Chapter 11 #2
“Well, Tommy said I can make my own hours, so if I don’t fuck that up, I can probably do both.”
“Tommy said what?”
“Oh, yeah.” I leaned up to look at him. “Tommy called and offered me a job tonight. Same pay and benefits I have now, but he said I can make my own hours and work from home.”
“But you’ll have to work for his crazy ass.”
“That’s true.”
“Seems like a fair trade.”
“That’s what I thought, too. He wants me to come for dinner this week to do all the paperwork.”
“Good news.”
“I’m not scheduled to go back in until the day after tomorrow, but I think I’m just going to go in the morning and get it over with.” I lay back down, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’d rather not worry about it all day.”
“No reason to wait,” he agreed.
“Could you come with me?” The question grated. I hated the idea that I wasn’t capable enough to go into the office by myself—but I couldn’t deny the relief I felt once I’d said it.
“Of course.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” I said quickly. “Just, you know, help me carry my stuff out of my office.”
“You needed me to stand on one foot, pat my head, and rub my belly, I’d do it,” he replied easily.
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” I patted his chest.
For the first night since we’d broken the seal, we didn’t have sex. I fell asleep curled up next to him, his arm curled tightly around my back. He kicked the top quilt off of us at some point because he got too hot, but I didn’t even notice. I actually hadn’t even missed the weight of the blankets our entire trip—the arm around me had been the only thing I’d needed.
When I woke up the next morning and found Gray looking at me, I groaned and rolled away.
“Mornin’.” He smiled.
“I told you I was a yeller,” I reminded him with a wince.
“You weren’t lyin’.”
“To be fair, you yelled, too.”
“I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have.” His expression was full of remorse.
“Well, now I just feel worse,” I whined.
“It’s different,” he said, shaking his head.
“How exactly is it different?”
“I could hurt you,” he replied bluntly. “You get mad and yell, I don’t like it, but I wouldn’t be afraid . A man yells at a woman, and her first instinct is fear.”
“That’s not true.”
He looked at me like I was crazy.
“I would never think you’d physically harm me.”
“I yell at you enough, you would.”
I considered it and finally nodded in acceptance.
“So, if you never yell, but I do, then I’ll just look like the crazy one,” I accused.
“That’s your burden to bear,” he teased, his eyes crinkling.
I climbed out of bed with a huff and tossed a throw pillow at his head. Gray laughed and caught it, then he followed me into the bathroom. Showering together was far from sexy considering the size of my tub, but the intimacy was superb. I got to watch as he soaped up that muscular body and drive him crazy while I did the same.
By the time we left for my office, I was surprisingly relaxed. There wasn’t much that anyone could do to me now that I’d already lined up a new job, and I figured the threat of Scott doing something nuts was practically zero while Gray was there.
“You ready to say goodbye to this place?” Gray asked as he parked the truck.
“It was good to me for a while,” I replied, throwing open my door. “But, yeah. Let’s do this quick.”
I’d already printed my resignation letter at home, and I carried the crisp sheet of paper inside with us. I hadn’t bothered to give them two weeks’ notice. I wasn’t willing to be in that office more than the fifteen minutes it took to pack my things, and they probably would’ve just told me not to come in anyway. I hoped that they’d find someone to fill my position quickly so the guys on our jobs wouldn’t suffer, but it really wasn’t my problem anymore.
“You’re back,” Linda said happily as we walked into the office.
“Just grabbing my stuff,” I replied, waving my letter.
“Really?” She stood up from her desk.
“Got another offer,” I said easily.
“Congratulations!” She smiled knowingly and looked at Gray.
He stepped forward and introduced himself.
“You traded way up,” she muttered out of the corner of her mouth as she shook his hand.
I laughed. I was still giggling a little as we walked toward my boss’s office. I rarely saw Tate since his way of managing the entire branch was to golf and take long lunches with customers nearly every day, but thankfully that morning he was sitting behind his desk.
“Hey, Frankie,” he greeted, leaning back in his seat.
“Hey, I’m just here to give you this—” I handed over my letter. “And thank you so much for the opportunity to work here.”
“You’re leaving us,” he said with a sigh, glancing at Gray and then back at me. “I had a feeling this was coming.”
