by Jana Leigh
“Did you just send Calli away?” He said gritting his teeth.
“Yes, I did. Here is a check for the pants, shirt, and underwear. Now if you will excuse me, I want to lie down before I call the States Attorney and get moved from here.” She continued in her best business voice.
“Oh no, I do not think you understand the situation you are in here. You will be staying here with Noah and me for as long as it takes to keep you safe. You will testify against the Digrossi family and then you will return here with us to live happily ever after. Until then you will do everything I say to the letter and that includes wearing whatever the fuck I buy you. Are we clear on this?” Dallas said in a quiet voice. He could have yelled at her and had the same effect.
“I think you are mistaken to think you can order me around. Who the hell are you? I just met you today for God"s sake. You can"t order me around. I am my own person, I have a life I want to return to, and you will not stop me. By the way you can catch more flies with honey.” Bailey said and stuck out her tongue and walked away from the incredibly sexy, pissed man. She made it to the door in the closet that held a shower and toilet before looking behind her to see what the man had done. That was the first mistake she made because he was coming after her with a menacing look on his face.
She squeaked out a scream and ran the last few steps to the door, slamming it in his face and locking it. This only succeeded in pissing him off even further as he yelled at her through the door. She turned and locked the other door that connects to their room before they could come in that way.
“Bailey, your ass is going to be bright red when I am done with you, now open the door!” He yelled.
“Nope, and you have no right to spank me at all. You are not my father or my brother.
You are a stranger I met today. How dare you try to threaten me with physical harm?” She huffed loudly through the door.
“Bailey I will count to ten and if this door is not open, it will be removed!” He yelled in frustration.
“Go ahead and try it buster!” She yelled back, giggling in fear. She was trapped in a small bathroom with a gorgeous man pounding on the door; yes, she had now lost her mind.
“I am not joking!” He yelled and hit the door with his fist. She pressed her ear to the door when she heard Noah come in and try to talk to him.
“Dallas, you can"t yell at her, she was just shot.” He scolded the other man. “Play nice.”
“Noah, I am not in the mood for this game, get her out of the bathroom, before I have to go get the tools!” He shouted.
Noah whispered, “Dal, you know you can"t get that door off.” Bailey pressed her head to the door so she could hear what they were saying.
“She doesn"t know that.” Dallas growled low enough she could barely hear it.
“Now I do, you big oaf! How dare you threaten me!” she called back to him.
“Shit, Bailey, sweetie, don"t piss him off. I need you to open the door like a good girl and come out. I have made lunch, I am sure you are hungry, honey.” Noah called to her.
“Nope, I will only come out when you are out of the room. Leave a plate on the table.” She said.
“The hell you say!” Dallas bellowed and resumed trying to break the door down.
“I am serious! Get out of here! I do not need or want your charity. I am twenty-five years old and survived by myself for all of these years. I don"t need an overbearing jerk trying to plan the rest of my life out for me! I can do it myself! Beside the States Attorney said, I could go into Wit Sec; I make the decisions for me, not you, or your sidekick. ME! Now get the fuck out of this room so I can come out and lay down, I am feeling sick!” She bellowed back which was very unusual for her.
Bailey was surprised at herself and secretly pleased for finally standing up for herself and taking control of the situation. She often just did what others told her so there would be no conflict. Finally, it was time for her to stand up for herself. Maybe when she moved to her new life, she would finally venture out of her shell. It was time for her to live her life, not just exist like she had been doing the last few years of her life. Now she understood why Caesar and Bruce thought they could control her. It was because she allowed them to. Well no more. She could stand on her own two feet and make a new life.
After convincing herself that the guys had obeyed her wishes and left the room, and because she was more self-assured, she turned the lock from the door slowly and quietly so they could not hear. She thought if she could just get out of the small room quick enough, she could lock the bedroom door and relax until the next battle she was planning. Her departure. Who cared what Noah said about Dallas wanting to monitor her? She peeked her head out of the door to assure herself she was alone.
Bailey saw the food on the table and went to lock the door to her room quickly. Before she could turn the lock, the door burst open pushing her into the middle of the room.
She was so small she was teetering on falling when big strong arms grabbed her and flung her onto the bed. She landed on her good shoulder but still felt the pain vibrate through her.
“Owwwie, God damn it, that hurt you Neanderthal!” She screamed and started to cry.
“Dallas!” She heard Noah run into the room. “You hurt her!” He chided and climbed onto the bed to see the damage. “If you pulled her stitches, you have to deal with it, you ass.”
“Me? She is the one who refuses to talk to me! What did I do?” He yelled back but climbed up on the other side of her to see if she was bleeding again. He continued to mutter curses in her direction but softened his tone. His touch was gentle as he and Noah worked the sweatshirt she still wore over her head. She did not care at that point, what she was wearing or not wearing. The pain meds still helped with the pain, so she may have exaggerated the pain she felt a little. Her attention was drawn to the two muscular bodies tending to her. The men had changed, sometime since they had been home, and Bailey was happy to say they were both more gorgeous in shorts and tank tops than any man she ever saw. They were like sex on a stick and she was dying to lick them. She groaned at her thoughts and rolled onto her stomach to allow the boys access to her bandage.
