Taboo Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance

by Black, Natasha L.

  Ava shook her head. “Don’t feel that way. Yeah, I’ve known the family for a long time, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get to know them. You’re lucky.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  The kettle started squealing, and she pulled it off the heat, then went to another cabinet for mugs.

  “You don’t have all the gross images of those boys when they were kids and teenagers in your head when you look at them,” she said.

  I laughed. “I guess you’re right about that.”

  The baby monitor on the counter let out the sound of baby Robert waking up. He let out something that sounded close to a cry but was more like he was just calling out for his mother. There were even a few times when his babbling sounded like he was saying “mama.”

  “Let me go get him. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you look through the tea bags and pick a flavor you like?” She lowered her voice slightly. “Make sure it’s one of the decaf ones.”

  She smiled at me and left the kitchen. I went over to the wooden box of tea and searched through the various flavors. I ended up settling on peppermint. Just as I was unwrapping it to put it in my mug, Ava came back in with Robert. He was giggling and smiling as she murmured to him and nuzzled her face in his chubby little neck.

  “I think someone is ready for a snack,” she told me.

  She put the baby in his highchair and set a small bowl of applesauce in front of him. Using a spoon with a thick rubber coating on it, she fed him little bites. My heart warmed and a sense of excitement and happiness filled me. It wouldn’t be too long before I had a baby of my own in my arms. Now that I told Tom and knew he was happy about it, I could really let myself relax and look forward to all of it.

  “He’s so adorable,” I said.

  Ava grinned. “I can’t believe he’s almost eight months old. It doesn’t feel like it could possibly be that long since I had him. At the same time, I can’t imagine not having him. Obviously, I know there was a time before him and that he hasn’t always been here, but there are a lot of times when I can barely remember what it was like not being a mother. Like, I’ll think of a memory and wonder where he is.”

  I poured water into the mug and took a sip. “This is good.”

  “What flavor did you choose?” she asked.

  “Peppermint. I hoped it would help the nausea,” I said.

  “You’re feeling sick? Here, let me get you my go-to remedy,” she said. She put together a plate of buttered saltine crackers and a glass of ginger ale over lots of ice. “Try this. I found that hot things sometimes made me feel worse, but really cold ginger ale and buttered crackers fixed it every time.”

  I tried a few bites of it. The crackers were strangely delicious, and I couldn’t get enough of the ginger ale. After a few sips, I was feeling much better.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll definitely have to remember this. I really appreciate all your help.”

  “Of course,” Ava said, making her own cup of tea, then going back to Robert to keep feeding him. “We’re going to be sisters soon.”

  I laughed. It was sweet of her to say and obviously what I wanted. But since we still hadn’t really talked about what we were or the future we might have together, all I could do was hope.

  37

  Tom

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Mason said.

  “What?” Jordan said, his eyes scrunching nearly shut and his mouth locked open like a bass on a hook.

  “H-how?” Matt asks, as confused as the rest of the brothers, but trying to get past the shock.

  “Fuck how,” Jordan said. “How do they know it’s true? Why should we believe them?”

  “Because they caught him and he confessed, that’s why,” I said, trying to calm my little brother down. He was pacing and obviously in shock. More than any of us, Jordan had been absolutely sure it was Danny and was the most adamant that we needed to intervene when the cops wouldn’t.

  “Confessed? What, did they beat him up first?” he asked. I let the words hang in the air for a moment before I shifted in my seat. He was angry, and I was sure the majority of that anger was now being directed at himself and he was lashing out.

  “Do you really believe that?” I asked.

  Jordan’s shoulders slumped, and he collapsed into a chair, putting his head into his hand sideways so he could still look at me.

  “No, dammit,” he said, defeated.

  “So, a college kid?” Tyler asked, somehow remaining the calmest of us. I suspected that he might be the most skeptical of Danny being involved, and this was just proving his point.

  “Yeah, apparently he was hammered out of his mind and got tossed out of the bar earlier that night. Mason, do you remember anyone like that?” I asked. He seemed to think for a moment, and then his eyes widened.

  “Oh, shit. Yes. I do, some spoilt rich brat, came in already drunk and without an ID. I told him he could stay and sit with his friends, because they all seemed sober and had theirs, but he couldn’t drink. Then I caught him drinking their beer,” he said,

  “And I tossed him,” Matt said. “I remember Mason telling me about him, but he was busy behind the bar. So, I went up and asked him to leave. He acted like a fool trying to get up like he was going to fight me, but one of his buddies got him out of there without any problems. I guess he came back.”

  “A college kid,” Jordan scoffed, the anger that bubbled in him starting to simmer. “Just some stupid college kid. Jesus. I was ready to beat the hell out of Danny.”

  “Speaking of,” I said, making eye contact with him. “You and I owe him an apology. We both made accusations I’d like to take back.”

  “All of us do,” Mason said before Jordan could respond. “We all went to the bar together to accuse him, and we all sat around this table and said awful things about him. We all should head down there together to make it right.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. No worries one of us could still harbor a grudge if we all do it together. We’re all agreed?”

