Building Something Hot Read online

  Charlee walked over to Kason. “I am so disappointed in you, dear. None of this Mrs. Fox business. You know I tell everyone to call me Charlee. Just because you have captured my daughter’s heart, there is no reason for you to call me anything other than my given name.” She gave him a hug, as he stood there stunned.

  When she pulled him closer, she whispered in his ear so that no one else could hear: “And one day, you might even call me Mom.”

  Charlee broke the hug, and Kason blushed as she gave him a good-natured wink. Charlee moved over to Dexter and gave him a hug too.

  “Hi Charlee,” Dexter said, much more at ease than Kason had been. “Good to see you again. Break any hearts on the plane ride here?”

  Charlee laughed. “Oh, Dexter. You know me too well already!”

  “Mom, are you staying at our apartment, or did you get a hotel room?” Briella asked, as they went to the baggage claim area.

  “Oh, I booked a hotel room. There is no way I am going to interfere with the current sleeping arrangements you have. It’s about time I see some smiles on my girls’ faces!” Charlee said, and Briella and Mila blushed.

  Kason gathered Charlee’s bags and they all headed for the exit. “Oh, by the way, our limo should be right outside,” Charlee said.

  “You got a limo? Wow, making the big bucks now, huh?” Mila said.

  “No, actually it belongs to a friend of mine, who offered it to me to use while I was in New York, so why not!” Charlee smiled. “Ah, there it is now,” she said, as she spotted a long black stretch limo. The chauffeur was standing next to it, holding a sign with her name on it. He helped them get her luggage into the trunk, then held the door for them as they climbed into the back.

  The limo dropped them at the hotel, then waited for Charlee to check in and have her bags sent to her room. When she finished, they all went out to dinner.

  Kason was nervous about being with Briella in front of Charlee. Charlee noticed this and leaned over to speak to him in a low, comforting voice. “Kason, you need to relax a little. Don’t think of me as Briella’s mom or as your boss. Think of me as a friend of the family. Don’t be afraid to kiss her or say something to her just because I’m here. I can see how much you want to kiss her, so just do it,” Charlee said.

  Everyone laughed when Kason took Charlee at her word and seized the moment.

  After dinner, the limo dropped the four off at the apartment, then took Charlee back to her hotel. Everyone was in good spirits, especially Briella, who was excited to spend time with her mother again. When they got back into the apartment, she guided Kason straight to her bedroom.

  “Come here, Country Boy. Let me show you how happy I am right now.”

  When Wednesday finally rolled around, everyone was quite excited. The girls prepared at Charlee’s hotel room to keep their outfits a surprise for Kason and Dexter. The limo was sent to pick the guys up first, then they were whisked to the hotel to get the girls.

  When Charlee met the guys in the lobby, they both complimented her on how beautiful she looked, and then waited for the girls to come down. They saw Mila first, wearing a long black strapless cocktail dress that was tight at the bodice, and softly flowed from the waist. As she walked, the material swished around her legs.

  Both men let out long sighs of appreciation. Kason hugged her first, and told her she was gorgeous. As soon as he let go of her, Dexter gathered her in his arms and gave her a hug. He backed away and twirled her around. “Wow, you look spectacular!”

  “You look pretty hot yourself, cowboy,” Mila told him.

  A few minutes later, Briella rounded the corner. Her dress was a pale pink color, almost white, with a strap looping over one shoulder. It was long and straight, with a slit up the side to her thigh. There were beads and sequins that sparkled with every move she made.

  Kason felt as though his heart had stopped when he saw her. His jaw dropped. He knew everyone was watching his reaction, but they could have been on another planet for all he noticed. Briella was the only thing on his radar. When she got to him, she stopped and stood for a moment, waiting for him to say something. Dexter had to nudge him to snap him out of it.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Briella apologized.

  Kason took her hand. “I’d wait an eternity for you. You look…you look…WOW! I’m speechless. You are so gorgeous.”