She hoped they were taking some of the padding off. It was more uncomfortable than being shot; the nurse had trussed her up like a turkey before she left the hospital. She felt them move over her body, gently looking for new injuries. Satisfied she had none, they quickly started taking off the bandage. She heard both of the men gasp when they finally unveiled the wound. She remembered hearing the nurse say something about a shallow wound, but it still had to look bad. Apparently, the bullet was slowed by fracturing the window and did not have enough power to do much damage other than lodge in her shoulder blade. It may not have done much damage; it would just hurt like hell for a few weeks.
“Oh, baby, we were so close to losing you before we even found you. What would we have done then? You complete our family.” Dallas said and leaned down to kiss the bandage they applied gently after cleaning her incision. She felt his tears on her skin and she looked over her shoulder in confusion. A few minutes ago, he was threatening to spank her and now he was soothing her sore muscles. He had to be the most confusing and endearing man, she had ever met.
“Darlin", you need to eat some soup. It is time for your medicine and we need you to get better before we can fuck you.” Noah said softly.
“Huh?” She said and rolled over to look at the man who had been the most gentle with her from the start. They were messing with her, she thought, but she only saw sincerity in his eyes.
“Baby, you heard me, but first things first. Where did Calli put her Pj"s?” Noah said getting up from the bed. He went to the dresser, which had been empty and pulled open the drawers. He pulled the sexy nightie she had fingered earlier off the floor, and brought it to her.
Dallas pulled her up, leaned in, and kissed her breast, sucking in her nipple and rolling it across his tongue. She forgot she was naked, except for her ugly granny panties t
he nurse at the hospital provided for her. Bailey moaned and held his head to her breast and leaned back onto the bed. Noah chuckled, laid the gown at the bottom of the bed, leaned over, and kissed her other breast. His mouth was gentle as he tugged and pulled her nipple with his lips.
“She is so responsive, look Noah,” Dallas said as his fingers traveled down her stomach slowly and she arched off the bed.
“Damn it!” She cried when she put pressure on her shoulder.
“Sorry, baby, I got carried away. You looked too good not to taste.” Dallas said and stopped his movements to help her sit back up. “Noah, grab the nightie.”
“Here you go Darlin", let me take care of you.” Noah crooned and slipped the silky gown over her head. She was moaning out of frustration now instead of pain. What was it with these guys; they constantly did the opposite of what she expected.
They pushed her back on the bed; until she was leaning against the huge pillows, they had propped up, and brought the soup to her. Instead of putting it down so she could feed herself, Noah scooped a little noodle and broth on the spoon and fed her. Dallas remained on their other side, ready if a drop of soup missed her mouth. They fed her slowly, murmuring to her encouragingly as she ate every drop. The meds they fed her started to work and her eyes began to droop, before she had chance to ask them any questions. She had made a list in her head as the day wore on and the first was who the heck were they? Noah was certainly not a taxi driver, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 5
Bailey started to come out of the sleep coma slowly in the morning. Well, that had certainly been a crazy dream; she thought and cuddled into her too soft pillows. She thought about the two men she created in her dream and wished they were real. Of course, not the other parts, where she was shot and found out the boss she adored was a wanted criminal, but the rest was pleasant.
“Holy Shit!” She said and sat up in the bed. Unfortunately, it was not a dream, all of it had been real, including the big soft comfortable bed she was current snuggled into. She looked around the room and it finally registered in her head she was not where she thought she was. The room was dark and she could see a faint glow coming from down the hallway, through her door that was open. She looked up and could tell there was morning light trying to get in the tinted windows.
She flopped back down onto the bed and groaned. Bailey played the day before over in her head and then reality began to sink in. What was she gonna do? No matter what these men said, she was sure they were just being nice. Who wanted a girl with her baggage? They knew nothing about her and they were trying to help her. Bailey figured the men would realize soon that they had been saddled with a dud and would want her to leave. Tears gathered in her eyes and she began to sob. Why her? Why couldn"t it be easy? Find a stable man, buy a house, and live together for the rest of their lives in the same community. When their grandchildren came to visit, she would make cookies, and Christmas would be a happy celebration, instead of a lonely dinner in front of the television watching others celebrate. When would it be her turn? Her cries became louder and louder, the more she thought of her fucked up life.
Before she knew it, there were four arms and hands trying to comfort her. Her cries became harder as she thought of them longingly. Why couldn"t she have met one of them earlier? She would be happy just to have known one of these amazing men.
“Baby, you are gonna make yourself sick.” Dallas whispered in her ear, which made her cry even harder. “Noah?” He said feeling completely useless.
“Darlin", Bailey, you need to stop.” He said to her quietly, trying to soothe her. It had the opposite effect; Bailey sunk away from them and buried her face in the pillows.
“Go away.” she whimpered and covered her head up. Dallas tried to pull her up and into his arms and she refused to give in, instead becoming hysterical and crying louder.
