Chapter
Three
Two weeks. It took me two weeks to calm my nerves and stop thinking Mr. Salvatore would pop back into the store and fire me. I needed and loved my job… well, until my own business was 100 percent profitable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the man out of my head. He even starred in some of the steamy dreams I had that involved spanking. No matter what I did, where I was, my mind conjured up the picture of him standing at the counter with his arms crossed over his broad chest, scowling.
Thankfully, it was Molly’s thirty-fifth birthday, and we were headed to meet Clinton at the restaurant he’d picked, so I hoped with a few drinks and some inspirational words from my best friend, all thoughts of Mr. Salvatore would disappear. Not that I’d told her anything yet; I knew she would get annoyed on my behalf, so I was waiting for the drinking part of the night to begin, and for us to be around Clint; he seemed to calm her temper quickly.
Climbing out of the cab, Molly commented, “Wow, Clint’s going all out tonight. Isn’t that sweet.” She smiled as we made our way to the door or the restaurant.
It was sweet, and it kind of hurt my heart because I wanted what my best friend had. Instead, I was always their third wheel, not that they thought anything of it. Like then, while we walked to the maître d’s desk, I couldn’t help but think I shouldn’t be encroaching on their night. But then when I’d said I was staying in, they harped at me to join them, telling me it wouldn’t be the same without me. I couldn’t have asked for better best friends.
“Molly” was called before we could say anything at the front counter. Glancing to our right, we saw Clint standing beside a table. He was dressed in black pants and a white shirt, waving us over.
“He’s all dressed up,” I commented and heard Molly sigh in appreciation. I was glad I’d gone with a black cocktail dress for the occasion. Then again, the restaurant we were in held a five-star rating. Molly looked amazing in her dark red rock-a-billy dress, and by the way Clint’s eyes were devouring her, he would also agree.
They greeted each other while I sat and placed a napkin on my lap. A hand landed on my shoulder. “Hey, Addy.”
“Clint, good to see you going all out.”
“Well, you only turn thirty-five once.”
That was true. I turned it two years ago, yet I never did anything special for it. Neither did John.
God, since the visit from the big boss, I seemed to be in a depressing mood. The “lacking” comment must have got to me more than I thought.
Actually, I knew it had when I’d gotten home that night and cried into my ice cream. I had a real Bridget Jones moment while listening to music and thinking I had nothing going for my life. I had no one but my mom and son, who had to love me because we were related. Shaking my head, I cleared my mind, and instead of sinking lower into my pity party, I glanced to Molly who had just sat. I wouldn’t bring the night down for her since she was sweet to also love me.
Her eyes widened. She smiled big and waved to someone. Before I got to see who, she took my wrist and Clint’s, then pulled us up with her, dragging us over to someone she obviously knew.
“Grayson, long time no see. Hi, Kenzie, Dylan, Lori, and Mr. High.” Molly greeted as I stepped up beside her. My eyes widened. It wasn’t over the fact the table held two drool-worthy men and one good-looking older man. It was because Mr. Salvatore’s girlfriend was sitting next to, and curled into, another man. That man who was soon standing and bringing Molly in for a hug.
“Molly, great to see you. When was the last time?”
“I think at Makala’s baby shower.” I could hear the smile in her voice. I didn’t see it because I was glaring at Kenzie. Was she cheating on Mr. Salvatore? She glanced my way. Her smile dropped as she took in my scowl, and then her expression changed and she was grinning again. She glanced back to Molly, and said, “Wow, it has been too long since you couldn’t make it to Makala first birthday a few months ago.”
Makala? Who was that?
“Clinton, great to see you also, and who’s this?” Grayson asked.
Molly gripped my wrist again and tugged my arm near out of its socket. I stumbled forward and moved my gaze from Kenzie to the man she was cheating with. “This is my friend Adalyn. Addy, this is Grayson, his wife, Kenzie, his brother Dylan, and Kenzie’s sister, Lori, and Kenzie’s and Lori’s Dad, Mr. High.”
Wait a second.
Hold the dang phone.
Kenzie was married to Grayson?
She wasn’t with Mr. Salvatore?
Then…
“Oh, and I forgot to mention Grayson is also my brother’s close friend.”
