Billy typed for a second more, then tapped to send his message. Only then did he look up. "In order for Southwind to get a business license, it will have to pass a vote. In Cats Peak, Texas, that will include an open meeting that everyone in the city can go to. It will be a chance for us to state our case, but if we wait until then, we've already lost. If you want to win an election, then you have to start early. We're already behind, so now we need to play catch-up. Right now, we need to make friends, bribe people, and convince them that we are the best option they have here. I want to know how to do that with these locals."
"Well…" Luke said, dragging out the word as he thought about it. "What about, like, those ladies that sell Avon or the Tupperware parties people have?"
Cy began to chuckle. "What about a lingerie party?" He looked across the table at me. "Risqué has been a point of contention. If you make people like the company, then you make Violet a little less intimidating, right?"
Something about that made Darnell start laughing too. Holding up a finger, the man pulled out his phone and started searching for something on it. After a few seconds, he found it. Tapping at the screen, he started a video playing and then turned it so everyone else could see it.
It was a college humor skit on YouTube. The thing was short, sweet, and to the point, but the main point was that if people didn't support gay marriage, then the gays would marry their women. I'd seen it before, and the video wasn't exactly new, but it was still as amusing to me now as it had been the first time I saw it.
"So, are you trying to say we should seduce their women, Darnell?" I teased.
It was Billy who answered. "Yes," he said. "And no, I do not mean you need to date them. Show them that you 'gay' men aren't scary. Let them see just how fun you can be when talking about fashion or other girly things. Get the women of this town on your side, and the men will eventually follow."
"Yeah," Luke said, "I'm not exactly girly."
"But you could be, Dad," Faith told him. "I mean, you always take me shopping. You have no problem with listening to Violet teach me about makeup. Most dads don't do that."
"That's because I have a daughter," he told her. "I promise that I really don't have much interest in lingerie."
Cy lifted his hand and then coughed out, "Bullshit."
"Unless it's on a woman," Luke conceded.
"Well, the point is to get the lingerie on these women," Billy pointed out. "So whatever shyness you three guys have - get over it. From now on, you will start holding hands in public. You will kiss each other in public. You will become the most adorable and safe companions to be around. It doesn't hurt at all that all three of you are nice to look at."
"Eww…" Faith joked.
Billy grinned at her. "Don't worry, I'm going to use you too. From now on, I want you, Faith, to treat all of these guys like your fathers. Ask them for help. When you're at church, school, or anywhere else, talk about them. Everyone here already knows that they're involved with each other, so you're not outing them. Instead, you're making people get used to the idea that their relationship is perfectly normal."
"But what happens when the bullies come after her because of it?" Luke asked.
"Then I deal with the bully's parents," Billy said. "I have called in all of my favors for this. If that means having the director of the CIA make a few phone calls, then I will scare the shit out of those people. No one - and I meanno one- messes with my family. That's why it's impossible to shatter a rainbow. Now we just have to prove it."
Chapter Twenty
We talked for a while about how to make Southwind more popular in this town. This was what Billy did, and he didn't hold back in his suggestions. Basically, he wanted us to become the most friendly and social people this town had ever seen. We should be everyone's friend, but make it clear that we were just a bit out of their reach. Faith needed to wear designer clothes to school. I should always be seen dressed to impress. The guys should never hide their relationship.
It didn't matter if people liked us. The plan was to become the "Joneses" that they wanted to keep up with. Displays of wealth were encouraged. Gifts should be lavish. We didn't want to blend in so much as stand out. And most of all, Billy loved the idea of lingerie parties. We should arrange gatherings with the people we knew, show off the elite and limited-edition items they couldn't get anywhere else, and encourage them to buy things. Make them want what only we had to offer.
Slowly but surely, that would bring the women over to our side. Ash, Luke, and Cy were encouraged to look attractive and appealing, but to only have eyes for each other or me. When someone finally figured out that all three of those guys were dating me, I should smile, play it up, and make it clear that it was the benefit of being a woman in power. According to Billy, that would prove to the ladies in town that sitting down and shutting up wasn't the only way to get ahead.
No, we wouldn't get everyone, but the more flamboyant we were, the less shocking it would be. Familiarity with something bred comfort, so the more they saw us, the more used to us this town would become. Eventually, seeing a pair of guys holding hands would be more eccentric than disgusting. Hopefully, one day, it could even be viewed as normal.
Then we would start offering jobs that would pay more than the average wage for the area. Since average was minimum wage, that was easy enough. When someone needed a favor, we would be the ones to help with that, stepping up with no strings attached. If Cats Peak needed someone to become the pillar of this community, then it would be me, and I would make it clear just how much Simmons had been abusing them all.
The problem was how little time we had to make this happen. I still had so much to do to get the property in order, but Cessily promised she could help with that. Darnell agreed to call off his other work until this was taken care of. Cobalt was still planning to come help, which meant we would have the entire Board of Directors on the property to handle anything that might come up.
We had this. I knew we did. I also couldn't help but wonder if it might not be easier to simply let Billy deal with Simmons in his own way. The thought kept spinning around in my mind. I wanted to make my grandmother proud. I wanted to prove that I could make this place just as successful as she had. I dreamed of Southwind as a sanctuary, not the belly of the criminal underworld!
Was I just too weak to do what needed to be done? Could I be right, and killing Simmons would only make things harder for us? Did right and wrong even matter in this scenario, and could I balance one asshole's life against the futures of how many dozens of kids?
I was thinking about that as I climbed into the shower that night. The entire house was starting to grow quiet, but my mind simply wouldn't stop. The entire rainbow was letting me take lead on this. When I said we couldn't kill Paul Simmons, they all agreed. My word was being treated as law, the same way Gran's had been, but I sure didn't feel like I was filling her shoes.
I leaned back to rinse the shampoo from my hair and heard the shower door open. A smile flickered across my lips, but I had suds running down my face, so I couldn't open my eyes. A moment later, large, strong hands slid around my waist. Unfortunately, that didn't really help me figure out which man had decided to join me tonight.
Then his mouth brushed across mine, ignoring the water running over my face. I felt the beard, but the hands were too careful. That meant it had to be Cy. Pressing into him, I guided him back, out of the steam of water, then pulled away so I could wipe my eyes clean.
Cyan shifted a little closer, the sweetest look on his face. "Hopefully you aren't too disappointed to find me instead of someone else?" he asked, the curl on his lips proving he didn't think that would really be a problem.
