After an embarrassingly long dinner, we finally ate dessert which were the cupcakes I'd baked.
"You know, Adam doesn't eat sweet things." Aveline said while Arthur, Tristan and Aidan were busy stuffing cupcakes in their mouths like the gentlemen they were.
How graceful.
"And here I thought you couldn't be worse than homeless monkeys." I stated, looking at my brothers unimpressed who only rolled their eyes before I turned to Adam who was on his third cupcake.
He was about to take a bite before his eyes connected with mine.
"What?" He asked but I shook my head with a chuckle before turning to Aveline.
"He looks like he's been sugar starved." I said and she chuckled while our dads were in the living room, chatting about whatever dads talked about.
Business? Probably.
"Moving on, I had my private detectives work with yours to trace whoever's been taking money out. It's already weird the exact same amount has been taken out of both companies on the same day, at the same time." Lance said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Before I forget, Taylor told me to tell you to call her." Tristan slowly spoke up, interrupting Lance again who pursed his lips in annoyance, while I frowned.
"Taylor? When'd you talk to her?" I asked when Arthur chuckled.
"Like, everyday." Arthur said when Tristan shot him a glare and I looked between the two curiously.
"Is there something I should know about?" I asked when Tristan choked on his cupcake, pretending to die.
"Stop acting Tris, we all know you're trying to avoid this talk." Arthur said hitting his back repeatedly while he pretended to gag.
"I'm fine." He coughed, getting up before excusing himself to go out for some air.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked when Arthur shrugged.
"Ask your friend. They've been texting 24/7. I smell something fishy." He said rubbing his hands together while I rolled my eyes at him.
"I'm sure Taylor will tell me. Now, what were you saying Lance?" I turned to my eldest brother who looked away from his phone and sighed heavily.
"I have some... concerning news. Now that Tristan isn't here, I heard Olivia and Josephine talking about some things" He said and we all frowned.
"Oh, should we like... leave?" Aidan asked scratching the back of his head nervously.
"It's alright, stay." Lance said and he nodded, sitting back down next to Aveline while Adam scooted closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"What is it?" I asked curiously when he looked at Arthur briefly before speaking.
"I had to return home suddenly yesterday since I forgot some documents in my office. I was passing by Olivia's room when I heard them talking about bank information. More precisely, dad's and mine." He said and I frowned.
"Yours? I mean, I understand dad's but yours?" I said and he nodded.
"Exactly. They spoke of transferring a large amount of money by the end of this month to someone on the phone. I'm not sure who they were talking to though. And then your name came up." Lance looked at Adam thoughtfully.
"Mine?" Adam asked and Lance nodded.
"Something along the crisis at hand and chaos everywhere. Josephine told the person she was talking on the phone with to meet the bank manager who'd help them out." Lance finished.
"So the only way we can know what she's hiding and who she was talking to on the phone is by practically crashing their meet up." Aidan concluded and Lance nodded.
"But we don't know where they'll meet." I said.
"That's where you come in, sweetheart. I know enough that they're meeting in a club, I had someone trace their messages. Their meeting tomorrow night at the club we met in." Lance pointed to Adam who nodded.
"But what's that got to do with me?" I asked.
"This is probably the most stupid idea, but we need you to dress up and probably wear a wig or something and accidentally crash their meeting. Hopefully, you can join in and gather intel." Lance said when Adam's grip tightened around me.
"No. I'm not letting her into some club to seduce horny men who could hurt her." He said furiously.
"Believe me, this is the last thing I'd do but we have no other choice. You think I would want my sister there?" Lance narrowed his eyes at Adam who scoffed.
"I still don't like this plan. It's bullshit." Adam said.
"I agree." We heard someone say and turned to see Tristan standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been standing there?" Arthur questioned with wide eyes when he shrugged, moving to sit next to him.
"Long enough to hear everything." He said casually but I could hint the hurt in his voice.
