“Do what you want, Cleo.” I looked over at Little Eddie who was the only one not getting into the show. “Georgie in the office?”
“Booker too.” He kept tinkering with the engine in front of him.
As I walked toward the back, I realized that I'd never seen Little Eddie with a woman. Not a hooker, not a groupie. He was quiet, so maybe it wasn't his style to be like the rest of us, but now I was starting to wonder if maybe the reason he kept his mouth shut was because he was into guys. I didn't care, but Georgie would. I didn't know about Force or Booker. Better that Little Eddie kept it to himself.
I didn't want to talk to Booker or Georgie, but I went in and talked to them both. I tried telling them that this was a bad idea, but I didn't push it. I was smart enough to know if I'd flat-out said we shouldn't do it, there was a good chance one of them would simply shoot me and make my body disappear. Blunt force wouldn't work to get myself out of it. I had to be smart.
A bitter voice in the back of my head said that I should just go along with it. I'd already lost my job at Club Privé, and Bryne had made it clear that I wasn't good enough to meet her mother. What did I have to lose? It was only the thought of my mom that made me not want to give in. That, and the shred of hope I held on to that maybe Bryne hadn't been blowing me off.
I paid attention as we set everything up, made a few suggestions, but didn't try to show up Georgie. The last thing I wanted was Booker to try to put me in charge, and then Georgie take things into his own hands because he'd finally had enough.
After we finally had everything set for next week, I went back out into the shop, intending to work on a bike I'd been restoring.
I heard them before I came out of the little hallway, but it was still hard to keep my face completely blank when I saw them. I knew a reaction was what Cleo was looking for, so I didn't give her one. I didn't even look away. I just looked bored.
Force had her bent over the chair he'd been sitting on, her skirt around her waist, his hands under her shirt, grabbing her tits. The new guy was gawking, his cock hanging out of his pants as he jerked on it.
She smiled at me and let out a loud moan that I was pretty sure was fake.
“You want next?” Force asked.
“Naw. Already had her,” I said, watching her face darken. “Have fun.”
Force yanked out of her, stripped off the condom, and finished himself off all over her back. He looked over at Little Eddie who wasn't paying any more attention now than he had been before, then turned to the new guy.
“Wrap it up.” He tossed a condom over. “And if she says no, you stop.”
The new guy looked surprised but didn't argue. That was good. I knew most of the guys in the gang didn't always care about consent, especially when things got going, but Force was one of the decent ones. He might've been involved in some illegal shit, and I wasn't sure respectful was the right word for him, but he didn't stand for rape.
“Not that she ever says no.” Georgie's voice came from behind me. “Right, Dax?”
I shrugged as the new guy started slamming into Cleo. I tried not to snicker. He looked like he was trying out for some shitty porno or something. Cleo looked annoyed, but she didn't tell him to stop. Georgie wasn't wrong about that. I'd never heard her say no. To anything.
I went over to where I'd left the bike I was working on, still half-watching as Georgie walked over, unzipping his pants. He shoved his cock into Cleo's mouth, and I wondered if she thought she was making me jealous. I didn't know what to think about what'd happened earlier with Bryne, and I was still pissed about it, but I still didn't feel anything about the fact that Cleo was getting fucked only a few feet away. Definitely not even close to the way I felt when I'd seen August touching Bryne.
Then again, Cleo wasn't mine. Bryne was.
Chapter Seven
Bryne
Even after spending all of yesterday evening with my mom before taking her to a hotel, I still hadn't wrapped my head around it all by the time I got home. I'd considered staying with Mom, but in the end, I needed the distance to think. She said that she'd come to make things right between us, but we hadn't gotten very far last night. Things between us had been tense, to say the least. We'd stuck to small talk, and I'd shared every single detail I could think of about my weeks here in New York.
Well, everything except Dax. He was one detail I intended to keep to myself, at least for the time being. I was pretty sure he was upset with how I'd handled things when Mom surprised me, and I knew I’d have to deal with it, but after a fairly restless night, I knew that my mom had to come first.
And the main reason for that was leaning against the counter when I came into the kitchen. Gavin gave me his usual morning smile which, pre-coffee, looked more like a scowl.
The one thing Mom said she needed to do to make things right was meet Gavin. Now I just had to sell that to my uncle.
“Hey, Bryne,” Carrie said as she poured herself a cup of decaf coffee. She took a sip and sighed. “I miss caffeine.” She ran her hand over her rounded stomach. “And alcohol.”
Gavin leaned over and murmured something in Carrie's ear that made her turn pink and nearly choke on her coffee. It was then that I knew what I had to do to get Gavin and Mom to meet.
I needed Carrie on my side.
* * *
After a light lunch that was definitely less tense than our dinner the night before, Mom and I headed over to meet Gavin and Carrie. At least I didn't have to worry about Mom either being intimidated by or looking down on them financially. Money was one less thing they had to feel weird about, and considering the history they had to get past, they could use all the help they could get.
