“How could you, Mr. Bradford?” the girl wailed even louder, making him cringe.

  Oh, he really was going to kill Haley for this shit.

  * * *

  “I had a really nice time,” Jonathan said, probably for the tenth time.

  Haley forced herself to smile and of course lie. “I did, too,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask her to elaborate on what she found nice, because she would really be hard pressed to find something nice about this evening, except of course that it was nice that it was ending.

  This was absolutely the very last time she went on a date with any man Mary, one of her oldest and dearest friends, suggested. One would think after Mary set her up with the taxidermist who crossed dressed she would have learned her lesson, apparently not because somehow she agreed to go out with this loser.

  It didn’t start off badly. In fact, he was on time and she thought he was rather cute in a nerdish way. He was tall, a bit thin, but still, he looked nice. His clothes were clean and he smelled good. The first clue that something just wasn’t right occurred when they made it to the restaurant.

  That’s when his mother called for the first time. Yes, first time as in there was more than one call from his mother. In fact, during their four hour date, it lasted that long because he took so long to eat, she called a total of twenty-three times. Yes, she was very sure it was his mother since he sat at the table when he took the calls and the speaker on his phone was rather loud.

  The reasons for the calls ranged from, she missed him, wanted to know if he’d rather come home and eat what she cooked, reminded him to clean his room tomorrow, and her personal favorite, she wanted to know if he was still with “her”. Judging by her tone and the amount of calls, his mommy was not a happy camper about her little boy dating. Granted her little boy was thirty-five years old and according to him has never lived on his own. Why would he when he lived with his best friend? Meaning, mommy dearest. Of course he did spend a good time complaining about how unfair his mother could be. Who knew a thirty-five year old man could still be grounded for not picking up his dirty socks? She certainly hadn’t.

  She could not wait to get inside her house and change into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and have a good laugh about this with Jason. That is of course only if Jason had forgiven her for her little jest earlier. Hence the large piece of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting in the doggy container she was currently holding. Jason was a big baby, but a big baby that could be bought with food.

  “Well, here we are,” she said brightly as they pulled into her driveway. “It’s been fun. Thank you again,” she said quickly as she practically ran from the car.

  “This is a really nice house,” he said close, too close. Haley looked back and bit back the curse that threatened to leave her lips. The man was following her to the door. She wanted to cry, really, she did. When would this nightmare end?

  She walked up to her door and plastered another fake smile on her face. “Well, thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome.” He gave her a shy smile before he leaned in to kiss her. Thankfully she saw that one coming and turned her head in time to receive a rather wet kiss on her cheek. Ew….

  She barely stopped herself from wiping her face. She’d scrub that off in a matter of minutes in a scolding hot shower.

  “Oops. Sorry,” he mumbled as he leaned in to give her another kiss.

  Faster than even she thought was possible, she had the front door unlocked and opened. She stumbled back saving herself from more slobber.

  “Well, it’s been nice but-“

  “Can I come in for a cup of coffee?” he asked eagerly and then of course had to add, “I can stay out as late as I want tonight.” Oh, she knew he was lying. Someone was going to be in so much trouble when he got home. She mentally tsked him.

  She opened her mouth to politely refuse when the yelling began.

  “Help me!”

  Haley jumped. What the hell? It sounded like Jason was right in her house.

  “Help me, please! Somebody please help me! Why won’t somebody help me?”

  “What’s that?” Jonathan asked nervously.

  Haley didn’t stop to answer. She was already running towards the direction of the screaming. Her room? She threw the door open and nearly tripped as she came to a halt five feet into the room which put her right in front of her bed.

  “What the hell….” Jonathan stopped behind her.

  “Oh, thank god you’re here, Haley!” Jason said, sounding happy for someone who was tied to her bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. “I know you said it turns you on knowing I’m tied to your bed waiting for you, but I really need to use the bathroom and stretch my legs before we begin….,” his voice trailed off when he caught sight of Jonathan.

  Jason sighed dramatically. “I thought we agreed that you would tell me ahead of time before you added someone to our bed.” With a roll of his eyes he said, “It’s fine this time. Lucky for you I think we have plenty of lube.” He looked thoughtfully at Jonathan who was still staring at Jason dumbly. “I hope you’re not a screamer. The last guy screamed his head off every time I-“

  “You’re sick!” Jonathan cried, cutting Jason off. “Stay away from me and don’t try to call me either. I’m telling my mother about you!”

  Haley didn’t spare Jonathan a glance as she glared at the man with the huge shit eating grin tied to her bed. She was vaguely aware of her front door slamming shut and the sound of tires peeling out of her driveway.

  “Is that for me?” Jason asked, looking pointedly at the styrofoam container in her hands.

  “Mmmhmm,” she said as she walked around the bed and placed the container on his chest and opened it. She didn’t miss his eyes widening in pleasure.

  “Is that-“

  “Peanut butter frosting, yup,” she finished for him.

  He licked his lips as he stared at the huge dessert. “You are the best, ever. Untie me so I can dig in,” he said absently as he continued to stare at the cake, probably trying to decide which end he was going to attack first.

  “You can’t get free?”

  “Nope.”