"I'm sorry Tristan." I said when he shook his head.
"Don't be Belle, I know what my mother and sister are like. And I don't like this idea one bit. It's too dangerous." He looked at Lance meaningfully.
"I'll do it." I said after a few moments of silence as everyone turned to me.
"Are you sure?" Arthur asked me and I shrugged.
"I'm okay with it as long as we can get whatever information we need." I added.
"No, you're not doing it." Adam said from beside me.
"I'll be fine, Adam. It's not like I'll have to do much to trap those men. You fell just fine too." I retorted and saw his shocked expression as everyone laughed at us.
"Oh she got you good!" Aidan said while Adam grumbled under under his breath before pecking my cheek.
"This better not be a plan to leave me then." He whispered in my ear when I smiled and shook my head.
"Never." I said softly when he smiled back as everyone's laughter died down.
"Alright so tomorrow night, you dress up and meet us in front of the club." Lance said and I nodded.
"Right. I guess I'll have to wear a wig too. And lens, right?" I asked when Aveline squealed.
"This is going to be so much fun! I'll come help!" She said excited.
"Yes, but be careful." Lance warned and I nodded.
"Alright, since all this is settled, let's move on to Adam's problem. How's the new project coming along?" Lance asked looking at Adam.
"It's going well. Hopefully it'll be the one to turn everything back around." He said and Lance nodded.
"Our team's been working hard on it as well. Hopefully, we'll be done with it by the party." Lance said and Adam nodded.
"Our IT team has been able to trace those bank accounts to a few phone numbers and addresses. I have my people checking them out." Adam said as everyone delved deep into thought.
"Oh well, I'm going home. I'm too tired to sit here any longer. You coming Aidan?" Aveline stood up and so did Aidan.
"Yeah sure, I'll go get dad." He said before walking towards the living room.
"We best be heading out too. It's getting quite late as it is." Lance stood up from his place and all of us followed suit as the men shook hands before my brothers hugged me goodbye.
"Take care, okay?" Lance looked at me meaningfully and I nodded, kissing his cheek and waving at everyone before they left.
I sighed, exhausted from the day when arms wrapped around me from behind.
"You okay?" Adam spoke in my ear as I nodded, relaxing in his hold.
"Yeah, just tired." I said, yawning right after very gracefully and heard his chuckle as he pressed his lips to my neck.
"Come on, let's go to bed." He picked me up bridal style in his arms, my arms wrapping around his neck, a smile on my face as he carried me to the room.
"Change?" He asked putting me on the bed and I nodded as he went to the closet and came out with one of his t-shirts.
He helped me take off my clothes and slipped on the t-shirt, kissing my forehead before going to the bathroom while I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Adam came out a few minutes later in sweatpants and nothing on top, getting in beside me, he pulled me into his arms.
"Good night my love." He whispered into my ear, placing soft kisses along my neck as I smiled, my eyes slowly closing.
"Good night Adam." I sighed peacefully, falling asleep right after.
* * *
In the morning, I practically ran to the closet in my towel after Adam had crashed my shower and turned it into a steamy session of shower sex, taking up a good thirty minutes if not more before we finally showered.
Not that I minded.
Pulling out my clothes, I quickly slipped them on and dried my hair, applying lipstick and put on my heels and grabbed my things quickly.
And all the while I was running around panicking, Adam was lazily putting on his clothes, slowly doing his buttons and then his tie.
He combed his hair, spritzing on his perfume while I struggled with putting on my heels and glared at him when he chuckled at me.
"Slow down baby, you'll hurt yourself." He bent down on his knees and helped me in putting my shoes on before standing up to his full height, making my heart skip a beat or two, warmth spreading in my chest.
"We're going to be late because of you!" I smacked his chest but he only chuckled, grabbing my hand and kissed it.
"I'm the boss, sweetheart, I can do whatever the hell I want." He said when I blew an exasperated breath.
