Текст книги "Оллмп"

Автор книги: Меган Куин

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I whisper back, “I don’t blame you.”

“Are you ready?” Dave asks, looking up from cooing at Enoch.

“We are,” I say, even though I have no idea what to expect or what Huxley got us into.

As a group, we walk into the room, which is filled with couples holding babies. At least ten other couples all hover over their baby stations. The only tables left are one in the back and one in the front.

“If you don’t get that back table, I’ll never suck your cock again,” I whisper to Huxley, who chuckles and moves forward in front of Dave.

Hands out, he says, “Ah, damn, looks as if we can’t sit next to each other. We’ll take this back table.”

“Oh, what a shame,” Ellie says, scanning the tables. “Well, might be for the best, I think our little Enoch is crushing on your one-eyed Judith.” Ellie winks and then takes off toward the front with Dave.

I glance up at Huxley and ask, “Do you think that was sarcastic? Do you think she was hating on Judith?”

“Does it matter? I thought you were terrified of Judith.”

“I am,” I say as we make our way to the back table. “But she’s ours to be terrified of, no one else’s.”

“I think you’re taking this baby thing too seriously.”

“Are you saying you’re not actually here to learn the ins and outs of taking care of an infant?” I ask him.

“I’m just hoping there’s some kind of snack break.” He glances around the room. “But I don’t see a snack table, so I’m guessing I’m out of luck.”

“Why do I like you?”

Leaning in toward me and talking closely to my ear, he says, “Because you can’t get enough of my cock.”

“If only that were the case,” I reply as the instructor walks into the room. Wait . . . “Is that Heaven?”

“Who’s Heaven?” Huxley asks.

“Uh, the lady who made me dry-hump you in front of a bunch of strangers.”

“Oh Jesus,” Huxley says, trying to get a better look at the instructor. “Fuck, I think it’s her. Thank God we’re in the back.”

“Welcome,” Heaven says, her voice booming through the speakers. “I’m so glad everyone could join us on this wonderful journey of getting to know your newborn. I see some familiar faces, and I’m sure I’ll see more as I make my way around the classroom to work with each of you individually.”

“Oh, great,” I mutter. “I’m sure she’s going to be focusing on us again.” I glance up at Huxley. “You owe me, Hanley.”

“I’m starting to realize that.”

“Now, please go ahead and turn on your babies. The switch is on their back. They’ll wake up, and we’ll get started.”

I flip Judith over and find her on switch. I move it to the right, turn her back over, and then with one eye, she blinks at me.

Blinks again.

And then . . . wails.

“Dear Christ,” I say, tossing her on the table, which only makes her wail even louder.

“What are you doing?” Huxley asks. “You’re drawing attention to us.”

“Not on purpose.”

“Why is she so loud?” he asks, picking her up by the leg.

“Because she has one eye and isn’t happy about life,” I answer while looking around. “I don’t think you should hold her like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like she’s a snake you found on the trail.” I nudge him. “She’s not going to bite. Coddle her.”

“Easy for you to say, she’s not staring at you with her one eye.” She wails even louder and Huxley grimaces. “Good fuck, what has possessed this thing?”

“It doesn’t like being held upside down like that,” I say.

“It doesn’t know. It’s not alive.”

“Says the man who’s scared of the blinking doll. No, I think it has a sensor. Hold it close to you.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t call Judith it, maybe that’s hurting her feelings.”

“Then hold Judith close to you,” I say as she screams even louder.

“Like to my chest?”

“Yes,” I say in exasperation. “Like an actual baby, Huxley.” Judith wails again, and I catch sight of Heaven walking toward us. “Oh shit, Heaven is coming in this direction. Quick, coddle her. Coddle her, damn it.”

“Ugh, okay.” Huxley brings Judith to his chest and holds her, but that doesn’t stop her wailing. “She’s still acting like a wretched crotch.”

“Then pat her.”

“Pat her?” he asks.

“Yes, you know. A light tap to the back. Soothe her, Huxley.”

