Thread of Illusion

Reid POV

My phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket. It is from Davina. She and Sidney want me to meet them in the restaurant. I'm sure it is Sidney. Davina would never be so bold, and she never eats. Oh, Davina, sweet Davina, she is never one to speak up or speak out. How I would love to help her in some way.

I grab my drink off the bar. I cannot believe how many people have taken refuge in the hotel for the storm. It makes a good bottom line for the month. I hope they all behave tonight. With the weather getting bad, there will be nothing to do but eat and drink. Drunk tourists are always fun.

My phone buzzes again. Girls, I am on my way damn. I look at my phone. It is my brother, Rusty: Staying at the hotel tonight. I have no power.

Well, that is odd. He never comes here. He doesn't like to be near this place. He always stays at the five-star hotels close to his house. This should be fun. I bet Sidney will be all over him.

I text him back: I will be at the restaurant with Davina and Sidney. Meet us there. Try to behave yourself I put my phone back in my pocket. I walk across the hallway to the restaurant. I open the door and look in. Sidney and Davina are already seated. The staff loves Davina. She is a great asset to me. Other than being late for everything, she is great. I will never say anything to her about it. She does so much. She takes care of the staffing, the scheduling, the ordering. I could not run this place without her.

I wave at the waitress to let her know I am sitting with the ladies. I take my seat between them.

"Hello, ladies. My brother will be joining us," I tell them.

"Really, Rusty is coming here to wait out the storm? That is odd. What does he want?" Davina says.

Sidney perks up. "Brother, hmmm. So, is Rusty single these days, or is he bringing someone with him?" she asks.

I knew she would be on it. She is the polar opposite of Davina. Davina is calm, quiet, and reserved. Sidney is wild and outgoing. At times, she is not, but for the most part, Sidney is wild. There have been a few times she has been cold and indifferent to me. She is an odd bird, that's for sure.

"Rusty never keeps anyone around for long," I respond.

Sidney laughs. "Sounds like fun for me tonight," she says.

Oh yeah. He is going to eat you up. I guess Davina and I can hang out and have a few drinks. I will keep it professional with her. I would never cross that line with her. She is beautiful, but she is not that kind of girl. "Sidney, behave yourself," Davina says.

"What do you ladies want?" I ask.

"Booze," Davina answers quickly.

"Oysters and booze," Sidney answers.

"I will order us all oysters and a pitcher of Tom Collins," I say.

I wave the waitress over. "Oyster platter for four and a pitcher of Tom," I tell her.

She takes my easy order and quickly leaves. I look to see if Rusty is coming.

"Nervous?" Sidney inquires.

I give her a scowling look. "My brother is very different. Trust me, you will know when he gets here. I want to intercept and get him straight to the table," I answer her.

I know she is Davina's friend, but damn, she is a little bit of a bitch. I hear a ruckus coming from the lobby. Yeah, that's Rusty. He is nothing like me in more ways than one. Rusty, my half-brother. The one who destroyed our family. "I will get him," Davina says.

She has handled Rusty more than once. She gets up from the table and makes her way to the lobby quickly. I can hear her fussing at him. He usually listens to her. Rusty does not listen to anyone. Anyone who has two eyes knows he has a thing for her.

It doesn't take her long to wrangle him into the restaurant. She comes back with him arm in arm. He pulls out her chair and sits across from her.

"Brother," he says slyly to me.

"Problem in the lobby, brother?" I ask.

"No, no, no. I asked Larry to put me in room 421 or 42,3 and he said both rooms were taken. I asked him to move them, and he said that was not possible. I want 423. Think Davina can make that happen?" he says. Sidney scoffs at him. "Hell to the no! We are staying in 423," she says.

He quickly adjusts his attitude. "I will just ask for 425, but you girls got to let me use the hot tub," he says.

I figure Sidney will jump on that. He is her type. Rusty is bold and arrogant. The two of them are a match made in heaven.

"Fine, just do not bring in whores in my room," Davina says.

