The more she moved around, the more her arm began to throb.
As she looked into the mirror, she couldn’t help but wonder if she really could handle the threats on her own. What if next time their aim was perfect?
No, this isn’t as serious as it seems. It has to be a freak coincidence. I don’t believe that this is connected to the letters. They killed my grandfather in the same way. A drive-by shooting, but it was them. It was Vince’s family.
As she said the words, her gut tightened. She could deny it all she wanted to, but things may be getting a bit too out of hand for her to face alone.
Chapter 6
Olivia St. James watched Stone and Emerson as they walked into the little café and bakery in SoHo. She stood by the side of the building across the street and watched them. What are you two up to? You never go to places like this. Why would you when you’re loaded, and could get anything personally delivered to your penthouse? A penthouse I should be living in right now.
She watched, and wondered if she should risk moving closer. She was wearing sunglasses, a wig, and was dressed down, slightly. Not too much, because she wanted to be able to remove the wig in a hurry, if given the opportunity to talk with her men. And they were her men. It didn’t matter what they said. They were resistant. Stone and Emerson were in their thirties and set in their ways. They were fearful of commitment, and she would help them get through that.
But, if they kept pushing her away and denying their true feelings for her, she would have to resort to some kind of different tactic. Maybe if she got one of them into bed again, and didn’t let him put on a condom, she could lie and say she was pregnant. They’d marry her. Maybe they would make her prove she was pregnant first, but she knew doctors. That would be the easy part. Getting them into bed again seemed almost impossible.
But for now, watching their every move, and showing up even if not by sure luck, being in their face would make them submit. Now, why this little place? She wondered as she waited another ten minutes, and then couldn’t hold back. She needed a closer look. Why was this little place called Bliss so appealing to them that they crossed town to get here? Emerson was here the other day. He must have really liked the place. Maybe they were considering buying it. They did like to do that. She moved a bit closer for a better view.
As soon as her eyes landed on the brunette behind the counter, Olivia felt her temper rise. No way were they here to land the barista. They wanted to seduce a twenty-year-old waitress?
No, they’re mine. This little nobody isn’t going to have them. Not even for a one-night stand.
* * * *
The moment Stone saw Antoinette, he understood immediately why Emerson had been acting so strangely. She was stunning, a natural beauty, in a five-foot-four-inch frame. Her body, despite the loose T-shirt and large apron she hid behind, was perfect. But as she came closer, he noticed a large bandage on her arm and so did Emerson. He stood up from the chair, and crossed the space to meet them.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Emerson asked, gently taking her hand into his own and looking at the bandage. He had his other hand on her waist and she stared up at Emerson, the back of her head nearly touching her shoulders. She was a vision, and even that turned him on, imagining her naked between them. God, he was instantly attracted to her. Emerson had described her perfectly.
She seemed taken aback at Emerson’s instant protectiveness and concern, but Emerson didn’t care as he cupped her cheek with his free hand and held her chin.
“Tell me what happened?”
She swallowed hard then turned toward Stone. Stone smiled.
“You must be the friend and partner. I’m Antoinette. It’s nice to meet you.” She reached out her hand to shake Stone’s.
Emerson only slightly stepped back. He was acting very protective of the woman, and Stone completely understood why.
As soon as their hands met, Stone felt the tingling sensation of awareness and attraction. By the expression on Antoinette’s face, so did she. She shyly turned to look at Emerson as Stone reluctantly released her hand. He didn’t want to scare the little lady, but boy, did those big brown eyes of hers draw him in.
“We were nearly killed last night,” a redhead chimed in and Stone stared at the woman who interrupted the conversation. The little white name tag on her blouse had the word Tina on it.
“What?” Emerson asked, raising his voice. Antoinette placed her hand on Emerson’s arm as if to calm him. Stone waited for Emerson to pull away or something. His best friend had trust issues and always kept his distance. When he didn’t immediately pull away from Antoinette, Stone’s excitement elevated another notch.
“She’s being dramatic. It was a crazy stupid prank by some kids,” Antoinette began to say, but then the redhead continued the story, talking about how Antoinette had saved her life and how scared they were. She added about all the blood, and her concern that little ole Antoinette may pass out, and that she needed protection. Then she went on about their muscles and good looks, until Antoinette told her friend to get back to work.
“I’m sorry about Tina. She gets a little loopy around this time of day.” Antoinette pressed her hands down the front of her little pink apron.
“We heard something about this on the news last night, but it was quick. They didn’t mention Bliss in it or any names. Why don’t you explain what exactly happened and what your injuries are?” Stone stated, a bit more firmly than he intended. She raised her eyebrow at him as if in challenge to his tone and statement. His dick grew thicker, and his chest tightened. The woman would look really sexy over his thighs as he spanked her ass for being mouthy with him. He bet she had a great ass. He could tell she had a voluptuous body. No skin and bones, she was perfect.
“I can assure you both that I’m fine. I’m just glad that no one got hurt.”