Awkwardly, he pats Judith, which only makes her scream more. “It’s possessed. It’s because she’s missing an eye, there’s no other explanation.” He hands me the doll, which I hold out in front of me. The plastic doll wails, blinks, and wails some more.

“I don’t like this thing.”

“You’re not coddling it,” Huxley says as Heaven draws closer.

“Because I’m afraid Judith is going to suck my soul right from my body if I bring her in closer.”

“Here, I’ll pat her while you hold her.” Huxley reaches out and pats Judith on the back a few times.

After the fourth pat, Judith stops crying.

“Oh my God, we did it.”

“Did we?” Huxley asks, unsure. “Would she just stop like that?”

“I think so. I think we soothed—”

Before I can finish my sentence, I’m sprayed in the face with some sort of milky liquid.

“Oh fuck,” Huxley says, jumping back to avoid whatever hellish liquid the doll is spewing.

“Get it off me, get it off me,” I yell as I run in place, holding Judith as far away from me as possible. “Oh my God, why does it smell?”

“I have a wash—” Huxley makes a gagging sound. “Jesus fuck, it smells so bad. What is that?”

“I don’t know, just get it off my face.”

“Everything okay over here?” Heaven’s voice cuts through the chaos.

I pause my theatrics and try not to vomit from the putrid smell on my face. “Judith is experiencing an exorcism,” I say.

“I can see that. It seems as though she’s not feeling well. Is that how you’d hold a baby who’s not feeling well?”

“This is how I’d hold a baby that just sprayed sour milk all over my face. She’s lucky she’s not rolling on the ground by herself.”

Huxley wipes my face with a washcloth, and I allow myself to take a deep breath once most of the liquid is gone.

“Why does it smell?” I ask Heaven, who’s standing in front of us with a judgey look on her face.

“We try to make the experience as authentic as possible, which is why I’d ask that you treat the baby like a real one.”

“I am. I was just caught off guard, I wasn’t expecting for—”

Judith gurgles.

Judith makes an odd sound.

And then, to my horror, Judith starts leaking something brown.

Without even thinking, I screech, drop Judith on the table, and step away as a fresh round of putrid stench comes from Judith’s plastic bottom.

And of course, because she’s Satan’s baby, she wails so loud that everyone is looking at us now, even Dave and Ellie, who are coddling Enoch.

This is not going well.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as we sit outside of the building, cleaned up, thankfully all remnants of Judith wiped away.

“Don’t be, that doll was possessed.”

“Yeah, but I got us kicked out of the class.”

After Judith had another “upset belly,” as Heaven liked to call it, I swore at the doll, which caused our eviction from the classroom.

I’m sorry, but if that was a real child, I probably would’ve reacted the same exact way, except the whole dropping the baby thing. But I doubt there’s one parent out there who would’ve been able to keep their cool as they were being blasted by their baby from every hole. Please show me one parent who would’ve been able to handle that situation with dignity and grace.

None.

“Kicking us out of class was aggressive,” Huxley says. “Just because of your litany of swear words? Frankly, I thought it was a colorful combination.”

I lean against him and press a kiss to his cheek. “I appreciate you appreciating my ability to combine swear words.”

The door to the building opens and Dave and Ellie step out, holding hands. When they spot us, they smile with apologetic looks.

“We weren’t sure if you two left or not,” Ellie says. “That was a bit of a rough situation in there.”

Huxley helps me stand and places his arm over my shoulder, keeping me close to him. “I’m not sure we were expecting things to be so volatile,” Huxley says with humor in his voice.

Dave chuckles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a string of unfortunate events before.” He smirks. “And congrats on the swear words. Quite impressive, Lottie.”

I feel my face heat up with embarrassment. I was so thrown off by Judith that I completely forgot about all decorum and the purpose of being in the damn class to begin with—to impress Dave. I really hope I didn’t just screw things up for Huxley. This deal that seems to have been dragged on forever.

“Sorry about that.” I wince. “I think I was so overcome by the smell that I lost all ability to act like a normal human.”

