24
Wyatt
Wendy’s smile switches off the instant Piper heads back to the kitchen, and she glares at us. “So,” she says, her voice heavy with insinuation, “the two of you and Piper.”
I’m not going to pretend I don’t know what she’s talking about. Thoughts of the three of us have been on my mind ever since I met Piper. “You don’t approve of us.”
“I don’t know what I think of you yet,” she corrects, her voice steely. “Here’s what I do know. Piper’s the nicest person in the world. She’s good-natured, she’s kind, and she’s hard-working. She’s practically perfect, but she has one flaw. She’s hopeless at advocating for herself. Her parents treat her like crap, and she lets them walk all over her. And I’m not sure you guys are much better. You treated her like dirt.”
“Treated. Past tense. We were wrong.”
She continues as if I haven’t spoken. “She’s vulnerable. Then you guys show up and wave a magic money wand, and all her problems are solved. Tell me how it’s right that you get involved with her.”
“You’re misjudging us,” Owen says quietly. His fingers are balled into fists at his side. “We would never hurt Piper.”
Wendy is relentless. “She hasn’t been on a date in five years.” Her dark eyes pierce us. “She should be treated like a princess. She slaves away in front of a hot stove all day. She deserves flowers and wine and chocolate, and she needs someone who will stick around. She is entitled to more than a quickie.”
“Why are you telling us this?” I keep my voice even, though I’m reeling with shock on the inside. Piper hasn’t been on a date in five years?
“Because she’s my friend and I love her. If you’re going to stick around, then make your move. But if you’re just looking for easy pussy, think again. You hurt my friend and I will hunt you down and make you regret the day you were born.”
I like Wendy. She’s like a protective mama bear. “You have nothing to worry about.” I meet her gaze squarely. “Whatever happens, we have no intention of hurting Piper.”
She gets to her feet. “Tell Piper I had a work emergency.”
As she turns away, I notice her handbag is the same color as the one Piper was carrying. “Nice bag,” I tell her.
Her voice is as dry as kindling. “Isn’t it? I bought it from her a month back, when she wasn’t sure if she could make rent, and she couldn’t come to the two of you for help.”
When Owen and me had looked at her and assumed the worst.
“She has us now,” I reply. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
She makes a noise that’s half-snort, half-scoff, and leaves. Once she’s gone, I turn to Owen. “Piper hasn’t been on a date in five years?”
“So I heard.” His expression is unsettled.
“I think we should ask her out properly, not grope her in her restaurant.”
Owen gives me a searching look. “You heard what Wendy said. You can read between the lines. Piper doesn’t do casual sex.”
“I’m not looking for casual sex.” That’s always been my problem. I have a void in me that I ache to fill. The problem isn’t that I want too little. It’s that I want too much.
“Okay.” Owen takes a deep breath. “Me neither. But in case you haven’t noticed, there’s three of us. A ménage is a one-time thing for most people. You, more than anyone else, should know that.”
“One step at a time.” I lift my head up in greeting as Piper walks back to us. “Hello again.”
“What happened to Wendy?” Piper asks, sitting down. Her hand massages her neck. “God, what a day. It almost makes me long for the days when the only people eating here were the two of you.”
I chuckle. “Here, let me.” I knead at the tight knots of stress in her neck. “You’re working too hard. We should hire a couple of line cooks to help you out. We can afford it.”
“Once the auditor comes and goes.” Her voice is anxious. “I don’t want to give them any openings.”
“Shh. Relax.” My fingers keep working to ease her tension.
“Wyatt, what are you doing?” she whispers.
“Don’t overthink this, Piper.”
“I kissed both of you,” she blurts out. She’s holding herself erect, her body language betraying her agitation.
I’m a little surprised. Part of me was prepared for her to pretend that it didn’t happen. “Do you want us to forget about it?” My heart beats faster in my chest as I wait for her answer.
