Small Town Seven: Reverse Harem Romance (Haremworld Book 1)

by Kelli Callahan

  Why can’t you see past her pretty face? Why do you have to be so shallow, Dominic?

  When Nancy put her claws in Dominic, I figured it would be another quick trip to bliss, followed by a broken heart—for him. I was wrong. The whirlwind romance kept spinning, and it seemed like it wasn’t going to end until the wedding bells tolled. Dominic was officially a part of my past and I had no idea where that left me. I never told him how I felt. I was too shy to profess my love because I was afraid of the rejection it would bring. I also didn’t want our friendship to end. My eyes glazed over as Nancy walked past me, on her way to everything I ever wanted.

  Six months later

  “Do you want me to call you a cab or something?” The bartender handed me my credit card back and stared at me as I staggered off the barstool.

  “No, I’ll be fine.” I nodded and tried to force a smile.

  “I’ll make sure she gets home.” A familiar voice—it couldn’t be him.

  “Dominic? What are you doing here?” I practically tumbled into his arms when my heel missed the step that carried me from the ledge along the elevated bar to the floor below.

  “Apparently, I’m giving you a ride home.” He offered his hand and helped me balance on my heels.

  “I think I can make it.” I used his hand for support and took a couple of steps.

  “Yeah? Let’s see you do that by yourself.” He released my hand and I stumbled immediately.

  “Okay, maybe I am too drunk to even find my way to a cab.” My words were slurred, but they sounded like poetry in my head.

  “I’ve never seen you this drunk.” He grabbed my hand and helped me walk. “What are you celebrating? Did you get a promotion at work or something?”

  No, I still haven’t stopped drowning my sorrows.

  “Yeah, something like that.” I faked a smile and continued walking with him.

  I was the one that usually helped Dominic to the car after he had a few too many beers. Being on the other side of that was strange for me. The night had started off well, especially when a cute guy asked me to dance, but when he decided to go home with the hot redhead at the end of the bar, I decided wine was going to be my evening companion. It wasn’t like I would have been went home with him, anyway. I would have went on a date with him, but I wasn’t quite desperate enough for one night stands. I was still a virgin, the eternal cliche of a woman saving herself for one guy—a guy she had to watch get married. Dominic helped me to his car, got me into the passenger seat, and walked around to the other side.

  How many times have I dreamed of this?

  “How’s Nancy?” I turned my head towards him as soon as he slid into the driver’s seat.

  “I wouldn’t know.” He sighed deeply and held up his left hand, which was missing the wedding band I watched her put there. “The ink is still drying, but we’re divorced.”

  “Shit…” I exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry, Dominic.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” He shook his head back and forth. “She cheated on me.”

  “Well, then fuck that bitch!” My words came out harsh, guided by alcohol, before I even realized what I was saying.

  She had Dominic and she cheated on him?

  “Yeah.” A smile slowly crept across his face. “Fuck that bitch. It feels good to say that out loud.”

  I’d love to say that the night ended in glorious passion as I healed his wounds with my innocence, but that was never how it ended for us. He parked his car, helped me get to my apartment, and once I was safe in bed, he was gone. The one moment when Dominic was single, available, and vulnerable was lost. I was too drunk to do anything more than cling to him in order to keep the world from spinning into oblivion. Even though the blackness of sleep was calling my name as I lay there with my head against the pillow, I couldn’t help but wonder what might have been if I hadn’t spent the last six months drowning my sorrows.

  How many nights did he need someone to talk to when I wasn’t there for him?

  I stayed away out of respect for Nancy. She was his wife, and I was the female best friend. That was like fire and ice, unless they came together, and then it was kerosene against an open flame. I felt her jealous eyes on me the first time she walked into her apartment and saw us having a drink together. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Dominic would have never touched me when he was with her, but she didn’t know that. I understood it after I found out she cheated on him. She probably thought he was doing the same thing to her. Maybe he should have been. Maybe I should have been a homewrecker instead of an innocent virgin. Perhaps that would have taken me down the path to Dominic’s arms instead of loneliness.

  “You’re late.” My boss, Mr. Stone, stared at me as I shuffled into the conference room and took a seat.

  “Sorry, I had a late night.” I tried to avoid the stares that were cast in my direction—they were all disapproving.

  “That’s the—what is it, Wednesday? That’s the third one this week.” Mr. Stone shook his head and turned back towards the presenter. “Anyway, you were saying?”

  “Sorry…” I mumbled under my breath and tried to figure out what I had missed before I arrived.

  I sent Dominic a message thanking him for the previous night, and a few minutes later I got a response asking if I wanted to meet for coffee. I accepted immediately. We hadn’t been able to meet for a coffee-lunch since he got married.

  My heart sank into my stomach when I walked in and sat down because the golden band missing from his finger the night before was back. She had come to him in tears that morning, told him she was sorry, and they decided to work through their problem. I lost a lot of respect for Dominic when I heard those words. Nancy was going to have her cake, her pie, and Dominic. He really was wrapped around her little finger. By the time the coffee-lunch was done, the only place I wanted to be was back at the office. I would have been happier if he was alone, but he was right back in Nancy’s adulterous clutch.

  “Mr. Stone wants to see you.” One of the secretaries walked by my cubicle and tapped her finger on my desk. “Now.”