"Well I need to go. So goodbye." I said and brushed past him when he caught my arm, pulling me back into his chest and crashed his lips to mine, effectively shutting me up.
That's one way of doing things.
Moving our lips together, he bit my lip, making me gasp and slid his tongue inside my mouth deepening the kiss, his hands holding me tightly by my waist while my own fisted his blazer collar.
I had to push him away with a hand on his chest and shook my head.
"Not now Adam, you're running late as it is. Go on, Carter's waiting out for you." I said when he wrapped his arms around my waist.
"You look nice today. Are you coming over at mine?" He asked, completely ignoring my previous statement.
Smooth.
"Thanks. Maybe later in the day. I've got some important people coming over at the boutique today. You look nice too." I patted his chest and he nodded.
"Thank you baby. Good luck and remember to eat something darling." He said and kissed my forehead.
"I love you." He whispered against my lips and I smiled, pecking him before pushing him away.
"Come on, off you go." I shooed him away, watching him chuckle as he grabbed his phone and wallet after blowing me a kiss before he left.
Shaking my head, I looked in the mirror once more before nodding to myself, clipping on my silver necklace and putting on some rings and earrings.
I took my car and went to the café first to meet Taylor since I still had some time to spare.
On going inside, many eyes turned to me but thankfully I had my glasses on. But I was still dressed a lot today and kind of stuck out like a sore thumb.
Looking around, my eyes fell on Taylor and waved at her before ordering my coffee and a brownie, the usual.
"Hey, how are you?" I said to her as I slid in the seat across her.
"I'm great. You?" She took a bite of her cookie.
"As good as I can be, I think. I have something to tell you." I said and she nodded, closing her laptop and giving me her full attention.
"Go ahead. Is everything fine?" She asked as Martha gave me my coffee and brownie.
I thanked her before turning to my friend with a shrug, relating all of last night's story and events to her, watching her reactions change drastically.
"Oh, wow. So you're going to go undercover?" She said and I nodded.
"Sort of, I guess. That's where you come in. I've already called Aveline, Adam's sister to help me get ready and was wondering if you could come too." I said and she nodded excited.
"Of course, I'd love to help any way I can." She said and I sighed in relief.
"Okay, thanks. I'll probably need a wig. Do you still have those we wore in college?" I asked her and she thought a moment before nodding.
"I do, they're in my attic. I'll get them today. Oh and by the way, Dylan landed last night." She said as a smile grew on my face.
"Really? That's great! How is he?" I asked when a throat was cleared behind us.
"He's fine and very handsome, thank you for asking." A familiar deep voice spoke from behind us and I turned around with a smile on my face, standing up immediately.
"Dylan!" I squealed, hugging the man tightly while he stumbled back a bit before wrapping his own arms around me and hugging me back with a laugh.
"Oof, you've grown heavier Bells, what do you eat, hippos?" He said sarcastically when I slapped his arm.
"Shut up Dyl." Taylor said from behind us as I hugged him once again and pecked his cheek.
"Come on, sit with us." I tugged at his hand and made him sit next to me, his arm on the back of my chair.
"You look good, how's everything going?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Good, great, and well. What about you? You look more beautiful from the last time I saw you." He winked at me, causing me to blush.
"Why thank you, I'm doing well." I said.
"So I've heard, you've been everywhere on media nowadays, even more than me now. Found you got a new boyfriend. What's his name again? Thorne?" He scratched his jaw when I nodded.
"Adam Thorne." I told him when he whistled.
"Damn, that guy? You scored yourself some serious goods Bells, better take care of them. Although, I'm disappointed you didn't accept my proposal." He pouted childishly and I squished his cheeks as Taylor and I laughed at him.
"Aw, it's alright Dyl, I'm sure you'll find someone. Speaking off, how's Sera?" I asked when he shrugged.
"She's alright, I guess." He said and Taylor and I gave each other a knowing glance before raising a questioning brow at him.
