Still unmoved, Max lay in bed as if Téa wasn’t there. Then, he lifted his head and arm to look at the clock. “It’s almost four o’clock in the morning. How did you know I wasn’t in bed with a woman? And, can you get off of my bed? It’s weird.” He could see them just as plainly as if they were standing right there.
“I just wanted to tell you to follow the plan.”
“I’m following the plan, but the authorization couldn’t wait.”
Jessie was sitting there listening to them discuss her as if she wasn’t there. It was starting to get under her skin.
“Hello...you and Téa do know I’m sitting here right? I don’t need a babysitter or someone telling me how to manage my time.”
Max was now fully awake, “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. Nobody is trying to tell you how to do anything. You should be happy you have people who care about your well-being. Where are you guys anyway? Whose house is that?”
“Téa dragged me to a party to meet up with that guy she met at the bar yesterday.”
“I did no such thing. You needed a night out…maybe even a hook-up, and I wanted to see Michael. It was a win-win for everybody.”
Max sat up in bed. “I’m guessing neither one of you are getting any tonight otherwise you wouldn’t be here talking to me.”
Jessie laughed. “Téa still might have a shot at it. We’re still at the party or is it the after-after party?”
“Have you been drinking Jessie?”
“I only had a couple of drinks.”
“Téa, you’re driving right?”
“Yes. I’m the designated driver. I only had one drink and it was hours ago.”
“Well, be careful and Téa call me sometime tomorrow. I mean it, call me, and don’t use all those fancy gadgets on me. I’m tired and I’m going back to sleep.”
“Fine, I’ll call you tomorrow.” Téa pressed the release button and it disconnected. They no longer had a visual into Max’s bedroom. Téa sat back down on the couch to wait for Michael and his brother.
Chapter 7
It had been almost an hour since Michael had left Téa and Jessie in the study. They had kicked off their shoes and fallen asleep.
Michael and Brian stood outside of the door.
“Michael it’s almost five o’clock in the morning. I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming down here to meet your lady friend.”
“I know, I know. I’ll owe you big. I’m not ready to let Téa go home just yet. We didn’t get to talk much at the party. I need you to keep her friend occupied so I can spend a little more time with her.”
“I’ve never seen you act like this. I mean you just met her.” Exasperated, Brian ran his hands through his hair. “What do you know about her anyway?”
Even though it was almost five o’clock in the morning, Michael didn’t feel the least bit tired. He had that exciting feeling in his stomach that kids have before they unwrap their gifts on Christmas morning. He couldn’t explain it. Yes, Téa was drop-dead gorgeous, but he was around drop-dead gorgeous women all the time. She was also funny and seemed to be full of life. What grabbed him most about Téa was her confidence. It just oozed from her. The fact that they seemed to have made a genuine connection without her even knowing that Hollywood heart-throb, Brian Wright, was his brother was an added bonus. Yes, it felt like Christmas morning, and he wasn’t quite ready to let it end.
“I know enough that I want to know more. Now stop complaining and help me out.”
“I can’t make any promises. I’m dead on my feet.”
Michael smoothed his hair back and made sure his clothing was in place, “Fair enough. Whatever you can do, I’ll appreciate. You might want to spruce up, Jessie’s gorgeous.”
Brian gave Michael an icy stare and didn’t move to fix anything. Once Michael felt he had all of his clothes and hair in place, he knocked on the door. When he didn’t hear anything, he gently opened it and they went inside.
Both Jessie and Téa were lying on each end of the sofa sleeping. Brian knew that the friend was attractive. He’d seen her from a distance and saw her turn away all those guys trying to hit on her, including that actor. But looking at her now made his mouth water. She was lying on her side using one of her arms to support her head. Her skin looked as smooth as warm caramel. Brian could only see part of her face because it was partially hidden behind all of those wild curls. It had been pulled up at the party. It must have fallen down while she was sleeping. Those shapely legs were pulled up and bent at the knees. The dress had ridden up so much that if she moved just an inch, Brian would know her more intimately than she’d probably like. Once Brian realized he was staring, he turned his head toward the window.
Michael saw it all and it wasn’t lost on him that Brian was checking her out. He would just file that information away for now.
Michael kneeled down in front of Téa before gently pushing a wayward strand of hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open. Jessie was a light sleeper so when Téa moved Jessie automatically woke up.
The sun was trying to peak through the curtains.
“Good morning. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.”
Téa blinked a few times, trying to remember where she was, then gave him a brilliant smile. “Well, I usually don’t sleep over on the first date. But since you’ve convinced me, I should at least get breakfast.”
Jessie on the other hand felt exposed. The little black dress had
