Her Guys [Blessed 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

Lunn rubbed his knuckles. “Yeah, I would have been right beside you. Some guys just don’t get it when a girl’s not interested in them. Makes it rough for the girl.”

“Unfortunately you see a lot of that in places like this.” He looked at the door she had gone through. “What do you think her real name is?”

“I have no clue. The bouncers never slip up and give out the girls’ real names. It is smart of the owner to make the girls wear half-face masks and make up names to put on their name tags,” Lunn stated.

“Flower is a good name for her. She smells just like one.” Her fragrance always stuck in his mind for days after leaving being near her. Earlier this evening when he’d paid her to fight, he’d happily inhaled her delicious aroma.

Lunn nodded. “Yeah, her scent makes my dick hard. It turns into a hungry monster every time I’m near her. She’s the only woman that does that to me, even though all the other women that work here are intriguing, too. Maybe it’s the mysterious atmosphere coupled with her exotic eyes.”

Gaven surveyed the room. “I hear you. Sunny is cute, and I like her golden hair. Blueberry always smells just like a blueberry muffin. But there is something special about Flower.”

“Very true.” Lunn scanned the club. “This is definitely a unique place to be.”

He drank the last swig of his beer. “Speaking of places to be, I better head out. I have to be at the pub in the morning.”

As he stood up, Tiny came over. “You leaving?”

“Yeah, my weekend is up. Got to get back to the real world.”

Tiny looked at Lunn. “You want to try to beat me at a game of pool?”

Lunn picked up his beer bottle and stood. “Why not? I’m feeling lucky tonight.”

“If that’s the case maybe I should play with someone else. I already lost a tooth to Gaven.”

He laughed. “It’s not my fault you didn’t duck.”

“True, very true.” Tiny eyeballed Lunn. “I think I’ll do better at the pool table.”

He snorted. “Good luck with that. See you guys later.”

Lunn gave him a man hug. “I’ll come by the pub soon. Watch for idiots on the road.”

“You, too, man.” As he walked away he wondered if the violet-eyed beauty was all right and why she chose to work in a place like this. Only troubled men hung out here.

* * * *

With a racing heart and trembling hands, Katarina Russalino watched Gaven walk to his truck through her father’s office window. Beneath his sweat-soaked T-shirt she could see his muscles ripple as he opened his truck door and slid in. Even after several rounds of fighting he still walked across the parking lot with confidence and strength. As he drove away, her heart ached to go with him. Because of the wildly decorated mask that covered half of her face when she worked, he couldn’t tell she was in love with him. He wouldn’t ever recognize her away from her father’s club.

Her papa’s voice carried over to her. “I know he’s gone, little flower. You can stop looking out the window. Why do you moon over him? He is a troubled man. Letting him go would be the best thing you could do.” Walking over to her, he took her mask off. “You are so beautiful. Just like your mother. I wish she was still alive. We both need her. She would know how to talk to you. How to guide you as you search for a lover, a partner in life.” His voice broke, and he turned away from her.

A tear trickled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. Her mother had died when she was five years old. A plane trip to her homeland of Spain had taken her life. Everyone died in the crash. Her papa had never gotten over the loss of his wife. She still missed her ever-smiling mom as well. The doll she and her mom had picked out right before her mom got on the plane sprang to the forefront of her mind. A hint of her mother’s lipstick still lingered on the doll’s face. She had giggled when her mom had kissed and hugged her doll before hugging and kissing her for the last time. For years she’d held that doll every night. It comforted her then and to this day. She’d take it with her when she left her papa’s home.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’ve done a fine job raising me, papa. I love you very much.”

“I love you, too, little flower.” He paused and then ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t watch you loving this man from afar any longer. You don’t belong here. This place is not for you. I have you hiding behind a mask, for God’s sake. How can you find your true partner when all you see are broken men coming and going?”

Not liking where this was going, she prodded, “I could remove my mask.”