“You got hurt. That’s unacceptable,” Emerson replied and held her gaze. Stone watched her face and then saw the motion of her throat as she swallowed hard. Then she looked at Stone.
He locked gazes with her and she blushed then lowered her eyes. A natural submissive. God, this woman kept getting better and better.
“Are you certain that you’re okay? Did the police get any leads? We know people, and can make some calls,” Emerson continued.
“No, that’s not necessary, Emerson. I’m fine. So what can I get the two of you?”
Stone held her gaze as she looked up at him. “How about you?” he whispered then licked his bottom lip as he stared at her lips. She followed the motion with her eyes, her cheeks turned a nice shade of pink, and she chuckled nervously.
“I should have known since there were two of you, that one would be serious and the other, a wise guy.” She moved behind the counter and he knew it was to give her space from the attraction she was surely feeling, and not to serve them coffee and food.
“He is a wise-ass, but his intentions are good.” Emerson took a seat back down onto the chair at the coffee bar. Stone slowly straddled the stool and stared at her.
“I didn’t mean to make you nervous. I always say what’s on my mind.”
She looked at him, and those big brown eyes twinkled. “That can get you into trouble.”
“Honey, if it can get me into trouble with you, then I’m all for it.” She chuckled again and shyly turned away. God she’s adorable.
“Will you cool it? You’re going to scare the woman,” Emerson reprimanded and Stone chuckled.
“Sorry, Antoinette, I was just having some fun with you. You’re very pretty,” he told her and she blushed again.
Was she for real?
“So, what would you like, aside from me on a platter?” she asked both of them, and Emerson laughed.
“Ahh, I hadn’t mentioned you on a platter, but the platter sounds interesting.” He leaned forward. “You, spread out for me to—”
Emerson gave him a light smack to his chest and Stone stopped talking. Antoinette chuckled again as she shook her head.
>
“This act doesn’t really work on all the ladies, does it?” she challenged him.
“What act? He’s always being a dope,” Emerson said.
She smiled and then crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Interesting. It seemed his charms didn’t work so easy on this woman. Maybe she was legit after all?
A good thirty minutes later the three of them were having great conversation and laughing. Stone couldn’t believe how perfect she was. People kept coming in and asking if she and Tina were okay. They were regulars that seemed to truly care for Tina and Antoinette.
As they talked about the business, she did seem to close up a bit, and only give small details about the owner and how the business was doing. He was so curious as more and more people came and went while they were there.
“This owner is doing phenomenal. This place has been crowded all morning,” Stone stated.
“Yes, we have a lot of regulars, and then of course tourists come by, too. Or businessmen just happen upon it one afternoon for a cup of coffee and a treat.” She winked at Emerson. Stone watched Emerson smile then stare deeply into Antoinette’s eyes.
“I have to admit, I had never heard about Bliss, until that business meeting. I’m glad I stopped in,” he said very seriously.
“Me, too,” she replied.
Then someone called her name and she excused herself before disappearing into the back.
“What do you think?” Emerson asked, as he sipped his cup of coffee.
“She’s amazing. I’m just trying to figure out what’s wrong with her.”
Emerson chuckled.
“Nothing is. She’s a hard worker, seems like she runs the place in her boss’s absence. I’m still concerned about her knowing who we really are. She seems sincere, but maybe when she finds out that we’re billionaires, she’ll be different.”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty good at detecting fakes and frauds.”
Emerson raised one eyebrow at Stone.
“Uh, does the name Olivia ring a bell? You fell for her immediately. She was that good.”
“You can’t blame me. I was using the wrong head to lead me. I’m just as cautious now as you are. We can deal with the truth after we date her.”
“She may not want to date two guys. She seems sweet and innocent.”
“We’ll take our time. I want to get to know her. It’s like there is this instant possessiveness I’m feeling. I’ve never felt this before.”
“Exactly. That is how I felt last week. She’s special, Stone. This could be exactly what Cash and Zane, and Nash and Riker were talking about. They said they were hit by surprise, as if they were sideswiped by a car. I’m feeling exactly the same way right now. I almost feel desperate to grab her before some other guy comes along and swoops her right out from under us.”
“Then we should ask her out for tonight. Let’s see what she says,” Stone said then turned to watch the crowd of people enter the store. Just as he did, he noticed a woman standing by the window, wearing sunglasses and appearing as if she were looking toward him. He instantly was annoyed.
Fucking Olivia. When will that woman give up?
He turned toward Stone.
“Before we have ourselves a situation like I did a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to go get rid of Olivia.”
Emerson swung around and looked toward the window. Stone knew when he spotted her.
“She’ll make a scene. She’ll ruin everything by making Antoinette think that we’re involved with her.”
“Calm down. I’ll get rid of her.” Stone stood up and headed out the door. He was getting tired of Olivia’s actions. Real tired.
* * * *
Vince stood by the building, and was debating about going in there and demanding to know who the two fucking asshole big guys were. They looked like they stepped out of a men’s fitness catalogue, with their tight T-shirts and designer dress jeans. They both had big biceps and wide shoulders. They were interested in Antoinette, and damn it, she seemed interested in them.
