Rafe sighed. “We white knights must do the bidding of our ladies, even if it means sitting on our thumbs.”
“Up our asses,” added Max with morosity that could have been feigned or real.
“Is that supposed to be knights-errant?”
“It used to be. The thing is, we don’t exactly wander much anymore—we aren’t nearly so errant since we bought the clubhouse, and some of the boys in the club wouldn’t exactly be likely to go off to do things you’d think of as precisely chivalrous. And we often make lots of mistakes, even when we’re being suitably quixotic. So I’ve updated the term to reflect current events.”
Max snorted at his friend’s long-winded explanation.
She put her hand on her hip. “With an attitude like that, we might just get along fine. I can see being the Lady of the Bar with two knights-erring doing her bidding.”
Rafe took her hand, held it to his lips and kissed it. “Yes, Milady.”
Max snorted again, shaking his head at the theatrics, but it didn’t stop him from bringing the hand he still held to his mouth to brush his lips against her skin as well.
The touch of their lips on her hands sent a warm thrill running through her that nearly melted the tension and anxiety. These men did a lot to make her feel good—about herself, about her situation, and about the possibility they might want to be part of her life. She was certain they would satisfy her growing sexual hunger—she just wanted to see if they could possibly fit the rest of her life as well, and she still wasn’t sure how a triad could last long-term.
Chapter 4
Simone wentout the back door and out the loading dock to where she parked her car. The light wasn’t great out there, and it was always a little spooky, but Sam didn’t like the employees filling up the parking lot in front. Besides, they came and went through the back door of the office, punching their timecards at the door, which made it convenient.
As she walked through the shadows, she watched for movements around her, but everything was quiet. But as she approached her car, she saw that something was strange about it. Not the car itself but the way it was sitting. She held her keys tight as she approached, keeping her thumb over the emergency signal button on the key fob. When she stood beside the vehicle, her heart sank. She could see that the tires had been slashed. She walked around the car to the other side, and those were slashed too. They weren’t new tires, but they’d been good for a lot of miles yet. Replacing them was going to be a setback, and worse, there was no way she was going to get anyone to come get her car tonight. She couldn’t afford a towing service anyway. Tomorrow she’d try to convince Sam to front her the money. He probably would, but that put a crimp in her budget.
In the meantime, she had to get home.
Swallowing her pride, she grabbed her cell phone. She found Rafe’s card before Max’s and called.
“Is everything okay?” Rafe answered on the first ring.
“Not really. I’m afraid I need a ride home,” she told him. “Someone slashed my tires.”
“You park out back, right?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to go straight back inside. I’m on my way now, and I might grab Max, if he’s still around the clubhouse. Don’t walk out the alley toward the road. Get inside the office and ask Sam to hang around until Max or I call you.”
The tone of his voice startled her. He was concerned, and it didn’t seem that her slashed tires were what was bothering him. Her instincts kicked in, and she moved toward the back door. “You think it’s a setup?”
“We don’t want to risk it.”
Something moved in the alley that led to the road, and she realized it was coming toward her. “I’m going in now.” She had her key in her hand and unlocked the door. The sound of footsteps made an ominous echo against the concrete walls. “There might be someone following me.”
“Lock the door behind you.” She heard him calling out to Max with urgency, followed by the gusty roar of an engine behind his voice. A second later, another engine roared to life.
“I will.” She stepped through the door. The steel door had a deadbolt that closed automatically. Sam was paranoid, and for once, she was glad of it. “I’m inside.”
“Max is with me, and we’re on our way.”
Sam was in the office, doing some paperwork at his desk and getting the night deposit ready to drop off at the bank on his way home. “What’s the matter?”
“Someone slashed my tires.”
“Shit.”
“I think whoever did it was hiding in the alley, thinking I’d go look for a taxi or something.”
The older man frowned. “Just your tires?”