“It would be a good way to set things straight with others. Many assumed I was going to choose Hunter. Plus, I’m tired of the middle of the night calls.” Father says.
“Of course, that makes sense,” Lief murmurs. “But clearly there are many ways to do this other than a party that welcomes manyimportantpeople into one place.”
Mother fucker. Literally and figuratively when it comes to our father. He wants to see if we’ve managed to rein Valerie in. As if he’s going to change his mind when he’s been inescapably clear about how he sees her and what he’s expecting.
“I miss a certain pretty face,” Father answers, giving Chase a smile.
“Valerie.”
“I only assume that she has made her choice for who she’ll be staying with. I’m not surprised it’s you, Chase. You two were seen just two nights ago at a five-star restaurant.”
“I told you we are doing things our way,” Chase says in a low growl that reminds me too much of our father. “She isn’t the business of the mafia.”
“She plays poker with influential wives. When her temper is in check and she keeps her mouth shut, she could be an asset. People trust her for some reason.” He shrugs as if he’s innocent. “And they’ll trust her if it’s clear that she’s come to her senses and you boys have as well.”
Didn’t Valerie just remind me that we’re older than she is? We’re not boys. We don’t have to take his orders. I see it so clearly now. He’s nearly seventy. He should be retired on some beach in the world, forgetting everything but five o’clock. What gives him the right to sit here and tell us how to command the mafia?
What gives him the right to tell us who we can date?
“Valerie hasn’t stopped seeing Lief and myself,” I say clearly.
My brother and Lief both look at me. My father barely contains his anger, but she was right. I don’t want to sit off to the side and let the world think that she’s only with Chase. Call it possessive, but I want it to be clear that I have her as much as my brother does and Lief shouldn’t be left out either.
“What?” Father asks. “I think I was very clear.”
“So were we.” Chase sighs as he sits down. “We are not leaving Valerie. She is focused on her studies and not involving herself in mafia life. She is in her place, just like you wanted.”
“This is not what I wanted. I want you three to be presentable. As long as you are dating the same woman that is impossible.”
“Oh well. I’m changing things as I see fit. Just like you did when you took over. The world has changed and if we don’t change with it, we’ll be left behind.” Chase says finally. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, it’s my turn to take care of dinner tonight.”
“This conversation isn’t over,” Father warns.
Lief lets both Chase and I out, but stops and faces our father. “Mr. Volkov, it was a pleasure working for you, but I would humbly request .... stay out of my personal life and don’t assume my loyalty goes that far.”
I smirk. “Look at you, all determined to have your woman.”
“Our woman,” Lief says sharply. “The one who is waiting for us at home.”
Chase sighs. “Why do I feel like she’s going to be bothered by that sooner rather than later?”
“We’re all changing. She has plenty to do?” I assure them.
But on the ride home, I flex my hand. I know she’s going to have a busy night. Valerie never finishes her homework before dinner, which means I’ll be able to pull her over my lap and the four of us can reaffirm our relationship the right way.
VALERIE
Ifinish the last bit of my written homework and curl up to try to get ahead. They guys are late, but I don’t mind. It means I get more time to study. I’ve learned over the last few weeks that it’s nearly impossible for me to focus on studying when they’re home.
Even Lief doing laundry and taking extra care to never dry one of my bras gets me so hot and bothered, that we’ve had sex on the drier twice. Chase pacing and using his strict, no-nonsense voice on the phone has resulted in more blowjobs and ‘fuck me eyes’ as he calls it than I want to admit.
Hunter lifting weights, cleaning, or even lounging and slowly popping snacks into his mouth drives me insane. I don’t know if it’s because of that recent reminder that proved how lethal and strong my men are, but seeing them doing domestic things and normal work things gets me so riled.
Unfortunately, we’ve been limited to quickies – at least by our standards – thanks to the crazy schedules. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Mr. Volkov has microchips on Hunter, Chase, and Lief. It’s rare that two of them are home at the same time.
I’d never complain about being spoiled by my three men ever, but not having all of them in one place for even dinner is disappointing.
“Keep your promise, Val,” I tell myself. “Trust them to know what they’re doing ... even if you don’t trust that shady asshole.”