by E. L. Todd
The shop was saturated with people. Bodies filled the lobby, and I had to turn down the music because the noise was becoming too much. The calendar was filled with appointments but people continued walking in, hoping they would squeeze in.
“I’m sorry,” Alessandra said. “There’s just no availability today.”
“Come on,” the guy said behind the counter. “Help me out. I need this done before a show next week.”
Alessandra looked at the calendar again. “We’re totally booked. I’m not yanking your chain.”
He sighed then glanced at her hands on the counter. “Your husband lets you front a place like this? If you were mine, you’d be at home waiting for me every day.”
Did this fucker want to die?
“Flattery isn’t going to get you an appointment. Actually, it might get you killed.”
“That’s not why I said it. There are other shops in the city. But there’s only one you.”
Enough of that. I was used to men hitting on Alessandra left and right. I tried not to let it get to me because I honestly couldn’t blame them. But it pissed me off anyway. I approached the counter beside Alessandra and looked down at him.
“Oh no,” Alessandra whispered under her breath.
“Lay off my wife.” I stared him down with malcontent.
He stiffened like he’d just been stabbed. “Your wife?”
“Unless you want to die, of course.” A tattoo of a wedding ring was on my left finger. Jewelry wasn’t my thing unless it was pierced into my skin.
“Sorry, I didn’t know…” He backed away.
“That she was married?” I asked incredulously. “Yes, you did, motherfucker.”
Alessandra rested her hand on mine. “Keep calm. People are in here.”
The guy headed to the door. “I’m gonna go…”
“He’s lucky I don’t keep my gun here.” My eyes followed him until he was completely out of sight.
Alessandra balanced on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss. “Don’t let him bother you. You have an appointment in room three.”
I released a quiet growl. “I’m going to get you a sandwich board that says you’re mine and make you ring a bell so everyone will see it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Go, Ash.”
I crushed my mouth to hers and gave her a hard kiss before I finally walked away.
***
The shop finally closed and it was time to go home. Alessandra and I were usually there from nine to five during the week. On the weekends, we had the employees take care of it.
After wiping everything down and sanitizing the equipment, everyone else left and I took care of the money and the safe.
“Long day, huh?” Alessandra asked from behind me.
“It really was.” I locked the safe then threw the receipts on the desk. “I’m ready for dinner.”
“Me too. But there’s something I want to do before we leave.”
I eyed the desk. “You want me to bend you over? I’d love to.”
She didn’t bother rolling her eyes. She walked into one of the piercing rooms then undressed herself.
“You want to have sex in the chair?” I asked. “That’s fine by me. Lay on your stomach and I’ll give it to you deep.”
She removed her clothes then lay on her back.
“That’s great too,” I said. “I love watching you come anyway.”
“No,” she said calmly. “I want you to remove my clit piercing.”
“What?” Was she trying to kill me? “Why?”
“Sit down and I’ll tell you.”
I dropped into the stool then rolled toward her. “You love that thing. Why would you want to get rid of it?” Was she crazy? That thing gave her so much pleasure in bed. If I just blew on it, she writhed and screamed.
“Ash.” She grabbed my hand and rubbed her thumb over the knuckles. There was joy in her eyes, not anger or pain. Excitement brewed deep inside, and it seemed like it would explode at a moment’s notice.
What was going on here? Why was she so excited to have her piercing removed? Did she not realize it would be a little painful? Did she want me to pierce something else instead? Or maybe get some ink? “What’s up, baby?”
She took a deep breath before she spoke. “I need you to take it out because…I’m having a baby.”
Of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t it. My jaw automatically unhinged and I couldn’t wipe away my surprise. Before we got married, I didn’t want kids. But now that I’d spent two amazing years with her, it didn’t sound so bad. But when she told me she was having my baby, indescribable happiness flushed through me. My eyes even watered. “What?”
“I’m only a month along…” She moved my hand to her stomach. “But he’s in there.”
My hand took up her entire stomach. I tried to feel for kicking or a heartbeat. In a few months, she would be bigger and rounder. My family would begin. I’d be a father.
“Ash?” Her smile faded at the look on my face.
I came back to reality. “Baby, I’m so damn happy.” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her stomach.
She breathed a sigh of relief at my reaction. “I knew you would be.”
I returned my hand to her stomach and stared into her eyes. “I’m just a bit surprised.”
“Why?” she asked. “I’m a cream queen, right?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you are.” I loved the glow on her face. She was so excited for this baby, for the baby I made with her. It was beautiful in a way I couldn’t explain. “I guess I will have to remove this piercing.”
“Yeah…but maybe you can give me something somewhere else.”
“Yeah?” My eyes lightened in interest.
“Maybe some ink.”
I smiled because I had the most amazing wife in the world. “Will you let me do the honors?”
“Let?” she asked. “You’re the only one I would let do the honors.”