  There was a general mumbling agreement, and we stood.

  “I’ll tell the girls we’re headed that way,” Mason said, leaving the room.

  “I still think he’s a dick,” Jordan said.

  “He is,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “But being a dick isn’t the same as burning down our bar.”

  * * *

  When we arrived at the bar, all arriving in two cars, we got out and saw that Danny had increased his “security” as it were. Two ancient bikers stood at the entrance, neither of them looking like they were on the young side of seventy. I was sure they had been intimidating men in their day, but at that moment they looked like they could be defeated by a strong wind. I walked up to one of them who had crossed in front of the door.

  “Anderson, aren’t ya?” he asked in a gruff smoker’s growl.

  “I am. I need to see Danny,” I said.

  “Over my broken bones,” the other one said, his long, red flowing beard moving like shag carpet in an earthquake with each word.

  I sighed. “I’m not here for trouble,” I said. “We came to apologize.”

  The first one, with a patch over the heart of his leather vest that read “Ace,” squinted his eyes at me. I wondered if that was meant to further intimidate me or if it was because he genuinely couldn’t see me well. I settled on a mixture of both.

  “I don’t trust ya. Not with all these boys, too. Mind if I pat you down?”

  “Fine,” I said, raising my arms. He gave me a quick pat down, paying special attention to my pockets, before letting me go.

  “You’re clean,” he said. “Just you, though. One of you can go in.”

  I turned to my already protesting brothers and held up a hand.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll go talk to him. You guys stay here in case I can get him to come out here and you can apologize yourselves.”

  I opened the door of the bar, and “Ace” stepped away from it. Goin
g in was like walking into a cave. The room was dark, with only harsh, green bar lamps lighting various areas of the space. The people inside didn’t seem to mind. They must have known the bar well enough they didn’t need to see where they were going anyway. I went up to the bar and sat down on the same stool I had before and noticed Danny look over. It took him a moment to recognize me, and then he looked at the door. Seeing his guards in place, he stomped over to me and put his hands on the bar.

  “I thought I told you I didn’t want you back in here again. I ain’t sellin’!” he said.

  “I’m not here for that,” I said. “I came to apologize.”

  He sputtered for a moment, clearly knocked off guard.

  “Apologize?” he asked.

  “Yes, apologize. The police found the guy that burned down our bar. Some drunk college kid that we tossed earlier that night,” I said.

  There was a moment of silence before Danny looked down to his shoes and muttered a curse.

  “Blonde kid? No ID?” he asked.

  “How did you know?” I asked, surprised.

  “Shit. I kicked him out, too. Right before you guys did, I suppose. He came in here with some buddies and caused a ruckus, but my guy had him out the door before he could do much,” he said, thumbing back toward his heavyset bouncer, who nodded at me in response. “I forgot all about it until the cops questioned me and him again the other day. They had footage of him walking down the street and asked if I remembered him.”

  “Ah,” I said. It made sense now. The cops caught this kid because Danny recognized him, and they put the pieces together. In a way Danny was partially responsible for catching him.

  “Look,” Danny said, his voice suddenly softer and unsure, “I’m sorry your place burned down. I know I said some things out of anger that were real mean, and I hate that I did it. I was just jealous of you guys getting so much business down here and I couldn’t get that crowd, you know? I have a bar for regulars, not college kids looking for a dance night or whatever.”

  “I understand,” I said, but Danny waved me off.

  “No, it’s not okay, you know? I did everything I could to make you think it was me, all out of spite. I should have been more empathetic and helped you out,” he said. “I don’t want there to be any hard feelings. I couldn’t imagine losing this place, myself.”

  I smiled. “There are none. Not from me, and not from my brothers. They’re all waiting outside to tell you the same thing, but uhh…” I turned and looked at the door being blocked by the octogenarian bikers, “they can’t make it past the gates at the moment.”

  Danny laughed. “I told you, it’s a bar for regulars. Some have been coming here since they were much more… intimidating. Back even before I owned this place.”

  We both exited the bar, and my brothers apologized one by one to Danny, and in a way, I had never been prouder of them. It took a man of a certain dignity to apologize, publicly, the way that they were doing. I appreciated that.

  When we headed back to Mason’s house, we were in a much better mood, relieved to have that off our shoulders and the guilt being erased by how gracious Danny was about the situation. His admission of his own part in making us think the worst of him alleviated a lot of the guilt we all shared. Everyone, including Mom, was at the house when we arrived, and I pulled Amanda to the side for a moment before we agreed that this was the time. We entered the living room, where everyone was, and I made our announcement.

  “Oh my God,” Mom cried, taking Amanda into a big hug. My brothers cheered and started clapping my back, congratulating me and laughing. The girls were also smiling from ear to ear, with tears welling in the corners of their eyes.

  “I think this calls for a celebration,” Mason said. “Drinks and pizza sound good? Well, maybe orange juice and pizza?”

  We all laughed. “You guys can drink,” Amanda said, chuckling. “I’ll drink the orange juice.”

