Five of a Kind: Kind Brothers Book 5 Page 2

  “I pay you well, and you know it.” I smiled. “You can go on your date as soon as they leave. Tell Nick to meet you here, and the two of you can order room service on me and keep the room for the rest of the night.”

  “Really?” She grinned.

  “Yes.”

  I watched as Simon and Grace stood up from their stools. Turning my attention back to Selena, I caught both of them staring my way out of the corner of my eye. And come tomorrow, we’d meet again.

  The following day, I’d met them again on the plane to California. We talked for almost the entire duration of the flight. Simon told me how he’d gotten shot and how he and Grace had met. He mentioned his brothers in a few conversations, and from what I could tell, they were extremely close. I was careful with my words and didn’t divulge too much information about myself. All Simon Kind knew was that my name was Shaun, that I worked in capital and investment, and I traveled to California on a business trip.

  “Do you need a ride somewhere? We’d be more than happy to drop you off wherever you’re headed.”

  “Thanks, Simon, but I have a car and driver waiting for me. It was great to see you two again. Thanks for making the flight a good one.” I smiled.

  “Take care, Shaun.” He patted my back.

  “You too.”

  When I entered the baggage claim area, my driver held up an iPad with my name across the screen.

  “I’m Shaun Sterling.” I walked over to him.

  “Welcome to California, sir. I’m Bernard, and I will be driving you to the Ritz Carlton.”

  “Thank you, Bernard.”

  As soon as my luggage came around, I grabbed my guitar case while Bernard grabbed my two suitcases and took them out to the limousine parked at the curb.

  “Welcome to the Ritz Carlton. May I help you?” the cute redhead behind the desk asked.

  “Reservation for Sterling.”

  “Welcome, Mr. Sterling.” She smiled. “We’ve been expecting you. Here is your keycard to the Ritz Carlton Suite. If there is anything you need or that we can do for you, just let us know.”

  “Is the car I reserved ready?”

  “Yes. It’s with our valet. I’ll have the bellman bring up your luggage.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled at her and headed towards the elevator.

  When I stepped inside the suite on the twenty-fifth floor, I looked around at the 2,920 square foot space with the city view.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Sterling. I have your luggage,” the bellman spoke. “I’ll just put them in the bedroom.”

  “Thank you.”

  I took off my suit coat and loosened my tie. Grabbing a hundred-dollar bill out of my wallet, I handed it to him when he placed my luggage.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sterling. This is much appreciated.” He grinned. “Enjoy your stay.”

  “You’re welcome.” I gave him a nod as he left my suite.

  I walked over to the large table that sat ten and looked at the large fruit and nut basket that sat on it with a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket. Going over to the mini-bar, I grabbed the bottle of scotch I requested, poured myself a drink, walked over to the large window, and stared out at the city that was now my home for—well, I wasn’t sure how long I would be here.

  Throwing back my drink, I grabbed my guitar case, took out my guitar, and sat down on the oversized gray curvature couch. I strummed a few chords first and got lost in the song I played.

  When I was four years old, my mother took me to the doctor for my extreme behavioral issues. She was convinced I was either bi-polar or just a plain old psychopath. But after long and many tests, it turned out I was brilliant with an IQ score of 150. The simple fact was that I was bored. Since she couldn’t afford to send me to a private school for gifted children, I had to go to public school, which was too easy for me, leaving me bored and causing even more behavioral issues.

  When I was eight years old, my mother bought me a guitar from a secondhand store to keep me busy while she left me alone and went out at night with men she never intended to get into relationships with. Men that made her moan at night and left before the sun rose the following morning.

  When I was thirteen, my Uncle Ronin, my mother’s older brother, walked into our lives. They had been estranged since I was two due to a stupid disagreement because both were so stubborn. At that time, I was smoking pot and got into all kinds of trouble in school, including fights with the other kids. I didn’t take anything seriously because I was so angry all the time. Mad that I didn’t have a father, angry that my mother worked a lot plus went out at night, and the fact that I had to take care of myself. She figured since I was an intelligent kid, I didn’t need looking after. I often questioned why she even had me in the first place. And I’d often felt like I was nothing but a reminder of the guy she had a one-night stand with.

  My Uncle Ronin wasn’t the best person in the world. He was an asshole, arrogant, and quick-tempered. It was no wonder his wife divorced him, and he lost everything. He moved back to New York and in with us until he figured out what he would do. He started making investments in stocks with the bit of money he had. He introduced me to the world of investing, and when a couple of the investments went south, I helped him out by researching the market and telling him what to invest in. He started using my intelligence to make as much money as possible. The money he made he blew on cocaine and prostitutes. I made a lot of money, as well, and kept it hidden from my mother. After graduating at the top of my class from Yale, I opened the doors to Sterling Capital Corp. at the age of twenty-one with the help of some investors who trusted me after I walked into their office and told them exactly what to do to increase their investments.

  I finished my song, set my guitar in its case, closed it up, and leaned it against the wall in the bedroom. I’d spent the next week getting to know Los Angeles, buying a large piece of land, and implementing my plan to get close to my newly found family.

