by Molly Harper, Stephanie Haefner, Liora Blake, Gabra Zackman, Andrea Laurence, Colette Auclair
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Penny grabbed her purse and waved good-bye.
Logan and Oliver, back in their clothes, came over to the women.
“Thanks, guys. You were brilliant,” Bryn said, then turned her attention just to Logan. “Looks like you’ve made up for those racy photos.”
“I wish I’d thought of marketing to the gay community sooner. Mighta been able to prevent all that bad press yesterday.”
“Even still, I think it’s all going to work out. We have the VIP red carpet party in less than two weeks and that Cinco de Mayo event, too. I gotta find something sexy for you guys to wear with sombreros.” Bryn grabbed for her sweater and purse. “But right now, I’m going home.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Logan said.
“Mia, you going home, too?”
“I think I’ll stay and clean up a bit. I feel bad for getting here so late this morning.”
Bryn’s gaze moved from Mia to Oliver, then back again. “Okay. See ya tomorrow.”
Mia knew that twinkle. But Bryn was wrong. She and Oliver were just friends, if that. She started collecting plates and napkins and filled a garbage bag. Oliver grabbed some plastic cups from a nearby table and added them to the bag.
“So, that was kinda wild today, huh? Never expected to walk into that.”
“Yeah. I’m still in shock. The last few days have been a crazy roller coaster. I’m not sure I can fully comprehend what happened.”
“Whatever it was, it was good for the shop.”
“Are you ready to be a gay man’s idol now, not just adored by women?”
“Uh, well. Today was definitely a first for me. I used to play football, so pats on the ass were the norm. But today . . .” He shook his head, but wore a full grin. “I don’t even know how many different men’s hands were on my ass.”
“I’m sorry. That had to be weird.”
“Surprisingly, not as awkward as I thought. Don’t get me wrong, it was weird as hell, but I guess I’m getting used to being a hired piece of beefcake.”
That brought a giggle to Mia’s throat. “Thinking of switching teams?”
“Um, no. I’ll stick with women.”
The hunger in his eyes woke the butterflies in her stomach, the ones she had somehow managed to squelch that morning after waking next to Oliver, only a few feet away on her floor.
As he picked up the rest of the garbage around the shop, Mia needed to distance herself from him. She walked to the dildo shelf and straightened the boxes. It was a complete mess.
Keeping her back to him, she spit out what she’d wanted to say all day. “Thank you, for doing that. Without even flinching.”
“I’d do anything to help you.”
He was closer to her, right behind. Every hair on her body stood erect and she froze in place.
“You mean to help the shop.”
“No. You. The first time I saw you, you mesmerized me. Even in that neon pink sweatshirt. But after that, when I got to know you, I couldn’t stay away.”
She felt the warmth of his hand on hers and she closed her eyes, breathing deep. He turned her body to face him and she let him.
“I had to be the guy you were looking for that night. All the crap I had going on in my life seemed to fade away whenever I was with you. I . . . need you.”
Oliver’s hand moved to her cheek, her gaze locked on his. She knew what was coming next, but her body would not allow her to stop it from happening. Her brain wasn’t real sure it wanted him to stop, either.
Mia closed her eyes as his lips met hers, melting into him as she’d wanted to so many times the night before. It would be so easy to forget the past and run through a flowery field hand in hand like a sappy made-for-TV movie.
But her brain finally made up its mind and forced her to pull away. “Too much has happened. We need to just stay friends.”
“That kiss was nowhere near friendly, and you know it. Why can’t you give in? I know you want this, too.”
“Because you lied to me. How can I ever trust you again?”
“You can,” he pleaded with her. “I’m not that guy who lied. I got lost for a while and did some things I regret. But it wasn’t the real me.”
“That’s all I know. I’ve been with liars and cheats before. I don’t need another jerk. I need a man who will be up front and honest with me from day one. And you’re just not him.”
“Please. Let me show you who I really am. I’m a man you can trust.”
“I want to believe you.” She really really did. “But I just can’t.”
OLIVER SAT in his car, wanting to scream and punch out the windows. Instead, he watched Mia leave the shop and drive away. He’d been so sure, after the night they’d had, busting Grant and having fun getting drunk, that she’d started to trust him again, let down her guard. But no. Right back where they were. Maybe she would never be able to trust him.
He drove home, wanting nothing but a hot shower and his bed. But when he stepped into his apartment, Alexiana was there.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk, and since you’ve blatantly ignored all my phone calls, I had to find some way to make you hear me.”
“I’m exhausted and have no desire to argue with you. Just leave.” He walked past her toward the bedroom.
“I’m pregnant.”
Well, that was one way to get his attention. He turned back to her. “For real this time?”
“Five positive home tests and a blood test.”
“Huh.” Well, didn’t that serve her right. Karma is a bitch. “We haven’t had sex in months, so I know it isn’t mine. Why should I care?”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“Whatever it is, I’m not interested.” He continued toward his room, determined to keep walking no matter what her next words were.
