Seven Books for Seven Lovers

by Molly Harper, Stephanie Haefner, Liora Blake, Gabra Zackman, Andrea Laurence, Colette Auclair

  She spent the next hour playing with Gianna, dressing her when she ripped her clothes off, and having a nice talk with her about how it is not appropriate for girls to run around naked. The one-and-a-half-year-old just stared at her, then blew a raspberry.

  “Okay. Good talk. Try and remember this advice when you’re eighteen and going off to college.”

  The baby began to wail and Mia ran back to the nursery to calm him before he woke Riley. She changed his exploded outhouse of a diaper, using about a hundred powder-scented baby wipes, and brought him to the living room. He seemed content, not hungry. She settled into the couch and snuggled him close. He fell right asleep.

  Mia gazed at his angelic face. I might want one of you someday. But a woman kind of needed a man to make that happen. Sperm banks were an option, but she already knew from watching Bryn how hard it was to be a single mother. No way would she volunteer for that kind of life.

  Mia’s mind drifted. Oliver would probably make a great dad one day. Between the both of them, they’d have awesome kids, both having learned how not to be a parent.

  Whoa! You and Oliver being parents . . . together? Where had that come from? Okay, time to put the baby back. Holding him was kicking her ovaries into overdrive and making her think crazy thoughts.

  Mia laid Nico in his crib as the shower started up. Riley must have woken from her nap. Mia walked back to the living room and Gianna, still fully clothed, engrossed with the colorful English- and Spanish-speaking characters on screen. Heading to the kitchen, she tidied up, filling the dishwasher. She pulled out the little electric floor sweeper and vacuumed the crumbs and dust. When she turned it off, the baby was crying again.

  Damn it! She went to the nursery and Riley was there.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that little kitchen vacuum would wake him.”

  She turned, looking somewhat rested, her damp hair pulled into a looped ponytail. “It probably didn’t. He’s due to eat now.”

  Mia followed Riley to the living room.

  “What is she watching?”

  “Some kid show. She seems to like it.”

  “I don’t let her watch TV. It’s bad for little kids.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  Riley sat down, the baby still fussing and whining. She opened her shirt and positioned him for his feeding. “I guess it’s fine once in a while.”

  They sat in silence for a minute, watching the animation on the screen. Mia looked over to her sister, her eyes glossy.

  “Are you okay?”

  A tear trailed down her cheek. “It’s so much harder than I thought it would be. Gianna was a breeze. It was just us and I did whatever she needed. But now. I have to do so much for Nico Junior and Gianna still needs me, too. I can’t nap when the baby naps like I did when Gianna was born. I can hardly even shower. By the time Nico gets home from work, I’m so exhausted I fall right onto the bed. But as soon as the baby cries, I have to get up.”

  “Why can’t Nico take care of the baby?”

  “He can only do so much. He can’t feed him.”

  “Don’t you have a pump so he can feed him with a bottle?” Mia asked.

  “The lactation consultant told me not to do that till Nico is at least a month or two. We don’t want him to take the bottle and then not want my breast anymore.”

  Showed what Mia knew. She’d had no clue that could even happen.

  Riley’s tears continued, escalating into a sob. “I’m such a bad mom.”

  Mia moved closer to her sister, hesitating as she put her arm around her, remembering what Riley had said about Mia’s relationship with Bryn. She never would have hesitated to comfort Bryn and hug her, hold her. She’d done it for months after Johnny died. She’d always treated Bryn like a sister, but it wasn’t until that moment she’d realized just how much she didn’t treat Riley like one.

  “You’re not a bad mom. This is probably the hardest thing a woman can go through, juggling so much. I know I haven’t been around, but I promise I’ll do my best to help whenever I can.”

  IT WAS Mia’s turn for the late shift at the shop. In at one, close at nine. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday, and that was good. The more women who came into the shop, the more who saw the posters and hopefully would tell all their friends. The response was pretty positive. A few older women scoffed, but that was expected.