  “Thank you. You clean up nice too, Country Boy,” she said, and gave him a kiss.

  Kason leaned in and whispered, “I don’t know how I am going to manage to keep my hands off you all night.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Briella whispered back.

  The five of them went out to the waiting limo and headed to the awards banquet. When they got there, they were escorted to a table up front, near the stage.

  “Well, I wonder why we’re all up front? Don’t they usually save these tables for the important people?” Kason asked. Everyone shrugged, as no one had an answer for him because they were all thinking the same thing.

  Dinner was served, but no one was able to eat much. The food was good, but everyone’s nerves were running high. They were grateful when the MC got up and started the ceremony.

  The first award presented was for ‘Interior Designer of the Year’, and it went to none other than Mila. She sat in shock when they called her name, and didn’t get up until Dexter nudged her. She made a quick speech thanking Briella and Charlee for always being there for her, and Dexter and Kason for always pushing her harder.

  Then ‘Residential Architect of the Year’ was announced, with Kason being the winner. Squeals of excitement went around their table. He thanked the group, as well as his parents. He sent a special thank you to Charlee for all of the help she had given him over the past few months, and to Briella for believing in him.

  The next award was for ‘Commercial Architect of the Year’, and it went to Briella. She immediately thought she might cry, but she took deep breaths to hold it all in. She thanked her bosses, co-workers, Mila for being the best partner, her mom for instilling the love of architecture, Kason for being her best critic, and Dexter for keeping her humble.

  Dexter shared an award with two other architects for ‘Up-and-Coming Talent’. After all of the awards were handed out, a special presentation was made to Charlee for all her work in the architectural world. Briella was so proud of her mom that she led the standing ovation. When Charlee came back to the table, she clutched the award hard, her eyes shining. “We all got awards, can you believe it?”

  “Wow, I feel like we bribed the committee,” Mila said.

  “Not so,” Jeff Thomas, the head of the Architectural Society, said as he passed their table. “It’s quite a coincidence that you all know each other, though I like to believe that great minds think alike, so you should all be together.” He shook everyone’s hands and congratulated them all. “I look forward to seeing what the future holds.”

  Everyone thanked him for his kind words and headed towards the exit. It was late and the banquet was ending, they were tired from the excitement, and so they decided to go home.

  In the limo, a bottle of champagne was already chilling. Charlee poured a glass for everyone and raised hers in a toast. “I just want to say that I couldn’t be more proud of each one of you. Dexter, you have so much potential. By the time I’m done with you, you’re going to hate me, but I’m going to push and push until everyone sees the heights you can reach. Kason, you have so much talent. It amazes me when I look at your work every day. I couldn’t have picked a better match for my daughter. Briella, honey, I can’t even express the way it makes me feel to see what you have accomplished. Any mother would be ecstatic to have you as their daughter.” A few tears escaped both Charlee and Briella’s eyes. “And Mila, darling, you have come such a long way with your talents. You’re just going to keep getting better.” Charlee took a deep breath.

  “You should all feel very proud, but don’t allow yourselves to slack off now,” she warned. “Keep striving to s
tay on top, and never settle for second best.”

  Kason hugged Briella, and told her he’d talk to her when they were alone. Tears were now streaming down Briella’s face, as she was so caught up in the emotions of the night. It didn’t help knowing that her mother was returning to Texas tomorrow, and after such a wonderful week, Kason and Dexter were also leaving.

  The limo dropped the group off and waited to take Charlee back to her hotel. Charlee said goodbye to all of them there, rather than have them at the airport with her in the morning. She hugged everyone, and told Dexter and Kason to have fun while they could, because when they got back, there would be plenty of work for them. She told Mila to take care of herself, and watch over Briella, and she told Briella how much she loved her. Charlee got back in the limo and rode away as the four went inside.

  Mila and Dexter said good night to Briella and Kason and went to their room, while Briella and Kason sat on the couch to finish the champagne they had taken from the limo.

