One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

“That’s great, because I need to get drunk before I can say what I need to say to you guys!” Mackenzie exclaimed.

“What?” They both asked.

And Mackenzie let everything go. She told them everything she had been keeping to herself. About how she had walked straight into the last person she wanted to see in her life. Her kids’ father, Chase Axford.

She told them about what happened in the Axford Hotel. Her job offer. The contract. And what had happened after she had found out and tried to terminate the contract.

She told them of the debt she now had to pay, if she didn’t take up the job.

“That’s why I stopped the kids from going to school.” Mackenzie muttered, throwing a paranoid glance over her shoulder. “Chase is almost everywhere I am, and I can’t risk him finding my kids.”

Charlotte noticed the way she kept looking around and placed a hand on her shoulder,

“Don’t worry, Kenzie. You can relax here, nobody could recognize us, even if they show up here by chance. And that chance is zero, by the way. Chase Axford will not just pop out of nowhere. He doesn’t know you’re here, okay? It really hasn’t gotten to that point.”

Mackenzie shook her head. “It has gotten to that point, Charlotte! He showed up at my workplace today. And I have to pay a huge amount of money to terminate the contract I already signed.”

“Then work for him.” Charlotte shrugged, like the situation was so simple.

Felicity gave her a look,

“Seriously, Charlotte? She has his damn kids. If he catches one glimpse of those kids, by accident, he will know they are his, immediately. That would turn the entire situation into a raging storm.”

Charlotte went mute, thinking over what Felicity just said, before realization dawned on her.

“That’s right.”

“I can’t let that happen. It’s just so complicated. I had my babies when I was still technically married to that asshole, Jeffrey, and when Chase’s marriage was still going strong.” Mackenzie said in frustration. “I don’t even know what to do anymore! I know it seems like I’m selfish for hiding the kids away, but this is what I feel is best for them…”

Felicity rubbed her back soothingly.

“Mackenzie, I think you should just let Chase know he has kids. I would want to know as well. I think he deserves to know his babies.”

“…but I want to know what his intentions are…”

Charlotte passed her a shot, with a small shrug, “You wouldn’t know what his intentions are if you don’t get closer to him.”

She took the shot and poured it back into her mouth. There was silence for a brief moment, before Charlotte broke it,

“Girls, I had applied to work in the Axford Hotel because it’s something to brag about, you know? It’s a literal dream come true. Only to find out now, that the CEO of the richest conglomerate in the entire continent has been doing all this to get you to take the amazing job he’s offering and you’re still refusing, Mackenzie.

“So tell me, how in the world do you intend to pay two hundred thousand dollars, five times? That’s a fucking million dollars!”

“Let’s be reasonable here. He will find out about my kids if I take the job. How can I know what he might do to them? What if he takes them away from me? He has the power to do that!”

“I have no way of knowing what the news of my kids’ existence could do. What if getting in my skirts is his own goal? He would surely get my kids out of the way!”

Charlotte gasped as if she just thought of something.

“What is it?”

She gave them both a stunned stare. “Hold on a minute. There are over thirty Axford Hotel across the country, and outside it. These are fucking wealthy people, and your kids are automatic heirs to the Axford Conglomerate!”

Mackenzie glared at her. “I know they’re wealthy. I was once a part of that family, remember? I don’t care about their money. I just want to live comfortably, that’s why I was trying to start my career as a furniture designer.

“I want my kids to grow up well and lead happy lives. They would not be safe with that family. Asides the matter of what Chase’s intentions could be, there’s Jeffrey and his mother. They had been pestering me to give them a child in that terrible marriage.

“Simply because they wanted to have an heir from Jeffrey’s side. To increase his share of the Axford wealth. A child is nothing but a tool to them. If they find out about my kids, even if they’re not Jeffrey’s , they will definitely try to make a lot of trouble….”

Mackenzie shivered at the thought.

“They could hurt my kids. A whole chain of disasters could unfold.”

“Their father can protect them, can’t he?” Charlotte arched an eyebrow. “He is the most powerful Axford man, after all.”

Mackenzie’s voice was a little harsh. “I don’t consider Chase their father yet. He hasn’t earned that title. I have to know his intentions first.”

Their table fell silent with thoughts, as they resumed drinking. Mackenzie felt a little lighter to have at least ironed out some of her dilemma with her friends, even if nothing was solved yet.

After a couple of moments, a waiter appeared in front of their table.

“Hello, ladies.” He bowed politely. “A kind gentleman from another table just paid upfront for any drinks you might like.”

Mackenzie’s entire body went stiff with panic. Her heart was pounding inside her chest cavity, as she asked with suspicion in her tone, “Who is that? Does he know us?”

“He’s back there. At a VIP table.”

Mackenzie was definitely sure it was Chase. He had somehow located where she worked and showed up there, it couldn’t be too difficult to know she was at a bar.

But then the waiter turned to face Felicity, and said, “He says you should drink with your friends, and spare no expense.”

“Me?” Felicity sounded as shocked as Mackenzie felt.

But she was also relieved. It could not be Chase, if the man’s focus was on Felicity. Slowly, her breath started to come back to her.

“Tell him we don’t need his drinks. We can buy ours.” Felicity told the waiter with an arched eyebrow.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, muttering, “Oh my goodness, that guy has no idea how stuck up she is.”

“It’s not about being stuck up.” Felicity glared at her. “It’s rude of him to assume that we can’t pay for our own drinks.”

Charlotte chuckled, “Can we though?”

Felicity’s glare deepened. “Of course we can. We didn’t come here in the first place because we wanted anyone to pay for our own drinks.”

“Oh, come on! The guy is just trying to be nice!”

“He should have come himself to have a good conversation, not trying to bribe me with drinks first.”

“You have been too far removed from the dating scene to understand how guys shoot their shots.”

“What did you say-?”

“Enough!” Mackenzie hit the table with her hand, cutting off their little argument. “Girls. We came here to unwind, not get worked up over some random guy. Let’s not start please, this isn’t like North Dakota bars where you can just argue and cause random brawls, okay?”

They both went quiet after that, and resumed their drinking. The waiter decided now wasn’t a good time, so he backed away for now.

But then a towering, masculine figure majestically walked over to their table and grabbed all of their attention before he even said a word.

“Hi, ladies. I didn’t mean to come off as rude earlier. I do hope you forgive me.” A confident male voice said.

A confident, familiar, male voice. Mackenzie was the only one who had not looked up at the man, but from his voice she recognized him instantly.

It was West. Chase’s cousin.

For the second time that night, a bolt of panic struck through her and she looked further away, hiding her face behind the thick curls of her hair. Damn it. She couldn’t let him spot her, because he was close to Chase, and might end up mentioning it to him.

“I’m West. I just wanted to break the ice by sending the waiter over. I would not dream of being rude to such beauties. Every man within this axis have been stealing glances at this table. I prefer being more direct, so I thought I could come over and say hi.”

Felicity stared up at him, feeling something distrusting about his perfect, handsome smile and his handsome face. He spoke smoothly, with soft looking hair that brushed over an attractive set of eyes.

A player.

Felicity could spot them from a mile away.

He stretched out a big, hand towards her. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss…?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Any other woman would have gladly provided their name, but Felicity left his hand hanging, and she said in her gentle, but firm tone.

“It’s not a pleasure to meet you, Mr. West. Please excuse us, you’re interrupting a very important conversation.”

Charlotte’s mouth dropped.