“Never! Not here. I make you wear a mask so the men who come here will never know how beautiful you are. You are not meant for this world. You are not tormented as we are. You are pure. I want you to go stay with your aunt. She’ll help you find the right man for you.” Guilt flashed in his eyes. “She knows you’re coming. I called her while you were at the bar mooning over Gaven. You must leave tonight.” As he spoke, his voice became more determined.

She wasn’t as pure as he thought. In college she’d had two sexual partners, trying to get over Gaven and Lunn. Neither man made her heart pound the way Gaven and Lunn did. They were never far from her mind, and when they were in the same room as her, she always knew exactly where they were. Like she was invisibly linked to them.

“No, Papa. I will not look for another. Not until I find out how he feels about me.” Placing her hand over her heart, she pleaded, “He is a vital part of me. I don’t know how or why he is. All I know is that he is. From the moment I laid eyes on him seven years ago, I have never been able to look at another man the way I look at him. No man makes me feel the way he makes me feel.” Except his friend Lunn, she thought,
but she would never tell her papa that. “Soon I will be ready to seek him out. In two months, I will have my masters in hospitality. When I graduate, I plan to move close to him and get to know him. If this love is meant to be, I’ll soon find out. Please understand this is something I must do.”

He dropped his shoulders in defeat. “You can’t use your gift in front of others.” When she nodded her agreement, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and murmured sadly, “I guess you must do as your heart demands, even if I don’t like it.” He raised her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. “What will you do if Gaven does not return your love?”

She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “The only thing I can—I’ll let him go.” And Lunn, too, she silently added.

Gaven looked up to see who had just entered his vision. He sucked in a breath, making Lunn turn to see what was going on.

Lunn nudged his arm. “She’s hot.”

“That she is. The question is, who is she?” he replied, never taking his eyes off her.

They both watched as she walked over to the bar and talked to Doug. Doug reached under the bar and handed her an application then said something to her and then pointed at him. She turned, and her eyes locked with his. Violet eyes. He loved violet eyes. They were so beautiful. He didn’t care if they were contacts. Those exquisite eyes darted to Lunn then quickly lowered. Her gaze came back to him, and she nodded as if acknowledging his presence. He grinned and nodded back. A blush bloomed across her cheeks. He watched as she moved to take a seat two tables away from them. His cock stirred as he watched her settle in and cross her legs.

Lunn nudged his arm again. “Looks like you are about to find out a lot about her.”

“Looks like it. Good thing I don’t need another waitress or bartender. I never have sex with my employees. She seems to be shy. Did you see how she could only hold my gaze for a short amount of time and yours she couldn’t even hold?” He was surprised at how much she intrigued him. Usually shy girls didn’t do anything for him. He liked his women wild and proud of it.

“Oh yeah, I saw it. She has submissive tendencies for sure. Something about her makes the dominant in me stand up and take note of her. That hasn’t happened in quite a while. Maybe it’s her eyes or the way her dark hair is wound up in a tight bun just begging to be taken down. The animal in me is screaming to get her naked and tied up.” Lunn’s tone lowered as he watched her.

“If she’s into it maybe we could talk her into spending a night or two in our arms.” He settled deeper in his chair and watched her. Something about her made him consider more than two nights of hot sex. She called to him on a deeper level.

Warning bells rang all the way up his spine. A shiver followed the scary sensation.
Maybe having sex with her is a bad idea.
Men like him couldn’t trust women to stay with them for very long.

She bit her lip with small white teeth, and his cock sprang to half mast and demanded he at least take her out on one date.

Lunn was quick to respond. “I’m down with that. The things we could do to her.” Lunn shifted in his chair. “Damn, she’s got me hard, and we haven’t even tasted or played with her yet.”

Gaven nodded his head. He could relate to Lunn easily. They both seemed to be thrown by her. With their agreement settled, they both sat back and watched her.

The dark-haired beauty sat gracefully in her chair. Her long skirt flowed down her legs and pooled on the floor. Bracelets circled her wrists, making her arms look very feminine and delicate. Her hand filled out the application with even, bold strokes. Mmm, he had something else that could use a bold stroke. Maybe she wasn’t that shy after all. He sure as hell hoped not.

