Page 2 of Grayson’s Challenge

“I mean, you probably already guessed why Mom and Dad wanted you to go to San Francisco with them,” Zach continued, while David rammed his elbow into his brother’s ribs.

“They knew I didn’t want to go skiing,” she replied, but the hackles on the back of her neck rose. Something was off. “So why wouldn’t I come to San Francisco with them?”

“’Cause you’re being set up with Grayson,” Zach said bluntly.

“Fuck, Zach!” David cursed and glared at his brother.

“What?” For a moment, Monique didn’t even know who they were talking about. Then it clicked. “Grayson? Grayson, the arrogant jerk, Woodford?”

Zach made a grimace. “So he’s still an ass twenty years later?”

Monique assumed as much. “I haven’t seen him since he visited us in New Orleans when I was eleven. You can’t possibly think that Mom and Dad would try to set me up with him. That’s ludicrous. They know I never liked him.”

“Well, I overheard Mom and Dad talking about it a few days before the trip,” Zach said and shrugged. “For what it’s worth, Mom wasn’t keen on the idea, but Dad insisted.”

She was pissed. “How could he? Why would he do that? I can find my own boyfriends!” In fact, she was rather good at picking up men whenever she wanted male company.

“I guess Dad doesn’t like your taste in boyfriends. No offense, but most of them were doormats,” Zach said.

“Hate to agree with Zach,” David added, “but you can do better than the guys you’ve been dating lately.”

“You, too?” Monique glared at her siblings. “And you think Grayson is an upgrade from my previous boyfriends? Yeah, right! He was a little prick when he was twelve, and I bet he’s gotten worse since then. What the fuck was Dad thinking?”

“I’m sure he meant well,” Zach replied.

“He meant well?” she ground out, pressing her lips together tightly. “I’m not gonna date Grayson Woodford even if he’s the last man on earth, and the survival of our species depended on it. He’s an arrogant fuck!”

David jabbed Zach in the side once more. “See? You shouldn’t have told her. Damn it, Zach!” Then he looked back into the camera. “Sis, you could still fly out to Gstaad and join us, though you’ll probably miss the New Year’s Eve party here. We’re nine hours ahead of you.”

“I’m glad you told me,” Monique said. “At least now I won’t be running into an ambush.”

“So you’re coming to Gstaad?” David asked.

“No, I’m still not interested in freezing my butt off in some remote cabin and feel like the third wheel.” She wasn’t in the mood to listen to her brothers fuck the women they’d just hooked up with.

“You’re gonna have it out with Dad, aren’t you?” Zach asked.

“He won’t know what hit him. If he thinks he can control me, he’s got another think coming.”

Both David and Zach grimaced.

“Do me a favor,” Zach said, “don’t mention I was the one who told you. Or I might have to stay in Switzerland indefinitely.”

Monique huffed. “You should have told me before I got on the jet to San Francisco.”

“Sorry, sis.” Zach looked almost crushed. “Why don’t you go out and let off some steam, huh? You’ll feel better afterwards.”

“That’s a brilliant idea,” David added. “There are some great bars in San Francisco. The Black Velvet is a really classy pick-up joint in the Financial District. I was there two years ago when I visited, and every time I went there, I scored. It’s just what you need right now. Trust me.”

She let out a breath. “Hmm.”

“Promise you’ll calm down before confronting Dad,” Zach added. “Don’t be emotional about it. Just tell him that you can make your own decisions, and that you don’t want his interference. I hate to agree with this idiot next to me, but going to a bar and hooking up with somebody is probably the best thing you can do right now.”

She hated to admit it, but her brothers were probably right. Having sex with a stranger always helped her see things clearly and get rid of the tension that was coursing through her body.

“All right.”

“Okay then,” Zach said. “Happy New Year, sis!”