Building Something Hot Read online

  “That was fun,” she giggled.

  “God, why can’t I control myself around you?” Kason asked, as he gently lowered her to the floor and pulled up his pants.

  “Must be my irresistible charm,” Briella joked as she smoothed out her dress. “Where’s the nearest restroom?”

  “It’s the next door on the left. I’ll meet you back by the bar.”

  “You got it. I’ll be right there. I just need to fix myself up a little.” She opened the door and went towards the bathroom, while he turned the other way to head back to the party.

  When he got to the bar, he ordered two glasses of champagne from the hired bartender. He turned when he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

  “Nice shade of lipstick, brother,” Aubrie teased. “Can’t keep your lips off your fiance during your engagement party?”

  “You know little sister, one of these days you’re going to fall head over heels and you’ll understand.”

  Briella joined them at that moment, still looking flushed from their escape to the bedroom. Briella saw the offending lipstick on his lips, face, and neck and asked the bartender for a napkin. “Looks like you should have gone to the bathroom to clean up too,” Briella said.

  “I can’t believe you two just got it on in the middle of your engagement party. You didn’t use my bed, did you?” Aubrie asked.

  “You’ll never know, and lower your voice, or I’ll sic your future sister-in-law on you. You should see how she handled Parker…it wasn’t pretty.” Kason laughed along with Aubrie and Briella.

  “So Aubrie, ever been to New York?” Briella asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Well, Mila and I are planning a trip there next weekend to look at dresses and stuff, and since you’ll be a bridesmaid, I wanted you to come with us. Your mom too, if she wants,” Briella offered.

  “Sounds great! Kind of like a girl’s weekend?”

  “Exactly! Think we can trust the guys to be home alone though?” Briella asked, giving Kason a look to tell him to behave.

  “I think you can trust him. Just this once though!” Aubrie joked. “Oh my God, I am so excited. Wait until my friends hear I’m going to New York, they’ll be so jealous! Oh, thank you so much for including me, Briella!” Aubrie hugged Briella, catching her by surprise.

  After Aubrie rushed away, Kason smiled. “Wow, you’d think she was twelve and not twenty-one, considering how excited she got. She’s still a little kid at heart. Thanks for asking her to go along.”

  Briella shrugged. “Well, she’s going to be my sister-in-law. I think we need some bonding time, and a weekend of shopping and partying is just what the doctor called for.”

  “God, I fall in love with you more and more every day. You know that?” Kason asked. “What did I ever do to deserve such an angel?”

  “Must have been something pretty good. Now, let’s go mingle with our guests,” Briella said, intertwining her fingers with Kason’s and disappearing into the crowd.

  The next weekend, Kason dropped Briella, Mila, his mom, and his sister off at the airport for their trip to New York. “Call me when you get there. Let me know you made it, okay?”

  “I will. Have a good weekend, and we’ll see you on Sunday. I love you, be careful,” Briella said, her eyes starting to tear up.

  “Hey, it’s only for a weekend, so don’t cry. Just remember what you’re going up there to do…you’re looking for dresses for the wedding. I’ll see you soon. I love you so much!”

  Though he didn’t want to show it, he was torn up inside over Briella’s departure. Kason released Briella, and the four women turned and walked to their gate.

  When the plane touched down in New York, the girls started to get excited. Briella and Mila were happy to be back, but it felt a little empty for them now. Raelynn and Aubrie were visiting for the first time, so they wanted to see a few tourist attractions. Briella had hired a car for the weekend so they wouldn’t have to take taxis everywhere.

  After they unpacked at the hotel, the girls went sightseeing, then Briella treated them to dinner at a fancy restaurant. So far, Raelynn and Aubrie were quite impressed with New York. They had expected to see homeless people on every street corner, and witness a few crimes, but they saw none of that. They did browse by some of the street vendors selling knock-off designer purses and watches, but they didn’t see any of the negatives that New York is “famous” for.

