Gwendolyn giggled.

“Who’s Gwennie?” Leopold asked, confused.

I sighed and pointed to her.

“Right. Greta.” He turned back to Natalie with an unbothered smile.

“It’s fine,” McKenzie whispered, touching my thigh. “It could be a really nice weekend.”

“We’re already going to his pool on Saturday,” I argued.

“Which will also be great fun.” He winked at us and raised his hand to bid. “Fifty thousand.”

“Oh! We’re starting quite high, then,” Mr. Nieves said with a wide smile. “Yes, erm, fifty thousand….”

“Actually, let’s call it a hundred and fifty,” Bran interrupted, outbidding himself.

Mr. Nieves blinked. “Yes, of course. Yes, thank you, Mr. Lockwood. Do I hear…?”

“On second thought, I think an even million has a nice ring to it, don’t you, Will?” Bran teased.

While I ground my teeth, Mr. Nieves fanned himself with a program. “Sounds great, Bran,” I said through my teeth.

“I thought so. Yes. Now, is there anyone who would like to bid above me? Poor Mr. Nieves looks as though he may faint,” Bran called to the room.

The other patrons laughed good-naturedly.

“Well, just to make sure I’m not outbid, I’ll give you ten million, Mr. Nieves. Final bid,” Bran offered.

Mr. Nieves did, indeed, look as though he might faint. I wondered if I should get him a chair. “Mr. Lockwood, you are exceedingly generous,” he wheezed. “Um… ten million going once, ten million going twice….”

There were no other bids. I knew there wouldn’t be.

Mr. Nieves brought down a gavel procured for the occasion. “Sold to Mr. Lockwood for ten million dollars!”

A round of applause thundered through the room.

“Thank you,” Bran said, standing and bowing. “I hope this small act encourages everyone else to be just as generous.”

The applause continued. Even Mr. Nieves applauded.

And McKenzie, who bumped my shoulder.

Reluctantly, I also clapped.

“Please continue, Mr. Nieves. I’m sure there are many other wonderful items and opportunities on offer,” Bran said.

“Yes, yes there are,” Mr. Nieves replied and continued.

I didn’t hear anything else. All I could concentrate on was Bran’s smug smirk.

“Will,” McKenzie said after a while, “is there anything you want? I mean, you don’t have to bid on anything. I just thought it might… you know… look good.”

She was right. It would look good to Ike—and my grandfather. Both of whom I wanted to strangle. “Thank you, darling—”

“Honeybee,” Bran corrected me.

Scratch that. Bran had moved to first in line for strangulation. “McKenzie,” I amended.

He chuckled and went back to having a whispered conversation with Gwendolyn.

McKenzie frowned at them then leaned very close to my ear, probably hoping he-who-hears-everything wouldn’t hear what she had to say. “You know he can’t steal me, right?”

I balked. “Not the point.”

“What’s the point, then?” she asked, confused.

“I’m going to have to sit there and watch him try,” I muttered angrily.

She patted my knee. “He’ll give up quickly. You’ll see.”

I wanted to reply, ‘He won’t, you’ll see.’ But I didn’t. Instead, I sighed and turned my attention to the auction.

There were only a few items left, but I did manage to get a new Ferrari I didn’t give a fuck about to make Ike and my grandfather happy. I didn’t bid ten million on it. I thought about it, knowing it would not only spite them but also give the proverbial finger to Bran. McKenzie had reminded me, however, that we were being good. So I was good and only bid a hundred thousand more than the car was worth.

“Are we actually going to drive that thing?” she asked me, staring at the picture in the brochure that had been laid in front of us. “It’s… um….”

“That is the fugliest Ferrari I’ve ever seen. No wonder someone was trying to get rid of it!” Bran chortled.

I winced. The paint job wasn’t great, even though I knew it must be custom. And, for a Ferrari, it did have a bit of an odd shape. I wouldn’t have called it ‘fugly,’ but it wasn’t the classic look, either.

“It looks dangerous,” McKenzie whispered.

“Dangerous?” I said.

“Dangerous!” Bran laughed. “Haven’t you ever been in a real sports car before?”

She blushed. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat. Once Will gets that atrocious paint job redone, you can really let your hair down,” he said. “Though I’d start with one of his other cars. Something you can put the top down on. Maybe that cute blue McLaren of yours.”

That did sound fun. I hated that the idea came from him, but it wasn’t a bad idea. “That could be… nice.”

He laughed again. “No need to pout. It’s a great idea. I just got to it first.”

“Fine, yes. You win,” I conceded. “It’s a great idea.”

“Bikini worthy?” he asked, glancing at McKenzie.

She looked up at me, confused.

“Don’t push your luck,” I replied icily.

“Aw, come on. All the other girls will be wearing bikinis. Probably barely-there bikinis,” he wheedled. “McKenzie could wear something completely modest by comparison.”

“Of course she’ll wear a bikini. You don’t want her to look like some old lady in a caftan and a sun hat, do you?” Gwendolyn chimed in. “McKenzie, you’d be the only one there in a full suit on Saturday. You’re new to society. You want to fit in, don’t you?”

