Chapter 10
Ten
Violet
I sat on my bed, staring at the wall as I replayed the words said in the kitchen a few minutes ago, when Enzo declared that they liked sharing women and that I could play with them if I wanted to.
I had no idea what to do with that information, just like I had no idea what had come over me.
I wasn’t the kind of girl to say those kinds of things, let alone lead men on to think that I wanted more from them.
Which, in all fairness, I wanted everything they offered to give me, even if I had no right to.
I didn’t want things to get weird between us, which meant I needed to get my ass moving and find a job soon so I’d have a backup plan if I needed to leave.
While I didn’t necessarily want to leave, I didn’t want to make things hard or uncomfortable for them either.
I knew that they didn’t seem bothered by much, but that didn’t mean that they wanted me around all the time, keeping them from getting their work done.
It was still early enough in the day that I could head out and start looking for a job.
I grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair to get the tangles out, then put it into a loose braid.
It was going to be another hot day in Beaumont Creek.
Still, I didn’t want to look inappropriate to a potential employer, so I changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that felt immediately too uncomfortable.
Brushing some lip gloss on my lips, I took one final look in the mirror, then grabbed my phone and purse. Asher and Enzo were in the kitchen, sitting at the table with their laptops out when I walked in.
“I’m going to head out for a little bit,” I said, not sure why I felt the need to report what I was doing to them.
I quickly reminded myself that it was simply a sign of respect since I was staying with them, and that it had nothing to do with me being a good girl.
More importantly, it had nothing to do with feeling obligated to do so, like I would have felt with Jared.
I wasn’t allowed to do anything without his approval first.
“You’re welcome to take my car if you’d like,” Asher offered, looking up from the screen to smile at me.
“Oh, no. That’s okay, but thank you.”
“Where are you going?” Enzo asked, pushing the laptop away as he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms over his chest.
There was something about the way he looked at me that always made me squirm. I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, hating how the shorter pieces never stayed put.
“I was going to go out looking for a job,” I answered, the dread of their judgment already weighing on me.
“You don’t have to do that,” Asher said quickly. “We have zero expectations of how long you’ll stay with us, nor do we expect you to pay for anything around here. If you need something, tell us, and we’ll get it for you.”
“I appreciate that, but I would feel better knowing that I have a job with a secure paycheck, should I ever need it.”
I didn’t want to say when I need it because I didn’t want to insult them. But I also couldn’t just stay here and not contribute. That wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t like I was their girlfriend or their responsibility to take care of.
“I’m happy to drive you around if you’d like,” Enzo offered.
“Thank you. I was planning to catch the bus.” I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. “Which should be here soon, so I’d better get going.”
I smiled and adjusted my purse on my shoulder as I lowered my head and started walking.
“You’re not taking the bus,” Enzo said, his tone sharp enough to stop me in my tracks.
“And why not?” I asked, glancing at him over my shoulder.
“It’s not safe, for one. Two, there’s no reason for you to stand in the fucking heat waiting for it when we have two well-equipped and air-conditioned vehicles. Give me a second to finish this, and then I’ll be ready.”
“You really don’t have to—” I started, but stopped when Enzo stood up and took the few steps needed to close the distance between us.
I had to lift my head to see him, but when I did, I found his eyes watching me with such intensity that I didn’t know what to say.
It wasn’t a look of him trying to control or dominate me.
It was more of a look of him wanting to take care of me, and that did weird things to my brain.
I couldn’t remember the last time anyone went through this much effort for me.
“I told you that we would take care of you,” he said with a raised eyebrow, his voice still soft.
“While I can’t stop you from getting a job if that’s what you really want to do, I can insist on driving you around town while you look for one.
I can also tell you which places are good and which ones you absolutely won’t be working at.
The point is, there’s not a damn thing that is going to stand in my way of taking care of you, so please don’t fight me on this. ”
My tongue slipped out slightly as I licked my lips, feeling that stupid ache between my thighs again.
I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around his neck, bringing him closer as I kissed him.
I wanted to feel his rough, strong hands on me as he lifted me to his hips, his grip on my ass firm and promising.
I wanted to feel the thick, hard outline of his arousal through his jeans as he sucke—
“You okay?” he asked with a smirk, pulling me out of my fantasy.
“Yeah,” I stammered, clearing my throat as I took a slight step back and shook my head. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just checking,” he lied with a knowing smirk before he looked over his shoulder to Asher. “You coming?”
My eyes shifted from Enzo to Asher, who had a smug grin on his lips as he closed his laptop.
“Fuck yeah, I’m coming,” he said, and I had to remind myself that it didn’t mean what I wanted it to mean.
I turned around to try to hide the blush on my face as I headed to the garage, knowing that I wasn’t getting out of being escorted around town today.
******************************
Two hours later, we had gone to just about every place that Beaumont Creek had to offer, with no potential job prospects in sight.
The few places that were hiring didn’t feel like the right places to work, especially since the managers were either creepy men or grouchy women.
It was already close to lunch based on the loud growling noise my stomach made.
The guys didn’t say anything from the front seat, so I had hoped they hadn’t heard it.
“Do you like fried fish?” Enzo asked, catching my eye in the rearview mirror.
“I do.”
I smiled and then looked out the window, not trusting myself to keep looking at him.
Today had been hard with their constant light touches, like guiding me somewhere with their hand on my lower back, or extending a hand to help me out of the truck.