  “Briella, I can’t even begin to tell you how much you amaze me,” Kason said softly. “You are so beautiful and intelligent. I have never met anyone like you. I wish I could put into words how it made me feel when you got that award tonight. I wanted to jump on the table and tell the world that you were my girl. I just…I just…Briella, I love you,” Kason confessed, looking into Briella’s tear-filled eyes.

  “Wow,” Briella said, and they sat in silence for a moment before she went on. “You know, I felt the same way when you got your award. I am so happy that you are finally being recognized for your talent.” Briella paused. “You make me feel things that I have never felt before. You make me feel complete, like a part of me is broken when you’re not here with me. I am so happy hearing how you feel, because I love you too, Kason.” She broke into a wide smile. “I love you more than I ever thought possible!”

  “You do?” Kason asked, and Briella nodded, not able to speak. Tears began to fall from her eyes as Kason stood from the couch and pulled her up with him. He took her hand and led her towards the bedroom. After he shut the door, Kason smiled down at her.

  “You know, as much as I love that dress, and the sight of you in it, you really need to take it off before I do.“Briella laughed and reached back for the zipper. He looked at her seductively as the turned her stereo on, turning it up just loud enough to mask the sounds of what they were about to do.

  The dress fell from her body into a pretty heap on the floor. She stepped out of it and right into his arms. He kissed her neck and whispered into her ear: “You know, I can’t wait for you to come to Texas. I designed my house so that you can scream as loud as you want, and no one will hear you…no need for music.”

  He turned her around and started kissing down her back. Briella moaned, thinking about making all the noise they wanted, thinking about the utter privacy that had been designed into Kason’s house. He ran his hands up and down her arms.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

  “I love you,” she answered.

  He kissed her shoulder blades. His breath was hot on her back, but his hands were even hotter as he slipped them around to her front and pressed one against her belly, pulling her closer to him, and let the other slip between her legs.

  Briella spun around and kissed Kason, allowing her tongue to play with his. At the same time, she reached for the buttons on his shirt. She took her time in undressing him, dropping each bit of clothing to the floor and kissing the skin she revealed. When they finally fell to the sheets, both of them were naked and wanting.

  The next few hours became a blur. Kason touched her everywhere, with his hands, his lips and his body. Briella melted underneath him, then gained more strength from the sounds he made and took charge, climbing on top of him. Soon they were joined so closely together that they didn’t know where she started and he began.

  The end was a climax that made them both forget their need to be quiet. Briella arched her back and cried out his name; Kason held her so tight she couldn’t breathe. As they lay resting, Kason wrapped Briella in his arms.

  “I love you so much, darlin’.”

  “I love you too,” she whispered.

  Chapter Ten

  The girls wouldn’t be able to see Dexter and Kason for another three weeks, until they made it to Texas. But as Kason reminded her, there were ways around that. Briella and Kason both bought webcams so they could see each other when they were talking on the computer. It wasn’t the same as being together, but it was the next best thing. They spent plenty of time talking and watching each other while they did.

  Over dinner one night, Mila asked Briella if she ever put on a ‘show’ for Kason on the webcam.

  “You mean, like a strip tease?” Briella asked.

  “Well, sort of. I was asking more about like if you touch yourself for him on camera,” Mila said, blushing.

  “What? Are you crazy? Please tell me you haven’t masturbated while sitting in my computer chair, then used the mouse after!” Briella said.

  “Well…not really,” Mila said, then gave a wide grin. “I washed my hands after, before I touched the mouse.”

  “What! That’s unreal, Mila! I never thought you’d do something like that,” Briella said, half annoyed, half laughing. “Did Dexter ask you to or something? It just doesn’t seem like something you’d normally do.”

  “He didn’t really ask me to. We were just kind of talking about it, and I got carried away in the moment. I only did it that once. We just wanted to see what it was like,” Mila mumbled.