No.
My wide eyes flicked to Kenzie. She was laughing, and then she nodded at me.
No, no, no.
“Molly, what are you doing here?”
That voice had me frozen.
“Vice,” Molly yelled, turning and then throwing herself at my boss. I didn’t turn. In fact, sneaking under the table so I didn’t have to face him was the only option I could think of. Just as I’d started to crouch, Molly grabbed my arm, hurled me up and around.
“You,” Vice clipped.
“You,” I snapped back.
I could feel many eyes on us as we stood glaring at one another. My chances of hiding were shot, so I stood tall and crossed my arms over my chest. Mr. Salvatore’s eyes flicked down and then back up, his eyes lowering into a scowl even more.
“What’s going on? How do you two know each other?” Molly asked. “Addy, I’ve never had the chance to introduce you to my brother.”
Shifting my gaze to hers, I said, “Brother?” But they had different last names.
“Stepbrother, but all the same.” She smiled. “How do you two know each other?”
Looking back to Molly’s brother, my boss, my gaze turned glacial when I said, “He found my services lacking.”
Someone behind me choked on something, and then I heard, “Is she a prostitute?”
“Hang on—” Molly started.
“Well, they were,” Mr. Salvatore replied, crossing his own arms over his chest and ignoring everyone else.
“They. Were. Not,” I bit out each word slowly.
“Darling,” a woman called before she slipped up beside Mr. Salvatore and placed her hand on his bicep. Of course, she just had to be beautiful, if you liked a woman with a slim waist, huge boobs, and brown hair that went on forever flowing down her back.
So, Mr. Salva-freaking-tore did have a girlfriend.
Go figure he went for someone like her.
“Vice—” Molly started.
“Who do we have here?” the woman asked as she glanced around at everyone.
Mr. Salvatore sighed, and then shook off the woman’s hand, only so he could place his hand on her back. “Debra, this is my sister, Molly, her boyfriend, Clint, and that’s Grayson, his wife, Kenzie, her sister, Lori, and Grayson’s brother, Dylan. Also the ladies’ father, Trent.”
“Nice to meet you all, and who are you?” Debra asked as she looked me over while I still stood in front of her man glaring up at him.
“I’m not sure who she is. Molly?” Mr. Salvatore said. Totally wiping me off as no one important. I had an urge to pull back my leg and kick him in the shin.
I worked in one of his stores for goodness’ sake.
Heat hit my back, and a hand landed on my shoulder. Then Clint’s voice came from over my head. “She’s a friend of ours, Adalyn Wallis. Now, I want to know how you seem to know her and why you’re looking at her like you want to harm her.”
Aw, Clint’s gone into protective mode.
Mr. Salvatore’s eyes snapped to Clint’s hands on my shoulders before looking at Clint over my head. Dang it for being short.
“She works in one of my stores, and I’m unsure as yet if her employment will continue.”
Molly stepped up to her brother and glared. “What did you do to her?”
He scoffed. “I did nothing. She stumbled over her words and wouldn’t meet my gaze. My stores are meant to come across as professional, not some cheap, casual business.”
Shit.
Yes, the moment was swear-word worthy because I knew what was about to come out of Molly’s mouth when she turned to me with humor in her eyes and lips twitching. “Really? Him?” she asked.
“Molly,” I warned in a hissed tone.
She ignored me and faced her brother. “It’s fine, Vice. I know why she was acting like that and believe me, she would never usually behave that way in a place she worked unless—”
I placed my hand over her mouth. “No. Nothing. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“I’d like to know what she was gonna say.” I glanced over my shoulder to see it was Mr. High who had spoken, and he was smiling.
“So would I,” Mr. Salvatore clipped.
“Adalyn, relax and unhand Molly. Vice, her actions just meant— Oompf,” Clinton wheezed as I elbowed him in the stomach.
“Nothing!” I cried. “I was having a bad night. That’s all it meant.”
There was no way I’d let either of them inform Mr. Salvatore that my actions were because I had been (note to self, I had said, had been, I wasn’t any longer) attracted to him. Even if I had to take them to the ground so they didn’t spill the beans, I would. Fancy restaurant be damned.
