Page 23 of Mister Lane

Brayden growled and yanked me into his chest with one hand while the other went to my hair. With a handful of curls wrapped securely around his wrist, he jerked my head back, making me gasp. It didn’t hurt, but his act of dominance sure made my skin tingle.

Brandon cupped my chin as he wrapped his own arm around my waist and stepped closer, bringing the three of us into a tight circle. “We’re going to remind you of why you fell for us every day for the rest of your life, sweetness. But first…”

“We are going to take care of you.”

I was lifted gently and carried carefully back to the bed, where I was set down as if I were spun glass. I watched as my men arranged our simple, delicious breakfast of pastries, orange juice, and cold coffee on the bed. Then a couple of pain pills were placed in my palm. As I swallowed back the pills with the aid of the heavenly orange juice, I heard water begin to run and realized that someone had started a bath for me.

If this was the way they planned to remind me of their love, they were already winning.

Epilogue

Mrs. Emily Lane - 6 Months Later

Iwaved to the security guard as I headed toward the elevators. “Tell Priya I said hello!”

He waved back with a smile. “I sure will, Mrs. Lane. She said thank you for the flowers.”

I had sent his wife flowers when I found out she needed to have a minor surgical procedure done. I just wanted her to know that there were people who cared. Since becoming Brayden’s legal wife, I’d done my best to foster good relationships with management and employees. I’d implemented several programs to help parents out when there were situations that required their attention. Things like parent/teacher meetings, school plays, recitals, or needing to be there to take care of their child during a time of illness would not count against their attendance. Same for any caregiver. If someone cared for a parent or sibling, they could put that person’s needs first without worrying about losing their job.

Needless to say, it had been a popular change, and my men made sure everyone knew who was responsible. After that, manyof the snide remarks and hateful glares I had been getting from the more jealous staff had all but ended. Even if someone still hated me, they had a hard time trying to find someone to vent to who wouldn’t shut them down.

Of course, in the beginning, it hadn’t been so easy. The decision had been made that I would date and eventually marry Brayden so I could continue to be Brandon’s personal assistant. We’d have the perfect excuse to spend countless hours together behind his closed office door. Being seen arriving or leaving together wouldn’t raise any eyebrows since it was common knowledge that the two brothers lived together. Though most employees seemed unable to tell the two men apart anyway. That made it easier whenever we happened to be caught kissing, or when Brandon couldn’t keep his hands off me.

From the moment our relationship became public knowledge, I had become the enemy, as well as the target of every mean girl in the building. Just when I had started leaving Brandon’s CEO office floor, exploring the cafeteria when the guys weren’t around to have lunch with, I had to sequester myself there again just so I wouldn’t have to hear the insults and whispered threats.

Luckily, that was almost completely over with since my sudden popularity with the majority of the staff.

I stepped onto the elevator with a group of four women, my hand automatically going to my growing baby bump in the confined space. They weren’t paying any attention to me as they chatted amongst themselves. It was my husband’s name that had me listening in on their conversation.

“I hear he’s, like, super hot and insanely rich.”

“Too bad there’s only one available now.”

“I know! The other twin is married! I cried when I found out.”

“Well, I’m going to catch the non-married one, just watch me.”

“Excuse me? I don’t think so. I’m prettier than you, he’ll definitely go for me instead.”

Before the conversation between the four ladies could get any more heated, the elevator stopped and the doors wooshed open with a quiet ding. That was when I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be getting my own assistant. The men wanted to take some of my tasks off my plate to ‘ease my stress’. However, after listening to the women, I wasn’t so sure that having an assistant would be any less stressful.At all.

As we all stepped off the elevator, the four women stopped and finally glanced over to me. When they took in my round belly and flat heels since all my high heels had mysteriously vanished somewhere around the four-month mark of my pregnancy, and I suddenly began showing, they relaxed. The one who’d declared to be the prettiest even smirked.

I waited, curious to hear what she had to say when she leaned in as if she were imparting a great secret and stage-whispered. “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste my time on this job, hun.” I just raised one eyebrow and watched as she pursed her lips.

Another one chimed in next. “Yeah. We’re just trying to help you out, you know? You really don’t have a chance at this position.” She stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, making her look ridiculous.

I just shook my head. “Alright, ladies. If you say so.” I made to step around them, but the first one put her hand out. I watched as she gritted her teeth, doing her best to hold back visible signs of anger while standing in the lobby of her potential new employer’s office.

“I’m serious. You need to leave. Now.”

I rolled my eyes at her and nearly laughed as she began to seethe with rage. If we were in a cartoon, steam would have been pouring from her ears. “Listen, I can assure you, I am not applying for the assistant to the assistant position.”

“If not, then who are you?”

Just then, Brandon and Brayden both walked out of the CEO’s office, and I smiled sheepishly, knowing I was going to be in big trouble. I’d had a craving for the bagels at the deli two doors down the street and didn’t want to wait for one of them to escort me. It was only two doors! But I also knew how much they worried about me, and that was why I felt bad.

I held up the bag in my hand. I chose to ignore the women next to me, as well as the plethora of women waiting in my small lobby, as they all began to preen and chatter excitedly amongst themselves as my husbands approached me.