The Choice (Doms of Her Life: Heavenly Rising Book 1)

by Shayla Black

“I’m not.” Heavenly didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be strong for her dad. But she couldn’t stand the thought of him being ashamed of her. “I’m with them because I’m in love.”

  Her father was silent for a long moment, then he reached a shaking hand out to her. “Oh…boo. Are you sure? Are you ready to tie yourself to two men who have already lived a lot and seen the world and are ready to settle down? Because Beck and Seth are.”

  How had everyone seen that but her?

  “You look surprised. It’s all over their faces,” Dad went on. “They want forever with you. You’ve always talked about travel and adventure and exploration. I want you to experience those things…”

  And she wanted to, as well. She’d always wanted to. “I’ve told them I can’t do forever, just right now.”

  “You’re a sweet girl with a soft heart. You’re a loyal child who’s stayed with me because I needed you all these years when you should have been spreading your wings and flying away. I’m so worried you’ll be the same kind of woman to them, that you’ll never get to live for you.”

  “Dad…”

  “Promise me you won’t let that happen.” His grip was surprisingly strong. “Promise me that, before you commit your future to anyone or anything, that you’ll live those dreams you’ve always had. Meet people, experience cultures, see the world. Find out who you are before you have to figure out who you are with someone else. If your mother had done that, maybe she would have stayed.”

  What could she say when she suspected he was right? “All right. I promise.” Even though he leaned back against his pillows in relief, she still felt the tension in his body, in the room, and wanted so badly to allay it. “Dad, they didn’t lay a finger on me last night. In fact, they’ve hardly touched me at all.”

  That wasn’t totally true. But they hadn’t pressed her for sex. Her father could read between the lines. Hopefully, that would give him some peace of mind.

  “It’s a matter of time, boo. They want you. They intend to have you. It’s going to get messy, emotional, and complicated. I hope you’re ready for that.”

  No. It terrified the hell out of her. “I’ll be all right. I promise. I have to get to work. Call me if you need anything. I’ll check on you first thing in the morning, okay?”

  “Take care of yourself, boo. I love you.”

  Heavenly bit her lip, trying to hold herself together. She’d worried and disappointed him.

  She’d exchanged one set of problems for another.

  At least in this scenario, Dad was getting the best medical care possible. Her feelings mattered far less.

  After brushing a kiss on his cheek, she sent him the brightest smile she could manage. “I love you, too.”

  Tears were falling as she reached the door and opened it to find Seth waiting inches away, stock-still. Beck paced the hall, fists clenched.

  How much had they heard?

  “Thanks for bringing me here to visit. I’m ready to head for work.”

  “Are you all right?” Seth ventured, concern all over his face.

  She didn’t want to talk about it, wasn’t ready to deal with her conflicted feelings. “Fine.”

  The guys exchanged a glance. Neither believed her.

  “Please. I can’t be late.”

  Beck sighed. “We’ll go. But we’re going to talk about this later.”

  “Absolutely,” Seth agreed.

  The ride to Pepp-E-Roni’s Pizza Palace was quiet. On the one hand, she needed the paycheck and she was happy to escape the inquisition they were obviously itching for, if only temporarily. But she would also far rather be spending the evening with Beck and Seth. Heck, the night with them. Her father was right; she wouldn’t be able to put them off for long. But the way she wanted them, that thought filled her with way more heady anticipation than unease. Individually, they’d given her such pleasure. Together…she sighed. She could only imagine.

  But it wasn’t just the ecstasy she looked forward to. It was being with them, expressing her feelings for them, without worry that she’d be upsetting one or the other. Finally, she’d be able to show them that she loved them equally and honestly.

  Hopefully, the love she made with them would be enough.

  Because the future was coming, and she couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  As River maneuvered his truck through traffic, Beck leaned up from the backseat and snagged the man’s attention in the rearview mirror. “You don’t need to take us out for a beer, man. What’s done is done.”