“No need to apologize,” Dave says. “I’m not sure I would’ve been able to hold it together if the same thing happened to me.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to,” Ellie says, resting her hand on her belly. “I’m starving. Would you guys care to join us for some dinner?”

“That would be great,” I answer for the both of us before Huxley can come up with an excuse. I think I owe it to him to give this outing one more shot.

“Wonderful,” Ellie says. “Right around the block, there’s a quaint sandwich shop I’m obsessed with. Does that sound good?”

I nod. “Lead the way.”

Dave and Ellie take off, but Huxley holds me back a few steps. Whispering into my ear, he says, “You don’t have to do this. I know you probably want to get home.” And shower. Yes, God, yes. But . . .

“I owe it to you,” I answer.

His lips run over my ear, sending chills down my arm. “You owe me nothing. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

I link my fingers with his, twining them together. “I promise, I’m okay. Let’s see if we can make a dent in this deal.” I wink and let him draw me in closer as we trail behind Ellie and Dave. He leans away suddenly and clears his throat.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, um . . . I don’t think you got all the baby vomit out of your hair.”

Oh fuck.

“Don’t you just love a meaty sandwich?” Ellie asks, taking a ravenous bite of her Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Cheese drips off her chin as she smiles and chews.

Dear God.

“I love all the meat in my mouth,” I answer, causing Huxley to snort next to me. Huh, I guess that didn’t sound quite right.

“So sad that you opted for the soup. You could’ve really chowed down on this cheesesteak.”

I got the chicken noodle soup because, frankly, I had no idea what a pregnant lady could eat, and since Ellie and Dave insisted on us ordering first, I went with something neutral. Trust me, that cheesesteak looks phenomenal.

“Not sad at all,” I answer, scooping up a spoonful of the boring broth. “Love me a good soup.” I shovel the spoon into my mouth and pretend to enjoy the lackluster meal.

“Is that so?” Dave asks. “Are you a big souper?”

“She’s obsessed with soup,” Huxley steps in to say. He’s been done with his sandwich for a bit now, having opted for something small with a side salad. His arm is draped over my chair and he’s been casually twirling my hair with his finger. “Remember that barley soup you made for us that one night?”

Uhhh . . . no.

And frankly, soup is ehhh. I’m not much of a heated-liquid person. I prefer a hearty sandwich, so where is he going with this?

“Oh, yeah, the barley soup,” I answer.

“You used a whole jar of dried barley.” Huxley laughs and turns to Dave and Ellie. “I tried to be the doting fiancé and eat it, but it wasn’t swallowable.”

“Oh, I’ve had my fair share of unswallowable things,” Ellie says, looking at Dave with a certain glint in her eye. Good . . . God!

Dave raises his hand apologetically. “Not the best cook . . . in any aspect.”

Is it just me or are these two throwing down sexual innuendos?

If they are . . . gross!

“And then there was the beef and potato stew you made,” Huxley continues, being Mr. Chatty today. “Now, that was good.”

Since we’re throwing out sexual innuendos . . .

“Because I’m great at handling meat.”

Huxley’s eyes fix on mine. “You’re very good at it.”

We stare at each other, smiles playing on our lips. Is he thinking about last night? Because I am. I’m thinking about how I spent a good ten minutes handling his meat while he writhed beneath me, begging for release.

“Oh, Dave, do you see that?” Ellie asks.

Huxley and I both snap out of our ogling and turn toward the couple opposite us.

“Yep.” Dave has a huge smile on his face. “I think that’s our cue, sweetheart. We need to leave these two alone.”

Ellie nods. “Those pregnancy hormones are kicking in, and they’re about to tear each other’s clothes off.”

I mean, I wouldn’t mind seeing Huxley’s well-built chest right now. At the sandwich shop, not so much, but you know, when we get back home.

“You don’t have to leave,” Huxley says, clearing his throat, but his grip on me grows tighter, more possessive.

Dave laughs. “I think we do.” He offers his hand to Huxley and asks, “Next week, think we can discuss this acquisition?”