“You did?”
“Well, Scotty was in here ranting about how your boyfriend beat him up,” he said, glancing at Gray again. “And alternately talking about how much you wanted him. I figured you wouldn’t want to deal with him.”
“My boyfriend’s been with me in California all week.”
“Figures.”
I looked over at Gray and then back to Tate. “You know, Scott and I were seeing each other for a while over a month ago.”
“I’d heard that.”
“And then when I broke up with him, he wouldn’t leave me alone. He harassed me relentlessly. Flowers, notes on my desk, standing in my office even after I’d asked him to leave. He even said something really appropriate about my ass in front of one of our vendors.”
“Shit,” Tate hissed. “Did you report it?”
“No.”
“You can still—”
“I’m just letting you know,” I replied, gesturing for him to stop. “So you can keep a closer eye on things. Everyone saw it. Everyone was talking about it. No one did anything about it—probably because he’s the owner’s nephew, and they were too afraid. That’s why I didn’t report it. You’re his boss. You could do something about it.”
“I will,” Tate said, coming around his desk. “Thanks for all your hard work. We’re going to miss you around here.”
“Thank you.”
As Gray walked me back to my office to pack up my things, he leaned down to my ear. “You think he’ll do anything?”
“Not a chance in hell,” I muttered. “That guy’s a limp noodle.”
Gray’s bark of laughter made me smile.
I was still smiling five minutes later while I threw an old water bottle and my favorite pens into a box Linda had left on my desk. “These are mine,” I informed Gray while he carefully put a small plant in the box. “I brought them from home.”
“I’m not judgin’,” he replied. “You want, I’ll carry the fuckin’ desk out.”
“Frankie,” an unwelcome voice called from the doorway.
I lifted my head to see Scott standing there. I should’ve known that he’d show up. My luck in that department hadn’t been great. The amazing thing, though, was that my stomach didn’t clench with nervousness. The power he’d wielded was gone.
“You’re back.”
“I’m not,” I said flatly as Gray straightened and turned toward the asshole.
“Call off your dogs,” Scott ordered me. I wondered if he’d feel so brave if he knew that Gray didn’t give a shit who was watching.
“Don’t, baby,” I murmured quietly to Gray. I looked back at Scott. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do,” he argued, taking a step forward before changing his mind and shuffling back. “Tell them to stop.”
“Sorry, Scott,” I said with a shrug. “I can’t help you.”
“Frankie,” Scott snarled.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Gray ordered, his voice so low and dark that even I felt it snake down my spine.
Scott opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. He spun and rushed away from the door.
Grabbing the photos of Myla, Lou and I off the desk, I set them in the box. “I’m ready.”
“You sure?” Gray asked, turning away from the door. “You don’t need to rush.”
“I didn’t have that much here,” I assured him. “This is it.”
“All right.” He picked up the box and waited for me to precede him through the door.
As we walked out of the office, I waved at some of the coworkers I liked and ignored the rest. I hadn’t really made any friends there—which was probably my fault. I’d already found my crew. I didn’t feel the need to go looking for anyone to add. Riding the elevator to the ground floor felt good. Walking out into the parking lot for the last time felt even better.
The weight that had been dragging me down so far that I’d felt like I was going to collapse under it? Gone. Just like that.
I practically skipped back to the truck.
“Happy?” Gray asked as he set the box into the back seat.
“I don’t ever have to come back here.”
“Nope.”
“Hallelujah.”
He helped me into my seat and then walked around to his side as I let out a long breath. After I cashed my last check, I wasn’t going to think about that place ever again.
Gray pulled onto the road, and I zoned out, wondering what working for Tommy would be like. Ordering for much smaller jobs would take some getting used to, but it might be nice to be able to pay closer attention to the materials and products we were using. Plus, I’d met his two foremen, and I’d liked them. By the time I stopped daydreaming, I realized that we were nowhere near either of our houses.
“What are we doing here?” I asked as Gray pulled up to the Aces compound. The prospect rolled back the gate before we’d fully stopped.
“Need to run in for a minute,” he answered, the hand on my thigh giving a quick squeeze.
“Should we have dinner at my place tonight?” I asked, rolling my head on the seat to look at him. “We could grab those steaks from last night, and you could teach Lou how to grill them.”