  CHAPTER 3

  Jenni

  I was so excited when I’d finally found an investor for my fashion label. He was an older gentleman with a very business savvy sense. We’d met for dinner twice, and he genuinely seemed very impressed. He told me he’d invest in my company and give me everything I needed.

  The night I went to his hotel room to sign the contract, he proceeded to tell me, not in a discreet way, that if he were to invest in my company, I would be obligated to thank him by sleeping with him every time he came to Los Angeles, which was at least three times a month. I refused, threw a glass of wine in his face, and told him to shove his investment up his ass. I was so humiliated that I didn’t tell anyone what had happened. I’d already been through six rejections, and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I was tired of men thinking I was just another pretty face that could be bought and used for their disgusting pleasure.

  I’d spent a week hiding in my apartment even though I’d told Julia and everyone else that I was going out of town. I wanted to wallow in self-pity alone, and I didn’t want to be bothered. As I was sitting on the couch sketching, there was a knock at the door. I had ordered take-out, and when I went to open it, Simon stood there holding up the plastic bag with my food in it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked with an arch in my brow.

  “The question isn’t what I’m doing. It’s what are you doing?” He kissed my cheek and stepped inside.

  “Did you quit your job as a detective and start up your own food delivery service?”

  “Very funny.” He set the bag on the kitchen counter. “It just so happened that Grace and I were leaving the restaurant when I overheard the Uber Eats guy say he was there for a pickup for Jenni Benton. Then I thought to myself, how is that possible since you’re out of town.” His eye narrowed at me. “So, I gave him a tip, took the food, and told him I’d deliver it to you myself.”

  “They aren’t supposed to do that,” I said as I narrowed my eye.

  “He fought me at first until Grace pulled out
her badge and said you were a suspect in a murder case we were investigating, and it was in his best interest to stay away from you and your place. He happily handed over your food.” He grinned. “What’s going on?”

  “I just got back.” I smiled as I pulled out my sandwich and fries from the bag.

  “Really? Because I don’t see your suitcases anywhere.”

  “They’re in the bedroom.” I knitted my brows.

  “You’re lying.” A smirk crossed his face. “You know you can’t lie to me. I’ll ask you one last time, what is going on?”

  “First, where is Grace?”

  “I had to drop her off at the station. She needed to do something.”

  He walked over to where I stood in the kitchen and gripped my shoulders.

  “What happened that you lied to us and told us you were out of town?”

  “Remember that investor I told you about? The one I was meeting to sign the contracts?”

  “Yeah.” His brows furrowed.

  “When I got to his hotel room, he held the papers in his hand and told me that if he was going to go through with the deal of investing in my fashion label, one of the terms of the agreement was that I would have to sleep with him every time he came to L.A. for business.”

  I watched as Simon inhaled a sharp breath.

  “Where is that motherfucker?”

  “He’s gone. I threw a glass of wine in his face and told him to shove his investment up his ass.”

  “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. “I’m sorry, Jen.”

  “It’s fine, Simon.” I held back the tears that were starting to fill my eyes.

  “The four of us already told you that we’d give you the money.”

  “And I appreciate it, but I am not taking money from you or your family.”

  “We’re your family, Jen.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Family, money, and business do not mix. I’ll eventually find someone.” I broke our embrace.

  Opening the container, which contained my cherry chicken salad wrap, I held it up to Simon.

  “Bite?”

  “No, thanks.” A tender smile crossed his lips. “Listen, I don’t like what you did. You said you were out of town, but you were locked up here all week. Don’t do it again. We’re here for you, Jenni. I’m here for you.”

  “I know. I just wanted to be alone to gather my thoughts and figure out what was next. Maybe this is the universe’s way of telling me that I’m not meant to start my label.”

  “Nonsense. You have amazing designs, and any woman would be happy to wear your clothing.”

  “Thanks, Simon. But you’re only saying that because I’m your bestie.”

  “That isn’t true. You know I always tell it like it is. If I thought for a moment you sucked, I would tell you.” A smirk crossed his lips. “But I don’t, and neither does anyone else. You know tonight is family dinner at Four Kinds, and you better come.”

  “I don’t know,” I whined.

  “Think about it because we all want you there.” He kissed my forehead. “I have to go and pick up Grace. I’ll see you tonight.” He pointed at me as he walked away.

  “We’ll see!” I shouted as he walked out the door.

  On the one hand, I wanted to go because I missed seeing everyone, but on the second hand—hell, enough with the self-pity. I needed to go out and have some fun tonight.

  When I stepped through the door at Four Kinds, I saw the four brothers standing at the bar talking. As I approached them, I let out a gasp at the incredibly sexy man they were talking to.

  “Jenni.” Sam smiled as he placed his hand on my upper back and kissed my cheek. “I didn’t know you were back.”

  “We’ll talk about that later.” I smiled as I looked over at Simon, who gave me a wink.

  “Well,” I flirtatiously smiled, “Hello, there. I’m Jenni.” I extended my hand.