“You owe me for all the hell you put me through.”
“You? I asked to end this before it got out of hand and you refused.”
“Well, you’re not the one who’s had to deal with the embarrassment of canceling a very prestigious social event with over five hundred guests, and having to explain to people exactly why the engagement was broken. You try being the woman whose fiancé decided to become a sex toy model.”
He tried not to laugh out loud. The old biddies were probably having a field day with the scandal. And when they find out she’s now pregnant by another man? They’ll have gossip for weeks.
But she did have his curiosity piqued. He walked back to her. “I’ll hear you out under one condition.”
“What?” She crossed her arms and bumped out her hip.
“Tell me who the father is.”
“No.”
“Okay, have a nice life.”
He spun back around, but she grabbed his arm, digging in her fake nails.
“Fine. My yoga instructor. We’ve been fooling around for like two months.”
“That guy?”
“Yeah. He’s hot and he’s bendy.”
“Enough.” Oliver shook his head and sat on the couch.
Alexiana sat next to him. “So this is my plan. We stay broken up, but I tell everyone you’re the baby’s father. I’ll hire a nanny or something to take care of the kid. You won’t have to do anything.”
“Absolutely not. They already see me as the villain in all of this. No way am I volunteering to be a fake deadbeat dad, too.”
“Fine. Then you can be its real dad.”
“How about the biological dad takes care of it?”
She rolled her eyes. “As if. He makes like a couple thou a month. And he’s a yoga instructor. I’m not going to openly admit I had sex with that, even if it was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”
“We’re done with this conversation.” Oliver stood.
“Wait. I can give your mother her dream. You can lay a baby in her arms before she dies. Who cares if it’s not actually her blood grandchild?”
“I do. I
t’s a lie. I won’t lie to anyone anymore about any damn thing in my life. I reconciled with my mother, so you can take your little plan and your yoga instructor and go fuck yourself, or fuck him. I don’t give a shit.” Oliver stalked off down the hall.
“You can’t stop me from telling people the baby is yours.”
He didn’t even justify her threat by looking back. “Try it and see what happens.”
MIA COULDN’T think about Oliver right now. Or his eyes. Or those sugar-sweet lips. Things had turned around at the shop and she needed to keep her thoughts on the business. It’s all that mattered. But first, she needed to make one quick stop. Flipping her blinker, she slowed and pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked when he approached her at the bar.
“I need to apologize.”
“Not necessary. I’m just some stupid kid. Don’t waste your time.” He looked away and grabbed a towel, drying off the bar.
“You know I don’t think that. I had fun with you. And I’m very thankful for what you did for me. You were there when I needed someone. You helped me relax.”
“But now it’s over. You have your guy back. That was him last night, wasn’t it? The guy you couldn’t stop thinking about.”
Mia sighed. “Yes. But there’s nothing between us.”
“Why?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I may be just a kid, but in my experience, ‘complicated’ just means you’re too lazy to make it work.”
“I’m not lazy.”
“Then you’re scared. Or too busy. Or some other lame excuse.”
Right about then, it didn’t seem like Kyle was only nineteen. “You’re right.”
“So why are you sitting here? Why aren’t you with him?”
“I . . . I just can’t. Too much has happened. It can’t be changed.”
“Fuck what happened. Forget the past and move on.”
A man and woman took seats at the bar and Kyle left Mia to serve them. How had he gotten so wise? Or was it just the naïveté of youth? Mia had the knowledge of experience. And now she was more confused than ever.
She met Kyle’s gaze, forcing a little smile, and waved good-bye. He smiled back. She hoped that meant that even in all the confusion and drama she still had her new friend.
MIA WOKE early and left her apartment with a mission. She called Bryn to make sure it was okay she came in late. This couldn’t wait and Mia needed to get it done before she lost her nerve.
It wasn’t even nine when Mia strolled through the main entrance of Montanari Motors, ignoring the greetings of multiple salesmen. She headed for the private office of The Great Antonio Montanari, ignoring his secretary’s attempts to stall her while she buzzed the intercom.
“No need.” She pushed open the door and, heedless of the phone call he was on, slammed a pile of papers onto his desk. A couple drifted to the floor, but she’d made her point. She meant business.
“Let me call you back, Sal.”
He replaced the receiver and glanced at the erotic photos. “What the hell is this crap?”
“As if you didn’t know.”
“Get these off my desk.” He pushed them toward her, a disgusted sneer on his lips.
“Just so you know, your little plan to destroy my shop didn’t work. So all that time you spent organizing this little escapade with one of my models was all for nothing. Our sales shot through the roof after you plastered our Web site and social media with these photos. The entire gay community is now behind us. So maybe I should thank you for helping make the new venture a success.” She flashed her biggest brightest, fakest smile.
“I did no such thing.”