The men looked at each other not knowing what to do. They could deal with each other, but it had been too long since they had to deal with a woman. Dallas could feel his heart breaking for her as she sucked in ragged breaths only to use them to cry harder. Noah, becoming increasingly concerned, left the room. Dallas followed him, hoping his partner would be able to come up with something for her.
Noah went to the kitchen, opened the liquor cabinet, and pulled a bottle of Tequila out and a shot glass.
“You can"t give that to her, she is on pain meds, you dumb ass.” Dallas said reaching for the bottle.
“Well it"s good then that it"s not for her. Dal, I need a shot to calm my nerves, I have never felt so frickin" helpless in my life, what are we gonna do? She is tearing herself apart in there.” Noah said and poured a shot and downed it without the aid of lemon or salt.
“Shit, give me one.” Dallas said grimly as he listened to Bailey crying in the other room.
“I can"t take this bud, what do we do?”
Noah took the bottle and glass and poured himself another. Before drinking it he said,
“Call for reinforcements.”
An hour later, still listening to the pathetic whimpers coming from the bedroom, Dallas and Noah arranged for the next best thing to medicating her to help Bailey. Their mothers came through the elevator in a hail of perfume, with bags full of necessities they thought they would need.
Both of the women had been phoned yesterday, explaining what had happened to them, before it hit the papers. They were happy to tell them their sons had finally found a woman to handle both of them. They had been excited the boys finally found their third, and it took pleading and begging to keep them from rushing over last night. This morning, when Noah and Dallas called, they had barely completed a sentence before they both screamed and hung up on them to rush to their new „daughter-in-law"s" side.
They kissed both of the guys on their cheeks and rushed to the back room where they could hear the crying coming from.
The boys followed them, but the door was shut in their faces. They put their ears next to the door to see what they could hear and after the first startled exclamation from Bailey; they heard nothing but soft comforting whispers.
Noah and Dallas went back to the living area and sat on the comfortable sofa, waiting for the woman to reappear. They initially thought it would only take a few minutes for their mothers to get everything under control. Four hours later, Dallas was quickly losing his patience. Noah had turned on the television and was watching a football game, or so he would have liked Dallas to think, but he was just as anxious to have Bailey with them.
“Seriously, I will give them a few more minutes, then I am going in, whether they are ready or not.” Dallas growled aloud.
“Maybe if we made some food, they would come out. You know something that smells wonderful to get their appetites flowing.” Noah said hopefully and ran into the kitchen looking for what he had that would fit the bill.
“Not a bad idea, Noah how about I get the wine from the cellar and we make it a nice relaxing meal for our ladies?” Dallas grinned.
Noah pulled out all the stuff to make his favorite comfort food, Crab Stuff Shells with Alfredo Sauce. It was quick and easy and the smell would certainly draw them from the bedroom. He just wanted to make sure Bailey was okay, anyone would be overwhelmed with yesterday"s events. He went about making the dinner for them, and was humming, thinking about the wonderful future, they were going to have. Dallas, Bailey and him against the world. They could travel together, Dallas and he had a great relationship, and they loved the same things. They had been waiting for the last few years for the perfect person to complete their family. They often talked for hours about what they would do when their woman came into their lives, and the plans they had for her. Now, he could only picture Bailey doing those things, because she was the one.
Dallas and Noah had a hot sexual relationship and they wanted nothing better than to share it with Bailey. Then they could settle down in a few years, have babies, and live happily ever after. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that wh
en Dallas came back, he was rock hard. Dallas rounded the corner of the kitchen, saw Noah"s erection, and knew the man was thinking the same things he had just been thinking.
He walked behind the man who he loved more than life itself, wrapped his arms around him and kissed his neck. “Lover, she will be ours soon. I will keep you content until then.” He whispered suggestively in his ear and ran his tongue around the back of his ear. It was the one spot Dallas knew would drive his lover nuts.
Noah groaned and leaned his head back against Dallas"s shoulder, giving him more access to his neck. Dallas continued nipping and kissing Noah"s neck, as the man tried to finish prepping the food.
“Stop, we have to get this done for Bailey, I will deal with you later.” Noah said breathless and kissed the other man quickly.
Dallas moaned and said, “Yes, you will.” Then he spanked Noah on the ass lightly and went to find the corkscrew. They worked in the kitchen together quickly and quietly, so they could hear the door in the back of the loft open.
Finally, the smells began to fill the air and they knew it would only be a matter of time before their mom"s smelled their favorite dishes. Noah had just gotten the Parmesan cheese ready to add when they heard the click of the door and smiled to each other. The smile lasted only moments before their mothers rounded the corner, they were surrounding Bailey who was finally dressed in shorts and tank top, they had not provided. Dallas frowned at the women, wondering where she could have gotten the things that fit her so well; they had not been able to find anything yesterday.
Their mother"s faces, instead of appreciative looks for the food they smelled, held frowns as they looked at their offspring. Dallas"s mother stepped forward first and held her fisted hands on her hips, but Dallas knew it would only be a minute before her hands would be waving around. She was pissed, and he for the life of him could not think what he could have possibly have done to make her look like this.