In His Arms

Chapter 9

Oh. My. God. Why now?

All the female junior editors look ready to drop their soaking panties for my older brothers, the male junior editors look a little bit stunned, and some a little ashamed when they compare themselves with my brothers which makes me feel a little bit bad for them but to make things worse, none of my brothers notices the amount of insecurity and lust they're leaving in their wake as all eleven pairs of eyes are staring directly at me, the man on bended knee in front of me and the giggling baby in my arms.

I always thought the people number on the elevator was outrageous like such a small thing couldn't possibly hold up to thirty people but looks like my brothers just proved me wrong by either squeezing themselves into one elevator or they're too skinny so they somehow managed to pack themselves in a way that the elevator fit them all.

The latter seems more plausible, I conclude, watching as they walk down the centre of the office floor, an authoritative and controlling aura surrounds them as they head straight for me.

Okay, so eleven is a big number, right? I was adopted into an all-man family, with their sickly mother always wanting a daughter but only ever being able to produce boys, I was in the right place at the right time and they adopted me. At first, it was terrifying to be surrounded by so many men.

Having been surrounded by them for most of my short ten years, it took me a while before I managed to open up to them and tell them my past, which for a meek, undernourished, and shy ten-year-old I daresay, I had guts.

So, if my brain is still functioning, there's Adam the eldest, Oliver, Keith, Lucas, Aloysius, James and Zachary who are triplets, Logan, Seth, William, and Theodore the second youngest. Though I can never really tell who's Aloysius, James or Zachary since all three of them have similar tastes in clothes, hairstyles food preferences and things like that. They're carbon copies of each other!

When I was in primary school, the girls in my class would dub them as princes. When I went on to Secondary school it became Sex Gods and luckily, I managed to move far far away from them during college.

But then...they show up here. The one place that I don't want them to show up at..besides...what are they even here for?

Turning to look at Mr Holt who seems to be glaring at Adam and who seems to be returning the favour. If my life were a cartoon, there should be lightning bolts between them while they're glaring at each other like this. There is something not right there...

Still holding Danny, I move slightly so that I'm standing somewhat in between the two men but somehow still next to Mr Holt. Everyone is silent as they all turn their attention towards me. At this moment the rest of my brothers notice who stands next to me, and they begin glaring at Mr Holt, their gazes mimicking Adam's.

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I shift Danny to allow him to sit on the crook of my left arm, weaving the fingers of my right hand through Mr Holts's clenched fist. Attempting to divert their attention to me.

"Guys," I speak cautiously, looking over all of them. One by one, their eyes leave Mr Holt to look at me. "This is my boyfriend, Alexander Holt, Mr Hol-Alexander, these are my brothers."

At this softly spoken statement, not only do the brows of my brothers disappear behind their bangs but the eyes of my co-workers and the interns widen to match the size of full moons. A dash of heat dances across my cheeks at this bold public introduction having never been seen in the company of a man in front of my brothers and staff before.

"Janetta, you never told me you had brothers...I thought you were orphaned?" Mr Holt murmurs to me breaking the tense silence that has built up since my confession, his cold grey eyes do not falter from glaring at Adam, his hand squeezes mine which to others may seem to be a possessive gesture but I'm going to assume it's a question he wants to be answered. Now.

"Um...it slipped my mind," I respond, as Danny wiggles in my grasp trying to get to Mr Holt. "Darling, can you take Danny for a while, I think he wants you. He won't stop fidgeting."

Breaking the glaring contest with Adam, I watch as my brothers' eyes grow wide in shock as I pass the squirming Danny to Mr Holt, Danny, makes grabby hands at me and when I get close he grabs the front of my blouse and pulls me closer to Mr Holt. Very much closer.

"Oh, sweetie, no," I scold him lightly as he plays with the buttons managing to open some revealing the tops of my breasts to the looking Mr Holt. "Danny let go. No."

Mr Holt's eyes don't leave my chest and I hear angry mumbles coming from my brothers. Shifting Danny so that he is only using one hand to hold the baby, Mr Holt uses his hand to pull me nearer to him so that we are now hip to hip. I look up to glare at him but our faces end up close.

The furious pounding in my chest rings in my ears as I inhale the minty smell of his breath, the manly smell of him and of course the smell of a baby. Leaning into me, his lips touch mine in a shocking kiss, electric spikes run through my body, my lungs constricting struggling to draw air.

Closing my eyes to make it look as though I'm enjoying the kiss which if I'm being honest, I am but this being my first kiss I have no idea how to react to it. Following what the girls in the romance movies do, I slowly allow my eyelids to flutter to a close, catching sight of my angry, shocked and outraged-looking brothers as they watch a man whom they have never met kiss their younger sister whom they haven't seen in four years.

I think I'm going to have to have a serious talk with Mr Holt when we get back to the apartment tonight.