A long moment of silence passes. “No,” she says finally. Her cheeks go pink as she looks at both of us. “You weren’t weirded out by what I did. Why?”
Owen is more direct than I am. “Should we have been?” he asks her.
“Piper,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “We’re not going to pressure you, and we’re not going to judge you. Tell us what you want.”
She hesitates, biting her lower lip. Finally she takes a deep breath and appears to reach a conclusion. “I want you. Both. Does that make me a pervert?”
“Pervert is such a strong word,” Owen replies calmly. “The two of us want you as well. But not now, and not like this.” He reaches forward and laces his fingers in hers. “Have dinner with us Sunday night.”
“I work Sunday nights.”
“I know. Come over once you’re done.”
“Why not today?” Her expression is curious, careful.
“We don’t want to rush you into anything,” I reply. “Right now, our hormones are raging, and we aren’t thinking coherently.”
“Oh.” Her face falls. “I understand. You want time to change your mind.”
“No,” Owen cuts in. “We’ve wanted you from the first day we saw you. We aren’t going to change our minds.”
“Oh,” she says again, this time in a different note, on a sharp intake of breath. “Sunday night?”
“It’s a date.”
Though my voice sounds confident, I can’t help remembering the sadness I’d felt when my relationship with Maisie had ended. I hope I can keep from repeating the same mistake with Piper.
25
Owen
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“Here’s the list.” I push the piece of paper toward Mendez. “Three of them are clean, including Piper Jackson’s place.”
We’re at the same McDonald’s we met at last time. Mendez eats a breakfast sandwich while I sip my coffee. I’m in a peculiar mood this morning. Wyatt and I had meetings all afternoon yesterday, so we couldn’t linger at the restaurant.
In any case, Wyatt’s right. We work with Piper. We need to give her plenty of space. The last thing I want her to think is that our investment in her restaurant is dependent on whether she sleeps with us.
“This is great.” Mendez stares at the list of names. “What about Emerson’s? And The Pear Tree?”
“I don’t know.” I take a deep breath. For the first time, I want out. I need to keep a low profile in Hell’s Kitchen; I can’t afford to snoop around for Mendez. At any time, Michael O’Connor might figure out who I am, and if he’s connected to the Westies, shit will hit the fan.
My priorities have changed. I’ve promised to help Piper win Can You Take The Heat?. I’ve told her I’ll make her restaurant profitable. This is not the time for me to be distracted by Mendez’s dirty work. “I can’t sort it out. You’re on your own.”
He stops eating and looks up. “Why’s that, Lamb?” he asks, his voice hard.
I bristle at his tone. “I didn’t realize I needed to offer you an explanation.”
He notices the steel in my expression. “Suit yourself,” he shrugs. “You’re not obligated to help me. I can find someone else to help me track Cassidy.”
I freeze. Seamus Cassidy was the man who ordered the hit on my family. What’s he doing in New York? He’s supposed to be doing life in an Irish prison. “Cassidy is out of jail?”
Mendez smiles mockingly. “I thought y
ou didn’t want to get involved. Didn’t you just tell me that?”
“Fuck you,” I growl. “You know things are different if Seamus Cassidy is back, and that’s exactly why you brought him up. Don’t think I don’t know how you operate, Mendez.”
He doesn’t deny it. Instead he pushes the list back to me. “I’ll be in touch.”
26
Wyatt
In the shock of kissing Piper, I’d almost forgotten my father’s phone call, but the next morning, he’s the first person I think of. I dial Stone Bradley. “My father made contact yesterday,” I say bluntly as soon as he answers.
“Hello to you too, Mr. Lawless. Did he show up at work again?”
“No, he called me.”
“Hmm. Did you have a phone number for him?”
“No.” I run my hand through my hair in frustration. A week after I hired him, Bradley produced an address for my father, but I haven’t acted because I don’t know what to do. I want him gone, but this isn’t the movies. I can’t break his kneecaps because I don’t want to talk to him.