Wow, she got him. I look over to see his face. "Understood," he answers.

I can't believe he did not jump on that. "So, where is she staying?" he says, pointing at Sidney.

Yep, I knew it was coming.

"Fuck you," Sidney pops back at him.

Oh yeah, these two will be in bed together by the end of the night. I can see it coming. I look at Davina. She just rolls her eyes. The waitress is back with the pitcher of Tom.

"Please, bring everyone a shot of tequila before people start killing one another," Davina says.

Davina pours everyone a drink. "Can we all please behave? I am nervous enough about the weather," she says.

"Yes, sure, I can behave," Rusty says.

Sidney looks at Davina apologetically. "Hear from Nathan?" she asks.

Davina cuts her eyes at her. "I don't want to talk about it," she says.

"Trouble in paradise, Davina?" Rusty teases.

"Watch it," she snaps at him.

The waitress approaches with four platters of oysters. She places a platter in front of each of us.

"I'm not hungry, but bring me a double shot of Tequila," she says.

I am worried about her. Not eating is one thing, but drinking? She never drinks. "You need to eat if you are going to drink," I say to her.

She nods and starts picking at the oysters. I reach over to her platter. I take the oyster fork and scoop out the oyster for her. I place it on a cracker.

"Open," I say, and I slide it in her mouth. Holy shit, that just really turned me on. I cannot think of her like that. I have women in my life, and she would not fit into the lifestyle I have. She is married, for one. He would notice if she was a part of my life. "That's good," she says.

The table got quiet all of the sudden.

"Shots!" the waitress exclaims when she returns. She has four shots and an extra shot for Davina.

Davina reaches for the double and drinks it in one gulp. Then grabs the regular shot and does the same. She reaches across me and grabs mine and slams it.

"Bring the bottle," she tells the waitress.

The waitress looks at me, and I nod, letting her know to bring it. I lean over to Davina. "Are you okay?" I ask her.

"Nope, but I will be," she says.

I glance over at Sidney who shakes her head at me to let me know not to push it. It must be the husband. He is good to her, but he doesn't give her what she needs. I can always tell when it is getting to her. Something happened. I did notice her looking at her phone. I wonder what he said that hurt so much.

"Do you guys want to hang out in the bar, or we could go up to the roof?" I suggest.

"I forgot you guys have that covered area on the roof next to the pool," Sidney says.

"We could all get in the hot tub," Rusty suggests.

Sidney glares at him. I can look at her and tell her she will hate fuck him before the night is up.

"I lit the fire pits earlier. I can close it off so just us have access to it. It could be fun," I suggest.

"One bottle of tequila," the waitress says as she sets it down on the table.

Davina grabs the bottle and her shot glass. "I am going to the roof," she says.

"I am going with her," I say.

"You know I am going to eat first," Sidney says.

"Yeah, and I am going to stay here with queen bitch," Rusty says.

Damn, she will either fuck him or kill him tonight. Whichever, I do not care. As long as Davina is okay. If she is not okay, maybe I can help her be okay.

I grab Davina as she rises from the table. "Let me help you," I say.

She leans into me. She has such a sweet scent. She has the scent of lavender and honey. I wonder if I am wrong about her. Maybe she would fit in to my little group.

I hold on to her. "Do you want to go to the roof?" I ask.

She shrugs her shoulders. I take her to the elevator. Just as I am about to hit the roof button, she reaches over me and hits the button for 4.

"Can we go to your room?" she asks.

"Yes," I say.

I will try to be a gentleman. I will not let her do anything she will regret. She leans into me. This is going to be hard. I will let her vent to me. I know she needs someone to drink with and talk to. I know Sidney is not the person for the conversation she needs to have. Oh, Davina, the pleasures I could show your body. The places I could take you. Even though I know I should not.

"He met someone," she says softly.

"Who?" I ask.

"My husband. He met someone, and he wants a divorce," she says.

I pull her into my arms.

"It will be okay," I say as I kiss her on the forehead.