Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
AMbrOS
I knock on the door and wait for Citi to answer. When she does, she looks adorably sleepy and confused to see me.
“Didn’t you just leave? I feel like I’ve only been asleep for five minutes.”
“It’s been a few hours, but I have work today, and I wanted to see you before I start.”
“You checking up on me, Ambros?” she teases as she slides the chain back and lets me in.
“Maybe. After last night, I just wanted to make sure you were still okay with what happened, and if you have any questions or feedback now you’ve slept on it.”
“Feedback? Wait, are you asking me to leave a review?”
“Smartass,” I chuckle, putting the bag of food and the tray of drinks I brought with me on the counter. I turn once my arms are empty and tug her into them, gently kissing her lips before pulling back. This woman tests my restraint like no other. “I brought breakfast for you and the princess.”
A thump sounds from upstairs before a series of smaller thumps gradually make their way downstairs. “I’m guessing she heard you,” Citi teases.
I move from her to the island so I can pull out the food, just as Star walks into the kitchen in a bright pink nightie.
Her hair is a crazy mass of curls, and her unicorn is tucked under her arm.
She looks at her mom as she walks in before her eyes drift my way and freeze.
She spots the bag and they widen, then she runs my way, looking up at me expectantly.
“You hungry, huh?” She nods. “Me too, kid. Me too. That’s why I brought my favorite girls some breakfast. Go sit at the table, and I’ll bring it over.”
She does as I ask, while I grab a couple of plates and divide the food before carrying them over.
“We have pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs for the princess and breakfast sandwiches for Mom and me. Oh, drinks.” I turn and grab them before handing Star and Citi an apple juice each and myself a bottle of water.
I tug the little cups of syrup and sauce from my pockets, place them on the table, then use my teeth to open one of the syrup cups and hand it to Star. “Trust me. You’re gonna want this too.”
She takes it and nods with a serious face before she licks her lips and digs in, making me grin.
“Thank you, Ambros. You didn’t have to do this, but we appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. It’s been the highlight of my day.”
“Your day has barely even started yet.” She chuckles.
“I stand by what I said.”
She rolls her eyes and takes a bite of her sandwich, moaning with appreciation. My dick perks up in response.
Time and a place, Ambros. Time and place.
“So, do you ladies have any exciting plans for today?”
“I need to head over and visit Nevaeh. I want to see if she’ll look after Star next Friday for me.”
“I’m sure she will. What are you doing next Friday?” I ask before taking a bite.
She hesitates for a second before straightening her shoulders and answering. “I made an appointment to see a new therapist.”
I swallow my food and nod. “Good for you.”
She relaxes and carries on eating, making me wonder if she was worried about what I might think.
“Thanks. I’m not sure if it will work out.
But if it doesn’t, I won’t use it as an excuse to give up.
I’ll try again until I find one that clicks with me.
Too much happened for me to process it all.
I can’t fix what is broken alone. I need someone to guide my way,” she admits with a bite of her lip.
“I’ve fought some of the strongest, fiercest opponents. But I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as brave as you, angel.”
She leans closer, lowering her voice to barely a whisper so Star can’t hear us. “Why do you call me that? We both know I’m far too sullied to be an angel.”
I scowl. “You need a new mirror, Citi. I’ve never met a purer soul than you.”
Her mouth drops open in surprise. I can’t help but dip my head and kiss her lips before I return to my food.
The rest of the meal is eaten in comfortable silence. Once we’re finished, I clear the mess, kiss Citi on the cheek, and dip my head to kiss Star on the forehead. “Alright, ladies, I’ve gotta head to work. We’re still short-staffed, so it’s going to be a long day.”
“Do you want me to help out?”
I turn back and look at Citi, surprised by her offer. “You up for that?”
“You’ll be there, so yeah. I mean, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m good at figuring things out.”
“Then hell, I’ll love it if you want to help out.”
“I have a tutoring session this morning with one of the guys after I drop Star off at school, so I won’t be able to make it until about eleven.”
“That works for me.”
“Do I need to wear anything specific?”
“Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. But most people lean toward workout clothes or sweats.”
“Okay, I’ll see you there later then.”
I wink and head out with a smile on my face. My day is suddenly looking up.
* * *
When she turns up later, she’s a damn sight for sore eyes.
After the morning I’ve had, she is just what the doctor ordered.
I take her in, slowly letting my eyes move over her—from the tip of her running shoes, up her black joggers, to the white tank top she’s wearing.
She’s not wearing any makeup like most of the women do, and her hair is up in a ponytail, with a few strands already escaping from its holder.
“Hey, how was tutoring?”
“Tiring. I’d rather have run laps with Amity than have Havoc try to teach me math. To be fair to the man, he has the patience of a saint, which is just as well because I struggled to grasp even the basics.” She sighs.
“You’re mostly starting from scratch. Stop being so hard on yourself. If this were easy, then nobody would ever have to go to school.”
She nods reluctantly. “I have G teaching me some basic computing skills next. But man, I wish he could just put one of those dongle thingies in my brain and download all the information into it for me.”