  “You did this yourself?”

  “Yup. Now cake, woman.”

  “Uh huh…..” She stepped away from the bed and headed for the bathroom.

  “Wait, where are you going?”

  “I’m just getting something to untie you with.”

  “Hurry.”

  “Sure thing,” she said, glad he couldn’t see her shit eating grin.

  Chapter 5

  “I said shut up!” Jason snapped as he stole the ball from Brad, his oldest friend, and tossed the basketball into the hoop.

  Brad wiped the tears off his cheeks as he struggled to stop laughing. He failed miserably and fell to his knees when he was no longer able to stand.

  “Shut up!”

  “I can’t….I can’t….believe….she….shaved….your legs!” Brad said between gasps and laughter. The bastard. Thankfully he was wearing a shirt to cover up his now hairless chest and arm pits. Oh, she was going to pay for this.

  “She ate my cake, too!” Jason said, which in his mind was the more serious betrayal. She wouldn’t even let him lick the spoon clean and he had asked, several times. Damn tease. That cake had smelled so good. His stomach rumbled just from thinking about it.

  “Man, for someone so obsessed with food you’re lucky you’re not fat,” Brad said as he continued to struggle with his laughter. Thankfully he was now able to stand so Jason could kick his ass in this game.

  “It’s not luck. I have a high metabolism and I work out,” he said, taking another shot.

  “How long did she keep you tied up for?”

  Jason shot a glare at the man. “I don’t know why you find this so funny. You’re supposed to be my best friend. This should outrage you that someone would take advantage of me like that. Where’s your loyalty?”

  Brad abruptly stopped laughing and arched a brow. “You hired two strippers at my bachelor party to give me a Brazilian bikini wax when I was passed out.”

  Jason chuckled. Oh, that had been a very good night indeed. In fact, he was pretty sure that he had the pictures around somewhere in his house. During the entire ceremony Brad fidgeted at the altar while he tried to discretely scratch himself. From what he heard his wife loved it so much she’d been after him to have it done again. To say Brad was reluctant to allow hot wax near his goods again was an understatement.

  “Nothing you can bitch about will be any worse than what you’ve done to everyone else over the years. In fact, I believe Haley is now my hero.”

  “She’s dead to me,” he said with a sniff.

  “Uh huh,” Brad said, stealing the ball and making a rather shitty shot.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jason demanded, taking the ball back.

  Brad shrugged. “It just seems that you like her.”

  “I do like her,” he said easily before adding, “When she’s not betraying me she’s my buddy.”

  “She’s a very hot buddy in a very cute way I would say,” Brad added.

  “There is that, too,” Jason said, dribbling the ball. “It’s nice to have eye candy around for my enjoyment.” He looked Brad over. “It wouldn’t kill you to pretty yourself up if you’re going to be in my presence.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Brad said wryly.

  “See that you do.”

  After a few minutes of playing, Brad asked, “So, is there anything going on between you and Haley?”

  Jason just barely held back a laugh. “Come on! She’s my buddy. I don’t see her that way!”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Sure.”

  Jason shoved the ball at Brad. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  Brad shrugged as he took another shot. “Nothing. Just noticed how you watch her sometimes.”

  “Oh? Enlighten me. How do I watch her?”

  Brad looked down at the ball as he bounced it once, twice, and then looked up. “Like you want to devour her from top to bottom and you’d kill anyone who got in your way.”

  Jason snorted. Then for good measure he snorted again. “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “It’s all in your head.”

  “Whatever you say,” Brad said easily, pissing Jason off more.

  He didn’t want Haley. He didn’t look at her in any special way. She was his friend, his buddy, his amigo and he saw her as that not some tasty morsel he wanted to devour. Okay, so yeah she was hot and those glasses made her look utterly adorable and he noticed that she had really nice legs and big breasts that he was sure would cradle his head very nicely, but who wouldn’t notice that? She was also short which made him protective of her, and he liked putting his arm around her because she felt good against his side and fit perfectly under his arm. So what? It didn’t mean anything more than friendship.

  “Oh, here comes the object of your desire now,” Brad said, chuckling.

  “Shut up!” Jason snapped before he turned his attention to Haley who was in a new green silk blouse and a dark skirt. It looked like she was going to work, not hanging out on a Sunday. She held a foil covered plate in front of her.

  “You look nice. Where are you off to?” Brad asked.

  Haley sighed, “Barbeque.”

  Both men gaped as they looked her over. “You’re going to a barbeque like that?” Brad asked. Who went to a barbeque like that? What happened to jeans and a tee shirt or a tank top? Clearly they still had much to work on.

  “Family barbeque, don’t ask,” she said before turning her attention to him. “Are you still mad at me?”

  He grunted before walking off.

  “Oh, come on! I eventually let you go!” He flipped her off without looking back. “Come on! That cake wasn’t half as yummy as it looked. It left me uncomfortably full!” she yelled, earning a laugh from Brad and a second one finger salute from Jason.

  “What do you have there?” Brad asked.

  Haley sighed as she pulled back the foil, revealing large chocolate chunk cookies. “I made these for the big baby so he would stop his little tantrum.”

  “Wow, those look really good! Can I have one?”

