Chapter 8
I’m up, showered, and shaved before anyone else so I don’t gotta wait for Senator, who takes five days in the bathroom just on his hair. Fucking rock-star renegade, with a briefcase instead of a guitar.
Quietly leaving the room, I see Dawson rolling out of bed. He’s wearing a pink G-string, and I wish I never saw his hairy ass.
We can’t go on like this. I can’t be seeing hairy asses in the morning.
I need to see tits and smooth woman ass in a G-string, so I’m gonna report Dawson to the shrink so the shrink gets distracted and moves on to Dawson, who told me he scheduled our group therapy session for nine on a Monday.
Dawson is trying to figure out if he’s bisexual.
I think he is, and I want him to accept this about himself.
Outside, early in the morning, the winds blow full force, picking up branches and leaves and throwing them around like I’m gonna throw around the Suit’s limbs if he flirts with my kitten today at the diner.
Of course I know she’s working today. She works every day besides Sunday. Senator dug up her schedule.
The image of me ripping off the Suit’s limbs makes me happy, and the bells jingling above my head as I enter the diner make me think of holidays with Tammy and the girls. I’m all smiles now.
My mood instantly sinks when I see the Suit is an early riser and looks like a billionaire playboy from Chicago even this early in the morning. Today, he’s wearing a black suit and a purple tie, making him stand out, but what stands out to me is my girl giggling as she chats with him.
The door closes behind me, and Tammy doesn’t even bother to look to see who entered the diner. Her friend, however, comes around the counter and bids me a good morning.
I nod, and her smile drops, likely because I’m looking homicidal.
“I’ll get you the menu, Reed.”
Oh, so I’m Reed now, not sir or dude or fucker, all of which I approve. I’m on a first-name basis with Tammy’s coworker, so that’s points for me.
“Good morning, Reed,” Tammy says as she walks by me and goes behind the counter to slip a piece of paper to the cook in the back. She proceeds to pour coffee and drinks and refill condiments, all with her back to me.
Naturally, I approach the counter and whistle.
She lifts her head and turns. “Did you whistle at me?”
“Yeah, I did. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I’m working. Have a seat anywhere you like.”
“Anywhere?”
“Mm-hm.” She nods, all cheer and cupcakes and shit, not having the slightest clue that the way she’s ignoring me won’t do.
I didn’t come here to be treated like everyone else.
The least she could’ve done was kissed me and led me by my hand to the table where she’d proceed to wait only on me for the rest of her day.
“Kitten, you don’t wanna play games with me.”
“Have a seat, and I’ll bring you coffee.”
“You don’t want to tell me what to do either.” Okay, so I’m in a mood.
She sighs and hands me a menu. “I’ll be right over.”
Fine. I grab the menu and slide into the Suit’s booth, lifting the menu so he can’t see my face.
“Excuse me,” he says.
“Not by a mile until you hand me the keys to the house I bought from you.” I pretend to keep reading the menu I already read and memorized yesterday. I know what I want. Same as yesterday because it’s a sure thing, and I need a sure thing right now or I’ll blow this dude’s head off.
“Do I know you?” he asks.
“You sound like my seven-year-old…” I trail off because I don’t know what to call the girls. I don’t want to be the stepdad. Uncle Reed sounds best, especially because I’m gonna marry their aunt.
The Suit rips the menu out of my hands and puts it on the side of the table. “I don’t appreciate anyone disturbing my morning routine,” he says.
“Reed.” Tammy shows up at the table. “What are you doing?”
“You said I can sit anywhere I like, so I sat.”
“But a customer is already sitting here.”
“So?”
“Reed, please.”
The Suit lifts a hand. “I’ll handle this, Tammy. It’ll be okay.”
I think my brain exploded just now when he said her name. From the corner of my eye, I see my men entering the front parking lot. “Keys to the house, and I’m gonna leave you alone, buddy.”
“Who are you?”
“Reed MacLoyd.” Tammy’s still standing there. “This is my girl you’re hitting on, and I’m about to put a bullet between your eyes. So think fast while you still got a brain in your head.”
My team enters the diner, and I lift my arm and give a series of hand signals so they know what’s going down and can take positions.
The Suit sizes up my men as they disperse though the diner, with Dawson outside and Senator going to the back room in case the Suit tries to bail that way.
I don’t have to turn to see Senator doing that.
I know he’s doing it because that’s how we secure a place when we have a prisoner we need to “negotiate” with.
“You seem to think I should know you or the house you speak of but I don’t. And I am not hitting on your girl. I’m simply being pleasant to the woman who waits on me and doesn’t disturb my morning routine.”