This book was hardly written in a day. It took me a lot of plotting and research until I finally figured out what I wanted to write about. I can’t count the number of times in my life when I didn’t feel good enough for someone else. Maybe I’m a little rough around the edges and I’m hard to understand, but that doesn’t make me a bad person. Ash and I are two apples from the same tree—but he’s much hotter and has a lot more ink.
I’d like to thank my fellow author, Aspen Drake, for helping me so much with this book. In fact, you hated my first draft and told me to completely start over. At the time it sucked, but this final product is a million times better. So, what I’m trying to say is…you totally rock.
I hoped you enjoyed reading Into The Fire as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did love it, it would mean the world to me if you left a short review. It’s the best kind of support you can give an author.
Need More In The Beautiful Entourage Universe?
Beautiful Entourage was once owned by a group of handsome men. Just out of college and broke, Rhett, Troy, Cato, Jett, and River wanted to make some extra dough to keep the lights on in their apartment. When the business picked up and work was flourishing, the guys decided they would never give it up…until they meet their leading ladies.
Check out the sneak peak in the back of this book!
What’s Next?
MONDAY
Release Date: 04/05/2016
I don’t believe in destiny.
In fate.
Or in soul mates.
But I believe in Hawke.
My life has never been whole since my parents left forever. I have my brother, someone I can barely tolerate most of the time, and I have my best friend, Marie.
And I have myself.
But when Hawke walks into my life, there’s an immediate connection. Our eyes lock and an unspoken conversation is exchanged. For the first time in my life, I actually feel something.
But he doesn’t.
He keeps me at arm’s length and pretends there’s nothing between us whe
n there clearly is. I’m not the kind of girl to wait around for any guy, so I don’t.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the back of my mind.
Our paths cross again in a way neither one of us expect and it changes everything. Was it destiny that made it happen? Was it fate?
Or was it something else?
Read on for a sneak peak!
Another Day At The Office
Francesca
On my first day working at The Grind, a coffee shop in Myrtle Beach, the constant sound of the running blender gave me a headache. Just when it would stop spinning for a damn second, it came on again. Taking orders from customers was a hassle because I couldn’t understand a word they said. And just when I raised my voice so they could understand me, the blender shut off and I looked like a screaming lunatic.
But now that blender reminded me of home.
I’d been working at The Grind for nearly three years. It was a great college gig. It was flexible with my class schedule, and when I wanted to blow off work for a party it was easy to change shifts with another worker.
It wasn’t my dream job, but it was okay for now.
The shop was dead that afternoon, so I opened my jar of homemade batter and beat it with a spoon until it was fluffy again. Then I poured it into the pan and shoved them it the oven.
“What are you baking now?” Marie, my roommate and best friend grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist. She reeked of smoke, so I knew she lit one up in the back alley. I tried getting her to quit a few times, but that just made it worse.
“Apple cherry muffins.”
“Hmm…sounds good.”
I was notorious for my love of baking. We had an oven at our house, but it wasn’t as nice as the one they had at The Grind. I took advantage of it whenever I could. “It’s not super sweet so at least it won’t give you diabetes.”
Marie popped a few breath mints into her mouth to cover up the stench of smoke. “I’m not worried about diabetes.”
“Just lung cancer?” It was a mean jab but I didn’t care.
Marie rolled her eyes. “I smoke twice a day…sometimes only once.”
“If it’s so seldom why do it at all?” I put my hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes on her face. I wasn’t a judgmental person, but I wanted my best friend to be around as long as possible.
“Shut up and keep baking.” She walked around me and headed to the front of the café.
I rolled my eyes even though no one was around to witness it. Then I set the timer on the oven.
***
“Damn, these are good.” Marie picked at the muffin right at the counter. A few customers were sitting at tables in the lobby, but no one was in line. Fortunately, our manager was pretty lenient with all the crazy things we did. One time a customer complained that Marie was on her phone, but our manager didn’t seem to care.
“Thanks.”
“Are they made with real apples and cherries?” She spoke with her mouth full.
“Yep. Natural is the only way to go.” I tried not to eat everything I made otherwise I really would get diabetes.
“We could probably sell these for two bucks a pop.” She finished the muffin then sucked the filling off her fingers.
“Two bucks?” I asked. “Maybe ninety nine cents.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Our chocolate croissant is $3.50.”
“Still sounds like a rip off to me.” I noticed the crumbs around her mouth but I didn’t say anything because I knew she would get there eventually. Right now, she was focused on her fingers.
The bell over the door rang as someone walked inside. That bell was a life savor when we were doing things we shouldn’t be—like right now. I set the tray of muffins on the counter then smoothed out my apron without checking who the customer was.
“Oh my god.” Marie lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “That’s him.”
“That’s who?”