  “Yeah, but I feel like shit for not telling you guys when Heavenly approached me. I swear, I told her to ask you two to do the, um…deed. When she refused, I should have said something. I’m sorry.”

  River sounded contrite, as he damn well should. His apology was enough, but if buying them a few brews would clear his conscience, fine. At least it would distract Beck from the endless mental replay of Heavenly and Abel’s earlier conversation at the hospital. He and Seth had both overheard. Trouble was on that horizon. Sure, the old man was preparing their girl for the inevitable, but the prospect of Heavenly living up to her promise before settling down worried the hell out of him.

  She wouldn’t refuse her father’s dying wish to experience life and explore the world.

  Their only hope was to use every moment before her father’s ravaged body gave out to surround her, devote themselves to her, drown her in pleasure, and bestow on her all the adventure she could handle. They’d give her life without monumental responsibilities, with people she could count on. They’d make sure she had a million reasons to smile. They’d show why she should reconsider her future.

  Beck hoped that would be enough.

  Sure, he and Seth had annihilated Heavenly’s barriers last night. This morning, she’d opened up to them more than ever. But he knew that girl. They had exposed her, left her no place to hide. Necessary, of course, but she didn’t like feeling vulnerable, resisted relying on anyone. If he and Seth didn’t pour a sturdy foundation under her ASAP and prove she belonged with and to them, she’d be gone faster than he could blink.

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Beck tried to fight off dread.

  After quick stops by Seth’s apartment and his house to change into clean clothes, Beck grabbed a few essentials for later, along with a thick envelope from his attorney from the mailbox. He tore into it. His divorce settlement. About damn time. Heavenly might not see a future with him yet, but he was going to be ready, because he intended to convince her they had one.

  He shoved the document in his pocket as River whipped his quad cab 4x4 into a crowded parking lot. Beck glanced out the window. A gaudy neon sign announced their destination, and he rolled his eyes. He’d never been here, but he’d heard plenty of talk.

  “Why the hell did you bring us to a breastaurant?” Seth scoffed from the passenger seat.

  “He’s probably hoping to score with one of the babes who work here. Sorry, man. I know you get lucky a lot, but these girls are even out of your league,” Beck quipped.

  “They’re not. Already been here and done this,” River said smugly. “I thought you might enjoy the great wings and ice-cold beer. But I brought you for the scenery.”

  “If we wanted to drool over tits and ass, we could have gone to Shadows,” Seth drawled as River pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

  “Trust me. You two want to see this.”

  Beck doubted that. He’d seen more naked women in his life than stars in the sky. But he played along and followed River through the front door.

  The place was packed. Raucous laughter and loud music assaulted his ears. Suddenly, he regretted leaving the oasis of the quiet condo.

  “Good evening, gentlemen. Welcome to Bazookas.”

  A striking brunette with surgically enhanced “headlights” eyed them with a smile. Her breasts nearly spilled out of her skimpy white bra. To call the pleated scrap of fabric clinging to her hips and barely coveri
ng her pussy a skirt would be damn generous. Once upon a time, Beck would have enjoyed the view. Now? Nothing.

  “Well, hello yourself.” River winked.

  She responded with a coy smile. “Booth or table?”

  “A booth would be great, sweetheart.”

  Beck leaned close to Seth. “Why are we here?”

  Seth shrugged. “Maybe he needed a couple wingmen.”

  “What he needs to learn is that rejection builds character.”

  “I get the feeling he doesn’t hear ‘no’ a lot.”

  Beck got that feeling, too.

  Sure enough, River whispered something in the hostess’s ear. She sent him a mischievous grin. “Follow me.”

  They passed tables crowded with half-drunk frat boys and single professionals on the prowl before the weekend wrapped up. One smacked a passing waitress on the ass. She paused, cocked a hip, then flashed a saucy smile over her shoulder. Yep, she knew exactly how to ply a fat tip from the idiot.

  The hostess showed them to an alcove at the back of the restaurant. The two bench seats hugged the narrow walls with a giant table in between. Beck laughed when River snagged the side that afforded him a panoramic view of the waitresses, leaving him and Seth to stare at River’s shit-eating grin. Beck slid into the dark corner. He didn’t really care.