“Sounds good.”
He parked in the forecourt and hopped out, but I left my seat belt on. If he was just running in for a minute, I didn’t really need to—
“You comin’?” he asked as he opened my door.
“Oh, sure.”
I followed him inside the quiet clubhouse and through the archway. There wasn’t anyone in the main room, but noise from the garage beside it was a steady hum. When we reached his room, he crowded me up against the wall.
“Whatcha doing?” I asked, grinning as he bent his head.
“Kissin’ you,” he murmured. His lips hit mine, and the now familiar sense of falling made my belly swoosh. “In,” he ordered, unlocking the door and swinging it open.
“What are we doing?” I practically sang, strutting into his room.
“Thought we could remake a memory,” he replied, locking the door behind him.
“Nice room,” I breathed.
“You gonna decorate it?”
“You need it,” I shot back, squealing as he reached for me, his hands going straight for my ass.
“Do whatever you want,” he muttered, carrying me to the bed. He tossed me onto it, and I bounced, laughing as he stripped off his cut.
We were a tangle of arms and legs as we pulled off our clothes. I tugged the rubber band out of his hair and ran my hands through the silky strands. He pressed a kiss to my sternum. Ran his hands down my sides so lightly that I had to force myself not to shiver. We kissed and kissed some more. His hand slid between my thighs. Mine gripped the globes of his ass.
Finally, when I was so turned on that every inch of my skin was sensitized and aching, he leaned back on his heels and pulled a condom out of his bedside drawer.
He tried to hand it to me.
“You do it,” I ordered huskily. I wanted to watch.
“You sure?” he asked gently.
Then I realized.
He’d handed me every condom so I could put them on. Every single time. And from that point on, his hands had never strayed close to it.
Tears filled my eyes.
“It’s fine, baby,” he said, trying to hand it to me again. “You do it.”
“You can put on the condom, Gray,” I choked out. “I don’t need to do it.”
“If it makes you feel safer, then—”
“It doesn’t,” I whispered. “It doesn’t matter which one of us puts it on. I’ve never, not for one second, thought that you’d ever put me at risk.”
“You can put it on,” he murmured seriously. “I don’t care. I like your hands on me—”
“Gray,” I cut him off, pushing myself up until we were nose to nose. I cupped his cheeks in my hands. “I trust you. I love you. Put the condom on so I can fuck you.”
His hands were already moving before the last sentence had left my mouth. I laughed as he pushed me backward with his body until I was laid out on the bed again.
“I love you, too, Francesca Marino,” he murmured against my mouth.
We took our time. We murmured sweet nothings that I’d never admit to. Eventually, we crawled under the blanket and passed out.
Later that night, we grilled steaks with Lou and fell into my bed again, whispering and laughing about how glad we were that my sturdy antique bed didn’t squeak.
I called Myla’s mom the next morning and planned to have dinner that night. Gray offered to go with me, but since we’d be discussing my job, I felt like I had to do it by myself. It wasn’t as if I was going to a stranger’s house. It was the first time we’d been apart since our fight, and it felt a little strange—but also…good. I knew he’d be waiting when I got back to the camper. He knew that I’d show up when I was finished.
I knocked on Myla’s parents’ front door that night, opening it before anyone had time to answer—like I always had—and then froze just inside.
It was a fucking business meeting. I shouldn’t have walked in like I owned the place.
“What the hell are you doing standing in the doorway?” Heather called as she peeked out of the kitchen. “Take your coat off, stay a while.”
I hung my coat on the rack and walked toward the kitchen. Low music was playing, and it smelled like spaghetti.
“Good, you’re here,” Tommy greeted. “You want a beer?”
“No thanks.”
“ No thanks , she says,” he called to Heather across the kitchen. He shook his head. “Get in here, kid.”
“I brought my ID and my social security card,” I said quickly, reaching for my purse. “And I have references—”
“Frank,” Tommy said, cutting me off. “Please tell me you know your own Social Security number.”
“Well, yeah,” I replied slowly. “But don’t you want to look at it?”
“Why the hell would I want to do that?”
I just stared at him. Any job I’d ever started had asked to make copies of my information.
