Machine by Normandie Alleman
34
Dynassy
The party was perfect. We’d had Marla plan it, as the new event coordinator for our division of Luv Machines. We’d rented a club for the night, bedecked the place in the purple we’d chosen to be the signature color of our new line of home “pleasure machines.”
Now, as all of our guests were arriving, I glanced over the place and decided it looked perfect. Especially my partner.
Bridger looked amazing. He’d had a custom suit tailored just for this occasion, and he looked so yummy I wanted to devour him right there. But before I could do that, I had to greet our guests.
Nick and Eden were among the first to arrive. My brother looked smart in his suit, and Eden did not look like she could have had twins earlier this year, in the form-fitting lace dress she had on.
“You look incredible!” I told her, giving her and Nick hugs.
“Thanks. A rare night out. I had to get dressed up.”
“Hey, sis. I told Eden there were going to be demonstrations tonight. Isn’t that right?”
I punched him on the shoulder. “Shut up. Of course there will not be any demonstrations.”
“Just ignore him,” Eden laughed.
“Where are the babies?”
“With my mother,” Eden said, looking relieved.
“We didn’t think this was a ‘family-friendly’ event.” Nick winked at me.
“Oh my God, if I hear that one more time!” I pretended to push my older brother, but I knew he was joking. It had become the family joke how I was no longer “family-friendly.” They all had a laugh at my expense, but I was glad they were laughing, not complaining. Even Lucinda had climbed onboard the Luv Machine express.
I watched Nick give our mother a hug, and I was happy to see that the two of them were on speaking terms.
The same couldn’t be said for Ivy and Lucinda. Once Lucinda had found out Ivy and Leo wanted more freedom, our mother had pulled out all the stops to gain back control over them.
“Hang on, guys. I’ll be right back.” I’d just seen Ivy and her boyfriend come through the door. The sides of his head were shaved, but the rest of his hair was pulled into a man-bun and he was covered in tats from the neck down, at least as far as I could see. The fact that the guy had a record, and considering the way he presented himself…I could see why Lucinda was worried, and also why Ivy was attracted to him.
“Ivy!” I threw my arms around her neck, and she hugged me back.
“Hey, big sis! Have you met Aaron?”
“I don’t believe so. Thanks for coming.”
I held out my hand and the dude gave me a halfhearted handshake then said to Ivy, “I’m going to the bar. Want anything?”
“Not right now, thanks.”
After he was out of earshot, she whispered, “He’s super-hot, right?”
Aaron’s manners left a lot to be desired, and he didn’t seem to have very good judgment from the reports I’d gotten. Damn, I was starting to think like my mother. “Mmhmm,” I mumbled, feeling old.
“So can I have a personalized one of these machines?” Ivy quipped.
I shook my head. My little sister was definitely growing up. “If you want one, I’m sure you can.”
“Thanks! I’m telling all my friends. Social media is blowing up with Ivy Barnes talking about sex toys.”
“I’ll bet it is. Thanks for being here.”
“No problem. I’m going to go join Aaron at the bar, okay?”
Nodding, I noticed Lucinda and Bridger’s mom, Barbara, over in the corner taking selfies together. Those two were worse than Ivy and her friends with their cell phone cameras, I thought as I walked towards them.
“What kind of trouble are you ladies getting into?” I teased, giving them both a kiss on the cheek.
“We’re trying to come up with an adult version of a book club,” Lucinda said.
“I guess you could read adult books,” I offered.
“Like kinky ones? I like that, Dynassy,” Barbara said.
“And we could have sexy cocktails. What’s that one I like so much, Dynassy?” Lucinda asked.
I covered my face with my hand as I muttered, “You mean a Buttery Nipple?”
“That’s the one!” Lucinda exclaimed triumphantly.
“Or Sex on the Beach!” Barbara added.
“Okay, you two are having way too much fun,” I said, and went to look for Bridger.
When I found him talking to Leo, I got the feeling I was interrupting a discussion of the latest Madden game.
“Hey guys. Our mothers are some dirty old ladies.”
“You’re one to talk,” Leo snickered.
I rolled my eyes.
“But seriously, man, thanks for taking care of my sister like that. Nick and I’ve been talking about it, and we’re awfully grateful to you for knocking out that douchebag who was trying to assault her.”
I’d tried to keep my family from hearing about what happened over at Sal’s garage, but of course the media found out about it, and so it was all over the news. Leo had been out of town when it happened, and Nick had been at a mini camp, so my brothers hadn’t had a chance to see either one of us since it happened.
“Of course,” Bridger said. “It was my fault for getting her involved in the first place.”
“Oh, like any of us could get Dynassy to do something she doesn’t want to do? Come on, man. In any case, I appreciate you, brother. She’s lucky to have you.”
“Thanks.”
Wanting to change the subject, I asked Leo, “It seems like everybody has a special order they want for a Luv Machine. Do you need one too?”
Leo considered this. “No, but I might want to send them out as holiday gifts to some of my best groupies. What do you think, Bridger?”
I made a gagging noise, while Bridger laughed. “I’m not sure I can help you with that one.”
“In fact, I think I see one over there right now.” Leo indicated a redhead dancing in the corner.
“That’s my friend, Celeste. She’s not one of your groupies.”
Leo raised a brow. “Not yet,” he said, sauntering off in search of Celeste.
I sighed. “He’s awful.”
Bridger slipped an arm around my waist. “Aww, come on, Dynassy, he’s not that bad. He’s just young. Life hasn’t kicked the crap out of him yet. Don’t worry. It will, and he’ll be a better man because of it. He’s actually got a pretty good head on his shoulders, considering.”
Considering he was a Barnes. Bridger didn’t have to say that last part. I could fill in the blanks.
But that was okay. It wasn’t always easy being a part of my family, and I was the first to admit that.
“Hey, can you believe we got all these people here, to a nice party, for a launch of our joint sex-machine business?”
“No,” Bridger replied. “I really can’t. If I would have told you a year ago that you would be selling machines built to screw you in the privacy of your own home, would you have believed that?”
“Um, hell no. I also wouldn’t have believed that I would meet a guy as nice as you, who would love me as much as you do, and who would take such good care of me.”
“And if you had told me that I’d be dating Dynassy Barnes, I probably would have said, ‘Who’s that?’”
I elbowed him gently in the ribs. “Come on. You would not!”
“Okay, but you were definitely not on my radar as someone I would potentially fall in love with.”
I shifted in his arms so I could look into his eyes. “I do love you so much, Bridger.”
“I’m glad you said that, because there’s something I want to ask you.”
“And there’s something that I wanted to ask you, too, but you go first.”
“Okay. You know how you’ve been staying at my apartment a lot recently?”
“Yessss…” Where was he going with this? Was he going to kick me out?
“Well, I wanted to ask if you’d move in with me.”
Whew!Relief flooded me, and I blurted, “Oh my gosh, that’s exactly what I was going to ask you!”
“What?” He looked confused.
“Yes, my house that’s been being renovated is supposed to be finished next month. I was going to ask you if you wanted to move in with me.”
“Um, well, that’s something we can think about. It doesn’t matter to me so much where we live, as long as we’re together.”
“Well, see, I was thinking with a house, there’s more room…”
“To start a family?” Bridger asked, a gleam in his eye.
I gulped. “Maybe we could start with a dog, but someday.”
“As long as I’m with you, I’m happy, babe.”
“Me too.”
He crushed his lips to mine, and I lost myself in his kiss, knowing that for Bridger and me, this was just the beginning.
