~Chapter 19~
I help Bea get situated in the chair by the laptop and pull another one over so she can prop up her leg. She smiles shyly and I swear my heart flips. Did that really just happen? Did she really let me kiss her and agree to give us a chance?
Even brings over a pillow, lightly nudging me out of the way so he can slide it under her leg. We all take our places around the table before the strangest sound erupts from Bea’s direction.
Her face turns a hilarious shade of crimson and she bows her head to hide. Charlie, the moody bastard, grunts, “When was the last time you ate?”
For an awkward moment, we wait for her answer. Or should I say, Danny, Even, and I wait. Charlie’s already making his way back into the pantry and rummaging around. Her face tilts as she tries to see what he’s doing. “Um, I don’t remember.”
Even speaks up, “And your meds? You can’t take those on an empty stomach.”
Her brows pinch in concentration but that’s telling enough as is. Danny hops up and rushes down the hall to grab her medicine.
By the time he returns, Charlie’s placing a bottle of water in front of her. She uncaps it and I watch as she takes a few gulps. Then, she pops the pills into her mouth, takes another swig of water, and swallows them down. How does she make taking medicine sexy? Jesus.
Clearing her throat, she watches as Danny slides into a chair next to Even; across the table from her. I’m sitting to her right so her back is slightly turned toward me so she can use the chair in front of her for her left leg.
“So, uh. How much do you want to know?” Her inquiry sounds serious, but there's something hidden in it.
“Everything.” Charlie’s gruff, no-nonsense voice carries from the kitchen island.
Her head tilts and I can tell by the straightening of her shoulders, and the slight wave of her hand, that my Sassy Queen is getting ready to come out.
“You sure about that? Because, you may not like what I have to say.” Her voice is strong, challenging. Fuck, I love it. That’s my girl.
Charlie stops what he’s doing and glares at her under his lashes. “Yes, little girl, I am.” Oh hot damn. Dominant Charlie has come out to play.
I can see the blush forming on Bea’s cheeks and I can’t help the small grin that forms.
Danny’s rocking back and forth on the back legs of the chair and Even’s chest is rising and falling in a staccato rhythm from holding in his laugh.
“Ok. You asked for it.” Her playful reply, and the smile I see form across her face, force me to reach over and grab her hand.
At first, she clenches at the contact, and stares at our joined hands like they may jump up and bite her. Eventually, after some kind of internal debate, she takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
Turning a little more, she looks over at me and gives me a smile that lights up the whole damn world. She’s trusting me. Allowing herself to be vulnerable, and damn it feels fucking amazing!
Clearing her throat again, she looks between us and begins, “So, Franco and I met through the same app we met on.” She gestures to Even and I see his face fall; likely knowing where this is going.
Danny’s front chair legs slam to the ground as he shifts forward. “Why would he need to use the app? I mean, the Crimson Knights are crawling with molls and wannabes. Why use an app?”
Beatrice glances at Even, then back to Danny, before answering. “Well, I guess he didn’t want the others to know what he had going on.”
She’s purposefully leaving out information. Looking around, I can tell I’m not the only one confused.
“Ugh, fine,” she growls out, tipping her head back toward the ceiling, and shaking it a few times. She releases a heavy breath before rambling out, “He has a micropenis. A lot of men have hard times, socially, sexually, and emotionally. He told me he doesn’t seek out those around him because he doesn’t want to be chastised. Men and their dicks.” She grumbles the last part under her breath and rolls her eyes.
The entire kitchen is eerily silent. Even Charlie is frozen over the plate of food he’s been preparing for Bea.
Danny, being Danny, braces his arms on the table, clasps his hands, and leans forward; as if he’s sharing a secret. “So, um…”
His eyes sparkle with mischief and I can already tell what he’s going to ask.
“How was it?”
She snaps her head towards his in surprise and guffaws. “Fine. He was fine. We met up twice and it was fine.”