  “Oh, my God! He was jacking off for you too? If Dexter blew his load on Kason’s computer, he’ll kill him!” Briella was astonished.

  “No, he used a tissue…I think,” Mila buried her head in her hands. “This is embarrassing! I thought you guys did it too. That’s what we were talking about, and that’s why we tried it. Ugh, forget I even mentioned it!”

  “You know I’ll never sit in that computer chair again!” Briella laughed. She couldn’t wait to tell Kason what they had done.

  When Briella and Mila finally boarded the plane for Texas, they were both getting nervous. It had been a while since they had seen the guys in person, and they couldn’t wait to see them again. They talked the whole flight about their plans for the week and a half they would be there. They planned on going to Charlee’s office a few hours each day to do some work for their boss, and to help Charlee with a few things. Of course, if their boyfriends weren’t going to be there, there was no way Briella and Mila would go in to do work during their vacation.

  “What will you say to Parker when you see her?” Mila asked.

  “I’m not really sure. I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there. I don’t want to step in and act like I run Kason’s house now. I mean, I am just his girlfriend, but I want her to know that her advances towards Kason are wrong and that they need to stop. I want her to lay off of him, you know?” Briella said.

  “I know. If she was hitting on Dexter all the time, it would bother me too!” Mila said. “It’s just so weird how you never used to be jealous, and now it’s like you want to challenge any woman who comes within five feet of Kason. Is it because you don’t trust him?”

  Briella laughed. “No, I definitely trust him. I have no reason not to. He could have kept things casual between us while seeing other women, but he wanted a serious relationship. I think it’s just because I never felt this way about anyone before. I mean, look at what happened with Jameson. He was in bed with two other people for heaven’s sake, and I didn’t even care.” Briella shrugged. “Maybe I’m just worried that Kason is too nice to tell the girls to back off. Who knows…just blame it on my being head over heels in love with him.”

  As soon as the plane landed, Briella and Mila grabbed their carryon bags and ran off the plane, dodging people left and right. As they made their way through the maze, they spotted Kason and Dexter. The guys were turned, looking in the opposite direction, so Briella and Mila ran and jumped on their bac
ks.

  “That better be Briella because if it’s not, someone has a lot of explaining to do,” Kason said. Briella jumped off his back, and he turned around and hugged her tightly.

  “You’re lucky it was you. I was about to break out my kung fu moves,” he joked.

  The two couples stood amid the flood of people, kissing and hugging like they had been apart for three years instead of three weeks. They finally came up for air when they realized they had better get to the baggage claim before their luggage was taken away to the “lost and found” section.

  Sure enough, their bags were the only ones left spinning around their lonely baggage claim section. Kason and Dexter carried the heavy bags and loaded them into Kason’s waiting SUV. They all got in and headed to the house, still touching every chance they got.

  “I thought we’d go out to eat tonight, if you girls aren’t too tired,” Kason said. “I thought you wouldn’t want to cook, and I know you don’t want Parker to cook. So, unless you want Dexter and me to burn the house down, we’re going out.”

  “Sounds good. I think we’re both just happy to be here, and that’s beating out the jet lag,” Briella said. Kason reached over and took her hand. He brought it to his mouth to kiss a few times, then relaxed and held her hand as he drove.

  When they got to Kason’s, the group was met by Parker, who came out to ‘welcome’ Briella and Mila. She offered to help bring the bags upstairs, but they politely declined her offer. Briella was almost too polite, and that made Mila a bit wary. Briella looked like she might explode on Parker once that polite veneer wore off.

  Kason and Dexter brought the bags upstairs, and Mila and Briella followed Parker to the games room. The girls dropped on the couch and Parker went to get them something to drink while they waited for Kason and Dexter to come back downstairs.

  Parker brought back some sodas and set them on the coffee table. Briella took a Pepsi and opened it, still being so polite toward Parker as to be chilly. Both Mila and Briella were very happy when the guys returned.