“Sure you did. And you got my ex-employee to help you. This was your way of destroying my shop and making me come work for you. Well, guess what? Your stunt could have put us in a crater-sized hole of debt and still I would never work for you. I’d rather work three fast-food jobs than work here.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I did not do this. And I’ve given up the idea of you working for me. I’ve accepted your decision and would never do something this horrid to hurt you. You should know that. I want our family back. That’s why I put out an ad. To lessen the workload here. And when I saw Grant had worked for you, I hired him. If you trusted him to run your finances, he must be a good employee.”
Mia burst out laughing. “You taking employee recommendations from me? You only hired him because he had an axe to grind. He was the perfect minion to carry out your sick plan. Give the guy a paycheck and a new car, and he’ll do whatever you want.”
“What are you talking about?”
Mia picked up a photo and held it out. “Doesn’t your new employee look good in leather? Nice touch, by the way. Was that your idea, or his?”
“Take these away from me.”
“No, you keep them. A little reminder of what you did.” She turned and strode toward the open door, employees having gathered around, desperate for gossip.
“Mia, please. Let’s talk about this.”
“No. We’re done. And while you’re at it, maybe you should just forget you have an older daughter. Riley has always been your prized pupil anyway.”
Mia stepped through the threshold feeling vindicated. The Great Antonio Montanari had not won.
“I didn’t do this!” he bellowed from his doorway.
She kept on walking, the enormous weight of being a Montanari having been lifted from her shoulders. Free and relaxed, she was ready to take on the world. Well, her world of lingerie and sex toys, anyway. She’d spent the whole night brainstorming new ideas for the shop, new ways to accommodate their new customer base. It was a brand-new chapter in her life.
But as she pulled into the parking lot of the shop, her cell phone rang for the third time. She’d ignored it the other two, mainly because she was driving, but also because she knew it was her father.
It was a Montanari, but not Antonio. The call came from her parents’ house. She answered it.
“Mia, it’s your mother. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m sure Dad can fill you in.”
“No. He’s beside himself. He doesn’t know what just happened. Please come over so we can talk.”
“I can’t. I have to get to work.”
“Mia, I’m begging you.”
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. Her mother was on the brink of tears. “I’ll come over to talk to you. And only you. He better not be there.”
“I promise, just us.”
CHAPTER Twenty-Eight
Mia walked into her parents’ house, and was met with complete silence. It had been a long while since she’d been there during the day. No father bellowing. No arguing over the dinner table.
She remembered what it was like as a kid to move from their modest home to this giant mansion at the edge of town. She’d hated it at first, and never really learned to love it. Most of the kids at school either got weird with her, or suddenly wanted to be best friends and come over for pool parties. Everyone except Bryn. She hadn’t changed one bit when Mia moved, other than the smidgen of disappointment over her no longer living around the corner.
“Mom?” Mia called.
“In here.” The voice traveled from the kitchen.
Mia found her mother there, mixing a batch of something. Definite stress baker.
“I can’t stay long. I have to get to the shop. Business is better than it’s ever been.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Is that how you really feel?”
“Of course.” She rinsed her hands and dried them on a kitchen towel. “We truly do want you to succeed.”
“You maybe. Not Dad. But I never thought he’d do what he did.”
“Mia, he’s really upset. He has no idea where those photos came from.”
“Of course he’s denying it. It would have been a miracle if he’d actually confessed.”
“He’s telling the truth. We spoke about you barely a few days ago. He loves you and misses you. We’re not exactly young anymore and we’ve wasted enough time arguing. He truly wants to be a family again, and promised to stop asking you to work for him. He wants to put all that nastiness behind us.”
“That’s a lie. Last time I called Riley, she told me he forbid her from talking to me. She wouldn’t even let me see Gianna.”
Mia’s mother sighed. “I know. I thought it was awful of him to do that, and I told him so. It was somewhat of a wake-up call for him. He realized how terrible he’s been acting. A father shouldn’t treat his children that way.”
Mia didn’t know what to believe. “There’s no one else who would want to destroy the shop.”
“He never wanted that. He just wanted you. Can’t blame a father for wanting to pass his legacy to his children.”
“Yeah, I can. If I don’t want it.”
Mia’s mother sighed and pulled out two small cake pans, pouring equal amounts of batter into them. “Why don’t you come for dinner tonight and the three of us will talk.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Please? I’m making your favorite dessert.”
Mia’s mouth watered thinking about lemon cake with homemade raspberry filling. “I can’t. At least not now. I’m too mad.”
After scraping every last bit of batter from the sides of the bowl, Mia’s mother looked up at her, sadness in her eyes. “I understand. I just wish you weren’t so stubborn. You’re just like your father.”
Rage bubbled in her chest. She hated being compared to her father, especially after he’d done something so immensely heinous. “I’m nothing like him.”
“You’re a lot more alike than either of you will admit. And I just don’t know what to do anymore. This whole family is falling apart. It was never supposed to be like this.” She turned and set the bowl in the sink. “The business and the money was supposed to make our lives better, not tear them apart.”
Mia’s anger subsided and she went to her mother. Even though none of this had anything to do with her, she could see how badly it hurt her. Mia hugged her, whispering, “I’m sorry.”