I chuckle, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck and drawing her in.
“I think a lot of people would agree with you there.” I kiss her.
Though I intended for it to be a peck, it quickly develops into something else.
I’m two seconds away from stripping her naked when a throat clearing snaps me back to the present.
I pull away, leaving Citi looking dazed, as I turn to an amused-looking Con. “You want something?”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “By all means, eat her face off in the reception area. It’s not like you have an audience or anything.”
Citi snaps out of her daze and glances around nervously.
“Alright, people, nothing to see here,” I growl, making people hurry away. “Sorry about that. You’re just too damn irresistible.”
She flushes, but her eyes fall on a figure behind me. I sigh, not needing to turn around to know who it is.
“You need something, Con?”
“Just wanted to say hey.”
I move aside so I can face him, but his eyes are on Citi.
“We’ve met, but it was only briefly. And when I’m on princess duty, I usually do it from afar.
I just wanted to introduce myself again and give you my number so you can call me if you need me to pick up Star, need a babysitter, or if you need me to run an errand, such as a food run or even a tampon run.
Whatever you need.” He hands her a business card, which has me rolling my eyes.
The man’s only business seems to be getting adopted by the old ladies.
“Oh, thanks. That’s kind of you.”
“It’s what this world needs a little more of, right?” He grins at her, and I feel her relax against me. I swear this kid has some kind of voodoo when it comes to women. If I could figure out what it was and bottle it, I’d make a killing.
“Absolutely. It’s what I tell my daughter daily.”
“She’s adorable, by the way. Reminds me of my niece.”
“I didn’t know you had a niece.” I frown, wondering if that’s true or if I just forgot.
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Nieces, nephews, a whole slew of them. Anyway, I’d better get going, I’m on bar duty later. Nice to see you again, Citi.”
“You too…” She drifts off, making Con slap his forehead.
“I forgot the introduction part. I’m Con.”
“I won’t forget this time.” Citi chuckles, embarrassed.
He waves her off before giving me a nod and heading out.
“He seems too…. I don’t know, nice to be a biker?” I scowl at her, making her laugh. “I don’t mean it like that. I just didn’t know how else to put it.”
“I get it. All the old ladies adore him. But don’t let his chill vibe fool you. There is something there below the surface. Only comes out to play when he thinks there’s a threat to one of the kids, but then he turns into someone else.”
“He’s protective.”
“To the extreme.”
“There’s a story there.”
“Probably. But if there is, it’s his to tell.” She sighs. I look down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I think that’s part of the problem. Every man and his dog knows my story.
And the bits they don’t they fill in any way they damn choose, making assumptions and casting their opinions.
I think I’d have liked the option to have shared what I wanted when I wanted instead of everyone knowing everything about me. ”
“Yeah, I hate that for you. It was the one thing I hated about being in the spotlight with my fighting and the celebrity side of it. And I was just a fighter. I have no idea how some of these megastars cope with it all.”
“You couldn’t pay me enough money to be a celebrity. Guess the jokes are on me, though, because I still became famous. Just for all the wrong reasons.” She sighs but shakes it off, pasting on a smile. “Okay, enough of this negative shit. Tell me where you need me and what to do.”
“I’m going to ease you into things, so nothing customer-based. At least today. If you decide to come back, we can give it a try if you want.”
She looks up at me in surprise. “Are you offering me a job? Like a real job that pays?”
“If you want it, absolutely. It’s not glamorous but—”
She wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight for a minute before she steps back, a sheen clear in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Hey, what’s all this?”
She dips her head, embarrassed. I slide my finger under her jaw and tip her head back. She blows out a frustrated breath. “I wanted a job, but I have zero skills to offer. No qualifications, no experience. And when I tell people why, they act like being abducted is contagious.”
“People are fucking idiots.”
She snorts but doesn’t argue with me.
“Their loss is my gain. I can’t wait to have you here working with me. I miss you when you’re not around.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Now, come with me. I’ll show you around first, and we can go from there. Sound good?”
“Sounds great.”
I show her around the main areas first, where the classes take place, and the more traditional spaces with weights, running machines, and exercise bikes. “You can use any of these spaces anytime you want.”
She grimaces, making me grin. Nevaeh is the same way. “Not everyone likes the gym,” I tell her, not wanting her to feel bad about it.
“It’s not the gym. I don’t like how people-y it is.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “It might be something we’ll have to work on. Hard to avoid people when we’re busy.”
She sighs. “I guess. What else do you have to show me?”
“Let’s see, we have changing rooms, a juice bar, and my office.”
Her eyes light up at the words juice bar. It’s adorable how much pleasure she gets from the little things.
“Alright, juice bar it is.” I lead her over to it and show her what we sell. Her eyes sparkle, taking it all in, making me chuckle.
She looks at me and flushes. “I’m being weird again, huh?”
“You’re being fucking adorable.”
She dips her head but I don’t miss the grin on her face. “I think I’m gonna like it here, Ambros.”
“Yeah? Even with all these people?”
She looks up at me and nods, her face serious now. “Yeah, because one of those people is you.”