Part 11 (1/2)
”Hey,” Kat said, having to grab his face to get his gaze to settle on her, ”hey. You're not screwed. You got me. What else are streetwise New Yorkers for, right? Randi, did you call off reinforcements?” She was still on the phone but she nodded her head encouragingly. ”Okay, change into your street clothes when you're done.”
”What's your plan?” Sebastian asked skeptically.
Good thing she always had one. ”We're going out. No reason to wait here for the bloodhounds and make it easy.” Kat pulled out her own phone and hit the first speed dial. ”Blaze, yeah. Oh, just peachy. You still hitting that art gallery tonight. It's uptown over here, yeah? Can you stand a few more? Let's just say I ran into Randi. Yeah, I know. Meet you in front of that French restaurant. Okay, cool. Bye.”
”What was that? I don't want to go to an art gallery at a time like this.”
”Well I don't want to put up with your immature come-ons. We both gotta give a little. Randi, Mitch want to come out? We could use some cover.” Sebastian turned and the transformation was astounding. Hair pulled back in a ponytail, only slightly insensible heels, and a black pea coat made her unrecognizable from the s.e.xy vixen that had been there just moments before.
Miranda bit her lip for a moment. ”If he's not ” Kat started.
”No, no,” she said, shaking her head, ”it'll do some good to see Blaze I think.” She glanced up at Sebastian. ”Just don't tell him I was stripping for you tonight, okay?”
”He doesn't know what you do?”
Miranda laughed. ”Oh he knows what I do. My husband's just overprotective and might pummel you anyway. He has a few issues.”
”Don't we all,” Kat murmured encouragingly, reaching a hand out to squeeze her arm.
”What is going on here? Are you sure we can trust this girl? How do you know her?” Sebastian peppered Kat with questions as they walked out, the minute Miranda was out of earshot.
”I trust her more than I trust you. We were in this . . . kind of . . . club together. Her husband Mitch and Blaze have a lot in common.”
”He's an artist too?”
”No, he's a plumber.”
”They're following us,” Sebastian murmured to her for the third time.
”I know,” she said, turning behind her with a wide, laughing smile that the cameras would love. ”But you're not doing anything wrong, remember? Just keep walking. Really, how can you not be used to paparazzi following you by now?”
”Boy's wound tight. He really did need a lap dance, didn't he?” Miranda said.
Kat laughed for real that time. ”Don't let the heartbreaker fool you. He's usually much better than this. On a good night he could get a gaggle of women to dance for him.”
”On any night, ladies. On any night.” His head popped up between them and his arms wound around their shoulders, pulling them in for what appeared like an intimate moment. The girls just laughed and pushed him back out with teasing looks on their faces. The paparazzi were looking for scandal; they'd make sure to give them a friendly show.
”In your dreams,” Kat said.
”In my reality.”
”I'll take that bet,” Miranda said.
”What bet?”
”Weren't you about to say 'wanna bet on that'? That seems like the kind of thing a European prince with a crisis of manhood might say.”
”Crisis of manhood?!” he scoffed as they turned the corner, the gallery coming into view up ahead. ”There is no crisis of manhood here Randi. I'm all male and all good sweetheart.”
”Prove it,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. ”You have to work your charm on a mark of my choosing and she has to agree to take you home with her. Not everyone's susceptible to a pretty face you know.”
”Oh honey,” he murmured in a pitying voice, ”I've got so much more going for me than just a pretty face.”
”That's right. You still have that stun gun, don't you?” Kat mocked.
”You're both going to be sorry,” Sebastian said, walking through them to lead the way. The girls linked arms and followed him with a laugh. He stopped and let them catch up after fifteen feet or so. ”I have no idea who we're meeting.”
”You haven't met Blaze before?” Miranda asked. Kat shook her head and Miranda tried to stifle a laugh. ”What does he make of him?”
”Well . . .” Kat hedged.
”What do you mean 'well'? Your brother doesn't like me?”
”Well . . .”
”Say something other than 'well' would you!”
”Umm . . .” Miranda just laughed, clapping her hands like this was the best thing she'd heard all year. ”Okay, listen, my brother's a softie but he's also my brother. He hasn't decided whether he should shake your hand or deck you. He'd do it too. And he's strong so it would hurt.”
”Seriously?” he asked with a comical gulp.
”Just be yourself and everything will work out,” Kat said as she patted his arm in rea.s.surance.
”You mean because he won't be able to look past my cla.s.sic charm?” Sebastian offered her a hopeful smile.
”No I mean because Blaze is going to do what Blaze is going to do. You can't change that so you might as well not fret over it.” Sebastian went a bit pale and the girls couldn't hold back another laugh. ”Now you're rethinking everything you've ever said and wondering if I told my brother, aren't you? Good luck with that.”
”I really hope you're joking.”
”You're about to find out there he is.” Sebastian looked up ahead at the group of people milling around on the street. They mostly appeared non-threatening but one literally stuck out above the crowd, almost head and shoulders above the rest. He looked like a football G.o.d had carved him out of stone, built to slow steamrollers down.
”Is that,” he asked with another gulp, ”your brother?”
”No, that's Randi's husband,” Kat said. That didn't ease Sebastian's fears any. ”The guy next to him that's my brother.”
It was an improvement but not by much. He was tall, blonde unlike his sister, a few earrings dangling from his right ear. He raised a hand in greeting and Sebastian saw the muscles in his arms bunch even from so far away and through the gray fabric of his s.h.i.+rt. This guy could probably bench press his Porsche Spyder.
”Randi!” Blaze yelled, pus.h.i.+ng through the crowd to welcome them, enfolding her in a big hug. Her sullen Adonis husband looked on with a blank face.
”Let me pa.s.s you on to your hubby. Here ya go man!” Blaze said, easily placing her into Mitch's embrace. ”Sebi! Long time no see bro,” he said, clamping a ma.s.sive hand on his shoulder. He dropped his voice to a whisper and added, ”Kat suggested we appear like old friends but I haven't decided if I like you yet. You've been warned.” He grinned and Sebastian thought it looked a bit sinister, missing the amused wink he shot his sister.
”Too long man, too long,” Sebastian answered, turning to dole out high fives and handshakes to the others around him.
”Play nice,” Kat whispered to her brother as they watched Sebastian address his mob of cameras. He fed them the story of the importance of supporting local artists flawlessly, as if media misdirection was his future. The gallery really should have been paying him for all the publicity he was getting them.
”Play being the operative word.” After a moment, at the bemused expression on her face, he added, ”Honey, do I know any other way?” She just shook her head and he winked for good measure. ”Where's Lane-ette? I thought she'd definitely want to see this.”