I hadn't talked to Gavin directly about any of this, leaving it all to Carrie, and she hadn't let me down. After breakfast, I'd done some shopping and then headed over to the hotel to pick up my mother. She'd visited New York before, but it'd always been on business. Political parties with Nana and Papa. Fundraisers. That sort of thing.
So before lunch, we did the tourist thing. Sort of. Mom loved art, so we went to the Met. While I wasn't as much of an art person as my mother, I could definitely appreciate it. Once we'd eased the tension between us by bonding over art, we headed to lunch.
I felt much better about Mom being here by the time Carrie texted me to say we should come by, but I still wasn't entirely at ease with what was coming. I liked Gavin, but he was an intense guy. And Mom wasn't exactly the calmest person in the world. She was furious when she learned she had a half-brother, especially once she'd realized that their father had ignored her for him.
I knew she didn't really think that it was his fault, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be...well, impolite seemed like the nicest way to say it.
I gave her a smile as I let us into the loft. Carrie and Gavin were waiting inside, the expression on Gavin's face said that he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be doing this. Carrie, however, was all smiles.
“Hi, welcome.” She held out her hand as she came over. “I'm Carrie, Gavin's wife.”
“Allison Dawkins.” Mom shook Carrie's hand and then turned to Gavin. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
An uncomfortable silence followed for several seconds.
“Who wants something to drink?” Carrie suggested brightly.
“Yes, please,” Mom said.
“I'll get it,” Gavin offered. He took two steps, then stopped when Carrie gave him a hard look. “On second thought, I'll stay here.”
“I'll help her,” I said. I had one more favor to ask Carrie, and this was as good a time as any.
As I followed my aunt, I heard my mom thank Gavin for letting me stay here.
“We're glad to do it,” he said. “She's a great kid.”
“She is,” Mom agreed. “Stubborn as hell. Just like her father.”
I frowned but didn't stop to argue that she had her own stubborn streak. If talking about me broke the ice, I'd let it go.
“They'll be fine,?
?? Carrie said as she went over to the wine rack. “Your mom and Gavin. They'll put the blame on Chauncey where it belongs, and we'll all be one big, happy family.”
“You sound pretty sure of that.”
I pulled out four wine glasses, then turned to the fridge. Carrie, obviously, wouldn't be drinking, and while I was pretty sure she'd give me a glass if I asked, I didn't want one, so I got out a bottle of sparkling water for the two of us.
“Because I am,” she said. “They're both intelligent people, and they'll respect that about each other. Once your mom sees that Gavin didn't have an idyllic childhood, and he sees that she's not going to blame him for what his dad did, it'll all be good.”
The corner of my mouth twitched up. “Has anyone ever told you that you're overly optimistic?”
She laughed. “No, but if you'd gone through all of the shit Gavin and I have in the time we've known each other, you'd see that anything is possible.”
I thought about what I knew had happened to them over the last couple years, and I supposed looking at it that way, I could see how this didn't seem like a big deal.
“I really want them to get along,” I admitted. “I hadn't realized how much until now. You and Gavin have done so much for me, and I don't really have any other family.”
“You have us.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “No matter what.”
It was now or never. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.” Carrie put the wine away.
“Would you be willing to hire Dax back at the club?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I'm guessing that means you forgave him for taking off and not telling you what he was doing?”
“I did,” I said. “But I'm worried. He wouldn't tell me much about where he was, and I got the impression that what he did tell me wasn't exactly the truth.”
“So he lied to you, and you want me to give him his job back?”
“I think whatever he's involved in has to do with his mom,” I said, feeling my face grow warm. “And I think it's about money, so if he has another job, he won't do anything stupid.”
It wasn't the most put-together argument, and I didn't have any proof beyond my gut, but I hoped it'd be enough to get Dax his job back. After all, even though I hadn't asked Carrie to fire him, she'd done so because of how things had gone between the two of us.
Carrie sighed. “That's what Annabeth's worried about too. That he's getting into something dangerous rather than asking for help.” She picked up two glasses and jerked her chin toward the other two. “Do you really think that if he comes back to the club, it'll make a difference?”
“I hope so,” I answered honestly as I picked up the other two glasses.
She paused and gave me a searching look. “You really like him, don't you?”
“I do.”
“All right then.”
Without any further clarification, she walked back out into the living room, and I followed.
“All right what?” I kept my voice low. The last thing I needed was Mom hearing that I'd been seeing Dax and hadn't told her. And Gavin finding out that I was still sleeping with Dax would be almost as bad. I had visions of the two of them ganging up on me.
“I'll hire him back on a probationary basis,” she explained, keeping her voice quiet. “I won't consider it official until I know I can trust him.”
“And Gavin will be okay with that?”
She gave me a mischievous grin, dark eyes sparkling. “You leave Gavin to me.”
I was pretty sure I knew how she planned on convincing him.
“You want me to let Dax know?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I'll take care of it.”
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something, but then Gavin and Mom were right there, and I appreciated her not making what I was sure would've been an embarrassing comment.
I sidled up close to my mother as I handed her a glass of wine. “Everything okay?”
“It will take some getting used to,” Mom said. “But I think we'll be fine.”