“What I would like to know is why you said you didn’t know her when she works for you?” Debra asked, a slight frown on her Botox lips.
Good question, Debra. Let’s see him get out of that one.
Molly shoved my hand off her mouth and added, “I also want to know when my brother branched out into opening stores without telling me.”
Mr. Salvatore’s brows dipped. “I thought I had told you.”
“Nope.” Molly shook her head.
“I was sure I did.”
“About two years ago you mentioned you thought of branching out, not that you were serious about it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Does it really matter? Can we get back to why Miss Wallis acted the way she had in the store?”
“No,” I yelled, and then cringed when a lot more eyes came our way. “How about you all join us for dinner?” Grayson offered.
“Thanks, but… I, um. I think I forgot to turn the refrigerator back on. I’d been defrosting all afternoon.”
“Liar,” Molly helpfully—not—put in.
Sending her a glare, which she smiled at, I then said, “I have to feed my pussy.” I paled and then felt, actually felt the heat bursting forward onto my cheeks. “I meant my kitty. He’s new and hungry.”
“For men or meat?” Lori called out. I looked to her to see she and Kenzie dissolved into a fit of giggles.
Mr. High started to grumble about how ungrateful his little shits of daughters were.
Shaking my head in amusement at their inside joke, I glanced to Grayson and said, “Thank you, but I should go.” Looking to Molly, I added, “Have a brilliant birthday dinner, but I—”
“Fuck. It’s your birthday?” Mr. Salvatore barked, causing me to jump.
Molly shrugged and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I know how busy you are.”
“Please, sit and have dinner with us.” He gestured to the table, which didn’t supply enough room for everyone.
“I’ll get someone to bring another table over,” Dylan said as he stood and walked off.
Mr. Salvatore cleared his throat at my side. “And you’ll stay for my sister since she obviously wanted to celebrate her birthday with you.”
I ignored him, even when I knew he was talking to me. Instead, I kept my eyes on where Dylan had walked.
“Miss Wallis.”
I didn’t even bother to correct him on the Miss part. He didn’t need to know I was still a Mrs. Well, I wouldn’t be for too much longer. I was in the process of taking back my maiden name of Sage.
While Clinton and Molly talked—actually they were cooing at one another—I watched Dylan walk back with a smile on his face.
“Miss Wallis” was gritted out.
“Vice, can we sit already? Plus, I’m still waiting on an explanation to why you said you didn’t know her.” Debra had said her like I was some disease.
“Adalyn” was snapped low, and I finally graced him with my eyes. I was finding it fun riling Mr. Salvatore. Call me lacking, will he?
“Sorry, were you talking to me?” I asked innocently.
His nostrils flared. Grayson, who appeared from somewhere, slapped Vice on the shoulder and laughed, and then walked off to sit beside his wife.
Another table joined at the end, people shifted and made room for an extra three. Except I wasn’t sticking around. Mr. Salvatore took Debra aside and started speaking quietly to her. I saw it as my chance to sneak out without him hindering me even more about sticking around when he forgot his sister’s birthday in the first place.
I still couldn’t believe Molly was my boss’s sister.
She had spoken about her brother on occasions, only she never said his name. What she did tell me was that he was a local businessman and constantly busy. They kept in contact via e-mails and phone calls, but even those were sparse. Still, she loved him.
What she never mentioned, and I hadn’t noticed until then was his name or who exactly he was. She’d even been into the store, so why hadn’t she made the connection to her brother and the shop? Especially since the business was called Carnal Vice. Then again, maybe she thought her brother wouldn’t be that conceited to name adult stores after himself.
I stepped up to Molly and Clint’s side. “I’m going to head off. I’m sorry—”
“So…,” she drew out, interrupting me. “You think my brother’s hot?”
“Shh. I did, not since he called me lacking. In fact, now he just annoys me. He’ll never be hot in my eyes again.”
“Uh-huh.” She winked.
“Seriously.”
“Sure.” She gave me the thumbs-up.
Rolling my eyes, I said, “None of that matters anyway. We’re not talking about it any longer since I’m leaving.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Enjoy your night and have a drink for me—”
“Hold up,” Clinton said, dragging our attention his way. I gasped and stepped back.
Oh. My. God.