Bran smiled like the cat who got the cream, rubbing Gwendolyn’s back.

“I… uh… um….” McKenzie stuttered. “I could always bring a sarong?”

“That’s the spirit.” He finally looked down at the brochure in front of him showing pictures of the Masterson lake home. “My, this is a quaint little place.”

Quaint?! I remembered Grandfather telling me he’d shelled out over thirty million for it. It was one of the largest properties on Lake Geneva.

“It’s adorable,” Bran decided, leafing through. “Let’s decide on a weekend, shall we? We do want to get there while it’s still summer to enjoy all the activities.”

The man had me by the balls and just kept twisting. “I’m sure our assistants can arrange it.”

“Nonsense. I know you haven’t got a thing going on that can’t be rearranged, and neither do I,” he argued, flipping to the back of the brochure. “Oh, this is grand! Ike made a list of available dates.”

Of course he did. “That’s nice.”

“Let me just check my schedule. Gwennie, be a dear and get my phone out of my pocket? Left lapel,” he said, not setting down the brochure.

Gwendolyn tittered, and, as sensually as I’d ever seen a phone retrieved, pulled Bran’s phone from his jacket.

“Thank you, dearest,” he smiled and plucked the phone from her fingers. “Let’s see here… yes. Three weeks from now will be perfect.”

“Perfect,” I echoed, trying not to sound petulant.

McKenzie squeezed my hand. “I’m sure we’ll have a very nice weekend.”

“See, Will? That’s the kind of attitude we’re looking for,” he chuckled.

“Mm,” I replied noncommittally.

“He’s just allergic to fun.” He winked at McKenzie.

“Will is very fun,” she responded, squeezing my hand again.

Bran grinned at me. I could feel myself scowling at him. “Maybe he’s only fun when I’m not around.”

Gwendolyn patted his chest. “I think they might need a break, lover. They’re not understanding your jokes.”

He inclined his head. “True. They have been under a lot of stress lately.”

Wait, what?!

“How does he know that?” McKenzie whispered, her eyes wide.

“What with planning the engagement party and all. Ike told me at our last meeting,” Bran continued, smirking at me.

What else had Ike told him at their last meeting? Suddenly, I wondered if Bran’s family was involved in the same illegal dealings mine was. “I think we need to talk privately,” I said.

“I’ll have Armond schedule something with—”

“Now.” I stood stiffly, letting go of McKenzie’s hand.

“Should I come, too?” McKenzie asked, beginning to rise.

“No,” Bran, I, and even Gwendolyn, said together.

“Let the boys talk. It’s just going to be confusing business stuff,” Gwendolyn told McKenzie.

McKenzie looked up at me.

“I’ll be back soon,” I promised, patting her shoulder.

Bran nodded to Leopold and Natalie, who were barely paying attention, then gestured for me to precede him out of the hall.

“Tell me if I won anything from the silent auction,” he tossed over his shoulder to Gwendolyn.

“Of course!” she answered.

Once outside the hall, I stopped, unsure of where to lead him. I didn’t want to have it out in the bathroom where we could be overheard. But I also didn’t want to—

“Why don’t we just go to the quiet little reception hall where you and McKenzie fucked?” he suggested.

—take him there.

Wait…. “How did you know where we were?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Why don’t we talk about it in private?” he said, putting an arm around my shoulders and steering me to the reception room where McKenzie and I had been intimate.

I rounded on him when the door closed behind us. “What the fuck, Bran?!”

“Clever. That one sentence covers so many subjects all at once.” He grinned at me. “Did you think Ike was just going to let you wander around on your own after your little adventure?”

My blood ran cold. “What?”

“You heard me. Honestly, I always thought you were a little dense, but not so naïve as to not know how many of us do business. Especially your own grandfather—at the company you’re due to inherit!” He shook his head. “You’ve been so fun to tease all these years. You still are. But it’s also gotten, well, just a little bit sad.”

There was a loud pounding in my ears. “So Ike’s decided you’re my new best friend.”

“Now you’re getting it.” He punched me companionably in the shoulder.

I wanted to punch him in the face. “I already figured Ike had some sort of security keeping tabs on the exits. But I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Always expect the unexpected, Will. It’s how you survive.” He looked at the table where McKenzie and I had made desperate love, smoothing his hand over the surface. “You have always been a lucky bastard when it comes to women.”

“And you will keep your goddamn hands off her,” I seethed.

Bran shrugged. “I might. I might not. You know how much I enjoy taking what’s yours.”

I’d had enough. I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him close so we were nose-to-nose. “You don’t get to have her.”

“That sounds like a challenge. Are we not so sure I can’t charm her to my side?” he asked sweetly. “And really, Will. Take your hands off me before my security and yours come bursting in here to do it for you.”

With an angry grunt, I let him go.

He straightened his clothes. “You know, when Ike suggested this, I had no idea it would be so much fun!”

“I hate you,” I growled.

“I know. That just makes it more entertaining.” He straightened my jacket for me then gestured to the door. “If there’s nothing else, shall we get back to the girls?”

“She’ll never go for you,” I stated with absolute confidence. “But I won’t have you harassing her.”

Bran chuckled. “We’ll see.”