He took his eyes off her for a moment when a baby—correction, twin babies—started screaming. A family at the table across from the beauty looked like they were about to leave when their other child, a little boy who looked like he was almost three, spilled a whole cup of milk all down the front of his clothes. The dad jumped up and herded the little guy out the door after telling his wife he’d be back in a minute.

Probably going out to their vehicle to change the boy. Spoiled milk sure did stink.

“I wish someone would shut that baby up,” said a grouchy voice from three tables over.

He glanced at the grumpy old man who had made that statement and frowned. Some people didn’t seem to have a sympathetic bone in their bodies. Gaven was just about to get up and help the now-blushing mom, who was trying to calm both babies, when he noticed the beauty get up and move over to the woman.

His heart lurched when she smiled at the woman and said something he couldn’t hear over the hollering, beet-red infants, the TVs, and the music that played softly in the background. He would have loved to calm the babies and turn the TVs and music off so he could hear every word she had to say.

“Maybe she’s not as shy as we thought,” Lunn said, echoing his thoughts as he watched her, too.

Gaven observed the scene. She reached out and took a baby from the woman, leaving her free to pick up the other crying baby. The beauty snuggled the infant close and rocked her body side to side as she patted the little one’s back. Within seconds, all the crying stopped. Kimmie, one of his waitresses, walked up, and the beauty took control, telling Kimmie exactly what to do. She never even stopped rocking or patting the baby. While Kimmie grabbed a rag and cleaned up a car seat that had been splashed by the spilt milk, the women talked until the dad came back.

“Thank goodness you don’t need a new waitress. I want her bad. She’s awesome.” Lunn never took his heated gaze off the beauty. “You know, she seems familiar for some reason.”

“Yeah, she does. We haven’t met, though. I would remember her for sure.” He tapped his finger on his lips and tried to figure out why she looked familiar.

They both watched as she handed the baby to its dad and said something to the family before smiling and walking back to her table. She didn’t even look around. She just went back to the task of filling out the application. Once she was done, he watched her leave the table and approach him.

His heart beat heavily in his chest. Something inside him whispered that she was special. That thought should have been spookier than it was, but he didn’t have time to try and decipher it right now.

The scent of fresh flowers swirled around him the minute she stopped in front of his table. His cock stirred, and his nostrils flared appreciatively. She smiled, and his heart thudded harder. Once again, he was glad he didn’t need a waitress.

Her eyes darted to Lunn then settled on him. “Hello, Mr. Walker. I’m Katarina. I heard you were looking for a manager. I recently received my degree in hospitality and would like to be considered for the position.”

His heart dropped to his stomach. Damn, why did this lovely creature have to be applying for the position he needed? Marshall, his friend and last manager, had left three weeks ago to work for his wife’s family company. He held his hand out and took the application she offered. Hopefully her school would be questionable, that way he could turn her down.

Fuck!

Her degree was from one of the top schools in Florida. He couldn’t think of one reason to turn her down…except. He looked at her age.

Fuck!

He wouldn’t hire managers that were younger than twenty-five years old. She was twenty-six. Five years younger than him and six years younger than Lunn. She wasn’t too young for the job or them. Maybe he could find another reason to turn her down.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Have you worked in a pub before?”

“Yes. My family has a small club that I’ve worked for regularly over the last eight years.”

“Why aren’t you working for them? With your degree, you would be an asset to your family,” he asked in a little sharper tone than he intended. He was irritated by his own need of a manager and that she appeared capable of filling the position. Sometimes life sucked.

She cleared her throat nervously. “My father thinks it is too rough a place for me to work.”

His brows shot up. “What is the name of this bar?”

She swallowed hard and then licked her lips. “Russo’s. You probably haven’t heard of it.”

He had noticed how she’d cast her eyes to the right when she’d answered him. Could she have lied about working in a bar? Did she need a job that badly? “No, I haven’t. Sometimes it can get rough here as well. Can you handle that?” He sure the hell hoped not.