  Later in the afternoon, after Penny had left, one younger woman approached Mia at the front desk and asked if they’d consider loaning their men out for a bachelorette party.

  “Oh, they’re not exotic dancers,” Mia said.

  “Okay. But what about a private party at the shop? Would you stay open on a Saturday night so me and my friends could have a little party, flirt with your cute models?”

  “I don’t know about—”

  “Let us get back to you,” Bryn interrupted. “Did you have a date in mind?”

  She steered her toward the display of toys, her mouth flapping. What was she getting them into now?

  Mia took a woman in back for a bra fitting, then helped an older gentleman looking for a gift for his wife. It was their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Mia thought about her parents, married over thirty years. Her father would rather die than step foot in a lingerie store to buy her mother something sexy. Mia sure didn’t want a marriage like that.

  Finally alone, Bryn stepped to the front desk. “I think we’re going into the bachelorette party business.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Well, I kinda booked a party here. It would be after hours, starting at nine. Food and wine or whatever drink they want. The women get to shop, I was thinking at a discount, maybe with a toy demonstration.”

  “What?”

  “No, not an actual demonstration! I’m not suggesting a porn show here. I would stand there and do what I did for you and Penny that one day. Show them the toys and talk about how they work and which ones are good.”

  “And the guys?”

  The right side of Bryn’s lip curled in a sneer. “They’ll be here. Maybe in those cute Classy ’n’ Sassy undies, a hot pink bow tie to match. They can serve drinks from silver trays, pose for photos, maybe dance a little.”

  “Bryn! We’re not running a strip club.”

  “No parts will be exposed. And I said maybe. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. Legally, can we do that? The liquor and all?”

  “I’ll look into it. But won’t it be fun? We’ll sell product and make some extra cash. I told her a flat fee of three hundred, but that would get them 30 percent off anything they buy. And if they want the guys, it’s an extra three hundred. Food and beverage would be their responsibility. She was all for it.”

  Mia shook her head. “What am I gonna do with you?”

  “Celebrate with me when we’re rolling in dough.” She removed her name tag. “I’m gonna go now, if you don’t mind. It’s dress rehearsal at Cammie’s dance school and I really want to see her in her costume.”

  “Yes. Go. Enjoy.”

  As Bryn headed out the back, a customer came through the front.

  “Hello. Can I help you find something?”

  She smiled, a bit uneasily. “First weekend away with my boyfriend. I kinda want it to be special. Can you suggest something sexy, but not too slutty?”

  “Sure.” Mia led her to the classy section of the store and the items she had picked out to stock on their racks.

  “Oh, what’s that?” She asked and pointed at the poster on the wall.

  “We’re branching out in a new direction,” she said, her prearranged spiel rolling off her tongue. “We’ve started a custom toy line and these are our models.”

  “Oh, how fun. And you’re having a party?”

  “Yes. The guys will be here and we’ll have cupcakes.” Sweets were always a good way to lure women in.

  “I’ll have to try and come. I have two girlfriends who would love this.”

  “Great. So did you want to try something
on?”

  After cashing the woman out—a pink satin camisole with a matching satin and lace thong—it was seven o’clock and Mia’s stomach rumbled for the first time that day. She ordered a sub from the nearby sandwich shop and sank into her desk chair to tackle some business-related stuff. She groaned as she rummaged through the bills. It had been awhile since she or Bryn had dealt with paying them.

  A couple were past due. Guess she’d send what she could. With that done, it was time to move on to payroll. She opened the program that Grant had used. It would have been easier to figure out how to launch the space shuttle.

  The back door chime sounded.

  “In here,” Mia yelled. Thank God. She was starving.

  Oliver appeared in her doorway, her sub sandwich in one hand, Styrofoam box of fries in the other.

  “Hey.” She smiled at him. “Did you mug my delivery guy on your way in?”

