Chapter 39
“Courtney!”
I ran to greet my friend as she walked through the doors of my work. I’d been called in early Friday morning because of some last-minute party issues that required all hands on deck. Apparently a bride was attempting to change the colors of her wedding the day of the ceremony, and I’d been called in to try to talk her off that ledge.
I wrapped my friend up in my tired arms as the bridal procession rang out. I sighed in relief, knowing the worst of this disastrous wedding was almost over. I hugged my best friend for what seemed like decades before I finally released her, and when I did, she had the biggest smile on her face.
“Move in day today. How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Honestly? I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t want anything from that apartment, at all. I just can’t stomach taking anything else from there. All I have are the clothes I brought to the hotel, and that’s it.”
“Sounds like we need to go shopping.”
“Eventually. I’m not even sure what I’m gonna sleep on once I get there. I can’t expect the Wolf brothers to furnish everything,” I said.
“But you know they will. All you gotta do is say something.”
“I know, I know. I just—I don’t want to be dependent on them.”
“Except for when they all wanna jam their dicks in you,” she said, grinning.
“And before you ask,” I said, “no, you can’t have any of them.”
“Sweetheart, Lexi, my love, did you really think I came in here to beg for your scraps?” she asked.
“All right. What’s his name and where did you meet him?” I asked.
“DeShawn and Marcus,” she said, beaming.
“Wait. Are those—?”
“The twins from the party? Yes. They walked into the restaurant Wednesday for lunch. They spotted me and asked to sit in my section, and they just wouldn’t stop bugging me.”
“Oh, poor little Court-Court,” I said mockingly.
“Anyway, we all went out last night.”
My eyes drifted to the scarf around her neck, and I felt a giddy shiver trickle up my spine. I could hear the kitchen hustling and bustling, getting ready for the reception as the crowd filed out of the room. I raised my hand, pulling slightly at the scarf, and raging black and blue marks came into view.
A couple of them even had residual bite marks in them.
“Holy shit,” I said as my eyes widened. “So it went well?”
“So well, in fact, that we’re seeing each other again tonight.”
I threw my arms around my best friend again and pulled her close. I was so fucking happy for her. Never in my life had I seen her eyes beaming the way they were right now. I could feel her body trembling slightly as I smoothed my hands up and down her back. I could feel her smile grazing my shoulder. I was relieved. Relieved that things were finally falling into place. Relieved that both of us had pulled through this nightmare. Relieved that I’d no longer have to listen to her comments about sharing the men I loved with her.
“You’ll have to tell me how it goes tonight,” I said.
“You working tomorrow?”
“Nope. You?”
“Nope. Text me the address of your new house. I’m coming over with wine and we’ll share some serious gossip,” she said.
“Good. I can’t wait.”
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I saw it was the Wolf brothers, and I squeezed Courtney’s hand to see her off. I waved at her as she walked out the doors, my heart fluttering with happiness for her. I loved seeing the new pep in her step—even if it was tainted by a limp that was most assuredly from the pounding she took last night.
I put my phone to my ear as I turned back toward the front desk. I walked back into the general manager’s office and sat down, listening as Tony and Terry rattled some things off in my ear.
But then the eventual question was asked.
“Darling, do you have anything else besides your bag of clothes? Surely there are things we could pick up at your apartment,” Tony said.
“No. I don’t want anything from there. Most of it was thrown out anyway because it was destroyed, but Courtney and I told the landlord to sell the rest.”
“So you only have a bag of clothes?” Terry asked.
“Yep. That’s it. See? I told you this would be an easy move.”
I heard them murmuring in the background, so I turned my attention to my folder. I jotted down some last-minute prices for things the bride had eventually added. I’d have to mentally brace myself before the argument that would most definitely ensue. The additions tacked on another five thousand dollars to their bill, something that would make someone somewhere irate.
I sighed as I sank back into my chair.
“Long day at work, love?” Terry asked.
“The worst. Bridezillas are never fun.”
“Oh, my. Well, our chef is coming in to prepare a fabulous dinner to break in the kitchen at home. We’ll expect to see you there,” Tony said.
Home.
Home.