"Did you guys split, again?" Taylor said as I sipped on my coffee when he shrugged.
"Yeah, we're deciding to take a break for good this time. Figured some time apart might do us some good." He said an both of us nodded before I turned to Taylor.
"Speaking of, how's Miles, by the way?" I said and saw her purse her lips before sighing.
"We broke up." She suddenly said and both me and Dylan sat up straighter.
"Do I have to beat someone up again?" Dylan asked when Taylor shook her head.
"Nah, it's alright. I'll be fine, I guess. He told me he was interested in someone else, and just didn't feel that spark with me. I mean, I can't blame the guy, I didn't feel it either, come to think of it." She looked at me when I covered her hand with mine.
"How are you holding up? I know you like him." I said when she shrugged.
"I'm fine I guess, considering everything. Don't worry." She said with a small smile when I remembered last night's hot topic.
"So, would you like to tell me that you've been talking, texting or whatever it is with my brother?" I asked, raising a brow when her face turned red.
"I-I... W-we were just texting, that's all." She said, stuttering nervously and making my smile widen.
"Oh really? Don't think I missed your blushing face Tay Tay. Come on, spill." Both Dylan and I leaned forward when she sighed.
"Look, we both shared the same post and found a mutual topic to talk on a few days ago, and we've been talking ever since. It's nothing serious." She shrugged, but I knew her better.
"So you're saying you don't have a crush on Tristan anymore?" I rereferred to the time when Taylor used to have a crush on Tristan when we were younger.
"No! We were so immature then B, and we were overly hormonal back then." She pointed out and I nodded.
"You still are." Dylan pointed out and I smacked his shoulder while he pretended to be hurt.
"You've got a point, but still, if you do like him, I say go for it. At least then we can be actual sisters." I said sighing dreamily when Dylan's face scrunched up in disgust and Taylor blushed furiously.
"I'm right here guys. And I won't care to beat any man up for you Tay Tay, even if it's your brother, Bells." He looked at both of us meaningfully.
"By all means, you both have my blessing to date and beat him up. He could use both in his life." I said and both of them laughed with me.
"So, how long are you here for?" I turned to Dylan who was now eating my brownie.
Oh lord, why the brownie?
"I don't know, could be a few months." He said and I nodded.
"And how's work going for you?" He asked and I smiled wide.
"It's going great. I was just heading there anyway." I said and he nodded with a big grin.
"Really? Can I come with?" He asked giving me puppy dog eyes when I pushed his face away from mine.
"You can, just don't make that face again. You don't look cute. At all." I said and Taylor laughed with me.
"But you know what Belle thinks is cute?" Taylor asked slyly and we both turned to her expectantly.
"Her boyfriends di-" I slapped my hand over her mouth as Dylan cackled beside me, nearly toppling off from his chair.
"My god Taylor, you need to get your tongue washed." I said exasperated as both siblings laughed at a blushing me.
"Anyhow, I'm gonna head out. You coming Dyl?" I asked standing up and he nodded, slinging our arms together.
"Bye Tay." We both waved at her and Dylan hugged her before we headed out to my car.
"Ooh, sweet ride. Can I drive?" He said excitedly and I rolled my eyes before tossing him the keys and sat down in the passenger seat.
"Okay, I'm opening the roof." He said and I nodded as he pressed a button and the roof opened, causing people to look at the sleek car as our faces revealed, some even taking pictures as Dylan pulled on his glasses.
"Ready B?" He gave me a smirk and I grinned back as the engine roared to life and I pulled my own glasses on my eyes.
"Ready D." I said and he zoomed out on the roads, a loud whistle falling from his lips as he accelerated a dangerous speed, going through cars here and there while people stared at us.
I raised my arms in the air, whooping and both of us laughing as the wind blew my hair, Taylor Swift playing on blast as we sang out loud while racing down the freeway.
Now this was what fun felt like.