“So, he didn't get you off but you’re still trying to be nice?” Charlie and his damn mouth.
Before I can say anything, she whips her head towards him and glares. “I understand conditions out of our control. I have two, both preventing me from always crossing the, uh, the line. You know…” She trails off flitting her hand through the air like it’s magically going to speak for her.
“An orgasm, little girl? It’s hard for you to orgasm?” Her hand stops mid-air and her eyes widen. A deep, sexy blush trails from her ears, across her face, and down her neck.
I reposition my body as my cock stirs to life.
“Y-yes. Actually. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. And, that’s ok. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t friggin’ amazing with his fingers.” She may have started off with stammering, but she quickly gained confidence. And I know I’m not the only one who caught the challenge in her voice on the last statement.
Charlie growls in his chest and Even wipes a paw down his face, stroking his beard a few times. “Listen,” she laments, “It was fine. He was fine, but other than that, we didn’t share much personally. A couple of meetings, one was in the back of a bakery or something, and then, yeah, we parted ways.” She shrugs a shoulder like it’s no big deal but holy shit!
Charlie’s frozen where he stands and appears to be piecing through what she’s told us.
Shaking his head, he walks over and sets down a plate with a giant club sandwich piled high with lettuce, tomato, turkey, and ham. I’m not even sure he remembered he was making it for her and not himself because it’s twice the size of her mouth.
Her eyes grow wide and she murmurs a soft, “Thank you,” before picking up a triangle, squishing it down a little, and taking a bite.
To my great surprise, she actually fits the sandwich in her mouth and moans. Telling by the off-orange sauce dabbed at the end of her mouth, he added his special chipotle mayo to the sandwich.
My cock jumps in my sweats and I hear Danny and Even both groan.
Her eyes pop open as she covers her mouth with one hand and wipes the side of her mouth. Taking a moment to chew, she looks at Charlie and tells him, “This is forking AMAZING!”
Charlie looks almost bashful as he grunts, "Dinner won't be for another hour, and you need all the nutrients you can get so, yeah. No big deal." He quickly turns away and begins putting up the rest of the food.
Bea finishes chewing another bite of her sandwich before looking around, “So, why do you need to know about Franco?”
Naturally, we all look to Charlie for direction. A few beats pass as he continues cleaning before he responds. He comes to a stand on the closest side of the island, leans against it, and crosses his arms over his chest.
I hold my breath, completely unsure of how this is going to be handled, but leave it to Charlie to make the right decisions.
“I’ll tell you what. We’ll tell you what our business with Franco is, given our boss approves, if you tell us why you have a dungeon below your garage.”
Bea’s hands start trembling as she gently places the sandwich on her plate. Dropping her chin to her chest, she takes a few calming breaths.
Leaning over, I squeeze her thigh, silently lending my support. Her head slowly turns to face me and I give her, what I hope, is an encouraging smile. “You can trust them. In fact, it will all make much more sense if we all work together.” I whisper the words just for her to hear before leaning in and giving her a chaste kiss.
Opening her eyes, I see tears filling them and I tilt my head. “Only tell them what you’re ready to share, but I guarantee there won’t be any negative judgment.”
With a small nod, she releases a shaky breath and waves Charlie to the table. “Can you, um, please sit? I might be able to get through this if no one’s standing above me.”
Charlie sees it in her eyes, I know he does.
He nods once and slides into the chair at the end of the table. She meets each of our eyes, assessing our seriousness and, I’m sure, warring with herself about being vulnerable.
“Before you decide to “date me”, or whatever,” she uses air quotes and I roll my eyes. Like I could possibly leave her.
“There are things you need to know. Since there are four of you and one of me, I can’t explain the dungeon without explaining my ‘why’.”
Charlie nods solemnly, Even’s nervously stroking his beard, and Danny looks an awful lot like he’s walking a tightrope with his beast.
Staring into my eyes once more, she smiles, mouths “thank you”, and begins.