The word echoed off the corners of my mind as I closed my eyes. I drew in a deep breath, savoring that word on the tip of their tongues as a small smile crept across my face. I was going home after I was done working today. Home to men who loved me, cherished me, cared for me and made me feel safe.
“I’ll be there. I promise,” I said.
“I know the rest of the men are coming over as well. They’ll be in and out today, slowly moving their things in. They’ve already come by to pick out their rooms. You, of course, have the biggest one.”
“And why is that?” I asked.
“Because I have a feeling most of us will be spending our free time in there anyway, darling,” Tony purred.
I shivered at his tone of voice as my eyes fluttered over to my boss. She was standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. I pulled my feet off the desk and sat upright, trying to take deep breaths to wash the flush from my cheeks.
“I’ll see you guys tonight,” I said.
“We love you, Lexi,” they said in unison.
“And I love you both. Gotta go.”
“Anyone special?” my boss asked teasingly.
“Just Terry and Tony,” I said.
“Ah, so it was someone special. How goes everything with your situation?”
I’d briefly filled my boss in on the changes happening in my life. I’d had to come in and fill out a change of address to have on file for tax purposes, and she’d started pummeling me with questions. It had started with asking me how I was doing ever since Jeremy was put safely behind bars and devolved into me telling her I was moving into a mansion with eight men I was desperately in love with.
“Everything’s going all right. The guys are moving in over the weekend. We’re all having dinner at the house tonight,” I said.
“A family dinner? I do those with my husband and our kids,” she said.
I felt my phone buzz, and I glanced down at it. Courtney had messaged me, saying that she really was happy for me and all that was happening in my life. I texted her back a thank you, telling her she was welcome any time. I’d even get her a key if she wanted it.
“Are you up for working the next party?” my boss asked. “Or do you have a lot of stuff to move today?”
For a split second, my heart sank. There were a few things I did need to pick up, like a bit of makeup. I had to find a new lipstick color for sure, maybe hit up a few thrift shops and pick up some more clothes just to get me by.
“No. Not really. Not since the apartment was ransacked,” I said lightly.
“Well, that makes sense. Jeremy was always a hothead. Listen, I’ve got some news for you.”
“Everything okay?” I asked, sighing.
“Yeah. Just wanted to let you know that we filled Jeremy’s old position.”
“You found a new manager? That’s great. Really great,” I said. “When do they start?”
“This coming Wednesday, just after Christmas,” she said.
I looked up into my boss’s eyes and saw her smiling at me. I jumped out of my seat and ran around the desk, throwing my hands around her neck. She patted my back and laughed, my body dancing against hers as I squealed in delight.
I’d gotten the job.
I’d fucking gotten the job.
“Oh my gosh! This changes everything. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You were the only logical choice. We do things a bit differently here, and you’re the hardest-working event planner we have. You’re an expert in organization and you’re meticulous to a fault. Plus, you came in at six in the morning when the bride was having a total fucking meltdown. That deserves a promotion.”
“You won’t regret it, I swear,” I said.
“Now take the rest of this time off. You have a pretty fun paycheck dumping into your account today with all the overtime you’ve been working on your vacation. Use it to replenish your stuff, all right? You deserve a fresh start.”
My eyes teared up as she gave me one last hug. I released her and pushed past her, pausing only to grab my things from underneath the front desk. I dashed to my car, hopped in, and sat there to check my bank account. I squealed upon seeing the money I had in there.
It was more than I’d ever gotten paid at one time in my entire life.
I went around town and hit up some shops I was familiar with. I bought a few new pieces of clothing for my new job and went into my favorite makeup store to try on some new colors. I went into a drug store and replenished my toiletries and stocked up on random stuff, like toilet paper and cleaners for my bathroom. By the time I was done for the day, I’d torn through over a thousand dollars and stuffed my trunk with stuff I would eventually need.
And all the while, the guys had been messaging me.
I see you got the biggest room. Does this mean we get to doggie pile?
I cannot wait to see you tonight. Dinner’s going to be wonderful.
How’s work going? I can’t stop thinking about your beautiful lips.
I didn’t think about this before, but living together now means we can have crazy hot sex whenever we fucking want.