  Seth slid in beside him, across from River, while the hostess handed them each a menu and sashayed away. As he and Seth scanned the appetizers, River craned his neck, gaze darting around the room. Clearly, what he wanted to eat wasn’t on the menu.

  “I can find a marker and write FREE TONGUE RIDES on your forehead if you think it’ll help,” Beck drawled.

  “Don’t be hating. It’s not my fault you two are so pussy-whipped you stopped making women scream months ago.”

  “Your sister has a big mouth,” Seth growled.

  Instead of defending Raine, River suddenly snatched up his menu and buried his face.

  “Hi, guys. Welcome to Bazookas. Can I—”

  That voice had Beck’s head snapping up from the menu and zeroing in on the all-too-familiar waitress.

  Heavenly.

  She stood at the end of the table, gasping, eyes suddenly wide as the moon. The red flame of embarrassment sailed up her chest and settled on her cheeks as he got a look at her getup. Just like the hostess, her breasts overflowed from her tight white bra. The smooth flesh of her bare torso was interrupted only by the gentle indentation of her belly button. The tiny strip of fabric showed off her hip bones and barely shrouded her pussy.

  What. The. Fuck?

  How many drunk assholes had pawed, slapped, and propositioned his girl? Probably dozens, and he wanted to kill them all.

  His blood boiled.

  His body tensed.

  Every cell thundering in his veins turned to lava.

  His inner beast jerked, fighting the urge to bend Heavenly over the table, lift that joke of a skirt, and turn her ass red. The girl fucking belonged to him, and he itched to prove it to her. But he’d be goddamned if he exposed another inch of her skin in this cesspool of overflowing testosterone.

  “Oh, my gosh.” Above his rage, he heard Heavenly’s voice quiver. “W-what are you doing here?”

  “I think the better question is, what are you doing here, little girl?” Beck growled.

  “I-I’m working.”

  “Not anymore, you’re not,” Seth vowed as he tossed an arm around her waist and lifted her. Ignoring her yelp, he swung her over his lap and onto the bench, trapping her between them.

  Beck grabbed her chin. “You’ve never worked at the pizza place, have you?”

  “No.”

  Seth curled his fist in her hair and turned her toward him. “So you lied to us again?”

  “Not technically. I told you I worked in a place with overgrown kids who had sticky fingers and that the uniform was embarrassing. That’s all true. I never said I worked at Pepp-E-Roni. I just asked you to drop me off there.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Beck growled, palm itching. No, it burned. “You’re damn lucky there’s a couple hundred people in this place.”

  “Amen. Have you been working here since December?” Seth demanded with a scowl.

  “Yes.”

  It was all Beck could do to hold his shit together. “For three fucking months? Why? Why would you purposely parade your half-naked ass in front of a bunch of drunk perverts?”

  Determination flickered in her eyes. “Do you honestly think I want to work here? That I like wiggling into this…costume? No! I do it because I have to. Between school and volunteering, I only have twenty-five hours a week to make money. It had to be enough to put a roof over my dad’s head and buy food and meds and every other essential in life. I chose this over stripping or streetwalking. With my education and skill level, this was the only other job that paid enough for me to scrape by.”

  “We solved your problems last night. This morning, you opened up and talked about your mom. We had everything out in the open. So why the fuck did you mislead us about this job?”

  “I hated to be dishonest. But I didn’t want you to worry over something I can’t change.”

  Seth huffed out a furious breath, shaking his head. “You thought sneaking behind our backs would be a great way to repay us?”

  “No. I’ll be forever grateful for what you’ve both done. You saved my dad… But I don’t see how making you support me entirely is any sort of thank-you.”

  “Don’t you get it? You don’t have to scrape by anymore. Beck and I will take care of you.”

  “You’re not going to support me, and I need this job to survive.”