“That super hot guy that comes in here all the time. He works on homework or something. But he looks too old to be in college…” She immediately straightened her hair then checked her breath.
I peeked over the counter and saw the guy she was talking about. She wasn’t exaggerating about his looks. He really was hot. He had dark brown hair that was a little messy, but it was clear he did it on purpose. It was full and thick, and it was clear he ran his fingers through it when he was deep in thought. He wore slacks and a collared shirt with a dark blue tie down his chest. He had to be over six feet, and he filled out his size well. Even in a sleeved shirt, the muscles of his arms were obvious. His chest was wide and his stomach was tight. He stood at the end of the line and stared up at the menu as he tried to decide what he wanted.
He was definitely a looker.
“Ask him out,” I whispered to her.
“Are you crazy?” she snapped. “I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s lame,” she said quickly. “Girls don’t ask out guys.”
“Says who?” I demanded. “If he says no, whatever. Move on. But if he says yes…take him out for a drink.”
“I’m not doing that.” She raised her hand to shut me up. Whenever she did that, I knew she really wanted me to drop the subject.
“Don’t you think a guy finds that sexy?”
“What?” she asked.
“When a really hot girl asks him out?”
“I’ll just flirt a little and see where it goes.”
The guy approached the counter like he was about to order.
“Marie, wait.” I grabbed her arm and a napkin.
“What?” she asked in irritation.
“You got muffin all over your face.” I handed her the napkin.
“Oh my god.” She quickly wiped her mouth. “Did I get it?”
“No.” I grabbed the napkin. “Let me do it.”
Her eyes darted to the counter. “Shit, he’s here.” Without another word she darted into the back.
I tossed the napkin into the garbage then felt my heart rate pick up. Marie was missing her chance with Mr. Handsome but I couldn’t let her face him when she had shit all over her lips.
I approached the counter and pretended nothing just happened. We didn’t talk about how hot he was. “Hi. What can I get for you?” I looked him directly in the eye.
His blue eyes were a little startling at first. I’d seen blue eyes before and on lots of people. Some were brighter than others. Some had a mixture of green or gray. His were unusually dark and sharp. They were so pretty they almost didn’t look real. They contrasted well against his fair face. Every individual feature was perfect, but combined together made him deadly. I couldn’t detect a single flaw anywhere.
“Hi. How are you?” He held my gaze as he spoke. Normally, people stared at the board or through the bakery window when they talked to me. They didn’t give me any of their attention. I was just the chick who handed them their coffee.
“Great,” I said with the pen held to the pad. “What about you?”
“A little tired.” He rested one hand on the counter, and a shiny watch was on his wrist. “Hence, why I’m in here.” He had a laid-back nature to him, not snooty like I thought he might be.
“You need more gas for your engine?” I gave him a friendly smile.
“So to speak.” His eyes never left my face.
“Then let’s get you some coffee. What would you like?”
“I usually drink it black. Unless you have a recommendation.”
I wasn’t prepared to be put on the spot but I kept my cool. “We can always add a shot of espresso—maybe two. You look like you need it.” I smiled so he knew I was joking.
A ghost of a smile stretched his lips. Instead of raising the corners of his mouth, his eyes lightened in color. They seemed to be the gateway to his thoughts. “I trust your judgment.”
“Two shots of espresso it is.” I made the mental note. “Anything else?”
His eyes
left my face for the first time and moved to the counter. “I’ll take one of those.”
I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the apple cherry muffins I made. “Those?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
“Yeah. They’re for sale, right?”
“Actually, I made those…for fun.”
That smile was there again. “Then I definitely have to have one. I’ll even pay you for it.”
Accept money? That would be weird. “It’s on the house. You look like you’ve had a bad day.” I grabbed a tray and set the muffin on top.
“Wow. I’ve never gotten such good service here.”
Unsure what to say, I gave him a quick smile then prepared his coffee. Once it was ready, I set it on the tray and rang him up.
He handed over the cash. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
“I’ve been working here for a while.” I handed him his change, and just touching his hand electrified me. His skin was slightly coarse like he used his hands all the time.
“I guess I’ll see you next time then.”
“And I hope when that happens you won’t be so tired.”
This time he gave me a real smile. “That makes two of us.” He grabbed his tray then sat in a booth near the window. He pulled his laptop out of his satchel and set it on the counter.
“You’re such a lucky bitch.”
I turned around and spotted Marie. Her face was free of crumbs. “What?”
“He was totally flirting with you.”
“Was not,” I argued.
“He never spoke to me like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him in the lobby. She released a quiet whistle under her breath. “That is one fine man.”
“He really is something…” My gaze moved to his large hands. I wondered what he could do with them.
“Ask him out.”
I turned back to Marie so quickly my neck hurt. “What?”
“What happened to asking a guy out?”
“Well, he’s your guy.” That was an unspoken rule between us.