“Papers are on the counter.” He pointed. “Fill ’em out before you keel over from nerves.”
“I’m really grateful—”
“Frankie,” Heather said gently as she crossed the kitchen. She set her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve got the job. We know you. We love you. Now, relax.”
I nodded and followed her over to the counter. As I filled out the paperwork and looked over my contract, my mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Tommy, this is more than I was getting paid before.”
“Oh, good,” he muttered, walking past me. He disappeared outside and came back in with three beers.
“I thought you were going to match my old salary?”
“They were paying you shit,” he replied nonchalantly. “I’m not gonna pay one of my kids shit.”
Ignoring the lump in my throat, I finished filling everything out. When I was done, I just sat there. I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d spent so long trying to find a new job, and then suddenly, an opportunity had just fallen into my lap. Those kinds of things didn’t happen to me.
Finally, I spun around to face him.
“For all you know, I might be a terrible employee. What if I just completely fuck off and your jobs all get screwed up?” I dropped the pen on top of the stack of papers. “It’s not like you could fire me. Myla would kill you.”
Tommy set his beer down on the table. “I know where you live,” he replied dryly.
“Fuck around a little ,” Heather advised as she set a bowl of garlic bread on the table. “It keeps him on his toes. Now, come eat.”
Having dinner alone with Tommy and Heather wasn’t as strange as I’d anticipated. I’d never had them all to myself before, and it was kind of nice getting their full attention. They’d been like parents to me for over half my life. Heather was really the only mother I’d ever had. Between giving each other shit, Tommy and I discussed the jobs his company was currently working on, what exactly he’d need from me, and when to go to the sites to introduce myself and give everyone my contact information.
Neither of them asked about Gray, but as I was walking out of the house that night, Heather called out to give him a kiss from her.
I was so pumped as I drove back to Gray’s place, I was practically vibrating. It had been a long time since I’d been so excited about the future. Even before I’d hooked up with Scott, work had been something I had to get through in order to get to the fun parts of my life. Working for Tommy didn’t feel that way—I was excited to see what he was working on and find exactly the right supplies to get those jobs done. It gave me a creative outlet that I hadn’t anticipated.
When I stepped into the camper that night and found Gray lying on the bed reading, I burst into tears.
“No, I’m fine,” I hiccupped, waving him off as he jumped off the bed. I tossed my purse on the couch. “I’m just being a crybaby.”
“What’s going on?” he asked, a mixture of concern and amusement in his voice.
“That job’s gonna be fucking awesome ,” I griped, swiping at my face.
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“No, it’s a good thing. I don’t know why I’m fucking crying!”
“Aw, come here,” he murmured, pulling me against his chest.
As soon as I’d finished with my emotional outburst, I told Gray all about the role I’d play at Tommy’s company. It took forever, as I waxed on and on about all the things I was looking forward to and how dinner had gone, but he never lost interest. He sat on the couch while I alternately sat beside him and paced the length of the trailer, listening intently the entire time.
“And then,” I practically gasped, I was talking so fast. “I said, ‘ Tommy I thought you were going to match my pay. And he said, they paid you shit. I’m not gonna pay one of my kids shit. ’”
I threw my hands in the air. “So, I guess I’m getting paid more, too.”
Gray smiled at me, his eyes soft.
“That’s why you were cryin’,” he said. “Because he called you one of his kids.”
“Shut up, it is not,” I shot back.
“They love you, Frankie.”
I swallowed hard. “So, I guess that makes me a nepo baby?”
Gray laughed. “Welcome to the club.”
I sniffled and laughed as I crawled onto his lap. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears on my cheeks. “So many soft bits.”
“Not that many,” I argued. To be honest, it felt like the longer I spent with Gray, the more soft bits I discovered.
“I like them,” he whispered into my mouth. “’Cause I’m the only one who gets to see ’em.”
“Lucky you,” I whispered back.
“Lucky me,” he agreed, rising to his feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to bed.
A couple years later, after a particularly loud argument—on my side, not his—when I was filled with remorse and feeling pretty terrible, he reminded me again of something I already knew to my bones. It was worth it, he said—the arguments and the bickering and the independence that I held on to by my fingernails—because he was the only one in the world who got to witness my soft bits.