  Her words sliced at Beck’s heart. He remembered being sixteen and on his own. Being hungry and willing to scavenge for any morsel he could find from dumpsters behind restaurants simply to stay alive. Being scared to sleep for fear he’d be beaten or raped by drunks stumbling down the alleys. Then, he’d been willing to do almost anything for a clean bed and a meal. He’d been too proud to ask a damn soul for help. If Gloria hadn’t intervened, Beck had no idea where he would have ended up—or if he’d even be alive.

  Fuck, he understood where Heavenly was coming from. He just didn’t like it.

  “The hell you do.” Seth looked furious enough to spit nails.

  Beck held up a hand and shook his head. “I understand you need to work. Okay, but not here. We’ll find you another job.”

  Seth sighed angrily but didn’t refute him. “Fine.”

  “There are tons of well-paying positions at the hospital,” Beck improvised. If there wasn’t, he’d create one. “You don’t even need to be licensed.”

  “Really?” Hope flashed across her face.

  “Yes. I’ll make some calls in the morning, but you’re done strutting around this place, wearing that”—Beck plucked at the strap of her paltry uniform—“getup while every man in the room eye-fucks your goddamn brains out.”

  “That’s fucking final!” Seth barked.

  Heavenly pinched her lips together. “I’d be happy to have a job where I could keep my clothes on, but when you two helped Dad and me last night, you didn’t say it came with strings.”

  “It doesn’t,” Seth insisted.

  Beck scowled. “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t have the right to run my life. You’re not my daddy.”

  Beck bristled. “No, I’m not. But you need one, little girl. And I’m the closest thing you’ve got. Starting right now.”

  First order of business? Get her out of that ball-churning outfit, away from all these drooling pervs, and lay down some fucking ground rules.

  When Beck locked eyes with the PI, Seth nodded. They were on the same page. “Get your things. We’re taking you home.”

  Heavenly gaped as if they were speaking a foreign language. “I can’t just walk out. I have to finish my shift.”

  “Your shift here—and your future as a Bazooka-Babe—are over.” The PI hovered and let his
displeasure show as he stood and extended his hand to her. “You hear me?”

  She nibbled her lip pensively, then placed her fingers in his palm and stood. “Why are you both doing this?”

  “Because we goddamn care, angel.” Seth pulled her against his chest and held her tight, like he was afraid she was seconds from slipping away.

  As he slid from the booth, Beck had the same fear. He moved in behind her and pressed himself tightly against her back. “We’re going to prove that.”

  A man wearing a dirty apron, an angry scowl, and a name tag that read PETE – ASSISTANT MANAGER rushed their way. “What the hell do you two think you’re doing? Get your hands off her!”

  “Back off. This doesn’t concern you,” Seth warned.

  “Heavenly is my best Bazooka-Babe. You’re damn right this concerns me.” Pete puffed out his chest in challenge.

  “Was one of your best,” Beck corrected. “Our girlfriend no longer works here.”

  “She’s with both of you?” He looked skeptical. “Since when?”

  “Pete…” She stepped out of their embrace and approached the man, apology softening her face. “I’m sorry to leave you in a lurch, but I never intended to stay this long. I’m quitting, effective now.”

  Beck heard both the guilt and the triumph in her voice. She felt empowered to be leaving this degrading job. And he loved giving her that ability.

  “Heavenly, don’t do this.” Pete sighed in exasperation. “At least finish out this week.”

  “I can’t. I’ve got school, my dad is in the hospital, and I want to spend time with my…boyfriends.”

  Pete’s mouth curled in a snarl. “Then don’t expect to get your job back.”

  “Fine. Don’t expect to ever exploit her for a buck again,” Seth gritted out through clenched teeth.

  “Then leave. Clock out and get your shit! I’ll hire someone who puts out,” Pete growled, then stormed away.

  Beck shoved down his anger and brushed a kiss onto Heavenly’s temple. “I’m proud of you. Get your purse and change. We’ll wait here.”

  “That felt good. Thanks,” she murmured as Seth kissed her forehead. Then she scurried off.