Huxley straightens and takes Dave’s hand, giving it a good shake. “Yes, I’ll have Karla call you to see when we’re both available.”

“Perfect.” Dave lifts my hand and places a kiss on the back of it. “Lottie, always a pleasure getting to see you. Good luck . . . handling your meat.”

My cheeks flame. “Th-thank you,” I say awkwardly.

Ellie gives us a quick goodbye, and once they’re out of the restaurant, Huxley turns toward me, a huge smile on his face. “Babe, did you hear that?”

I love it when he calls me babe. It means he’s relaxed, in a good mood, and the stick he likes to wear up his ass most of the time has been temporarily removed.

“That he wants to meet up with you?” I ask.

He nods, that lopsided grin so damn endearing that I find myself drawing closer to him.

“I think he’s ready to make a decision. Fuck, could you imagine if this is all over next week?”

My smile fades as realization hits me square in the chest. What if this is all over next week? I never really gave much thought to what would happen after Huxley secured the deal. I know we’re sort of dating, but do I leave his house? I’m making some money now that Kelsey and I were paid an advance by Cane Enterprises for our work. Does that mean I could afford my own place now?

“That, uh, that would be great,” I answer with a smile, but my mind is wandering. My head is swarming with what if it really is all over?

No longer hungry, I pack up my soup and let Huxley know I’m ready to leave. He texts his driver, who meets us outside. Together, we head out of the restaurant and straight to the waiting car, where we take a seat in the back. I buckle up and look out the window, willing my emotions to stay as calm as possible.

The unknown is scary.

Being unprepared is even scarier.

I need to have a plan for when Huxley does secure the deal.

I have a job—thankfully.

I still have my old car and, to my knowledge, it still works, so I have a way to get around.

School loans are paid off—that’s still a miracle.

Huxley has already said he’ll go to the reunion with me, so I don’t have to worry about that. Sticking it to Angela will still be a possibility.

But a place to live . . .

That’s the one thing I don’t have under control.

Needing to calm down the worry, I pull my phone out of my purse and go to Zillow, because where else should I look for an apartment? And I do a search for places in West Hollywood. I won’t be able to afford anything near Huxley, but near Kelsey would be good.

A studio, that’s all I need.

Not a basement apartment, though, that’s just asking to be murdered.

God, rent is so high. That’s okay, I don’t have much in the way of bills. Spend more on rent, save by forgoing luxuries.

“What are you doing?” Huxley asks, the angry tone of his voice catching me off guard.

I glance up at him and catch the confusion in his face. “Uh . . .” Keeping my voice down, I whisper, “Looking for a place.”

“Why the hell would you be doing that?”

I turn toward him now and say, “Well, if you secure the deal, there’s no need for me anymore.”

His brows narrow. “Are you saying you’re going to leave once I secure the deal?”

“Isn’t that—isn’t that what you want?” I ask, completely confused.

“What I want is you. So why the hell would I want you to leave?”

“Uh . . . I don’t know,” I answer. “I mean, I assumed we’d still date, right? Is that a bad assumption?”

“That’s a correct assumption. But what I don’t understand is why you’re trying to leave.”

“Because I didn’t think you’d still want me around,” I whisper to him, not wanting the driver to hear us, even though there’s a privacy shield.

Huxley grips my chin and holds me in place as he says, “You’re not going anywhere. You hear me? What we have goes beyond the contract. To me, the contract doesn’t exist anymore. What’s between us now is real. Is it not real to you?”

“No, it is,” I say quickly. “I just didn’t want to, you know, impose.”

He chuckles and leans in, placing a soft, open-mouthed kiss to my lips. When he pulls away, he quietly says, “Lottie, trust me when I say you’re not imposing. I want you in my house, in my room, in my bed. I want you on my couch, holding my hand while watching a show you’ve forced me to reluctantly binge. I want you in my pool, skinny-dipping like you enjoy so much. I want you on my roof, feeling the rain bounce off you during a storm. I want you at my dining room table, eating dinner next to me, giving me a hard time for whatever reason you come up with that day.” He lifts my knuckles to his lips and places a soft kiss to them. “I want you, okay?”