  “Okay, let me just save what I’m working on.” I pushed my mouse across my screen.

  “He said now.” She repeated her words and her stare said everything.

  I walked into Mr. Stone’s office with my stomach in knots. I needed my job. I knew I had been screwing up and coming in late, but I wasn’t the only one. The office frowned on it, but I had never heard of anyone getting fired over a few tardies. He had a scowl on his face, like he normally did when he was about to crack the whip on someone. I took a seat across from him and looked at him with a nervous glance. He didn’t say anything at first. His intense dark-colored eyes locked on me and I felt like a child that had just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, but there were no cookies to at least make the punishment worth it.

  “Do you know how far you’ve stretched my patience the last six months?” He tapped his fingers on the desk.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Stone. I know I haven’t been myself lately.” I swallowed a lump that tried to form in my throat.

  “So what is it?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “A broken heart?”

  “Something like that.” I exhaled sharply. “Maybe a little more complicated, though.”

  “You know that I see a lot of potential in you, right? I don’t hire people because they have a pretty face or a padded resume. I hire them because I see intensity.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t see that in you anymore.”

  “I’m trying to find it, I promise.” I stared at his desk, feeling like I was in the Principal’s office being scolded for misbehaving.

  “There’s a part of me that says I should fire you, but the intensity I used to see was strong enough that I want to give you another chance.” He exhaled sharply. “I’m going to send you home for a week—we’ll call it administrative leave.”

  Oh no, that’s just a prelude to termination.

  “Mr. Stone, I promise I’ll do better. P
lease don’t do that!” I looked up at him with a horrified expression on my face.

  “You need it. Maybe you don’t see it, but I do.” He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a card. “I’m taking a chance even giving you this, and Human Resources would be up my ass if they knew it, so this has to be between us.”

  “What is it?” I watched as he tossed the card towards the edge of his desk.

  “It’s called Club Infinite Fantasy. It’s exclusive, but I’ll make sure you’re on the guest list. It’s a place where you can mend broken hearts.” He leaned forward and tapped the card. “If you tell anyone I gave this to you, I’ll deny it.”

  “I don’t know…” I picked up the card and stared at it. “This doesn’t sound like somewhere I would go.”

  “Well, you’ve got a week of administrative leave. Why don’t you try something new? You definitely need to, because what you’re doing right now isn’t working at all. If you don’t come back in a week as a different person, then I’ll have no choice but to fire you.” He leaned back in his chair. “It’s your choice, but I guarantee you won’t be thinking about whoever broke your heart once you get a taste of Club Infinite Fantasy.”

  I had never heard of Club Infinite Fantasy. It definitely didn’t sound like a place for a virgin. I spent the first day of my administrative leave like I spent most of my working days, nursing a hangover while I tried to remember the night before. When I finally got over it and was ready for the evening, I checked social media and saw a post from Dominic. It was a testimony to his wife, a glowing thank you to the man upstairs for uniting him with such a beautiful woman. It made me want to throw up. I looked at the card laying on the table next to me, and instead of walking past it like I had the night before, I grabbed it.

  Club Infinite Fantasy, huh? Maybe that is exactly what I need right now.

  I gave the address to the Uber driver and then I was on my way. We left the good part of New York where the rich people lived, passed by the middle-class neighborhoods, and then we were in a part of the city I would have never ventured into on my own. I was nervous to even step out of the car. I looked at the card one last time, confirmed we were in the right place, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. There was no sign for Club Infinite Fantasy. It was just a building with wooden doors and two angry looking bouncers standing beside them. When I approached, they pulled the doors open and I stepped inside.

  Okay, I guess I’m here.

  “Can I help you?” A man in a tuxedo walked up as I walked into what appeared to be a lobby area.

  “Uh, yeah.” I held up the card. “Quintin Stone sent me here?”

  “Ah!” He nodded quickly. “Our special guest for the evening—come with me.”

  I was led to another set of wooden doors. I could hear music coming from the other side. He pulled the doors open and motioned for me to enter. The first thing that hit my senses was the smell of smoke. I walked into a crowded room full of men dressed in suits, naked women dancing in cages, and cocktail waitresses with little left to the imagination serving drinks. There were strobe lights flashing, and once the doors were open the music was almost deafening. The room looked to be filled with debauchery of all kinds and it was clear that the people in the main part of the club weren’t there for a happily ever after. The closest they might come to that would be a happy ending. It was like a carousel of flesh rather than a night club.

  “Come with me.” The man in the tuxedo walked up beside me. “We have a VIP suite reserved for you.”

  VIP suite?

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  Also by Kelli Callahan:

  Reverse Harem

  Five Masks of Sin

  Small Town Seven

  Seven Roses

  Seven Beasts

  Seven Soulmates

  Seven is my Lucky #

  Mountain Man

  Mr. Mountain

  Mountain Rough

  Dominant Alpha Males

  Nevada Bad Boys: 4 Book Series

  Mr. B.F.D (Best Friend’s Dad)

  Mr. Dom

  Bad Virgin

  Mr. Teacher

  About the Author

  Kelli writes billionaires, bad boys, and alpha protectors that are hot-as-sin and filthy to the core. If you want to stay up to date with all things Kelli, sign up to her mailings list here.