  After dinner, Raelynn went back to the hotel because she was tired. She insisted that the younger girls go out and have fun. Briella and Mila took Aubrie to some of their favorite bars, where no one seemed to forget who they were. It felt good to be remembered. They all had a great time, and after dancing and drinking the night away, the girls got in the hired car and headed back to the hotel, slightly drunk.

  Briella lay down in bed after sobering up a bit, but found that she couldn’t sleep. She looked at the clock and it read 3:47 am. Knowing that he wouldn’t be mad at getting woken up, Briella called Kason.

  After ringing three times, Kason picked up.

  “Hi honey, were you sleeping?” Briella asked, a little too cheery.

  “Briella, are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep. Sorry if I woke you,” she said apologetically.

  “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t sleeping well either, so I took a sleeping pill about an hour ago. How did your day go?”

  “Well, it was action packed. I think we tired your poor mother out with all the sightseeing. Your sister had a great time, though. Tomorrow is the big day. I have some dress fittings scheduled, so hopefully we’ll find something nice. What’d you do today?”

  “Well, Dexter came over, we played some games, watched some movies, nothing too interesting. Stella kept us fed all day, so you don’t need to worry about us bachelors.”

  “Well, enjoy it while you can. Only four more months until you’re a newlywed, and a bachelor no more,” Briella smiled.

  “I can’t wait for that day. I’m sure if you find a dress tomorrow, it will look perfect on you. I can’t wait to see it!”

  “Uh-uh, Country Boy! You’re not seeing the dress until November 28th at eleven in the morning! You got that? I’ll have your mother lock it up in her house so you can’t snoop!” Briella scolded.

  “I know, I know. I just like to mess with you. So, do you feel better now?” Kason asked as he heard Briella yawn.

  “Yeah, I do. I think I just needed to hear your voice. I think I can finally sleep now. Thanks for not getting mad that I woke you up,” Briella said.

  “You know you can call anytime. It helped me to hear your voice too. Sweet dreams, darling. I love you; call me sometime tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay, love you too, Kason. Dream about me!” Briella was asleep as soon as she hung up the phone.

  The next morning, the group headed to the bridal shop. They had a few dresses waiting for all four women to try on.

  As soon as Briella and Aubrie walked over to the bridesmaid dresses that had been put aside, they both reached for the same one. It was a red tank top with a shimmering, sheer overlay, and a matching skirt. Briella handed it to Aubrie to try on, and gave Mila a different one to try. Both girls came out of the dressing room at the same time, and though Mila’s dress was pretty, they all fell in love with the one Aubrie was wearing.

  “Wow, that was easy. Let’s hope mine and Briella’s go the same way!” Raelynn said. Briella put in the order for five of the red dresses, and gave the manager a list of sizes to order.

  They looked at the ‘Mothers’ dresses next. Everything seemed too matronly for Raelynn, so they decided to move on to the next shop to find her dress.

  They all turned their attention to the bride’s dresses next. Briella could feel her hands shaking as she looked through the ones set aside for her. The attendant brought them all into a huge dressing room and hung them up throughout the room. “The only way you’ll figure it out is to start trying them on,” the attendant said to he
r sweetly.

  Briella undressed and tried the first one on. “Well, it’s beautiful, but it’s just not me,” Briella said. She said the same of the next six dresses. “Oh, man, this isn’t easy, is it?” she said, starting to feel anxious.

  “No, but we still have plenty of gorgeous dresses here. We’ll find one that suits you,” the attendant told her.

  When she tried the next dress on, Briella realized that she had spoken too soon. After the dress was buttoned up, everyone, including Briella, stared in shock. The attendant brought over a veil and gloves for Briella to complete the look.

  “This is it, wrap it up, all of it,” Briella said, a little choked up.

  “It was meant for you. The dress doesn’t even need any alterations. It’s almost as if the designer had you in mind when making it,” the attendant said in awe. “The price on this dress is…”

  Briella interrupted her. “It doesn’t matter. Price is no object. Like I said, I will take it all.” The attendant nodded and began to unbutton the back. Briella stepped out of the dress and put her own clothes back on. She made arrangements for the dress to be shipped to Texas, then they went to find Raelynn’s dress - and they did, in the very next shop. Once that was ordered, their gown shopping was done.