The smile that crosses my lips stretches from ear to ear. “Okay. So, no apartment searching?”

“No, Jesus.” He chuckles while shaking his head. “No more giving me a heart attack.”

I press my palm to his cheek. “Aw, you act as if you’re attached.”

“I am. I’m very much attached to you, Lottie. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m addicted. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Good to know.” I nod casually. “Very good to know.”

I glance at him, holding back my smile.

He smirks.

I attempt to play it cool.

He calls my bluff and reaches out to tickle me, causing me to laugh, right before he captures my mouth, placing a muffling kiss across my lips. I melt into his embrace and enjoy him laying his claim.

He’s not the only one who’s addicted, because I need this man just as much as he needs me. I need his teasing, his annoying habits, and his ability to rile me up. I need his caring heart, his blessed soul, and his ability to make me feel safe and protected within the comfort of his arms.

My feelings changed for him so quickly, like the snap of a finger, which makes me wonder, did I always feel like this with him? Were my true feelings just masked with indifference?

From how much I’ve fallen for this man, my answer is probably going to be a yes.

Yes, I do believe I’ve always had feelings for him. I’ve always felt drawn to him. A connection that’s unmistakable. But now I’ve lifted the veil, and I’m able to acknowledge the truth.

I not only like Huxley Cane, but I’m falling in love with him.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter Twenty

HUXLEY

I press my lips to the curve of her neck as her hand glides into my hair.

“Yes,” she whispers, being quiet for once.

My hand slides up her stomach and cups her breast as I continue to pump in and out of her.

I woke up this morning needing my girl. Not because I missed her—she hasn’t left my goddamn sight unless I’m at work—but because I craved her. I wake up every morning craving her, and thankfully, she craves me just as much.

Hard as stone when I woke up, I moved in close behind her, and I can still remember the sound of her moan as she lifted one leg and let me in.

This has to be one of my favorite positions—lying down, fucking her from behind as she rests on her pillow.

“So good, so close,” I say.

“Me too,” she breathes out heavily.

There’s nothing feral about what we’re doing right now, more like comfort. It’s lazy, but it feels so fucking good.

I give her a few more pumps as I feel her tightening around me, and when I know she’s about to fall over, I pinch her nipple, and that’s all it takes with my girl. She screams my name, tightens, and then sends me over the edge as well.

Together, we ride out the wave of euphoria until we’re both sated and breathing heavily.

I don’t move and neither does she as we catch our breath. I casually play with her breast and pull her in closer.

“The perfect way to wake up,” she says, her voice all dreamy.

“Yeah, I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

She chuckles and rests her hand over mine. “I’m lucky that you can keep up with my libido.”

“Are you saying you’re more . . . needy . . . than me?”

“Do you not remember what happened in the middle of the night?”

How could I forget?

I woke up to her riding me. I had no idea I was hard, but apparently I was, because in a dreamy haze, I opened my eyes to find Lottie hovering above me, her tits bouncing beautifully as she used my dick to make herself come.

Hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.

“I do recall.” I place a kiss along her neck. “Not sure I’ll ever forget that.”

Pulling away from me, she turns in my embrace and asks, “Should I be embarrassed?”

I laugh out loud. “Babe, you should be rewarded. That was really hot.”

“Yeah?”

I nod. “Yeah. Please, feel free to do that again, whenever you want.”

Her fingers play over my chest. “You were so hard last night, you woke me up, and even though you were still sleeping, all I could think about was how it would feel to slide over you.”

“And how did it feel?”

“Amazing.” She glides her leg over mine and her hand falls to my pec, her thumb passing over my nipple.

“If you keep that up, I’m never getting out of this bed.”

“Would that be a bad thing?”

I grip her ass and give it a squeeze. “You and I both have work to do. Calling in sick won’t work anymore. Everyone knows we wouldn’t actually be sick.”

“Ugh, I hate real-world responsibilities.”

“You and me both,” I say, pressing a kiss to her nose.