“The studio apartment in Brooklyn he’s staying at,” I think out loud. “Whose name is on the lease? Can we evict him?”
Bradley answers immediately. “I’m going to recommend against it.” He clears his throat. “Let me be honest. Your dad is a washed-up drunk. Your best option is to meet him and pay him off. If you go on the offensive, who knows what he might do?”
“No.” My tone brooks no opposition. “There will be no pay off. There will be no meeting. I will give my father nothing.”
“The past still haunts you.” Bradley’s voice is sympathetic. “I can relate to the desire to forget your childhood.”
I rise to my feet. I’m done with this conversation, done with Bradley, done with being analyzed. “Get him evicted,” I snarl into the phone.
I should tell Bradley to put a tail on my father and have someone keep an eye on his movements. But I’m too angry, and I’m not thinking straight.
27
Piper
Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you.
Walter Winchell
I go through the rest of the week on auto-pilot. Though I exchange emails and texts with Owen and Wyatt about a million little details, I don’t see them. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they’re doing. They’re giving me space.
I don’t want space, and I don’t want to be logical. I want passion.
Saturday night, when I get home after a long shift at the restaurant, Bailey’s sitting on the couch, reading something. Jasper’s at her side, half-asleep as usual. “Hey,” I say, surprised to find my roommate at home. “How come you aren't with your guys?”
“Because I need to work,” she replies with a grimace. “I’ve got an inch-thick stack of papers to read, and I’m too easily distracted when I’m with Daniel and Sebastian.
I grin, taking in the huge arrangement of pink flowers on the coffee table. Roses, lilies, and daisies spill out of a clear glass vase. “They sent you flowers because they couldn’t bear you being away for one night? That’s both sweet and excessive.”
Her eyes dance with amusement. “They aren’t for me.”
“What?”
“The flowers. They aren’t for me.” Her smile widens to a grin. “Anything you want to tell me, Piper?” she teases. “Who’s sending you flowers? My money’s on those hot partners of yours.”
I cross over to the bouquet, and search for a card. There’s a small white envelope tucked among the blossoms. My heart beats in my chest as I rip it open. It’s been a very long time since someone’s sent me flowers.
You’re special to us.
“What does it say?” Bailey’s voice is curious. “Come on. Spill.”
I hand her the note silently. I don’t know what I thought it would say. Some flirty reference to tomorrow night. Not this. Tears well up in my eyes.
“Are you going to cry?” Bailey sits up, alarmed. “Shit. Piper, sweetie. Come here. I’ll find vodka.”
That makes me laugh. “No vodka,” I say, holding up my hand. “Vodka is what started this.” I plop myself on the couch, and scratch Jasper behind the ears.
“So Wyatt and Owen think you’re special. Special in a Piper’s A Very Talented Chef kind of way?”
“Special in an I Have A Date Tomorrow Night With Them kind of way.”
“Oh.” She digests that silently. “Both of them?”
I nod.
“Oh,” she repeats. “Are you going on this date?”
I exhale. “I think so.” Bailey’s in a threesome herself. I thought she’d be more enthusiastic. “You aren’t judging me, are you?”
She shakes her head immediately. “Of course not,” she says, biting her lip. “Okay, this is going to come out wrong no matter how I word it, so I’m just going to blurt it out. Are you sure you’re up to this?”
“What exactly are we talking about?” I ask cautiously. “Because if you are going to talk sex positions, I’m going to need that vodka first.”
Her lips twitch. “No sex positions, I promise. I’m talking about people’s reactions when they find out.” She makes a face. “Did I tell you Daniel’s sister and her fiancé broke up because Daniel, Sebastian, and I are in a threesome?”
“Really?” I look up, shocked by her revelation. “When did this happen?”
“A week ago.” She waves aside my concern. “It’s a good thing. Graham was a douchebag. But Piper, be honest with me. Can you see yourself introducing Wyatt and Owen to your parents?”
God no.
