“I think it’s for the best, don’t you?”
His hands come to the front of him, and he slides his fingers together. “Why?”
I shrug.
“You know. Now tell me, Everly.” He’s so demanding.
“You said… you don’t do relationships. I do. That’s an issue for me. Sex is the safe zone, at least for now.” He doesn’t respond. “And, are you sleeping with any other women?”
“Would this bother you?”
I shrug again.
“Everly, words… I need them.”
“Yes. Yes, it would bother me.”
“I won’t.”
I nod my head. “Thank you.”
He reaches up with his hand and touches my neck. I flinch, not because he might cause me pain, but because I don’t want him to pull it down in case anyone sees the marks.
“I have to work.”
“Tonight,” he says pushing away from the wall he was leaning against.
“No, not tonight.”
Gunner leans in close, his hand touches my face. “You don’t want me?”
I nod my head while leaning into his touch. “I do.”
“Good. Give me a key.”
“Whaaat?” I ask in disbelief.
“A key to your apartment, Everly. Give me one.”
“Why?”
His finger trails down to my breast, slowly, deftly, and his eyes follow the path.
“So I can come in to fuck you any time I get the urge. Since you don’t want me fucking anyone else, you will have to fulfill all my pleasure.”
I reach into my pocket and pull my key off the ring and hand it to him like a fuckhead. But I’m under a spell, I swear.
“This also means you aren’t allowed to fuck anyone else but me. Understand?”
“And what if I get the urge?”
He leans in closer to my ear and bites it. “Find me. I’ll be happy to fulfill all your fantasies and pleasure.”
My eyes are closed and when I reopen them, he’s standing tall again watching me. Our bodies are separated. No more of his hands touching me, making me stupid for him. He smells of cigarette smoke and sex.
Or maybe I think that because I want sex.
Shit! I can’t be trusted around him. At all.
My name is called, and he looks into the restaurant then back at me. “I’ll see you tonight, Everly.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him no, but it doesn’t come out. He seems to stand there waiting for me to say it, but when he realizes I’m mute, he smirks before he turns and walks away to his waiting car.
I’m still standing there long after he’s gone, wondering how I just became that woman. That woman who says yes to everything for a man.
And that’s when I realize I’ve just become my mother.
Fuck me drunk.
“He’s turning me into a lovesick fool. Can you believe it? He’s making me do things I don’t even want to do.” I drop my head into my hands and wait for her to speak. She doesn’t, so I continue, “I mean, I let him do things he shouldn’t be able to do to me. May, look at my neck for fuck’s sake.”
“Ummm… don’t say another word.”
“What do you mean don’t say another word, did you just hear what I said?” I look at her to see her watching something behind me.
I spin around and see Alec walking in. May goes quiet when he’s near. She has a major crush. Major.
“Take a deep breath and think of him like any other guy.” I pat her shoulder as I stand when Alec reaches us.
He engulfs me in a hug then slowly puts me back down. “May! Haven’t seen you for ages.” He smiles, but it’s not the smile he gives me, the one where it’s large and welcoming. This one is reserved.
“Yeah, so Ev, I’m gonna head off. See you later, okay?” May gets up and quickly turns, walking away fast.
“You always scare off my friends,” I say while shaking my head as I watch May run away. We sit and my manager brings over two coffees, and I thank her as she walks away.
“Please, you only have one friend and she runs every time I’m near.”
“I have more than one friend.” I scoff at his choice of words.
“Please, squirt. Who? Name another, other than me.”
Damn! Well, I was going to say him.
“Exactly,” he points out.
“Your father wants to talk to you.”
Of course, he’s here for him.
“I don’t want to talk. I’m happy right now. Leave me happy,” I say crossing my hands over my chest. I know it’s about taking over the business and me stepping up, but I don’t want to. I’m happy doing what I am doing right here.
“I can only hold him off for so long, squirt. You know this.” He looks around. “Fucking hell, it’s like a pink unicorn threw up in here.”
I smile.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
He smiles back. “Sooo, I heard your mother mention you were seeing someone. Why haven’t you told me?”
I shrug. I usually tell him everything, but that doesn’t mean I’ll introduce him to all the men I see. You saw how May just ran away before. Well, imagine a grown-ass man doing the same thing. It happens, trust me.