Relief rushed through me. If Mom and Gavin could get along, maybe she'd feel better about me living here. And then once Dax had his old job back, he could quit whatever it was that was making his mom nervous. He and I could figure out what was going on between us, and then I'd know if I needed to worry about introducing him to my mother.
“Bryne,” Carrie said my name, drawing me back to the moment. “I'm sure you don't want to sit around with us all afternoon. If you have some errands you'd like to run, we'll be more than happy to loan Allison a car whenever she wants to go back to her hotel.”
I looked over at my mom. “I can stay...”
She shook her head, just like I knew she would. “You go right ahead and do what you need to do.”
I tried not to sound too eager when I thanked her, and then Carrie and Gavin. I waited until I was outside to pull out my phone and send a text to Dax, telling him that I had something I needed to talk to him about. I could've just told him in a text or called him, but I wanted to tell him face-to-face.
And I wanted to apologize for how I'd blown him off yesterday. I hadn't meant anything by it, and he deserved to know. It was always easier for me to be genuine in person.
My phone buzzed with a response. At the shop. Everything okay?
I hadn't liked the shop either of the other times I'd been there, but I was determined that, this time, things would be much different.
Chapter Eight
Dax
After Cleo had finished with the new guy yesterday, Georgie had taken his turn fucking her and then asked me if I wanted a turn. He'd looked pissed when I'd refused, but it was nothing compared to the way Cleo had glared at me. The guys had thought it was hysterical when she'd cussed me out while straightening her clothes, but I hadn't cracked a smile. I didn't think it was funny at all. I would've felt sorry for her if she hadn't been such a bitch to Bryne.
I'd tried not to think about Bryne yesterday but going home hadn't helped that. Mom wasn’t able to stop talking about her, wanting to know if I planned to see her again. Then she did something she'd never done before – told me that I better not hurt her because she was a good girl.
I didn't have to ask Mom how she knew that even though she'd only met her once. Bryne was just that kind of person. Yeah, she was a wildcat when it came to sex, but she still had that whole wholesome, girl-next-door kinda thing going on. Except none of the girls I'd ever had living next door looked like her.
I was glad Mom liked her, but at the same time, it scared the shit out of me. I'd gone from never even considering having a girlfriend at any time in the near future, to thinking of a near-stranger as mine. And I was pretty sure that if I'd told my mother, she would've approved.
Except after yesterday with Bryne's mom, I didn't think Bryne felt the same way. And it bugged me more than I liked.
I was on edge when I showed up at the shop this morning, snapping at the new guy when he asked about Cleo. Not because I cared that he wanted to fuck her again, but because I didn't want to think about her at all.
Then she showed up just before lunch and then it was impossible not to think about her because she was there, parading around in knee-high leather boots, another skirt that barely covered her ass, and a skin-tight shirt that showed off more cleavage than she actually had. It was pathetic, really, watching her rub all up against the guys like some cat in heat, throwing me looks to see if I cared.
After lunch, she parked herself as close to me as she could get without being in my way, tried to talk to me. I grunted responses to things I wasn't really hearing, but it was enough to keep her from doing something crazy. One time, before she'd gone completely psycho, I'd been working on my bike, and she wanted to fuck. When I kept ignoring her, she started playing with herself right there when there were customers in the shop. I didn't want a repeat performance.
“What's she doing here?”
That question made my head snap up because
I knew there was only one person Cleo would sound so pissed about. And there Bryne was. Plain jeans and a nice shirt. Nothing special. But she looked a hundred times better than Cleo did all made up with everything on display.
Bryne looked nervous, but I knew it wasn't for the right reasons. She didn't know that being here was a bad idea. I tried to look casual as I put my stuff down and walked toward her. I kept cleaning my hands off with a rag even after I knew nothing else would come off, but it was the only way I could think of not to grab her. I wasn't sure what I'd do if I touched her. Push her toward the door so no one here could tell Booker that she'd come, or pull her to me so I could kiss her.
“What do you want?” Cleo shoved her way in front of me.
I wanted to smile when Bryne ignored her, but I kept my expression blank.
“Can we talk somewhere?” Bryne gave Cleo a pointed look. “Private?”
I nodded and jerked my head toward the back of the shop. “This way.”
I didn't wait to see if she was following me. I could feel the guys' eyes on me, and I knew they were trying to figure out what Bryne was doing here. Cleo would probably fill them in with what she thought she knew, which I definitely didn't want, but making a big deal about Bryne would be worse.
No one was in the office, so I closed and locked the door behind us, then leaned against it, arms crossed to keep from reaching for her. I told myself I was just keeping up appearances, but I knew part of it was because I was still annoyed at what happened with her mom.
After a couple seconds of awkward silence, she blurted out, “Carrie said you can have your job at the club back.”
Okay, not what I expected. “Why would she do that?”
“Because I asked her.” Bryne took a step toward me, and I caught a whiff of her soap. “She said it's just on a probationary basis until she knows she can trust you, but you can go in today and talk scheduling.”
“And if I don't want to go back?”