She interprets my expression correctly. “I thought so,” she says. “It all seems like fun and games, but people can get hurt. The world is not used to three people in a relationship.”
“I think you’re getting way ahead of yourself here.” Jasper’s fur feels warm and soft under my fingers, and he purrs as I pet him. “I’m not getting into a relationship with them. I’m just going to dinner.”
Bailey gives me a knowing look. “Just be careful. There’s no shortage of guys in New York. You don’t have to pick something so complicated.”
I’d like to be angry at Bailey, but she’s absolutely right. I can’t see myself introducing Wyatt and Owen to my parents. Even imagining their reaction makes me shudder. Well-behaved Southern women definitely do not date two men at the same time.
Then I look once again at the card in my hand. You’re special to us.
“You know something, Bails?” My voice is soft, but I’m more certain than I’ve ever been. “I’m not good at standing up to my parents, and I admit that the idea of telling them makes me want to throw up. But you know what I’m sure of? I’m going on that date tomorrow night.”
Bailey grins widely. “In that case, in the immortal words of my roommate, go forth and fornicate.”
It’s pouring rain Sunday evening. It’s a good thing the restaurant is almost empty because I’m so nervous that my hands shake as I cook. A couple of times, I almost send out a dish without seasoning it. Finally, Josef’s had enough. “Chef Jackson,” he says exasperatedly, “You should leave early and get some rest.”
Rest is not what I’m planning on getting, my friend.
“Do you mind?”
He shakes his head. “There’s just three tables here,” he says. “We’re less than an hour from closing. We’re done for the night.”
I don’t protest. I don’t want to show up at Owen’s condo smelling like fried chicken. If I leave now, I’ll have time to go home, shower and change into something sexy.
I can’t believe I’m actually going on a date.
With two guys, a voice inside me whispers. Slut.
A wonderfully hot shower later, I’m calmer. I know Owen and Wyatt well enough to know that nothing will happen if I don’t want it to. For the moment, I’ve even silenced the condemning voice in my head. I dress in a purple sundress that’s been pushed all the way to the back of my wardrobe, and I head out.
Even th
ough it’s stopped raining, I opt to take a cab to Owen’s building. I’ve been on my feet all day, and I’m fighting exhaustion. This is why you don’t date, I remind myself. But I can’t stop the prickle of excitement skittering up my spine.
Owen’s building is a five-story brick mid-rise in the Upper West Side, with a bakery at street level. I look around for an entrance to the residences upstairs, but can’t find it. Fishing out my phone, I call him.
He answers on the first ring. “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind, Piper.”
“I’m downstairs,” I tell him. “I just can’t figure out how to get in.”
“I’ll be right there.” In two minutes, a door next to the bakery entrance opens, and Owen comes out. “There you are,” he says in greeting, his eyes heating up as he takes me in. “You look great.”
My insides tighten. “You’re just saying that because I’m not wearing chef’s whites,” I quip, trying to ease the butterflies in my stomach.
Perhaps he senses I’m nervous, because he smirks in a very familiar way. “You’re probably right,” he agrees. “Come on in.”
There’s an elevator, thank heavens. Owen punches in the button for the top floor, and we’re whisked up. “Penthouse?” I tease. “That’s fancy.”
He chuckles. “I like my peace and quiet. There’s just two apartments on the top floor.”
“Your neighbor isn’t a drummer then?” That’s not the brightest thing to say. In my defense, I haven’t been on a date in years.
He gives me a surprised look. “My neighbor’s Wyatt. I thought you knew that.”
I shake my head as the elevator doors open into a small hallway with two doors on either end. Owen turns right and pushes a door open. “Here we are.”
“Wow.” I stop in my tracks as soon as I walk in, and look around. Owen’s apartment is spacious and colorful. There are windows everywhere. The walls are covered with contemporary art. A grey sectional dominates the living space, accented by red and cream cushions. “This is not what I expected.”
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