  “We both pulled into the lot at the same time, so I paid him for you.”

  “Oh. Let me give you the money.”

  “Not necessary. Consider it the meal you wouldn’t let me treat you to the other night.”

  “Okay. But this means you have to have half.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Depends. You into girly stuff like tofu?”

  “Uh, no. That’s an Italian sausage sub you got there.”

  “Perfect.”

  Oliver set the food on the desk as Mia cleared some space. She pulled napkins from her desk drawer and laid them out. After unwrapping the sandwich, the aromatic scent of sausage and peppers filling her soul, she separated the halves and tore the deli paper. “Who needs plates, right?”

  “Right.” Oliver opened the box of fries and ripped the lid off, dumping a serving of fries into it. He held up his sandwich. “Cheers.”

  Mia giggled and tapped her sub to his. “Cheers.” She then took a big bite. Heaven.

  “This is so good.”

  He took another bite, mayo smearing across his upper lip. Right away he reached for a napkin and wiped it. Good to know there was one guy in this world who used decent table manners.

  “Any chance you got ranch dressing in the break room refrigerator?” Oliver asked.

  “What for?”

  “The fries.” His amused smirk said, “Duh.”

  “It’s the only thing I eat on my fries.”

  “Seriously? I thought I was the only weirdo. And my nanny, when I was a kid. It was our secret.”

  “I’ll go get it then.” Mia left and came back with the bottle and a small bowl. “No double-dipping.”

  “Yuck. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Uses napkins, loves ranch on fries, hates double-dipping. Where have you been all my life? But just because he seemed perfect right now didn’t mean there wasn’t something hidden.

  Mia pushed the thoughts away. “I really need to get back to work. If I don’t, I’ll be here all night figuring out this payroll software.”

  “Really? What program is it?”

  Mia looked at her screen for a name. “Easy Pay.”

  “Simple program.” He stood and wiped his mouth and hands. “Let me take a look.”

  As he leaned over her, Oliver’s cologne surrounded her, completely drowning out the scent of grease and sausage. She wanted to sink her nose into his neck.

  “Hmm. Looks like this is pretty screwed up.”

  “Really?”

  He tapped at her keyboard then went to a different screen. “Yeah. It’s gonna take some time to straighten this all out.”

  “You think Grant did it on purpose? He’d been pretty ornery the last few weeks he was here.”

  “It’s possible. But I can show you how to fix it. Or, if you want, I can just do it. I can help with accounting and payroll now that’s he’s gone. I’ll come in every day after I finish up at my other job.”

  “I don’t know.” Should she admit that she couldn’t afford to pay him for services in addition to his modeling?

  “I know money is tight around here.” He eyed the past due bill on the desk. “So I’ll do it for free.”

  “No. Absolutely not. I can’t let you do that.”

  “Okay, then how about this: I work for you and keep track of my hours. When you’re back on your feet, you can pay me. I want to help.”

  “I’m not sure I like that.” And it wasn’t just because of the money. Could she handle being around him even more than she already was?

  “What other choice do you have?”

  He had her there. It was either say no and risk screwing up the finances even further, or hire him and risk succumbing to his charms. Again. Mia could control her urges. She hoped. But the finances, not so much.

  “Okay, but you better document every minute you’re here. I mean it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He mocked a salute.

  “We’ll set you up in Grant’s old office.” Right next to hers. He’d be there, every day, only a few feet away from her. This “controlling her urges” thing might be harder than she thought.

  CHAPTER Fifteen

  Oliver walked into the condo past nine, after setting himself up in Grant’s old office and familiarizing himself with the shop’s computer system. The evening had been nice, relaxing. Being with Mia was always fun and made him forget the stress and drama filling the rest of his life. She enjoyed simple pleasures, like a good greasy sandwich and french fries with ranch. The last time he’d seen Alexiana eat something with more than a hundred calories, she was ten years old.