  “I knew there was something going on between you two!” Mom said. She pulled us both into a deep hug, and when she let us go, I pulled Amanda close to me again. We kissed, and the brothers let out an exaggerated “aww” sound that made us break the embrace with laughter.

  “Get a room,” Jordan said.

  “They already have one,” Mason exclaimed.

  38

  Amanda

  “This is amazing!” I said, peeking out over the massive crowd that was already gathering up outside the bar. “Have you seen this crowd?”

  Ava came up behind me and laughed, nodding. “I know. It’s pretty incredible the first time you see all the people. I remember the first time we got a big crowd at the old location.”

  “Was it always like this?” I asked.

  We were still an hour away from the grand reopening event, and already there was a huge cluster of people right at the door, then a long, twisting line disappearing off into the distance. She shook her head as we walked away from the window and pulled the curtain closed again so we could continue with the preparations.

  Everything inside was starting to look awesome, but we wanted to keep it all hidden from the customers until they came inside so there could be a big reveal.

  “Not this big. But the crowds were pretty immediate once we started doing the theme nights. It was crazy. Doing the themes was just something that came to my mind when I was talking to the guys about the bar and how they might be able to increase their revenue from it. The place I used to work at in Michigan when I was there did theme nights, and people seemed to like them,” she said.

  “They sound like a blast,” I said. “When Tom first told me about them, I was really impressed. I couldn’t believe how creative you are.”

  Ava laughed. “I always say if I didn’t fall into the career that I have, I would have liked to be a party planner. I was disappointed that I wasn’t more popular in high school because then I would have gotten to plan a reunion.”

  I laughed. “Have you had a reunion?”

  “No,” she said, sounding exasperated and horrified at the idea that someone out there had this crucial responsibility and didn’t live up to it. “Can you believe that?”

  “I haven’t had one, either. Does anybody have reunions anymore?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. But I think we should. Maybe a little bit so people would see Mason and I are together.”

  “And because you would be delighted to be reunited with all your old school friends and see how they’re doing all these years later,” I said in a leading tone.

  She waved her hand like she was brushing away any question that would be a motivation. “Oh, yeah. That’s important, too.”

  We giggled. “Well, I’m sure everybody would be thrilled with a reunion if you planned it. This place looks amazing.”

  “I just hope the customers like it as much as the old place. There was so much character and history there,” Ava said.

  It was the first time I’d heard her express any type of concern or hesitation. But I understood. This was a huge thing. The new bar location was finally opening. It wasn’t just an idea or plans anymore. They were really embarking on this new chapter, and everyone was waiting to see how it was going to turn out.

  I had no doubts about it. This place was going to be even more successful than the last one. I just knew it.

  “The soft opening was already a huge hit,” I said. “And you’ve done so much more for tonight. People are going to be blown away, and this place is going to be bursting at the seams with customers all the time.”

  We went back to work finishing up the decorations, and a few minutes later, Jesse and Tyler came out of the kitchen with samples of the menu being offered for the party. Ava and I took a break to sit down and try everything. A couple of the offerings made my stomach turn a little, but that wasn’t an evaluation of the food. It was the little baby inside me making things difficult.

  I rubbed my belly and sipped ginger ale to help keep it calm. I still wasn’t showing. It was still so early I didn’t h
ave even a slight swell yet, but I was looking forward to it.

  “When is Tom supposed to get here?” Ava asked when we finished up the tasting and went back to finishing up. “We’re opening the doors in ten minutes.”

  “I thought he would be here by now,” I said. “But I know he had a few really important meetings today. When he went back to the hotel, he said he might be cutting it close.”

  I hadn’t gone back to San Francisco since coming to Astoria to tell Tom about the baby. I also hadn’t gone back to the run-down motel after that first night in the hotel with him. He went back and packed up all my stuff for me, saying he wasn’t going to have me or his baby in that place.

  I couldn’t help but laugh when he said that. It wasn’t the best motel in the world, but it wasn’t that horrific. It wasn’t like the wallpaper was peeling off the walls and mold had overtaken the bathroom or anything. But I did have to admit his surge of protectiveness gave me all kinds of wonderful feelings.

  Now I was settled back into the nice hotel with him. Someone checked out a week after I arrived, and we were able to move into a bigger suite. It was nice, but I had to admit there was a little bit of sadness leaving that room and all its memories.

  “It will be fine,” Ava said. “We have everything in place. It’s not like you’re going to see Tom back there behind the bar slinging drinks or anything.”

  That image made me laugh. Tom loved the bar and had been really helpful in planning the grand reopening, but she was right. He was never going to be as hands-on as his other brothers. It just wasn’t his thing, but that was alright. Everybody did their part, and he was just as excited to see the new Hollow get going as all of them.

  Right on time, we opened the doors and the crowd started flooding in. From there, it was nonstop. I volunteered my efforts as a hostess and occasionally ran drinks when the bar got swamped, but for the most part I was acting as an ambassador for the bar. It let me talk to the customers, get recommendations, and encourage them to come back and see what else Ava had up her sleeve.