But as he was about to go in there and see who the fuck they were, he spotted the one guy get up and leave. Now he was outside, grabbing a woman’s arm and pulling her away from the front of Bliss. Vince wondered what that was all about.
Their conversation seemed heated. The woman kept trying to pet the man’s arm and he was abruptly telling her off, but not too loudly. People passed them, hardly even taking notice, and then the woman stomped her high heel on the concrete, turned, and headed down the street. The man ran his hands through his hair then went back inside.
Vince had a feeling that the man was involved with the woman. She seemed angry. He decided to follow the woman. If the men were interested in Antoinette, then they would be back again, and he could find out exactly who they were.
* * * *
“So, what do you say? Dinner tonight? Your choice of venue of course. We want you to feel comfortable,” Emerson said, as Stone returned from walking outside. Before Stone walked outside, he asked her to place an order of mini cheesecakes to go. Those were one of her favorites.
Toni felt more than just comfortable with them. She felt incredibly attractive, and excited. Not a good combination when a woman was trying to act all calm and suave. She didn’t date. She didn’t even know what happened on the first date. A kiss would be nice. At the end. But what if there were two kisses, then what? Would they expect her to jump into bed with them?
“Hey, are you all right?” Stone asked then covered her hand with his much larger one. “You look a little pale all of a sudden.”
She jerked her head up toward him. He was a big man. So was Emerson. What if they tried something? “Uhm, uhm…I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.” She saw Stone’s eyes grow almost darker as he raised one eyebrow in response.
He squeezed her hand a little snuggly then smiled. “We’re not bad guys. We won’t hurt you or abduct you.”
“Well, I surely would hope not,” she replied sarcastically, and Stone gave her an expression she couldn’t quite read. Was he annoyed? Was he finding her response to him humorous? What game was he playing? Then she heard Emerson’s suggestion.
“Here. Hit number two on the keypad. Our secretary and personal assistant, Paula, will answer the phone. Ask her about us. Anything you like. She is in charge of the entire department, and since we work our butts off every day trying to get up the corporate ladder, she’ll give you the lowdown,” Emerson said. Stone released her hand and she took Emerson’s phone. She stared at him, wondering if he were for real, and then she hit the button.
She turned her back on them as she conversed with Paula.
“Yes, you heard me right. I want to know if they can be trusted? They asked me out for dinner and I don’t know them.”
She couldn’t believe that she was doing this, but as their personal assistant gave her way more information than Toni thought the guys expected her to, she started laughing. She told them that they hardly ever dated and that sometimes they picked the wrong women. Paula asked about Toni, and when she told her that she worked at Bliss, the woman nearly screamed in excitement. Feeling a bit better after about a ten-minute conversation, Toni ended the call. She turned around and handed Emerson his cell phone.
“Bring Paula a dozen of the éclairs and a lemon butter pound cake,” Toni told him then smiled.
“So, what is your answer?” Stone asked. She looked at them both and decided that she didn’t have anything to lose. She was twenty-five years old, and she never went out on dates.
“Okay. I accept the invite.”
“Yes!” Stone exclaimed, and Emerson smiled then took her hand again.
“What time should we pick you up?” he asked.
She pulled her hand slowly from his own, despite the fact that she loved the way it felt enclosed against his thick fingers.
“I will meet you. Is seven thirty okay? I can have Tina lock up for me here at the store?”
“Seven thirty is fin
e. How is Scalante’s?” Stone asked. “It’s an Italian restaurant about four blocks from here.”
“That will be fine. I’ll meet you then.”
As they said good-bye and left the store with a box for the company secretary in hand, Toni wondered if she were making the right decision here. She liked both men. Both men seemed to like her. But this wasn’t exactly a traditional kind of relationship. How would it work? What would her friends and family say?
My friends are all for it, and my family? They scarcely see me as is. These relationships are occurring all over the place these days. Would it really be such a shock? It may not even work out. Oh well, Antoinette, you got yourself into this. Let’s see what happens tonight.
Chapter 7
Toni stepped out of the cab, and immediately caught sight of Emerson and Stone. They took her breath away. Emerson wore a dark button-down shirt with dark dress pants and Stone wore a dark blue button-down shirt, with dress pants. They appeared as if they stepped out of a men’s casual designer magazine. She was glad she chose to wear the beige sleeveless slim-fitting Ann Taylor dress. With the white strappy heels, Tina thought she looked classy and sexy. She chuckled to herself. Tina had brought over a few dresses and even some kinky panties. Damn woman was out of her mind.
Emerson caught sight of her and hurried to greet her by the cab door. She had already paid the driver, but the fact that Stone headed to do so earned him some points. He was a gentleman, despite the bit of hardness around the edges.
“You look beautiful, Antoinette,” Emerson said, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Stone approached next, placed a hand at her waist and kissed her softly by her ear.
“Very nice dress. You look stunning, doll.”
Their Sweet Desire [Power Surge: The Billionaire Club 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6