He sounds all reasonable and shit. Before I reply, Tammy speaks, “Reed, let me get you coffee and breakfast.”
I tap my fingers on the table. “All right but I’m eating here.”
The Suit sighs and closes all his electronics and puts them under the magazine named Rogue and lo and behold he’s on the cover wearing the same tie as today.
Purple with tiny yellow specks. I lean in to see better and then, his cologne hits my nose.
I sniff. The bastard smells good. I bet girls flock onto this smelly shit like bees on honey.
“What can I get you for breakfast?” Tammy asks.
“Same thing I had last night.”
“Pizza?”
“Pussy.”
Tammy spins on her heel, and I glare at the Suit, whose eyes watch her walking away, then slide to me.
“Your charm is gonna get in your way,” he says. “Buddy,” he adds.
“Don’t you worry about my charm. You worry about how you took an offer for an already-sold property and didn’t hand over my keys.”
“It happens with these sort of transactions. You’re welcome to contact my lawyers.”
I snort.
Tammy returns with my black coffee, and I sip. The taste of vanilla hits my tongue, and I hack, making a face as if a bee stung me. “Kitten, you trying to poison me?”
She’s got her pad out and is ready to take my order. “One pump of vanilla won’t poison you.”
“I drink my coffee black. Same as yesterday. Remember?”
“No, because yesterday you served yourself, and maybe ingesting something sweet will improve your spirits this morning.”
The Suit chuckles.
“Pussy is sweet and will improve my spirits.” I am Lucifer incarnate when people get snarky with me and when I feel my control over my own damn house is slipping. What the hell can I do about my house? The fucker is gonna sell it, and if I make him disappear, that won’t help me with the house.
Tammy slams her palms on the table and leans into my face. “I work here, Reed. I live in this town. You don’t get to come in here and talk like that.”
“If you acknowledged me when I came in, I wouldn’t have to.”
“What do you mean?”
I lean in too, our faces inches apart. “You’re behaving as if I didn’t fuck your tits last night.
My tongue was so deep inside your pussy, I almost lost my nose trying to fit in there.
You feasted on my cum, swallowed every drop of it, and now you’re acting as if I’m just another dude who walked into the diner. That’s not how it works, Kitten.”
Tammy leans in and kisses me on the lips. “Good morning, Reed.” We lock eyes, and my world is back on its axis again.
I lean back as she leaves.
“Are you done now?” the Suit asks.
“Not with you. I want the house, and I know where you live. You’re welcome to call my contact in Chicago, who can confirm I have the money, if that’s the fucking problem,” I say.
“Who’s your contact in Chicago?”
“Her name is Ivana. Perhaps you know her.”
The Suit goes quiet, then says, “I do know her. She’s the other buyer.”
Fuck. “Are you shitting me?”
He shakes his head. “Why else would I go through the trouble of having this conversation with an ex-special forces?”
“So you do know us.” I scrub my jaw. “Why does she want to buy a house out here in the middle of nowhere?” The moment my words are out, I know why.
A safe house for her crew, and her crew is dangerous and deadly and I don’t want them near this town or preferably not even within a five-hundred-mile radius of this town. “Shit.”
The Suit sips his coffee. “I hope you understand I won’t tell her no. She’s due to call in an hour with a final offer. She’s offering at least two mil, and that’s twice the value of the property.”
“The money won’t do you any good where you’re going if you don’t hand me the key. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The Suit chuckles. “I don’t believe Ivana knows you were the initial buyer, so if you left on a good note with her, when I tell her you’re the buyer, maybe she’ll back off.”
My turn to chuckle. “She won’t back off.” I wouldn’t, and that badass Barbie is cut out of thick cloth.
The Suit leans in, flicking two fingers for me to meet him in the middle. This is interesting. I play along. “What?” I ask. This motherfucker smells really good.
“If you tell her you’re adopting a single mom and her kids, Ivana will back off.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, she’s got this hero complex that can be exploited.”
Okay, the Suit has fed me valuable intel. I don’t know why he did that, but I’ll take it, not caring much about his reasons. “Thanks. Why do you smell good?”
“Hunter for Men. Want a sample?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll leave you with seven. One for each of your men too.”
Wow. Nice Suit.
“Excuse me, boys.” Tammy breaks up our conspiracy moment, and we both sit up properly in the booth. “Breakfasts are here.”
Before I dig in, I signal my men that the crisis has been averted, and also we got free samples of smell-good stuff and Tammy kissed me and I might just move her into the house come next week.