Sighing, she rolls away from me and gets out of bed, much to my dismay. I was hoping for more cuddle time.

The shower turns on, indicating the start of the day.

Groaning, I get out of bed as well and trudge across the hardwood floor to the bathroom, where I find Lottie standing next to the shower, holding up one of her vibrators and sporting a mischievous grin.

“Care to have some fun in the shower?”

She doesn’t have to ask twice.

“Dude, are you listening?”

“Huh?” I ask, looking at JP, who looks more than irritated with me.

“I’m trying to talk about our business here and you can’t give me two seconds before you’re daydreaming.”

“I’m not daydreaming,” I say, even though that’s exactly what I’m doing. I keep thinking about Lottie and the wicked smile she gave me before rubbing her vibrator up and down my cock, making me come in thirty seconds—she counted in her head.

“Bullshit,” Breaker says. “You haven’t paid attention to a goddamn thing we’ve had to say this entire meeting.”

“That’s not true at all.”

“Oh?” Breaker asks. “Then who did we say is arriving in five minutes?”

Someone is arriving in five minutes?

“Uhh . . . Karla?” I ask, sounding more pathetic than I’d like.

Breaker rolls his eyes, while JP throws his arms up in annoyance.

There’s a knock on my office door, and Karla stands there with her tablet in hand. “Mr. Cane, Mr. Dwayne Hernandez is here to see you.”

“Thank you,” I say to Karla. “Send him in.” When she takes off, I quickly say to my brothers, “Dwayne is arriving.”

JP offers me a slow clap. “Wow, man. Impressive.”

I don’t have time for a snarky retort, because Dwayne makes his way into my office.

I’ve done plenty of business with Dwayne in the past. He’s a good man, someone I trust, someone I wouldn’t mind doing more business with, especially since he’s leading the area in clean, sustainable, and on-time construction. He’s our go-to man. And if I were paying attention earlier rather than daydreaming about Lottie, I’d know exactly why he’s here.

But I’ve winged it before.

I stand from my desk and round it, welcoming the man.

“Dwayne, it’s good to see you.” I give him a handshake.

“How are you, man?” Dwayne asks before shaking my brothers’ hands as well.

“Good. Good. Please, take a seat.” I join them in the sitting area of my office.

Dwayne unbuttons his suit jacket and takes a seat, his large frame eating up most of his chair.

“How are the girls?” I ask him. Pretty sure he has eight-, six-, and two-year-old daughters.

“They have me wrapped around their little fingers. We just installed a slide to our pool yesterday and I spent so much time in the water with them that I think my balls have become raisins.”

We let out a hearty laugh.

“But seeing those smiling faces as they flew into the water—worth it.”

“I bet,” I say. “And Maxine? She’s good?”

He nods and shifts in his seat. “She is. She, uh, she’s pregnant again.”

“Wow, that’s great,” Breaker says. “How do you feel about it?”

“Excited.” Dwayne rubs his hands together. “Hoping for another girl. Maxine wants a boy, but not me. I know if we have a boy, he’s going to end up being a punk just like me. I want to have another girl, another angel like my wife.”

And this is exactly why we hire Dwayne for every job. Because he’s just an all-around good man. A family man. An honest man. A man with integrity.

“You know, having another Dwayne Hernandez in the world might not be a bad thing,” I say.

“Your flattery never goes unnoticed.” He then motions his hand to me and says, “And I guess congratulations are in order to you, or . . . fake congratulations.” He laughs.

Eh . . . what?

“Fake congratulations?” I ask, confused, even though I feel a sense of dread falling over me.

“Yeah.” He chuckles and then shifts in his seat. “Had dinner with Dave Toney the other night, and he told me all about your fake engagement and pregnancy.” Dwayne shakes his head. “I’m not sure I’d be able to pull off something like that but Dave said you were killing it.”

What.

The.

Actual.

Fuck?

Breaker and JP both stare at me with horrified expressions, most likely mirror replicas of mine.

“He, uh, he told you that?” I ask, unsure of what else to say.