  She shrugged. “Sure, since the baby doesn’t want one.”

  Brad picked up a cookie and brought it up to his mouth. It was inches away when a large tan hand grabbed it. Jason snatched the plate from her before sending Brad a killing glare.

  “How dare you touch my cookies, you bastard!” Jason said in utter disgust before popping the cookie into his mouth and heading back to his house.

  “Damn those looked good, too,” Brad grumbled.

  Haley sighed. “Don’t worry I have a second plate on my counter.” The words were barely out of her mouth when Jason abruptly changed course and headed towards her house.

  “Well, there was,” she said, watching Jason walk into her house like he owned it. A minute later he walked out of her house, carrying both plates and the gallon of milk she had in her fridge. He headed back to his house, but not before he glared at Brad. “You cookie thieving bastard,” they heard him mutter.

  Brad rolled his eyes, chuckling. “And people wonder how I lost weight rooming with him in college.”

  Haley just laughed as she locked up her house and headed for her car. For a moment there she forgot the hell that awaited her.

  * * *

  She ignored the glare of the parking attendant as she pulled around her parent’s mansion and parked her own car. She tried not to roll her eyes, but she just couldn’t stop herself. Leave it up to her parents to go overboard for a family barbeque.

  Why they bothered she would never know. It wasn’t like the rest of their family didn’t know they were rich. It also wasn’t like the rest of the family wasn’t also rich. They were always trying to prove they were the best and richest. Kind of pathetic if you asked her, no one did of course. She was just expected to show up at family functions, act perfect and bite her tongue. Yup, this was going to be so much fun.

  For the next four hours, and that was the time her mother told her she absolutely had to stay or she’d throw a fit to end all fits, Haley was going to have to endure looks of pity over her marital status, childless state, job, and looks. Yup, this was going to be great. Just great.

  Why couldn’t her damn reliable car have stalled on the way over here or better yet run out of gas leaving her stranded at the mercy of the wildlife that would maul her and save her from this hell? Was it really too much to ask for?

  She ran a hand over her shirt to smooth it down as she approached the front door. Before she could knock the door was opened. Jameson, their snotty butler of ten years, looked distastefully down his nose at her.

  “Your mother expected you a half an hour ago, Miss. Blaine,” he said with a sniff. It hadn’t escaped her notice that he called her sisters by their first names and even smiled when he did it.

  She wasn’t about to stand here and argue with the man. “Where is she?”

  Another sniff. “Madam is in the back yard. She’s very exhausted. She’s been working day and night on this barbeque. She was up at the crack of dawn and hasn’t rested since!”

  “Uh huh,” Haley said absently as she walked past a lot of people she didn’t know. Funny how family barbeques in her family really meant bringing everyone they wanted to impress or schmooze. It seemed she was the only one that hadn't brought an entourage. She had friends she really cared about and could have brought, but well, it was because she cared about them that she couldn’t inflict this upon them.

  “Haley, so nice to see you!” her cousin Jacob said. “You should come to the Vineyard this summer and stay at my new cottage. It’s fabulous, you’ll love it!” he said loud enough to draw attention to himself. She had no doubt that it was the for the benefit of the crowd around him considering he absolutely hated her. It might have something to do with her putting Nair in his shampoo when they were kids. Ah, whatever.

  She simply gave that fake smile her mother drilled into her head and made her way to the backyard where she found her mother working hard at sipping a Martini and gossiping with her sisters, a few aunts, and her Grandmother snoozing in a wheelchair a few feet away under her own umbrella.

  Her father, brother-in-laws and several Uncles, cousins and men she didn’t recognize sat on the opposite end of the large brick patio that spanned the entire length of the mansion. On the lawn, professional caterers were barbequing on huge gas grills while others set up food on tables and chairs around tables that now covered a small portion of the ten acre backyard.

  It didn’t surprise her that there were no kids at the family barbeque and to suggest bringing a child here would send her mother into a snit. A social queen her mother definitely was, a mother and grandmother? Not even a little bit. She was hardly there for their childhood. Why do it when she could pay someone else was her mother's motto. Nannies and maids raised her and her siblings until the age of ten when they each in turn went to a private year round boarding school. From then on it was obvious they were only guests in this house.

  Some might think it was a pathetic upbringing and to a point she would agree. Since they only saw children as an accessory they really had no business having them. It would have been a horrible childhood if her grandparents hadn’t bought a house close to her school the first week and took Haley to live with them. Thanks to her grandparents she had a wonderful childhood. She loved the life her grandparents had given her, which is one of the reasons at eighteen she took over her life and decided to pursue her own dreams instead of following in her family's footsteps.

  “Oh, Haley! There you are, dear!” her mother said cheerfully. Was she trying to smile? Yup, it appeared she had Botox done once again. Her whole face looked completely frozen.

  “Hello, mother,” she said, giving her mother a barely there kiss on the cheek as her mother gave her one.

  “Have a seat, dear!” Her mother gestured to the seat next to her. Her sisters Martha and Rose gave her smirks as they picked up glasses or fluffed back their hair in attempts to show off whatever new trinket their husbands, more likely husbands’ secretaries, bought them.