  “Where were you? We had dinner reservations with your parents tonight.”

  Oh shit. That was tonight? “I completely forgot.”

  “It would have been nice if your cell phone hadn’t gone directly to voice mail. You would have gotten one of the dozen calls and text messages I sent you.”

  He pulled his cell phone from his suit jacket pocket. Dead. “I hadn’t realized the battery was low.”

  “What was so important that you didn’t come home after work? Oh wait . . . let me guess. That tacky lingerie shop? You’ve been spending quite a bit of time there lately.”

  “It’s my job. And now even more so. I’m doing accounting work for them.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. I wish you would get this little phase out of your system and start acting like a husband.”

  “I don’t want to be a husband.” At least not to her.

  “Well, then you shouldn’t have asked me to marry you.”

  “Like I had a choice.”

  “You had a choice. No one put a gun to your head and made you propose.”

  Men in their social circle didn’t abandon their pregnant girlfriends. Men who did that were disowned by their parents and snubbed by every well-to-do family in town. In hindsight, maybe that would have been better. It would have freed him to live his own life.

  “I proposed so it wouldn’t get to that point.”

  “Well, whatever. You asked and the wedding is happening. You better call your father and apologize about dinner. He’s livid.” Alexiana stalked past him toward the bedroom.

  He grabbed her arm. “Wait. We need to continue this conversation.”

  “I don’t need to do anything.” She shook free.

  Oliver watched her back as she walked away. “I don’t love you. I never have. And I won’t marry you.”

  That made her stop. But as she turned, jaw clenched tighter than her forehead after Botox, Oliver realized Alexiana was gone. She’d been replaced by some possessed creature with black holes for eyes. A gorgeous shell with nothing inside but evil.

  As she slinked toward him, her words came out slow and concise, so cold they made him shiver. “Over my dead body. I will not let you do this to me.”

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “No. You’re the one who doesn’t have a choice. You impregnated me, so you are going to marry me. We’re going to live a perfect life. I will not let you take that away from me.”

  “You physically cannot make me show up a
t that church. I’m a grown man and I do what I want.”

  She turned on her heel once again, but he followed.

  “I want to marry someone I love. Don’t you?”

  “Love is for fools. I want security, stability, a life that people envy. Our families have been friends for years. We’re an ideal match.” She stepped to her bureau and removed her dangling diamond earrings.

  “So you admit it. You don’t love me, either.”

  “Of course not.”

  Oliver stepped to her, his hands on her arms, gently turning her to him. “Then let’s end this. I’ll support you and the baby but we can find the people we’re meant to be with. I want a woman who loves me and enjoys being with me. My soul mate.”

  Maybe this heart-to-heart would get her to admit they were wrong for each other. Give up this charade of being pregnant so they could split peacefully and go on with their lives.

  Alexiana rolled her eyes. “You sound like a sap. Did you take some estrogen today or something?”

  But a person had to actually have a heart for that to work.

  “I should have known you wouldn’t understand.” He dropped his hands.

  “You’re right about that. I don’t understand why you would give up perfection.” She turned back to the mirror and began brushing her hair. “Besides, we can’t break up. The stress would be too much for your mother. Say what you will, but I know you won’t do anything that may cause her more pain.”

  Fuck. He hated to admit Alexiana was right about anything, but there wasn’t a way out of this that wouldn’t hurt his mother.

  FINALLY, BRYN was paying Mia back for all the crazy things she’d done over the last month. A late dinner at Blue Margaritas with an endless supply of their signature beverage. It had been ages since they’d gone out. She, Bryn, and Penny deserved to let loose and relax for one night.

  Bryn loved this place because it was so her. Bright colors, loud music, dancing, and karaoke. God, Mia hated karaoke. But Bryn always managed to convince her to get up there with her for at least one song. And yeah, it usually ended up being really fun.

  After dinner and two large margaritas each, the women moved their party to the bar area, laughing and chatting a mile a minute.