  After the dresses were ordered, Briella took them all out to lunch. Once they began eating, Briella announced that she wanted to get another tattoo. “This one for Kason,” she explained. “I want a constant reminder of my love for him.”

  “Wow, nothing says I love you like permanent ink!” Raelynn laughed.

  “I know it seems odd, but one of my tattoos is in memory of my grandmother, and it means a lot to me. I just want something to show Kason that he’s always in my heart,” Briella explained.

  “I think that is so cool!” Aubrie exclaimed. “Do you know what you’re going to get?”

  “Well, I was thinking that I would get a big heart, with ‘Country Boy’ and a small shape of the state of Texas inside of it,” Briella said, drawing it out on a paper napkin.

  “That does look cool Briella. Where are you going to put it?” Mila asked.

  “I’ll have it done on my lower back. I don’t really want it to be visible,” Briella explained. “And I’d like to get it this afternoon.”

  “I’m in,” said Aubrie.

  “Not me. I’m tired. I think I’ll do a little more shopping, then head back to the hotel,” Mila said.

  “I think I’m with Mila. How about we meet you two back at the hotel?” Raelynn asked.

  “That’s fine. Sorry if I spoiled anyone’s day,” Briella said.

  “No, you didn’t. I think it’s good if we kind of do our own thing this afternoon!” Raelynn told her.

  The two groups went their separate ways, and on the way to the tattoo parlor, Briella called Kason. She told him that she got her dress, as did everyone else, and that she was going to get him something special. Kason tried to get it out of Briella, but she was insistent on keeping it a secret. She told him that she’d call him later.

  They got out of the cab and went inside the tattoo parlor. Aubrie talked Briella into getting a belly ring too. After they both were pierced, Briella got tattooed. An hour and a half later, Briella was done. She was so sore and wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep that night, with a new tattoo on her back and a new piercing in her stomach. She grimaced at the thought, but loved how the tattoo turned out.

  Later that night, Briella lay down, feeling the pain of her new purchases. She turned on her side and put a pillow between her legs to keep her from rolling over. She called Kason and talked to him for a little while, then told him she’d see him bright and early the next morning.

  After a fitful night of sleep, Briella finally dragged herself out of bed and packed her stuff. She met the other girls in the lobby and they left for the airport.

  When they landed in Texas, Briella ran into Kason’s arms, and when he swept her into a hug, she yelped in pain. Kason dropped her and got a worried look on his face. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I guess I just miss you so much I don’t know my own strength.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll tell you about it later. I’m fine and as much as I want to be in your arms right now, it’s going to have to wait. I will take a kiss though,” Briella said, as the pain subsided. She took his hands and put them on the sides of her waist, then kept a little distance between them as their lips molded together.

  The rest of the girls made it off the plane, and they all piled into Kason’s SUV. Raelynn and Aubrie were dropped off at home, and a few minutes later Mila and Dexter climbed out of the SUV in front of their house.

  Briella was sitting in the seat funny, and Kason couldn’t figure out why. He wondered if he had hurt her when he hugged her in the airport. He felt horrible about it, and promised himself he would make it up to her.

  At home, Kason brought Briella’s bags up to their bedroom. Briella followed behind him, wanting nothing more than to sink into the bed in Kason’s arms. Kason kept looking back at her as they went up the stairs to make sure she was okay.

  Finally in their bedroom, Kason put her bags down and took Briella’s hand. “Did I hurt you at the airport?”

  “No, I did something. I wanted to show you how much I care about you, and when I went to do that, your sister talked me into something else. It was all too much for me, and now I’m in a little bit of pain,” Briella said.

  “Oh, you just completely confused me. Slow down and tell me what happened,” Kason said, leading her over to the bed.