“Yeah. He said he had no clue until his fiancée, Ellie, told him all about it.”

My mind races. My pulse hammers in my head as I try to wrap my mind around what Dwayne is divulging.

Ellie told Dave it was fake?

How could she have known?

Unless . . .

No.

Lottie wouldn’t have said anything. Right?

Her loyalty is with me. That’s what she said.

But . . .

“But, yeah, the plans he has for the empty lots down on the south side—great idea,” Dwayne continues.

Plans?

The south side?

Is he talking about the lots I’m trying to acquire?

A burning rage of confusion erupts in the pit of my stomach.

No, there’s no fucking way.

“Wasn’t sure I could fit him into my schedule, but I put together a quote anyway. Dude is kind of a strange one. Have you spent much time with him?”

Too much goddamn time. And now I know why he’s been blowing off meetings with me. The bastard.

“Uh, yeah,” I say, trying to keep my composure, but I’m not doing a good job of it as sweat breaks out over my upper lip.

“Solid guy, though, even if he has his quirks.” Dwayne claps his hands together. “Okay, should we go over the Malibu estate?”

“Um . . .” I hold up my finger and stand from my chair. “Would you be able to give me one second?”

“Of course.” He pulls his phone from his suit pocket. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to call Maxine to make sure she’s okay. There’s a message from her, and as she was having odd back pain this morning, I want to check up on her, make sure all is well.”

“Ask Karla for access to the conference room. She’ll be more than happy to help you.”

“Thank you,” Dwayne says, standing from his chair.

He makes his way out of my office, and the moment the door clicks shut, JP asks, “What the actual fuck? Dave knows?”

“First I’ve heard of it,” I say, pushing my hand frantically through my hair.

“How the hell does he know? You didn’t say anything, did you?”

“Are you insane? Do you think I’d tell him the truth while trying to secure this deal with him? A deal it seems as though he has no intention of taking, seeing he has plans to capitalize on our goddamn idea.” Angrily, I stand from my chair and start pacing the room.

He knows.

Dave fucking knows.

And he’s telling people, people I work with, ruining my reputation.

My worst fears come to the surface, pinning me in the chest with mortification.

“Who else do you think he told?” I ask. “Fuck, this could be bad.”

“This could be really bad,” JP adds. “If he told Dwayne, then he’s told others. Dwayne is cool enough to laugh it off, but I couldn’t say that about everyone we work with.”

“Especially people we might want to work with in the future.” I grip my hair with both hands now. “Fuck, he’s probably turning us into a laughingstock with everyone. What the hell do we do now? I have a meeting with him tomorrow.”

“What the hell for? Clearly, he’s not going to sell us the properties,” Breaker says, his face contorted in a worried expression. My stomach plummets from that one look.

This is what my brothers feared would happen, that my mistake and ignorance would come back to bite us in the ass. I’m not only fucking over myself, but I’m fucking them over as well, and that hurts more than anything.

Through thick and thin, they’ve been there for me. We’ve created this business together, from the ground up. We’ve grown, we’ve been through the aches and pains together, the ups and downs, and the successes with minimal failure. If this lie took me out individually, that would be something I’d have to live with, but taking out my brothers . . . fuck, I can’t imagine carrying that burden on my shoulders.

“I . . . I don’t know.”

“I think you need to figure out how he found out,” JP says.

“And how do I go about doing that?” I pin my brothers with a look, and I can see it on their faces. The same thought is going through their minds that passed through mine.

“Dwayne said Ellie knew,” Breaker says gently. “I think—”

I shake my head. “Don’t say it.”

“You need to ask her,” JP says. “You need to confront Lottie.”

And there it is, the elephant in the room, the one thing I didn’t want to consider.

“I don’t think she said anything,” I say, defending her.

“Didn’t she hang out with Ellie in the beginning? Before you two were a real couple?” Breaker asks.

“Yes, but she wouldn’t have said anything.”

“You don’t think she might have said something out of spite? You two fought a lot in the beginning. I’m pretty sure you said there were times when you thought she actually hated you.”