I knew they hadn’t meant anything by it, but my body refused to believe it was innocent.
I blamed it on my lack of chemistry with Jared and being around two very attractive men who were beyond confident with their sexuality.
There was zero doubt about how strong the chemistry was between me and both guys, which was odd and frazzled my brain a bit.
But for now, I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on not falling for them, no matter how hard my heart wanted to.
A few minutes later, Enzo pulled into the parking lot of Surf ’N Shack and turned off the truck. The guys hopped out while I unbuckled and grabbed my purse, not having a chance to open the door before it was opened for me.
Asher smiled as he held his hand out for me, licking his lips when I took it and climbed down. We headed inside, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fun atmosphere. While Jared had picked up food from here a time or two while we were together, we had never come to the restaurant to eat.
The line was long, but seemed to move fast with three people working the registers. The tables were packed with just a few open.
“Why don’t you go grab us a table, and I’ll order,” Enzo said to Asher, who nodded and went in search of a place for us to sit.
“Do you guys come here often?” I asked, attempting to fill the awkward silence between us.
“We don’t eat out much, but when we do, it’s always here. Sometimes we’ll go to Rockin’ Rooster for coffee and pastries, but that’s rare. Have you eaten here before?”
“A few times. Jared picked up food for us both times, so I’ve never been inside. It’s kinda fun in here.” I smiled as I looked around, checking out the art on the walls.
“Do you know what you want?”
I shook my head and directed my attention to the large menu that hung behind the registers.
“I don’t even know what they have.”
“I thought you said you’ve eaten here before?”
“I have. But Jared had a habit of just picking up what he wanted. He didn’t usually ask me what I wanted. We’d just share whatever he brought home.”
“I didn’t think it was possible, but I hate that guy more every time I hear what a prick he was.”
“You and me both,” I said with a laugh as we inched our way closer to the registers.
“The fried catfish is really good,” Enzo commented, nodding to the menu I was still looking at. “I also like the hushpuppies.”
“That sounds delicious. I’ll have what you’re having.”
The line cleared, and I felt his hand on my lower back as he guided me to the open register.
“Welcome to Surf ’N Shack. What can I get you?” a scrawny kid who didn’t look to be older than sixteen asked as he squinted at us from behind his thick glasses.
“I’ve got it, Josh,” an older man said, smiling at the kid. “Why don’t you go to the back and run orders to get us caught up?”
The kid nodded and then took off as if this were the most important task he’d ever been given.
“Sorry about that. Things are a little chaotic today. What can I get for you guys?”
I smiled at him, noting how kind his eyes were as he took our order while keeping an eye on everything else happening in the restaurant.
He paid full attention to us as Enzo ordered, but a few times he nodded or shook his head at someone across the room, which made me feel like he might be a manager or something.
Whoever he was, he made sure things ran as smoothly as possible.
“Are you the manager?” I asked, catching him and Enzo by surprise.
Enzo put his credit card back in his wallet as I stood there, trying to muster the confidence I had been trying to find all day to help with my job hunt.
“Not technically,” he said, smiling at me. “My parents own the restaurant. I’m just here helping out this week.”
“Oh.” My face fell, earning a slight frown from him. I tried to smile quickly, doing my best to recover. The last thing a possible future employer wanted was an employee who was mopey.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well,” I said nervously as I took another deep breath and blew it out. “I’m looking for a job, and I thought perhaps you guys might be hiring. This seems like a fun place to work, and I know I would love staying busy.”
The guy folded his arms over his chest and studied me.
“You want to work here.”
It wasn’t a question; it was more of a statement.
“Yes. I need a job. My boyfriend and I broke up after I caught him cheating on me—” I paused for a moment when I noticed his frown move from me to Enzo. “No, not him. He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my neighbor, and there’s this other guy, and they’re both—”
I pressed my lips to stop talking when I realized what a mess I was making and ruining any possible chance of working there. Why was I acting so chaotically? This guy didn’t need to know my life story or the embarrassing details of how I had been cheated on.
“I’m sorry. I don’t usually do that. But yes, I am looking for a job. I’ve been looking all day, and I haven’t found anything that felt right until now.”
“Well, I would be lying if I said we didn’t need the help right now. When would you be able to start?”
My eyes bulged as I stared at him in disbelief.
“Seriously? You’re giving me a job?”
“It would seem that way,” he teased. “Unless you don’t want it.” He smiled playfully to let me know he was kidding, but I didn’t miss the way Enzo’s body tightened in response. Was he jealous that this guy might be flirting with me?
“No. I do! I can start tomorrow.” I grinned and held my hands in front of me in some awkward position before lowering them and holding them at my sides to keep from further embarrassing myself.
“Perfect. If you want to come in around seven am, I can show you around before we open.”
“I will be here at seven.” I extended my hand to shake his as I looked for a name tag so I knew what to call him. “Thank you so much...”
“You can call me Capshaw,” he said, filling in the awkward silence for me as he shook my hand, then let go.
“What does everyone else call you?” Enzo asked, and I could hear the hint of possession in his tone.
He was totally jealous of this guy.
“Everyone calls me Capshaw,” he said with a shrug. “My wife is the only one who calls me Jack, which means I’m not someone you have to worry about.”
Enzo nodded as if that was an acceptable answer as we walked off and headed to where Asher was sitting, waiting for us. I grinned like a fool as we approached, the happiness of having a new job so overwhelming that there was nothing that could bring me down.