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his left. If she wanted to retrieve it, she would have to reach across his muscular chest. If she did that, she would lean forward and give him a better look of her near-naked breasts.
    "Give it back."
    "He might not want to.” Colin laughed, the noise coming from deep within his throat.
    It dawned on her that sitting between the two Carmichael brothers—or rather, the Karlisi brothers, as they were now called—gave the Anessa employees and the gossipmongers the wrong impression. She had nothing to do with the two brothers, wanted nothing to do with them.
    To make matters worse, a man with sandy brown hair and wearing a light blue shirt and dark pants limped through the crowd and took the seat Brad had vacated. “Seems everyone's arrived,” he said without preamble.
    He didn't bother glancing at Nicole, but made swift eye contact with Michael. His tie was carelessly knotted and hung to one side. As soon as he seated himself, he pulled the tie loose, rolled it up and placed it in his jacket pocket. He sighed, retrieved a cigarette from his breast pocket, tapped the end and lit up. He had sad chocolate-brown eyes, a pale complexion and frown lines etched into his forehead. Ill at ease, he kept shaking his head to clear his long forelock from over his eye.
    "How's your ankle?” Michael asked the other man.
    "Hopelessly mangled,” the man grumbled.
    Nicole felt thankful for the newcomer's presence. Perhaps it would momentarily dissuade Michael and Colin from their programme of vengeance, giving her a chance to find a way out of this mess.
    "Have you met Nicole?” Michael asked somewhat disinterestedly. “Nicole, sweetheart, meet Bryan, my cousin, and also assistant super at Anessa. Very good at it, I might add."
    She flinched at his use of the word ‘sweetheart'. “Stop calling me that.” Despite herself, the crotch of her panties dampened with her juices. Michael had taught her what it was like to feel loved and desirable.
    Casually, Michael touched her knee, perhaps in warning, before he allowed his hot palm to linger against the velvet of her dress and over her upper thigh. She squirmed and her breasts became painfully aware of his magnificent body.
    "Which is he good at? Cousin or super?” Colin asked, his tone sour and bored.
    Michael gave him a long look. “Both. Of course."
    "He must be a new acquisition ripe for prison candidacy,” Nicole murmured, attempting to brush Michael's hand away.
    "It's a pity you think so badly of us.” Colin straightened slightly in his seat. His biceps touched her shoulder.
    She leaned away and into his brother.
    "Hmm. You've got such gorgeous tits. Just as I remember them.” Michael's voice was too low for anyone else, including his brother, to hear.
    Nicole moved closer to Colin, knowing he too could see the swell of her breasts.
    "What's to drink round here?"
    Smirking, Colin pulled back. “That's right, Bryan. Drown yourself in the stuff."
    "Piss off.” Bryan shot Colin a hostile glance.
    Nicole shifted, uncomfortable at the offensive language.
    Bryan must have sensed her uneasiness. “Oh, begging your pardon, Nicole. I'm sorry,” he apologised.
    Michael leant forward, his chest touching the edge of the table. She jammed her spine against her chair, praying the nightmare would end. Sitting next to Michael made her highly aware of him and of the need raging through her veins. So aware she wanted to get herself off in a bad way. She didn't want to be trapped between two wealthy men who gave the appearance of being upright citizens but were cold-hearted and ruthless.
    "Bryan, get hold of yourself or I'll have to start charging you for drinks.” James's tone was light but she heard the underlying seriousness. Since when had he become the family's caretaker?
    Bryan bristled. “That a fact? I don't know why I bother coming to these things. Pain in the ass.” He turned to Nicole, affecting an aloofness she was certain he used as a defence mechanism. “Sorry again."
    "It's