Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
I don’t get a chance to respond, because suddenly Frank is there. “She said no.” His voice is tight with anger.
The man turns his head to Frank, then slowly straightens and faces off with him. “Oh, look. A guard dog.”
My stomach sinks. These two could do each other some real damage if things get out of hand.
Frank’s eyes narrow, and his hand starts to curl into a fist. “Watch yourself.”
The man’s lip curls. “Go eat a biscuit and fuck off, Fido.”
Frank grabs a fistful of the man’s shirt, his other hand pulling back, ready to launch a punch. “Frank!” I yell. When he looks at me, I say, “Let him go,” and hope the plea in my eyes comes through.
After a moment, Frank releases him. Fortunately, the man doesn’t try to retaliate. He smooths down his shirt, eyeing Frank like he’s trash in a gutter. “Some other time,” he says to me, and saunters toward the door.
As soon as he’s gone, I turn to Frank, who still looks like he’s ready to pummel something. Or someone. A suggestion escapes from my lockbox: he could work out all that macho energy with me.
I shove that filthy thought back into storage as my inner muscles clench and say softly, “You could have gotten fired.” Or hurt.
A muscle works in his jaw, and then he takes a breath and makes a visible effort to relax. “You’re right,” he says. “I just—”
“I know. But, Frank … I deal with men like that all the time. I could have handled it.”
That fast, his temper flares again. “You shouldn’t have to.”
Oh my. His chivalry and jealousy are entirely unnecessary … but damn, they’re hot. My earlier suggestion, ignoring logic and reason, tries to wriggle out of the lockbox, and I have to sit on the lid to keep it contained.
Frank goes back to his station, and I drink some water and try to get myself back on an even keel. Things have gotten way out of hand. My emotions have gotten involved, and so, it seems, have theirs, at least as far as being jealous of other men around me. I need to end things, for all our sakes, and I need to mean it.
I’m too edgy and uncomfortable to sit still. I ask the men if they can close up, and after making several promises to talk to them as soon as I get home, I leave the shop and take an Uber to the house Ava shares with her men.
FRANK
While Griffin and I get the shop settled for the night, Zeb paces around the space. “We should have never let her leave without finding out what happened with Kai and Gage earlier.”
I don’t entirely disagree, but I respect her need to talk to a friend.
“I wonder what time she’ll get home,” Griffin says.
Zeb finally comes to a stop. “I’m not waiting. I’m going to go find out what they said to her.”
A half hour later, the three of us are striding into Beasts Ink’s main location, which luckily, stays open later than our shop.
Boss man Kai raises an eyebrow when we find him and Gage in the office. “Everything okay?”
I don’t waste time. “What was your meeting with Ember about?”
He and Gage exchange glances. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No,” Griffin says. “But she’s upset.”
Another glance, and then Gage sighs and says, “One of your clients over there lodged a complaint against Ember.”
“That’s bullshit,” I say immediately. “A complaint about what?” A quick glance at Griffin and Zeb shows they’re scowling as much as I am.
“Who was it?” Zeb says. “Who lodged the complaint?”
Kai settles back on his station and folds his arms. “A woman named Jennifer Banks.” He scans our faces. “I take it you all know who she is.”
“A woman named Jennifer has been in a few times,” I say. “She’s gotten ink from each of us. And flirted blatantly the whole time.”
“With all of you?” Gage says.
“Yeah. Recently divorced, she says. She touches us, makes suggestive comments, stuff like that.”
“She’s jealous of Ember because we’ve ignored her hitting on us,” Griffin says.
Gage cocks his head. “How would you not being interested in this client translate into her being jealous of Ember?”
Careful, I think at Griffin. Our bosses are no dummies.
Fortunately, he says, “She just assumes, because that’s what’s on her mind. Think about it. If there were really an issue with Ember, there’d be multiple complaints, and negative reviews online. Which there aren’t.”
“Good point,” Kai says. “Thanks for the additional context; we’ll take it into consideration.” His gaze sweeps across the three of us again. “Anything else you’d like to tell us?”
Fuck. We may have tipped our hand, all of us coming over here together, worried about her. “Everything’s good,” I say. “I haven’t paid attention to the financial side of things, but I take it Ember’s hitting her targets or it would have come up.”