Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
MIA
“We’ve been here for a week, Demitri. I can’t stay here any longer,” I tell the man who has done everything in his power to keep me sane this week.
“It’s one more night.”
“Promise?”
“Yes,” he chuckles. “Promise.”
“I’m sorry. I know I’m being bitchy.”
“No, you’re not. You don’t owe me an apology, either. This is not normal. None of it is.”
“Are they still watching your house?”
“They are.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. I know I haven’t been home, but at some point, they are going to track me down.”
“And if you’re at my house, it puts me in danger,” I finish his unspoken words.
“I can’t do that, Krasotka .”
“You’re going to leave me again, aren’t you?”
“Only as the very last resort.”
He pulls me into his arms, planting a kiss on my lips that leaves me breathless and momentarily stunned. Long enough that he can escape to the garage below.
I watch him retreat and know I’m being irrational. Am I being overly whiny today? Yes. Am I losing my mind from not being able to leave this apartment for a week? Also, yes. Am I due for a breakdown? Fuck yes. I had a phone call with Dr. Malcome because everyone agreed it would be bad for me not to stay in the apartment. It wasn’t enough. It didn’t feel private enough to really talk. She did put me in touch with Dr. Thorpe in Briar Mountain. She’s a busy lady, but she was finally able to get her to nail down some availability for me. She thought I should still go see her, even though I’ve found my missing orgasm.
Oh, and orgasms? Let’s just say that Demitri is very, very sorry I’m cooped up in this place and has decided naked games are a wonderful distraction. I’m not going to disagree with him on that one. It is, in fact, a very nice way to pass the time. Unfortunately, there’s only so many surfaces one can get freaky on in this place, and we obviously need more space.
I never thought I’d be adventurous when it came to sex, but here we are.
Demitri has been going down into the office for a little while every day because even he realizes that we can’t both stay naked twenty-four hours a day and might need some separation from each other. I’ve been able to pull up the bar information on his laptop and get some work done, but it’s not the same. I need the wood grain of the bar under my fingertips. I need the interaction with the people who come to my place to get away from the real world for a little while. To play pool with their friends, to find someone to keep them company for the night. To talk to the bartender about what troubles their souls. I need Brodie complaining about the fryer going on the fritz again. My girls sitting in their corner talking about their wants and needs and how their day was.
After Brett took so much from me, I tried to be alone. I thought it would be better for everyone if I stayed away, kept to myself, stayed silent. I learned quickly that I am not that person. I feed off other people’s energy.
Which is why I’m sitting in the dark at the top of the stairs, listening to the guys in the garage below talking shit to each other. Demitri included. It’s still so odd to me that they know him as John. I will always struggle to reconcile that man with my Demitri.
“So you gonna tell us about the girl you got hidden upstairs?” one of the guys asks.
I’ve learned their names are David, Cameron, and Seth. All Rock Hill natives.
“Nope. You don’t need to know.”
“Aww, come on, John. You’re obviously getting laid. You’re too fucking happy.”
“Not your business, Cam.”
“Must be some magical pussy he doesn’t want to share.”
“Fuck you, David.”
“Oh, look at him, getting all hot and bothered. She must be something special.”
“She is special. And she’s mine. You don’t need to know about her pussy because if you ever even think about getting close to it, I’ll fucking kill you with my bare hands. The subject is closed. Understand?”
“Touchy, touchy. Sorry, man. Just giving you shit.”
“Look, guys. That woman is special to me. She’s not a barfly. She’s not a groupie girl. She’s not a one-night stand that’s extended for the week. She’s here because she’s with me and I need her by my side. One day, if you all can get your minds off of your dicks, I might even introduce you to her.”
“Wow. Boss is in love, boys!”
Whoops and laughter follow that statement, but I’m not smiling. I’m too stunned that he’s admitting his feelings for me to other people. What he says to me is one thing. I have the magic pussy, after all. And all men say those things when they want that, right? But to hear him say it to the guys that work with him? They don’t know who the real man behind the John name is, but they know he’s serious about me? That tells me more than any of his sweet words ever could.
“If I am, I won’t be telling you assholes first. But when you do finally meet her? Ask her about the Shelby. I think she could probably school you sorry sons of bitches some.”
“Wait. She’s a car girl?”
“She’s a Shelby girl.”
“A woman with standards. Good for you, boss. She still let you drive her around in that old truck?”
“Don’t knock Betty, asshole. She’s my first lady.”
I continue to listen, laughing at their antics. Am I offended he referred to his truck as his first lady? Nope, not at all. He’s a car guy in his soul. I’d be more upset if he didn’t. I look at the time on my phone and know I need to get ready. I finally get to return to the real world tonight, and the energy running through my veins at the thought has me hopping up and practically skipping to the shower.
“I’ll be in the office watching all the cameras. With the volume up.” Demitri winks, his arms wrapped around me in the office.
“I know. I’ll behave.”
“You be you. Just try not to be too flirty with the cute guys?”
I laugh, kissing his cheek. He frowns and pulls me closer for a proper kiss before smacking my ass and laughing when I squeak.
“Asshole. I’ll get you back for that one.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
I wave to Brodie as I pass the kitchen.
“Yo, Boss. Good to have you back. Maybe all the hotties will pay attention to me now!”
“Jealous much? Green’s not your color.”
“I don’t like competition.”