  “Shaun.” The corners of his mouth curved upward as he placed his hand in mine.

  CHAPTER 4

  Shaun

  I stared into her beautiful blue eyes as I shook her hand. I didn’t expect all my brothers to be here tonight, let alone her. She was even more gorgeous and sexy in person than in her pictures. Five-foot-eight, long brown hair with subtle waves throughout, beautiful lips with a smile that made her eyes light up, high cheekbones, and a killer body. One that I wanted to explore badly. There was no way in hell this woman was single.

  “So, how do you know these fine gentlemen?” she asked.

  “Grace and I met Shaun in New York,” Simon spoke.

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “I thought for a minute Grace was the woman I was meeting for a blind date.”

  “Oh, so you’re single?” She grinned.

  “I am.” I placed my hand in my pants pocket. “Then it just so happened that Simon and Grace were on the same flight as I was. I came here for dinner because it was rated as one of the top restaurants and imagine my surprise when I saw him heading towards me. I had no idea that his brother owned the place.”

  “It’s an excellent restaurant and the food is superb. You’ll love it.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “We didn’t know you were coming. We already ate, but I’ll have Marco fix you a plate,” Sebastian said.

  “Or you can join me for dinner.” I smiled at her.

  She bit down on her bottom lip. “I’d love to.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Sterling?” A woman walked over. “Your table is ready.”

  “Simon, my friend, it was good to see you again. Sam, Stefan, Sebastian, it was a pleasure to meet you.” I shook their hands again.

  “It was nice to meet you too,” they all spoke.

  “Watch out for that one,” Simon gave me a wink and a smile as he patted my back. “Enjoy your dinner.”

  “Thanks, and I will.” I chuckled.

  We were seated at a table for two outside with a perfect view of the ocean. Between the warm temperature, light wind, and the sounds of the waves hitting the shoreline, it was an ideal evening to have dinner with a beautiful woman.

  “Hi, Jenni.” Our waitress walked over.

  “Hi, Marcia. This is Shaun. Shaun, Marcia.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, and welcome to Four Kinds. What can I get you two to drink?”

  “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay,” Jenni spoke.

  “And I’ll have a single malt scotch, 17 years.”

  “Excellent. I’ll go grab those for you while you look over the menu.”

  “Is there anything you suggest?” I asked as I stared at her from across the table.

  “The pecan-crusted whitefish is to die for.”

  “Sounds delicious. I’ll take your word for it.” My lips formed a smirk.

  Our waitress returned, set our drinks down in front of us, and took our dinner order.

  “So, tell me the story about how you thought Grace was your blind date.”

  “The woman I was meeting said she had long dark hair and she’d be wearing a black dress. When I walked into the bar at the hotel, I saw a woman with long dark hair wearing a black dress, so I assumed it was her. I honestly thought Simon was going to kill me when he walked up. I had to explain myself quickly.”

  She let out a laugh. “I bet you did.”

  “How do you know them?”

  “Julia, who is Sam’s wife, is my twin sister.”

  “Wow. Really?”

  “Yeah. They’re such a great family. We’re all really close.”

  “I’d like to meet your sister sometime.”

  “You can meet her right now because here she comes.” She grinned.

  Jenni

  Julia walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder.

  “Hey. Welcome back.” She narrowed her eye.

  “We’ll talk later. Julia, I’d like you to meet Shaun. Shaun, my twin sister, Julia.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Julia.” He smiled as he extended his hand.

&nbsp
; “It’s nice to meet you, Shaun. Simon was just telling us about you.”

  “All good, I hope.”

  “Yes. All good.”

  “When are you due?”

  “A couple more weeks.” She smiled as she placed her hand on her overly large belly.

  “Julia is having twin girls,” Jenni spoke.

  “Wow. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I’m so ready for them to be born right now.”

  “I bet.”

  “Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Shaun. Jenni, we’re going to have a little chat later.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  “Nothing. I told all of them I was going out of town, but I wasn’t, and I stayed in my apartment all week.”

  “Why?” My brows furrowed.

  “It’s a long and boring story. Tell me, what brings you to California?”

  “Business.”

  “What kind of business are you in?”

  “I’m the CEO of Sterling Capital Corp. in New York.”

  I knew it. I could tell just by how he carried himself that he was a corporate man. Six foot three, striking blue eyes, brown hair that was stylish with tapered sides and a longer top, a masculine jawline with a neatly trimmed five o’clock shadow, and a muscular body I wanted to see more of.

  “Nice. How long are you here for?” I asked.

  “I’m thinking of opening an office here in L.A, so I’m sticking around for a while.”

  “Really?” Excitement flowed through me.

  “Yes. I have a project I’m planning, and I need to get with some architectural firms.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled. “Know of any good ones in the area?”

  “Actually, Sam and Stefan own Kind Design & Architecture. They’re one of the best.”

  “No shit. I had no idea. I’ll have to set up a meeting with them.”

  “Definitely. You won’t be sorry.”

  “Again, I’ll take your word for it.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.