I curled my hands around the steering wheel of my car as I followed the map on my phone. This was the first time I was winding my way up to the mansion, and the moment it came into view, it took my breath away. The massive house was sprawled out on top of a small hill, with rolling fields of grass swaying in the cold winter chill. All the trees on the property were leafless, hibernating, holding their warmth until the spring season rolled around. There were massive brown trees that lined the concrete driveway, which swirled me around the property as I made my way toward the house.
The mansion was breathtaking. It was white with brown and deep crimson trim and shutters and had a black roof. There were two staircases that bowed out, leading all the way up to a massive wraparound porch where you could stand and see LA and the ocean from every angle. The stairs were a sleek black, almost as if they’d been carved out of onyx, and the white banisters that ran along either side of them felt smooth against my hands. I slowly made my way up the steps, gawking at the beautiful view as I finally came to the massive front double doors.
The doors swung open before I could push through them.
Kevin was standing there, his glasses changed out for contacts, making his azure eyes sparkle at me. I gawked at the opulence of the mansion., how it all shone and twinkled and simply loomed over our bodies. Kevin held out his hand and unfurled his fingers, a wrought iron key coming into view as he bent down and kissed my forehead.
“The key to your new home, Lexi,” he said.
I shuddered as I took it from his fingers. Hearing someone walking up behind me, plastic bags swaying against one another, I turned around and saw Kyle, who has a handful of the stuff from my trunk. Terry and Tony were hot on his heels with the clothing bags I had stowed away.
I watched my car be driven off by Cameron, his hand waving to me out the window before he blew me a kiss.
“The garage is around the back, love,” Terry said, then kissed the top of my head.
“He’ll only be a minute,” Tony said.
“Would you like to see your room?” Kyle held out his hand, and I took it willingly. His long fingers curled around mine as he led me toward the steps of the massive winding staircase and went up to the second floor.
“Liam and Logan are up here with you, along with Cole and Cameron. Tony, Terry, Kevin, and I come and go a great deal with odd hours, so we thought it better to put you among the men who have more similar schedules. That way we won’t disturb your sleep.”
I barely heard him, as I was still gawking at the expanse of it all as we rounded the corner and headed down a hallway.
Kyle continued. “This long hallway has Liam and Logan in it. The door at the end is your room. If you turn around and cross over the main room up here, the two doors on either side of the hallway are Cole’s and Cameron’s, and that door at the end of the hallway is a massive entertainment room. It’s got a projector screen that casts onto the wall and various seats for all of us to get comfortable in.”
“How long have you all been here?” I asked, looking up at Kyle.
“Since this morning. All of us wanted to get most of our things moved in before we all went shopping,” he said.
“Shopping for what?” I asked.
“When Tony and Terry talked with you this morning, they got the feeling that you wouldn’t be coming with much, which meant you wouldn’t have any furniture.”
“Uh-huh…?”
“So,” Kyle said as he led me to my room, “we all went shopping.”
He threw open the wide double doors, and I almost collapsed. A massive four-poster bed with an elegantly draped canopy sat at the helm of the room. The California-king sized mattress boasted of sheets that shone in the sun setting through my window, while the cherry mahogany furniture twinkled in its highly polished state. I ran over to the smaller double doors and opened them as the curtains fluttered aside. There were two rocking chairs and a small table, and the view overlooked the ocean in the distance.
“We figured you might need your own little space in a house full of men,” Kyle said, grinning.
I sank to my knees and put my face in my hands. It was all so beautiful, and it was all too much. I heard a stampede of feet enter my room as all eight men gathered around me. My face was buried into Kyle as I tried to gather myself.
“Thank you. Oh, holy hell, thank you so much.”
“So long as you’re with us, you’ll want for nothing, darling,” Tony said.
“And you’ll always be safe,” Logan said.
“And you’ll never be want for affection,” Cameron said.
“And you’ll always be loved,” they all said together.
I rose to my feet and hugged their necks, every single one. I saw all my bags piled on my bed, and Kevin and Cole sat there grinning. I ran toward them and hugged them both, tackling them to my bed as they chuckled along with me.
Then I felt someone’s hands run up to the small of my back.