I walk behind the bar, sighing at the feeling of coming home. I run my fingers over the grain, the familiar grooves bringing me a peace I haven’t felt in days. My anxiety calms, my stress seems to dissipate. This is where I belong. I look at the room in front of me, breathing in the air before the crush of bodies that usually come with the weekend make their way in. The guys who flirt because they want a heavy pour, the women who get the heavy pour because they are polite. The shit talking at the pool table. The couples canoodling in the booths. The groups who take up the big tables in the middle and yell insults good naturedly at their friends.
Yeah, this is where I’m meant to be.
“Ten minutes to open!” I yell through the window to Brodie, who grunts his response. Typical.
I walk through the room, wiping off the tables one more time before going to the door and flipping on the open sign and unlocking the door. Not surprisingly, it’s my girls who walk through right away, like they were on the other side waiting.
“It’s about time,” Nola pouts. “It’s getting chilly out there!”
“Why didn’t you knock?”
“We were letting you tell the bar how much you loved it since you’ve been gone for a while.” Grace smiles, moving past me.
“Bitches,” I laugh.
“Your bitches.” Sofie grins, hugging me as she comes in.
I don’t wait for them to order, walking behind the bar and making their drinks. There’s something calming for me in pouring wine or mixing a Sex on the Beach. It’s precise in its chaos. You can do anything with a drink, the control is all yours. Want to double pour the alcohol? Sure. Asshole ordering? Short him the normal pour. Then charge him double. And tell him it’s an asshole tax. It’s good to be in charge.
“What have I missed?” I ask as I pass out their drinks.
“A bunch of girls hitting on Grady,” Sofie and Nola say at the same time, both of their faces pinched in jealousy. Hmm.
“Is that right?”
“I got new reading material out of it.” Grace blushes.
“What?”
“Someone recommended Stella Moore. She writes Daddy/littles romances.”
“And you’ve been reading?”
“Umm-hmm,” Grace confirms.
“I’ve heard about her, too!” Demitri yells from my office. “Aiden told me all about it.”
“Go back to hiding and forget you heard anything!” Grace yells back before covering her face in embarrassment. “I didn’t know he was back there.”
“Sorry.” I grimace. “He’ll be listening all night.”
“Terrific. At least now I know.”
My phone buzzes from its place under the bar.
Demitri: Tell her I’m sorry, and that I’d love to talk books with her if it won’t embarrass her more.
I turn the screen around and show Grace, much to Nola and Sofie’s amusement. She flips off the camera, and I hear Demitri’s laughter from the office.
“I don’t think I like him anymore,” she grouses.
“Yes, you do. And he’s serious about the books. The man has read every book I own and packages keep showing up with more.”
“Serious?”
“Very. Seriously, he’s got thoughts.”
She narrows her eyes at the camera but doesn’t say anything. The door opens and the first customers of the night walk in, a big group of men in suits, pulling at their ties. Businessmen. Cheap whiskey and fancy mixed drinks. The next group is my frat bros that come almost every weekend to play pool. Pitchers of beer on repeat all night. Next up are the younger women, probably from the University. They all look disappointed that it’s me behind the bar and not Grady. Mixed drinks and shots for them with names like Sex on the Beach and Flaming Orgasm. Blowjob and Buttery Nipple.
The room starts to fill up, and the night is going great. Brodie’s bringing food from the back and I’m busy. Wonder if Grady would be up to a part time gig on the weekends when we’re slammed?
I’m making another round of tonight’s sex drink, a Wet Pussy, when the door opens, and our mystery woman walks in. I make brief eye contact with her before I go back to making the drinks. I side eye the girls, all of whom are trying not to look directly at her, but they’ve obviously seen her. I finish my drink order and slide them across the bar to the girls.
I hit the button under the bar that notifies Brodie I need assistance. Usually, I’d just yell through the window I had to pee, but this will let him know something’s going on out of the normal.
“What’s up, Boss?” He rounds the corner, looking at me worriedly.
“I need to grab some change from the office.”
“Sure thing. I’ll keep an eye out. Nothing’s cooking at the moment.”
I don’t turn around and look at the girls. I scoot around Brodie and out from the back of the bar, making a beeline to my office, not stopping to talk to anyone.
“What do we do?” I ask as soon as I make it through my office door and close it behind me.
“Nothing,” Demitri replies.
“What the fuck do you mean, nothing?”
“Mia, do we want her here? No. But has she done anything? Technically, no. Tonight, we watch. We wait.”
“What if she says something to me?”
“Like what?”
“Like ‘I know you’re fucking my brother, and I want his money!’”
“Oh, Krasotka . What we do is not fucking. Earth shattering, orgasm inducing, dehydration causing, but not fucking.”
“Enough. Stop distracting me with your sexy words and broody eyes. What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to go back out there and do your job. Run the bar that you built and make your customers proud.”
“And?”
“And deal with what comes your way when it happens. Wait for her to come to you. She isn’t stupid enough to make a scene in front of everyone out there. Too many witnesses. Maybe she just likes your bar.”
“Yeah, and maybe she has another listening device she wants to drop off.”
“Go. I’ve got you. I won’t let her hurt you, okay?”
“Okay.”
Demitri stands and does my favorite thing. He holds his hand out to me. I know it’s because he doesn’t want to move away from the cameras, but that gesture, asking me to put my faith in him. It melts my heart every time. I give him my hand and he tugs me to him, kissing me gently.
“I’m here. We do this together,” he tells me when he pulls back.
I nod, letting him hold me for one more minute before letting go and stepping away. I trudge back behind the bar and laugh at Brodie, who’s hitting on the college girls. I make a sweep of the room and see the woman sitting in the same booth as last time, drink already in her hand. Well, at least I don’t have to talk to her yet.
All of a sudden, my safe place doesn’t feel very safe with her here. It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it?