  Briella looked longingly at the bed, knowing that it would put her in a world of hurt to lie down. Kason sat on the edge of the bed while she stood in front of him. “Okay, I’ll tell you about the foolish thing I let your sister talk me into. Or maybe I’ll just show you.” Briella told him and started pulling up her shirt. She stopped when the bottom of her shirt was at the middle of her stomach. Kason’s eyes grew wide.

  “Wow, that’s hot! I can’t believe you got a belly ring. My little rebel fiance!” Kason said, excited. “So, I bumped into it at the airport?”

  Briella nodded as Kason softly kissed her piercing. She took the bottom of her shirt in her hands and lifted it completely over her head. “But that’s not all. I told you that I wanted to do something for you to show you how much I care. Well, I know this may seem silly to you, but it’s big for me.” Briella unbuttoned the top of her shorts and folded the waist down. She spun around so her back was facing Kason.

  Kason’s hands lightly touched Briella’s back on each side of her new tattoo. He ever so lightly ran his fingers over the ink, sending a shiver up Briella’s back. He spun her back around so that she was facing him.

  “You did that for me?” Kason asked, choked up.

  “Yeah. Do you understand now how much I love you, and how much you mean to me?” Briella asked. “You have been showing me since the day we met, and I feel like I haven’t shown it enough. So I had to do something, and I knew you’d understand why I got this tattoo. Do you like it?”

  “Briella…I don’t know what to say. I love it. I love you! I can’t believe you did this for me!” Kason said through tears. “I understand! I understand. I feel the same way!”

  Kason kissed her, then looking lovingly into her eyes before he gently moved her aside and went to the bathroom. He came back a moment later with a tube of gel that he dispensed onto his fingers. He lightly spread it over Briella’s new tattoo, immediately cooling her burning skin. He had used the same thing when he got his tattoo, and always kept some around the house because it soothed burns, too.

  Kason set the tube onto the table beside the bed, and pulled Briella back over to him. He lowered the zipper on her shorts and slid them to the floor. “I promise I’ll be gentle, but I need you now. I’ve missed you so much,” Kason said, as he kissed Briella all over her stomach. “I felt so lost without you.”

  “I felt the same way, honey. I’m here now and for always,” Briella said, as she stripped
Kason out of his clothes. Soon they were giggling and trying to figure out what position might work to keep her from hurting while he had his way with her. Eventually Kason rolled her onto her side and got behind her, lying on his side as well, his upper torso far enough away so that he wasn’t touching her new tattoo, but he had a clear view of it.

  “Does this work?” he asked, and Briella was breathless when she nodded her head and pushed back against him.

  And so Briella’s homecoming was complete.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After a fun-filled weekend of shopping in New York, Briella found herself back at work Monday morning. It had been a typical Monday, between meetings, paperwork, and project updates, but that all changed with a single package that arrived just before lunch.

  Briella was sitting in her office, finishing up some paperwork, when the receptionist knocked on her door. Briella waved her in, and Joanie handed her a package. “This just arrived from a courier, who told me to get it to you immediately,” Joanie said, then walked briskly out of the office.

  Briella looked at it curiously. It was a large, blank envelope, with only her name handwritten on the outside. She grabbed her letter opener and tore at the seam.

  As Briella pulled the contents of the envelope out, her stomach felt as if it had been sliced open.

  Briella stared at the pictures in her hands, a shock to her system. Each picture was taken in her bedroom, in the bed she shared with Kason. Each one showed a naked Parker, having sex with a man with dark hair, but none of them showed his face. In all of the pictures, Parker was looking directly into the camera with a satisfied smirk on her face.

  Parker had written a message to Briella on one of the pictures. Thanks for leaving town this weekend. I had a great time with your fiance. I warned you, I always get my man. Love, Parker .

  Briella sat completely still and silent for a full minute. She stared at the pictures. This couldn’t be Kason - could it? It was her bedroom, her sheets, her bed. The smirk on Parker’s face made it clear that she thought she was victorious about something. But Kason wouldn’t do that!